It's been a great week!

I have felt good, the hives on my hand have gone away, and most of my taste buds seem normal...HOORAY! All week, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop....what symptom is going to be next?? I am happy to say that the worst of my worries this week have been a slightly runny nose and some dry skin. Me and the rest of the world, right? :) I can handle that!

I was excited to be able to play in a tournament last Sunday and also in league on both Monday AND Tuesday nights. *smile* Not only did our coed team win the tournament on Sunday, but I had a heart-warming experience while I was there. In between games, one of the guys from one of the opposing teams came over to chat with my team. We talked about volleyball, how he was from Owatanna and just stuff in general. Before he left though, he bent down and shook my hand...he said "I just wanted to say that I have a lot of respect for you being out on the court playing, I think that's great!" I stood up to talk with him more and he proceeded to tell me that his 4 year old son has a form of cancer called Neuroblastoma. I told him that Aaron's cousin's daughter has the same thing. We talked for a while about a flag football benefit that he started and how it has grown over the years and then he gave me a big hug before walking away.

WOW. Not only do I have respect for people that have the courage to go up to total strangers to express words of kindness, but my respect went through the roof for this young man when he told me that he was a "stepfather" to this little boy with cancer. I told him that too. I admire him for being a father figure to this little boy who is struggling with cancer because I am sure a lot of people would not even consider taking a challenge like that on. However, I could tell by the way he spoke of his son and showed me pictures, that he was MEANT to be in this little boy's life. That made my day!

That's one cool thing about having a shaved head. People know that you are a probably going through some kind of cancer treatment. It may ostracize me a bit from some people, but it also brings out the supportive people that have been through it, or know someone that has. It's THOSE people that I want to meet and share my journey with and hear theirs. I welcome their hugs and their words of encouragement because it empowers me and makes me feel so good inside. It's nice to not feel alone in this crazy world we live in. :)

In addition to volleyball, I was able to attend a class put on by the American Cancer Society on Tuesday. It's called "Look Good, Feel Better" and it is a free class where all of the participants get a free bag of makeup and a cosmetologist comes in to show us how to apply it (this included tips for drawing in eyebrows in case we lose our own). I enjoyed the class and felt a sense of confidence walking out with my new makeup. :) Thanks to the American Cancer Society for this wonderful program!

Last, but not least, I am going to post some pictures of the night we shaved my head and a picture of my fun new wig. Sorry for the delay in sharing!  (You can click on the pictures to see them enlarged.)

 

 

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Love to all,
Nae