Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

Things have been moving along here as we get geared up for Christmas. This week has been full of Christmas baking, kids concerts and planning our holiday get togethers. I really feel like we need a nice, peaceful holiday and not a holiday where we are running so much that we don't have time to look around at what is truly most important to our family. I am looking forward to a Christmas with less fuss this year. Jeff, once again, finished up our shopping early so we just need to do a few last minute things which is so nice. Very happy to have a husband who doesn't mind shopping and is happy to jump in and make sure the boys are happy at Christmas. When I look back at the last few Christmas's, we have really had to simplify things. I havn't been up to doing my usual all day shop-a-thons and baking sessions. It's actually made Christmas a lot nicer and more relaxed so maybe this is a tradition that we will keep up in the many years to come.

I am recovering very well from surgery. It's hard to believe that it's been 6 weeks already. I went and saw my oncologist on Wednesday and everything is just as we expected. We spoke alot about different treatment options but none of these are available for me at the present time. Although, it's nice not to have to go for chemotherapy or radiation it is also disappointing that this is because there is no such treatment available for people with this type of cancer. (stage IV metastatic melanoma) It's not that I don't need any further treatment but that there is nothing available. So we wait. The chances I will have another recurrence is very likely and if this does happen then hopefully once again it will be operable. Every day that I remain "No Evidence of Disease" I look as another day for treatment in this area to advance and for someone to finally find a cure.

It is very difficult some days to remain optimistic and hopeful especially after another recurrence. This last return has been extremely difficult for all of us. It has reaffirmed that this isn't going away and has become almost a chronic illness. I have recently had many times of feeling scared, angry and upset that we all have to deal with this. I sometimes find it very difficult to even go to the doctor. This past week I would have rather scrubbed toilets than go back to Cancer Care. I almost had a panic attack the night before dreading this trip in. This may not only have been because I sometimes just get so tired of going to the doctors but also because this was my first time going back to see my doctor since we lost Earl. Earl and I both had the same Oncologist looking after us and it brought up alot of sadness for me going to see him again. I miss him so much. Jeff came with me and this comforted me and I was able to get through it just fine. I left there having all of my questions answered and also like we had some sort of plan for my future treatment. Although, I don't like to plan too far away I also need to know that there is some sort of plan there.

I feel very grateful that I am still able to be out and about living life in an almost "normal" way. I'm able to get out of bed every morning, do every day activities and still get alot of joy out of life. A trip to Cancer Care can sometimes make me realize how fortunate I really am and that I had better not take that for granted. So, since I still have a couple of weeks before I go back to work I am really going to enjoy the season and spend lots of time with my family really feeling blessed for what we have together.

I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas full of love and joy and a healthy and happy 2012!