“Twenty-seven THOUSAND, six-hundred and six dollars?” my voice inched up the panic scale as I read the number out loud to an empty room and the kitchen table. “For ONE infusion of Rituximab?” I checked the number again, then flipped to the last page of the 25-page hospital bill. “That… Read more“Six Tips for Finding Financial Aid for Cancer Patients”
Category: Receiving
We grew up thinking we could be superwoman, only to discover on our cancer caregiving journey that we didn’t have to be THAT woman. We found joy in receiving the gifts that others gave us.
Feeling Dismal? You Are Not Alone
Dear Friend, I know the day seems dismal and dreary despite the summer sun shining brightly outside your window. I know that each breath requires a herculean effort and retreat into a dark hole seems like the only option. I know how difficult you find it to text, to call,… Read more“Feeling Dismal? You Are Not Alone”
The Messenger (Dr. Doom) Takes a Seat
Dr. Doom Takes a Seat Dr. Doom* came into the room and sat on Pedro’s hospital bed. He sighed and held his hands together. He leaned over and fiddled with the IV lines and shook his head. Pedro didn’t look good. “He doesn’t have any white blood cells,” Dr. Doom… Read more“The Messenger (Dr. Doom) Takes a Seat”
No Room in the Nave
No Room in the Nave I stood on the busy street corner, staring at the imposing edifice rising from the concrete jungle in the shadows of nightfall. Churches in inner cities sure looked different from the ones back home in Montana. Glancing nervously about, I checked the directions jotted on… Read more“No Room in the Nave”
Broken, Tattered, Beautiful
I wandered the halls of the huge hospital, looking for a chapel. For the past ten hours Pedro had been convulsing and incoherent. After the first episode (less than 24 hours after his arrival at UCSF via air ambulance), the doctors had moved him to a critical care unit. I… Read more“Broken, Tattered, Beautiful”
Happy-Face State of Grace
Today I’m linking up with Holley Gerth with some Coffee for Your Heart. It’s a strong cup of coffee this morning, friend. But I want to encourage you and let you know that God’s grace covers in ways you may not realize until much later. “How’s your husband doing?” a… Read more“Happy-Face State of Grace”
Hopeful Anesthetic
Follow our blog with Bloglovin The anesthesiologist let us know, in subtle ways, that he didn’t really appreciate having this emergency procedure to squeeze in amongst all the other operations scheduled for the day. He seemed a little impatient, a little harried, and just a little unsettled that we parents… Read more“Hopeful Anesthetic”
A Tree, A Friend, A Prayer
The first non-family member I called when Pedro received his cancer diagnosis was my college roommate, Carolyn Sturges. She’s the kind of friend that I only see every couple of years, but our conversations pick up where they left off the last time—whether it was a phone call six months… Read more“A Tree, A Friend, A Prayer”
Dancing With Elvis and Scaring Ivy
I met Ivy the week Pedro’s hospital room started to heat up like an oven in the late summer sun. Finally, we couldn’t stand it any more, and I went to a mom and pop general store down the street and purchased some duct tape and purloined blankets from the… Read more“Dancing With Elvis and Scaring Ivy”
How YOU Can be a Secret Millionaire
I was laid up for a while, under doctor’s orders to not do anything physical. My iPad and I threw a party. I watched Netflix movies and read books on my Kindle app. Then one day I found the ABC app and a show called The Secret Millionaire My life… Read more“How YOU Can be a Secret Millionaire”
