Baldies' Blog began originally in the UK by a 26 year old journalist with a blood cancer on a mission to inform the world about bone marrow donation.

He has since died, and I took on the cause of making cancer care more transparent for everybody.

Cancer is a disease that will touch everybody through diagnosis or affiliation: 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed and 1 in 3 woman will hear those words, "You Have Cancer."

I invite you to read how I feel along my journey and
how I am continuing to live a full life alongside my Hodgkin's lymphoma, with me controlling my cancer, not my cancer controlling me.

I hope that "Baldies' Blog" will prepare you to handle whatever life sends you, but especially if it's the message, "You Have Cancer."

Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Pre-Easter Celebration

I knew it was going to be a good day when I woke up to two children squeling, “Did the Easter Bunny come? Where are the eggs? Did he hide the eggs and bring us baskets. …. With. . .. with . … CANDY! Wake up mom!”
They’re a day too early, but apparently, Easter is a big deal this year.
If you’re wondering where the second child has come from, we have Lexi for the weekend. She’s our niece. She’s been an active part of our family since Jon and I started dating when she was six months old. We take her to sports. We take her on vacations, and do our best to make sure she has all the opportunities Xander does.
We’ve missed her, but we had too many problems of our own to enjoy her on the weekends. Now, we have her back for Easter. It’s a special occasion.
There was some question today of whether or not the Easter Bunny was going to skip our house.
Jon decided to swing by Blockbuster as we were leaving “Hannah Montanna” and pick up a movie. He chose “Religulosity.”
He checked the cover. It looked funny.
He failed to realize that it was funny by picking on organized religion. He had decided to rent a movie making fun of religion on Easter weekend.
I couldn’t let that one go.
“Jon, what did you get?”
“It’s supposed to be funny, it looked funny.”
“Who told you this would be funny? It doesn’t look all that funny. Do you even know what it’s about?”
“It looked funny.” He said again.
“You rented a movie picking on religion over the Easter weekend. I don’t think that is going to make God very happy. It’s kind of blasphemy. Do you think Jesus would think this was funny?” I poked at him, playfully.
What I didn’t take into account in my joking was that there were two children listening to our conversation.
Out of the back seat I hear Alexis say, “You rented a movie that picks on Easter?”
“The Easter Bunny is going to skip over us.” Lexi accused.
Then, out of his Miley induced nap, we hear Xander chime in, “You offended the Easter Bunny?!”
Xander opens a sly eye to look at his father, “What if the Easter Bunny sees THAT?” he asks. “We should bring it back.”
Jon is officially surrounded and our point has been made. Movies picking on religion are not okay when we’re celebrating.
As far as Hannah Montana, it is definitely a father/daughter or uncle/niece bonding movie.
Lexi wants to buy it immediately.
Xander and I fell asleep during the show.
I have a problem falling asleep during movies. I have a problem falling asleep at Broadway plays too.
I like to go. I like to pretend to be cultured and upper class, but apparently theatre is not for me, since I’ve fallen asleep at Aida, Mary Poppins, Les Miserables, and RENT, twice.
Oops. The trend extends to movies also. If I ever need a nap, I just pop in a movie. It’s guaranteed to make me sleep.
I had hoped the weather would cooperate, and prior to Hannah Montana time, I could talk Lexi and Xander into some serious gardening.
They’re old enough to respond to incentive, such as payment. We have a lot of flower beds.
The weather didn’t cooperate though and instead decided to curse me with pain and diffuse muscle aches no matter how much I walked, danced, or stretched. I feel chilled to the bone with no hope of warmth. I ache all over. My eyes feel gritty and gross. My lips are chapped and taught permanently from GVHD.
Sometimes, when I swallow, I feel a stabbing in my throat. This is my dry, nonfunctioning salivary gland. It’s reminding me by painfully stopping my eating in its tracts that it’s dry.
I use eye drops for my eyes and incessant blistex to ease the pain of my lips.
I call myself “hot lips” to joke about the burning. Maybe if I find it funny, it won’t be so bad. Maybe if I can joke enough I can cope with the terrible things that are happening to my body.
Hopefully, eventually, I’m going to have to find some avenue to cope with these new onset chronic symptoms since they are life long.
I’m suffering, but I’m still trying to enjoy myself. I keep remembering Easter and the message that was meant to be sent to the world.
I think I get it.
Happy Holiday,

1 comment:

Daria said...

Hillary, I to use eye drops for watery eyes, and blistex for dry, swollen lips, I have a stuffy nose and sinus headaches, a sore throat and a dry mouth ... and so on.

It is hard and sometimes I wonder where I can find the strength to continue.

I wish there was some way I could send you some strength and courage.

I guess we just take it one step at a time.

Thinking of you ...