November 29

It’s been a busy last few days. I needed all of Sunday and Monday to recover…might even take Tuesday too!!!

I will start by rewinding to Thanksgiving day. We had around 23 people at my house. It was wonderful to spend the day with family. However, wonderful as it was I was a bit overwhelmed. All of a sudden I realized that I didn’t have much to add to conversations other than “cancer world” topics. This is scary for me. Usually, I would have a funny triathlon or work story to share, and at this point in my life neither triathlons or work are a reality. So most of the evening I hung out in the basement with my niece and nephews watching movies, playing games and drawing. Overall, it was a great day.

Friday, was a slingshot back to reality. My Aunt Laurie escorted me for “Adventures with Aimee” to Yale Smillow Cancer Center for chemotherapy infusion. We both noted how the hospital seemed like a ghost town when walking in. No one playing the piano in the lobby, the Starbucks Cafe was closed, and the lights were dim in the main lobby. Even the waiting room in the clinical study office was empty and quiet. Then we entered the actual infusion area and it was PACKED!!!! We had to wait for a chair to open up…this was rare. Yet, it was also a reminder that thought the rest of the hospital was quiet, cancer treatment doesn’t stop. I had a great time having my Aunt Laurie with me. We returned home and celebrated my cousin, Stephanie’s birthday by dining out at Haversham with my Aunt’s friend Barbara. So many good laughs at dinner, definitely a night to remember.

Friday night and most of Saturday brought some nausea due to the chemo. But it didn’t stop me from spending the day on Saturday with my Dad’s side of the family. I don’t see them often so it was very heart warming to be able to give them each a big hug and catch up on what’s happening in their lives. I especially liked being able to meet my youngest cousin Jack!!!! Thank you to my cousin Lezlie for hosting all of us at her house!!!

Sunday was a lovely day spent with my dear friends Mike and Darlene, where I relaxed and watched the Giants game (may have even closed my eyes for a little while), had a lovely dinner with them and caught some more couch time watching tv with them. Very relaxing day.

Today brought me to the beach where I listened to an awesome playlist suggested by my great friend Lisa, and browsed the many stones and shells among the shoreline. I found a Monarch butterfly struggling on the shore and thought to myself, this is my littlest angel, Maddie, coming through to me to remind me that I do still have a purpose in this world. Maddie, always would help an animal in need no matter the size. I picked the butterfly up and it clung right on to me. I moved it to a sheltered place out of the wind and it was able to stand up and eventually flew away. There is just something very comforting about the ocean for me. Metaphorically speaking, I like to wash my worries out to sea.

I was surprised to see my nephew Nicholas and niece Kaitlynn at my house when I returned home. So, Nick beat my butt in a little PS3. ?#weTRI4Aimee #keepsmiling #beKIND