Robin's Birthday & Second MRIs - 10-03-2010

First, I must thank you all for bringing such cheer to Robin for her birthday. The cards started arriving about a week before. If I could tell that it was a birthday card, I hid it away until her birthday. A few got through because they weren't addressed to "Wonder Woman" or some such salutation (I often try to guess what the mail personnel must think), but it was just one or two per day. Thursday morning, before I left for work, I delivered the mail. There must have been 45-50 cards there from all over the country. Some were hand made, some played theme songs from old TV shows, some were modified to fit the theme or fit the day, and some were a real stretch to meet the theme. No matter though; every single card brought a smile to Robin's face! And even more cards arrived over the next few days.

When I got home Thursday afternoon, there was a flower delivery truck in the driveway. My timing could not have been better. They were just about to leave because there was no answer at the door (Robin can't answer the door when she is by herself). Over the course of her birthday, Robin received five beautiful bouquets, including the one I "saved." One looked like a giant Margarita, and another had huge sunflowers that, even with her limited vision, Robin can see. They were all beautiful.

Robin was feeling well enough on Thursday that we were able to get her out of the house for dinner at one of her favorite Mexican restaurants. We met with a few close friends and had a great time. Alexis and Eileen made brownies, instead of a cake, at Robin's request. It was good to see her having a good time, and out of the house for something besides a doctors appointment.

Robin received her second MRI, this time, of her spine, on Friday morning. They took her back to anesthesia at about 10:30 AM, and said the MRI would take about two and a half hours. They called me back to the recovery room at 1:30 PM where I sat with Robin until 4:00, when she finally roused from her sleep enough to start for home. And just in time for Friday rush hour traffic!!! We got home about 5:30 (I drove as smoothly as possible under the traffic circumstances). Robin had not eaten since the night before, so I got Robin settled in her bed and gave her dinner. Unfortunately, she fell asleep and spilled her drink all over the bed, so I had to get her up and change the bed. After all the excitement, she was awake enough to finish the rest of her dinner, then she slept for the rest of the night.

By 2:00 PM on Saturday, Robin was more awake than she usually is after general anesthesia. Unfortunately, she discovered that her left eye bled, and because the right eye bled last week, she is now pretty-much totally blind. Alexis came over Saturday afternoon with a pot of delicious vegetable soup, and she read to Robin until her voice gave out. It was kind of a laid-back Saturday after the Birthday and MRI.

Robin will get CT and PET scans on October 22nd, and then she meets her Oncologist on Monday, October 25th to get her reports and to have her cancer "restaged." The pace is incredibly s l o w. We keep praying that Robin's cancer doesn't progress, but it is so aggressive that we cannot help but worry and wonder what damage is being done while we wait.

Please continue to keep Robin in your thoughts and prayers. Robin's mother, Johnnie, needs your prayers, too. With God's help, we will all make it. We continue to hear from other people about their experience with friends and family who are affected by this disease. They all need our prayers. Finally, we want you to know that we pray for all of you each day, and we thank God for the gift you have been to us. Robin could not fight this without the love and support she feels from you.

Love,

                  --- Larry, Robin, & John