CHRISTMAS………ALMOST.

This year, for the first time ever, we neither bought each other a Christmas Gift or put up our tree. Why??

We didn’t know what to expect. It’s as though our lives have been “on hold” for half of the year.

Half a year of time revolving around the hospital, medications, daily needles……..worry!!

Half a year of the days being brightened by friends and family expressing their concerns and pitching in to help…….never requested.

Half a year of Hilary demonstrating her strength and laughing at the adversity.

Now we have the only Christmas Present we wanted…………remission!!!

Now we can enjoy Christmas with the kids, grandkids and friends. What more could we possibly ask.

Now Hil can have her Champagne and Orange juice (or two) coz now it’s allowed.

Now she can look at the tennis court and think about getting back in shape.

Now she can look in the mirror and know that her hair is really starting to grow back. (Just now it’s like a rather worn tennis ball.)

For the more pragmatic: Her CT scans came out clean although her spleen is slightly enlarged although who’se to know exactly it’s size before she got sick. She had a bone marrow biopsy the other day (she just loves that!) The results were very good with no sign of any abnormalities. As the oncologist said……”lovely!!”

Now she has two years of “maintenance.” A visit to the hospital every three months for Rituxan plus the Decadron at home.

She’ll probably be on the tennis court very soon………just small doses whilst she builds up her strength.

My thoughts go out, not just to our friends withing striking distance of Aurora, but to friends out West who have constantly been in touch expressing their concern and support.

My thoughts go out to friends and aquaintances who are not as well off as we. One who had a bone marrow transplant and is fighting the good fight and slowly winning, another who is terminal.

Is it over for Hil? Nope. MCL never truly goes away. The stats are poor as knowledge concerning this type of cancer is still a little thin. It can be held in remission and hopefully that’s where it will stay.

Soooo…Christmas is here!! We have our Christmas Present. We’re Happy!!

Break out the bubbly……..get the bird in the oven. 2011 is another year!!

Merry Christmas to all!!