It's Sunday, I have made a Whole Foods run, packed my bags, and will go to Deb & Bruce Schonert's for a sweet treat later this evening. Tomorrow, I have an appointment in the Mays building with a hematologist doctor about my blood clotting and basically someone that knows how important it is to thread the fine needle of keeping my blood not to thick and not too thin (I check in for paperwork at 7:30 and appointment is at 8 am). I will then head for the Land of Lincoln!! I look forward to being home, selling lots of Italian Beef, my children's book, and having a GREAT day the at the Relay for Life on May 2nd.
I will fly (solo) back down to Texas on April 20th and have appointments the morning of the 21st and fly back to Illinois the afternoon of the 21st. Fast trip!! And I will be treated to some time with the Morris family in Houston who will pick me up from the airport, spend the evening/night with them, and also get me to my appointments, then back to the airport. Whew!! Where would I be without all of my Houston friends!!
Then my next trip to Texas will be May 4-6 or so. This SHOULD be when I get my first scan although it's not made it's way on my appointment list yet. So, basically the day after the Relay, I will leave at 4 in the morning and head for Houston. I pray this trial will show me stable or maybe change for the good.
I have met new CC patients in the past 5 weeks....Jeff Shackman, Tabytha Armstong, Matthew and MaryAnne Hassan, Sarah and Andy Macias, Ally Gruenner, Vicki Davis (who lives by the ocean!! :-)). MaryAnne Hassan had appr. 24% shrinkage after being on this clinical trial 2 months. WOWZER! That is amazing results for CC!! I could spend days with almost every person I met to share information and connect. I also met Danna Grisso......but we have met before....she is such a kind person. 4 of the above people are on the same trial as me....so that's 5 of the 55 supposedly allowed on this trial led by Dr. Javle. A clinical trial is way more involved than I realized but it does taper down on visits over time...so by June, I should only be going once a month. WHEW~!
I have to give a big shout, hug, smooch, and THANK YOU to our host family (Linda Burgener and her dog, Blondie Kate). I went to school with Linda and she snatched us right up when she found out we were coming to Houston. We picked a bad time to come as all hotels were booked from the Houston Rodeo so the drive to MD Anderson is the only thing not so good about staying with Linda. We had a blast at Linda's and the pool was a perk, for sure! Linda also liked us being there as she could travel and be gone for 3-4 days and know that we wouldn't cook her Mexican Chihuahua dog....for the most part! :-)
In closing, I just ask you to support our upcoming fundraiser's and come out to the Relay on May 2. I was on a Relay team when my children went to St. Joe Catholic School....then it kind of fizzled for some reason I don't remember. But I actually Paid It Forward BEFORE I got cancer.......and now, I feel it is even more important to raise money. The American Cancer Society is getting ready or may have already started to build a hotel in Houston by the Texas Medical Center. Guess what you have to pay to stay there? NOTHING! There are several hotels owned by the American Cancer Society that are free to cancer patients and their family........did you know they will pay for your stay if you have an extended stay and need help paying for our hotel expense...all you pay is $12 per day or nothing if you cannot afford to pay. So....for all of you people who think this money just goes to pay people's salary....they do way more than that! I actually called and received this info because I wanted to know what did some of the money go towards. SO....all of you cancer patients, even if it's just for a couple of days, if you need help with your hotel stay, the ACS would prefer if you could call atleast two weeks in advance and they will get you a hotel with a shuttle to take back and forth to your medical center. How about that! No...I have not utilized this because I have friends in Texas and I will leave that opening for someone who really needs help and does not have friends in the town they may have to travel to for cancer treatments.
I will close for now.....I am thankful for all the messages, cards, people who came to our multi vendor party, my family in Illinois and my family in Houston. I am thankful God is center stage in my life. I believe He puts people in our life for a reason. All the people who are donating to the RMH program....I am SO BLESSED that I could go on and on.
God is good....ALL the time. ALL the time, God is good~~
Hugs,
Patty Corcoran
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