TGIF!

Tonight is our last night at City of Hope. The doctors have cleared Mom for a Saturday afternoon departure and she is ecstatic. Ten days in Duarte has taken its toll on the both of us and we are beyond ready to depart. We have said our goodbyes not only to the doctors, nurses and staff, but to the Fluid Air bed that has made Mom feel like she is shaking 24 hours a day for the last ten days. Did I ever explain the bed to everyone?



The bed is designed to equalize the pressure on all parts of the body by using air and sand. Yes, sand! According to the nurses, the bed costs around $200,000. Dr. McDreamy may be hard to forget, but the bed will fade easily into the blur of a 10 day hospital stay. My bed, on the other hand, was a bit more comfy:



She is still not able to bend at the waist, so Physical therapy has prepared me to assist her for the next few weeks. This will also make the drive home more interesting. Our plan is to inflate an air mattress, carefully transfer her to the mattress, drive carefully for 5 hours and then somehow, unsupervised, transfer her from car to house. Sounds like a pretty interesting Saturday! She actually is very strong and is already able to do much of the work herself, needing only minor support.

Thank you again for your support over the last few weeks. Astonished really is the best word to describe the amount of support and kindness given to my family and I. Just last night the manager at Chipotle comped my meal after I mentioned I was sordof living in a chair bed at City of Hope (I really did look that pitiful!). The teller at Chase Bank here in Duarte gave me her card and personal phone number to call if I ever needed a place to stay. It turns out her mother was treated here for many years. Sometimes the universe brings you exactly what you need.

I will continue to blog and update you about her recovery and the fun that awaits us in Chemotherapy. The doctors were able to remove all the tumor, but as stated in a previous post, cancer cells are sneaky little bastards, hiding out where you would least expect. Chemo, here we come.

This blog gave me consistency for ten days, it gave me something to look forward to, something else to think about during the stressful days and sleepless nights. The endless stream of positive energy, thoughts, prayers and donations gave me so much more-it gave me HOPE.

Thank you so very much.

Sarah and Cece