The past week was hard just to keep going. We're in the trudging zone. We have to keep trudging forward, putting one foot in front of the other. I really want to quit, to say I’m done with chemo. On paper, 3 more treatments don’t seem like much, but when you have to live them (after 9 other treatments), 3 is not as small of a number as you might think. 

This stage calls for more endurance after our tanks have already run low. We are sad, we are tired, we are bored with the isolation suffering brings. We feel sidelined and in a foggy haze that won’t clear. When can we get back to normal life? How will it be different from before? Will there by any surprises in my end-of-chemo scans? How long until I regain full strength? What lingering side effects will stay with me for years? These are some of the questions on our minds as we approach the end of chemo. Will it really be the end? I pray so.

My cousin has come out to visit this week, and we've had lots of fun together. I must say that doing joyful things helps bolster my spirit and gives me courage to face tomorrow's infusion. This week has been a happier one with a trip to the coast, Easter celebrations, and a visit to the Wooden Shoe Tulip festival. 

Thankfully Laura can take some things off Stephen's plate while encouraging me and growing her relationship with my kids. This was the first time she had met Thatcher! I couldn't believe it had been that long since we've seen each other in person.

Laura is the cousin I grew up with, went to college with, and have kept in close contact all these years. What fun to have her here!