A Letter from Emilie

Dear Family,  Thank you all for the love and concern you have communicated after my last post! It has been a hard few months, but I am feeling the load lifted.  We decided to cut the chemo back to 50% at my last appointment two weeks ago. It made a huge difference in my side effects. My nose is so much better and does not burn or hurt as much. I also had significantly less nausea. I am so grateful for the reprieve! I am still really struggling with the cough. It is persistent! We did our CAT scan a little earlier than originally scheduled. We are hopeful to see if there is anything treatable concerning the cough. We will also see how the cancer is responding to treatment recently.  I pushed back my chemo that was supposed to be tomorrow for one more week. This week is performance week for Willy Wonka and I need all of my strength to make it through. (Hannah is doing so well- she will preform Tues, Friday at 7pm, and the Saturday Matinee at 2:00 pm if you want to come supp...

 Dear Family,  In my last post, I mentioned a struggle with my bowels. I was so grateful for every bowel movement- because my bowels decided to take a little vacation from their job! I was jut getting my guts straightened out, and I decided to go on a high dose of antibiotics to try and kick my cough. I did get a little relief from the cough, but had a unexpected side effect from the the Augmentin.  It caused two weeks of diarrhea! I was dreading facing another chemo treatment this last Monday.  I just felt so depleted.  I shared my concerns with my son Joseph. His response was so empathetic. "You are playing with the skulls on, mom!" I gave him a baffled look and he went on to explain. It is a Halo reference. I guess you can "Turn on the skulls" when you want an added level of difficulty in the game. For some reason, I felt so validated by his comment. He seemed to really get it. It has been a hard few months, with one challenge after another. It does feel like...