Doctor check-in and cataract surgery!

Throwback photo circa 1975-ish

As you can see by the title of this post, life is pretty exciting after chemo!

Mom had cataract surgery on her right eye yesterday. The bad cataract was removed and an implant was put in its place. So that makes two (she had the left eye done last year) close-to-new eyeballs to read with. This morning she said her crossword puzzle was easier to read and that was less than 24 hours since the surgery! At her follow-up this morning Dr. Wagle said all looked good.

After the eye appointment we went to her 3 month follow up with Dr. Porubcin. All of her numbers are good AND her CA125 is down to 4 points. Hallelujah! That low number made Dr. P. very happy and he was giggly - although he was concerned that he hadn't heard mom cough during the visit. I put Dr. P's mind at ease and told him that mom was coughing at Dr. Wagle's office because they had the thermostat set to about 50 degrees (it was freezing in there) so all is good.

Mom is now taking some time to get her household to-do list taken care of. The crew started on her new roof yesterday and that will take about three days. She is also going to purchase new windows for the south side of the condo.

Just for fun - a throwback photo from about 1974 or 1975. By the look on my face, I am not sure what my problem was at that particular moment... but I'm sure it was inconsequential. Looks like I also refused to put on a nice shirt and opted for a sweatshirt instead. Sometimes I just want to travel back in time and slap myself! Despite my attitude mom is still smiling in the photo - which is a great example of her demeanor - always smiling no matter what the circumstances. That attitude is why she made it through 5 rounds of chemo and survived her cancer - straight up positivity!

Slay Squad at Komen QC Race for the Cure

Slay Squad at Race for the Cure QC

The Komen Race for the Cure was in the Quad Cities this week, and I joined the #slaysquad team in honor of my bestie Diane's daughter Lindsay. Lindsay is only 26 years old and was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer in April - Stage 3 Invasive Carcinoma.

Her family has no history of breast cancer.

Lindsay began a hearty chemo schedule in May and has finished her 4th round as of last week. She is looking at surgery in October after she gets more rounds of chemo under her belt. She has truly been a tough girl and it breaks my heart that this is really only the beginning for her. Lindsay is my son's age. That is too young. 

We walked in support of Lindsay on Saturday at the Race for the Cure and it was great to be in a place where breast cancer survivors came together to support each other. There was one woman there who was a 45+ year breast cancer survivor. That gives me a lot of hope for Lindsay.

As if the stress of having cancer isn't enough, her family is having a fundraiser to help her with medical costs. Insurance is not enough, especially for someone so young... and don't get me started about insurance! There is a fundraiser for Lindsay on June 26 - aptly named "Slay Day" https://www.facebook.com/events/892994137466942/ and she also has a gofundme page https://www.gofundme.com/lindsaysjourney

Me, our selfie-crazy friend Mike, Diane and Linday the cancer fighter!