Mele Kalikimaka! (Hawaiian for Merry Christmas)

An early Christmas gift...pending any new unwanted developments, mom, dad and I will be spending 2 weeks in Hawaii starting January 2nd! I will still do chemo during that time, but it is all pill-form, so it's possible to do! I am now shopping for a "rash guard" which is basically what surfers wear - a skin tight water shirt with a high neck and shorts, that will cover both my graft site and my neck wound. I won't be surfing but perhaps a little snorkeling! It has been 20 years since I last visited a warm tropical beach, so I am very excited.

My trip to Vancouver this weekend was very good. It was a little hard to see grandma given how amazing she was the last time I saw her. That said, she looks pretty good, still attempts to speak,and her agility with her arms, fingers and legs has improved over the past few months, even without formal rehabilitation. I told her that I know I get my strength from her...she is such a wonderful woman. It was also fantastic to spend some time with Colleen (mom's sister), Allan, Grady and Joelle as well as my mom's brother Bob and my brother Brandon.

The trip tired me out a bit, so Monday I was a bit slow, but managed to make it to the Survivor Finale party that my PricewaterhouseCoopers Survivor Chicks had kindly delayed for me! It was great to see Shannon, Laura and Julie as we took in our favourite reality show and crowned the winner. I had picked my survivors while still in the hospital (and clearly on too many drugs) so I didn't come close to Shannon's high score. Maybe next season!

I continue to improve each day, although my stamina still is no where near normal. Today I have blood work and a few things to do before I start the Chemo day 1 again tomorrow, which may set me back slightly for a few days. I'm looking forward to Christmas with the family, seeing the twins open gifts and of course Hawaii January 2nd.

Cheers to you and yours, with eggnog (which has 10 g of protein in it by the way)!

Cleared for take-off!

Another good week almost over...

I visited the bone marrow clinic on Tuesday and given my counts and the state of my chest wound, they said I was in pretty good shape. Good enough to join my mom on her flight to Vancouver tomorrow, to visit my grandma. Since her second stroke this past January, she has not been able to walk and has a limited speaking ability, so I am very happy to go see her for a couple days. I'll also be able to have a "pre-Christmas" visit with Colleen, Allan, Joelle and Grady.

Next week I start my "day one" of chemo again, which means some IV chemo and 5 days of prednisone, along with the usual 28 days of mercapturine. It also means another lumbar puncture or "spinal tap", which requires me to give myself injections of blood thinner for the 5 days before and after the procedure (uncle Tony will appreciate that). I am happy I am done Christmas shopping!

On the non-medical side of life, I was able to visit the twins a few times this week. My arm strength has finally gotten to the point where I can lift them, which is excellent. They are truly hilarious and cute, and I think they may know me now (with and without my hair on). I also got over to Tasha's place for a SingStar session, as she unfortunately got delayed until next week for her next round of chemo. I even made it to the Christmas party for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (I'm on the board) which was tiring but wonderful to see everyone there. Finally, I had lunch with an old grade-school friend of mine, Ryan, who is newly engaged!

So I am off tomorrow evening...please keep me updated on what is new in your world. Cheers