Time to Heal

Last January, when I first met with Dr. Fisher (who you all know by now is my amazing oncologist) I asked him about whether I could/should work during my chemotherapy program. His response was that while he would prefer that I didn't work, he recognized that some people who were addicted to work (and surprisingly he felt that I fell into this group) needed to continue working as they were going through treatment. So he told me that he would allow me to work, but he said we would have to revisit this decision as my treatment progressed.

Following the harrowing experience of Round 7, we revisited the topic. I am now in the final few months of treatment which are considered to be the most difficult due to the cumulative effects of the chemo. So I decided to accept the sage advice of my doctor and take a break. This was not an easy decision, but I feel that it is the right decision for me and my family.

Therefore, during the next few months I'll be focused on healing and a few other things that I've had on my "to do" list for quite some time. I've already created a list of over 50 things that I would like to accomplish and I’m well on my way! I also have time now to do things for my family that I haven’t been able to (or really wanted to, so much) while I was working. For example—cooking dinner. I've been told by my eastern medicine folks that I can no longer rely on processed foods. So I am going to have to figure out how to prepare healthy meals for my family and there’s no time like the present! So, with my thanks, I've decided to suspend the meals program. A HUGE thank you to Bridget and Heidi for coordinating this over the last several months and to everyone who so graciously fed my family!

One last thought on the subject of healing - I am continually amazed by the number of prayers that are being said for me – from the Basilica to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. I just found out that our dear friend Linda who was in Jerusalem within the last couple of weeks placed a prayer in my name in the Western Wall – the most significant site in the world for the Jewish people. It is a tradition to slip pieces of paper with prayers on them in the crevices of the Wall. The Western Wall is a living testimony to the strength and resilience of the Jewish nation. It is that strength and resiliency that I hope to capture as I move forward. What a powerful gift that Linda gave me in my fight and what an appropriate way to begin my next 3 months of healing.