Hello everyone! So, we managed to completely bypass winter in between blog posts…don’t know where the time goes! As a result, I am not sure if anyone still checks “A Bump in the Road”:). However, as April 6th, the one year anniversary of Jodi’s diagnosis, came and went, I thought a final blog post was necessary to let you we are doing well.
After finishing chemo in late October, Jodi went on to do six and a half weeks of daily radiation treatments in November and December. While fitting in a daily trip to the hospital was an inconvenience, Jodi was surprised at how much smoother radiation treatments went than chemo treatments. As expected, the daily treatments wore Jodi down at times, but overall, radiation was much easier on her than chemo. She finished radiation on Christmas Eve, and we celebrated the end of her treatments by bringing in the New Year at the Grand Canyon and Sedona. We enjoyed the Grand Canyon, but Sedona was the highlight. We did a number of spectacular hikes in the red rocks and came out of the trip feeling rejuvenated and optimistic for a healthy 2010!
As of February, the only notable negative side effect Jodi was experiencing from the last year was severe muscle tightness and pain in her chest. Apparently, the scar tissue from her original surgery had contracted the muscle around the expanders in her chest, causing constant discomfort. Fortunately, her follow up surgery on February 23rd, which had already been scheduled, seems to have eliminated both the muscle tightness and the pain! Additionally, for the last month or so, Jodi has been sporting a new short “do” and looks great! Being pain free and wig free has gone a long way towards making Jodi feel back to her old self.
At this point we are back into our normal (i.e. chaotic) routines. The real estate market may be down, but you would never know it based on Jodi’s business. Additionally, I am enrolled in classes at Northwestern again after a 9 month hiatus. Having a busy schedule helps us to move forward, but we both frequently take a step back to consider the perspective and appreciation for life and each other we gained last year. This experience is something we hope to always use as a reminder to live everyday to its absolute fullest!!
Thanks for your continued support…we couldn’t have gotten to where we are now without all of you.
Love, Jason and Jodi
“The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it” - C.C. Scott
