Cancer

Cancer just won't leave my family alone!  Today is my 3 year anniversary of being told that I had breast cancer.  And today, I visited my cousin Virginia who is battling Ocular Melanoma.  She is a strong woman with a positive attitude.  I enjoyed every single moment I spent with her today.  From the moment I walked in her house till the moment I left it.   It was truly an honor to spend the entire day with her today.


Virginia said she had edema which is swelling caused by fluid in your body's tissues. It usually occurs in the feet, ankles and legs, but it can involve your entire body.  So I asked what can I do to help you?  And she asked for a mini massage.  So she pointed to the areas on her body that bothered her most which included her belly and back.  I rubbed and massaged her belly and she said it felt so good.  It was like loosening up the swelling and making the blood flow.  I was worried that I would hurt her but she said the harder I rubbed the better it felt.  I also massaged her back, between the shoulder blades and on her sides.  She said she loved every minute of it.  So how could I stop?

Later we were talking about her kids and she got super excited about telling me what little Lilli was up too.  Apparently, little Lilli who is almost 2 is a climber just like her brother Evan.  She is trying to climb out of her crib so Virginia was talking about converting her crib to a big girl bed.  She got on the internet and proceeded to show me some bedding sets from Pottery Barn that she is dreaming about.  Virginia loves purple and has picked out the prettiest purple bedding set for Lillian accompanied by purple sparkly butterflies that she could attach to a netting above the bed.  She was in love with an accessory butterfly.  I told her that I would keep an eye on the bedding collection since I had a Pottery Barn close to where I worked.  Virginia perked up and said we have one here at an outdoor mall by my house.  WE'LL LETS GO!!!

Funny how things turn out.  Yesterday when I drove home from work my check engine light and a few others popped on.  Knowing I was going to Richmond to today to see Virginia which is about a 2 hour drive from my house (without traffic) I swapped cars with Ken and took the SUV with me.  Turns out had I not had the SUV, I wouldn't have been able to fit Virginia's wheel chair in my car so luckily the engine lights came on at the right time.  So Bryen (Virginia's) husband showed me how to set up the wheel chair and put it in the back of the truck.  He made this look very easy.  

The mall was close to her house and we got there in a jiff.  I pulled out the wheelchair, set it up and had her sit and relax.  Of course I warned her about being a "Virgin" driver and that she would have to bare with me.  Turns out the stores we went too all had major obstacle courses in them that put me to the test.  I was actually amazed at how difficult it was to maneuver a wheelchair in almost every store we went to.  In fact there were times I was struggling to open the door as I was pulling her through the doorway backwards so I didn't hit her legs and no one helped me.  Sure a few people did but most didn't.  Did they even see us?  The ones who did open the door, Virginia graciously thanked. I was a humbling moment.

We hit up as many stores as possible.  Gymboree, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Dillards (haven't been in a Dillards since living in Phoenix. I really miss that store.), Pandora, Brighton, Starbucks, etc.  It was a GIRLS DAY OUT and we were having fun.  Virginia was a trooper.  Her face lite up with delight and she thanked me over and over for taking her out.  It certainly was my pleasure.  

When we got to Pottery Barn Kids, I wheeled Virginia to the little girls section.  Virginia has been talking about little Lillian and how she is so excited about changing her room from baby to big girl.  She said that Bryen's dad had agreed to paint the walls in Lillian's room purple so she was looking at two bedspreads for the bed.  She was going to order them online but couldn't decide on which one she liked better.  Seeing them in person made a world of differnce and I agree.  I've been eyeing a bed spread from Pottery Barn for a bit now but without really seeing it in person, I just can't commit.  Anyway, the stars lined up in a row.  Virginia saw the bed set she wanted and by golly, she got it.  The shear smile that appeared on her face was priceless.  Knowing that her little girl was going to have a bedroom bedding set that she loved meant all the world to me.  So we got it and a few little accessories which included the sparkle butterflies.  Now she can go home and decorate.

The little things that I take advantage of are the little things Virginia has a hard time doing now.  I'm so glad that I was able to make this day wonderful for her and I'm really glad I saw that twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face.  It meant the world to me.