24 December 2018

Another Night Before Xmas

'twas the night before xmas
in the year '68
When a young boy was eager
but forced to wait.

Xmas was around the corner
and presents were near
when suddenly a door bell
the boy did hear.

He raced to the door
"Was it Santa, perhaps?"
No, a chap in brown shirt
and matching brown pants.

"I'm looking for Christopher,
might you be he?"
I didn't at first realize
he was talking to me.

"Um, yes sir," I replied
always taught to be nice
"Sign here," he said,
I think he asked twice.

I signed the receipt,
and returned it to him.
He gave me a box
and a sly little grin.

"What could it be?"
I wondered aloud
and walked to the living room,
my mind in a cloud.

I opened the box,
it didn’t say to delay,
and found twelve sea creatures
and a boat with which to play.














Requested so long ago
I did nearly forget
from Nabisco I had ordered
this neat sea animal set.

I played with it for years,
in the bath and the pool
and on not a few occasions
was actually late to school!

So thanks to Nabisco,
and the UPS guy too,
my xmas was happy
and very special, too.

Here's wishing a wish
to you and you and you
that your special sea creatures
will arrive in time, too.

07 December 2018

Another day of infamy

December seventh, 2015 – a day that will live in infamy (for me at least).

With a great big wink at the irony at play, that was the day I got my cancer diagnosis. I met with my kidney doctor to hear the results of a biopsy I had undergone. I was not surprised: I knew it was going to be cancer.

It’s hard for me to recount all the ways my life has changed in three years: chemo drugs to take, foods to avoid, foods to focus on, weight loss (not a bad thing, in my case), avoiding retaining water, making sure I keep my health insurance active, the care I have to take to not fall and break any bones (my cancer can make them brittle), the importance of excellent dental care (ibid), the need to avoid sick people, the need to schedule work days of no more than four-hours (after which I’m too tired to continue). These things, and others, are now part of my life as if they had always been. I’ve managed to establish a routine with the understanding that my life can no longer be considered “routine.”

On the plus side (every cloud has a silver lining): my cancer is under control and my chemo side effects have been minimal, I stopped craving/eating most sweets, and I found a balance between how much salt I can eat and water I should drink in a day to avoid retaining water (that was a real challenge).

On the minus side (every silver lining has a cloud): my kidneys continue to fail (damage from the cancer before diagnosis), I’ll need to take chemo the remainder of my life, my cancer will never be in remission, and I’ll never be able to wear a T-shirt that proclaims proudly: “I am a cancer survivor.” 

One last “plus”: we just bought a new (used) car. We paid for a special add-on to the loan that will pay off the full amount if either I or my husband dies in the next six years. This is a great deal, considering how the average life expectancy of my type of cancer is five years from date of diagnosis. :-)