The last few weeks have been difficult. I haven't had the time or inclination to write.

Our beloved Papa passed away June 3rd. Both Lily and I were able to be with him and say goodbye to him that day. He had lived a long and full life and it was time for his beautiful spirit to leave his old frail body. He passed in his home surrounded by his loving family.

I was glad Lily was able to visit with him that day because she was too sick the next week to be able to attend his funeral. Out of all the chemotherapies she has had so far, Irinotecan seems to have the worst side effects on her as far as making her sick to her stomach, and this is a chemo that she gets for five days straight. It's already been a week and a half since the last dose and Lily is just now getting over the diarrhea and loss of appetite it causes. She hasn't had this chemo since the beginning of her treatment when she was so sick and lost 10 pounds in two weeks. Sadly, over the last couple of weeks, she lost the 5 pounds that she had slowly gained back since that time. She has also had 3 doses of Vincristine over the last 3 weeks and 7 radiation treatments to her foot.

Nonetheless, in the last few days since her stomach has been feeling better, she is back to her peppy self. She doesn't want to sit still and roams around the doctor office talking to everyone. On Monday, the doctor was surprised because although she wasn't acting like it, her hemoglobin was low. She will be getting a blood transfusion today in order to bring it back up.

I'm dreading next week which will be another 5 days of Irinotecan along with radiation treatments every day. Lily has lost more hair but still has some straglers hanging on. We have never cut her hair and she still has a tiny braid of long hair that keeps getting smaller and skinnier. We call it her padawan braid and tell her that when it is finally gone it won't be so bad because it will mean she is a Jedi Master. She likes that idea.

I've been so busy with work and doctor appointments that it is hard to find the time to do anything else (like clean my house or pay my bills- woops!). I'm so looking forward to my month off starting next week! I'm also looking forward to Lily's benefit show on Friday.