I am feeling more like myself each day. At least my daily naps are getting shorter, so I am taking that as a sign of progress. A friend looked at me yesterday and said "Your eyes look good!" which means I look less like the walking zombie I have been the past couple of weeks.
It's hard to believe that radiation to a non-essential body part can have such an effect on the body. But, your body fights back against this foreign attack (radiation) and uses all it's resources that way. So, you are left feeling like a shell of yourself. I do believe the worst of it is over as my skin is healing and my energy is returning. Thank goodness...
So, volleyball tomorrow and then Sunday the calendar is empty. First day in a while with no plans. Woo hoo! This spring is going to be very busy with Erin not only playing volleyball and continuing her piano lessons, but she's going to play HS golf this spring, too. Coach Myhro always encourages these seventh grade girls to give it a try and Erin has talked two of her best friends into doing it with her. So, once the snow melts, there will be daily trips to Eastwood golf course.
That will be a bit of deja vu for us. We loved those days with Shannon. Seeing her determination to get to practice every day after her radiation. Out there on the range, she felt like a normal kid, not a cancer kid, playing a high school sport. She just wanted to be a part of it... and she was. Damn...
Erin is creeping up on the time in her school career where Shannon was when she was diagnosed. Spring of 7th grade. Erin has a school project coming up where they have to pick a deceased celebrity and act as them for an English class speech. She asked me who Shannon was for this project... and I can't remember. I can remember many details of many school projects from previous years, but once Shannon was diagnosed, that's what I remember. Treatments, naps, golf practice. Shannon must have done this English project as she insisted on doing EVERY assignment, but while some details of those days are crystal clear, other details have faded. I want to remember everything...
I think that's the most exciting part about the book for me. We will have this story written down forever. I told Erin that someday, if she has kids, they can get to know their aunt by reading her story. Our story. Determined to Matter...
