January 31, 2007 (treatment # 20)

January 31, 2007 (treatment # 20)

Wednesday night is the night for our Community Suppers. We have had a large turn-over of residents lately, so some of the newer residents did not attend the meal. They missed a good meal and good fellowship. One new couple lives near the Loris/Myrtle Beach area, and another couple is originally from the New York area, but they now live in NC. Some people are here for only 2 weeks for treatment, and some are like me and are here for 7-8 weeks. It all depends on what type cancer they have. We have one man and his mother here from Africa. They are really nice people. He is here for a stem cell transplant. They are gathering his stem cells and then giving him chemotherapy and then replacing his stem cells. He is a pretty sick young man. We also have another person living here who is receiving stem cells, but hers are being rejected. I don’t know what the next step will be for her.

If you look around, you will usually find people who are sicker than you. Sometimes we get wrapped up in our own problems and don’t see how good we really have it. The next time you are feeling sorry for yourself, just stop and look around at other people and thank the Lord for all the blessings you have.

While I was waiting for my radiation treatment today, a man stopped by to talk to me as he was leaving the hospital. This was his last treatment; he had 41. He had his mold under his arm, of all things. That is the mold he has to be in during his treatment. It is used to help the technicians get the patient’s body lined up properly for radiation treatment. Someone in the waiting room asked him why he wanted the mold. (I have already told my wife I want my mold). He said his grandchildren will get to do a show and tell at school about his cancer. I thought that was a GREAT idea. Someone also suggested he could use it as a sled since we are scheduled to have ice and snow Thursday. He also thought using the mold as a sled was a good idea.