I spent this past week with Sara and her family, as she completed session 5, the final session of this round of chemo. While completing this round of chemo is great news, I need to correct an earlier post where we thought this would be the end of any chemo treatment. It turns out that after the “big” operation (removal of the left side of Sara’s liver), the plan is for more chemo along with radiation. Sara was a bit disappointed at this news, but I’m sure she will take on the challenge as firmly as she has done so far.

Even though Sara told me that she felt just as sick this round, somehow she became much tougher; physically stronger and determined, as she put it, not to just watch life pass her by because she didn’t feel well. I’m not sure how she found the mental fortitude, but I guess no one knows how strong they are until they are faced with a seemingly insurmountable problem. Sara was amazing – she tired me out! Almost every day last week we did something physical – went for a hike with Brady the pony (sometimes she walked and I rode, or vice versa), went to visit Star after the pump removal, watched Rylan perform at his last elementary school talent show (and visited with her students and colleagues), worked in her yard decapitating dandelions, etc. This doesn’t mean that she never felt sick – she definitely had low moments:  feeling nauseous, weak limbs, irritation from the Erbitux rash – the list goes on. But she had plans for the day and she was determined to stick to it, no matter how long it took to get ready. I wondered sometimes if I could do the same; it seems like it would be easier to sit in my favorite chair and feel sorry for myself, and nobody would have judged me for it. So if anyone is going to continue to beat the odds and get through this successfully, Sara will do it!

So today was already a big day for Sara – she had an MRI and a CT scan. The results of the scans will determine when the “big” surgery will take place. So please keep your fingers crossed for good news!

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