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Yesterday we received the results of Ron's latest CT scan. It wasn't exactly the news we were hoping for but it wasn't bad either. There is a small spot on his remaining kidney which is too small to identify. It could be a cyst but they can't call it for certain. I remember they saw this more than a year ago so it hasn't changed. So that's a good thing. There is also a spot on his lung that has been there for years and hasn't changed either. Another good thing. The recommendation is to continue scans every 3 months for another year and if all remains stable then it will be dropped to once a year. I told Ron that he's had so much radiation I'm pretty sure he glows in the dark!
All in all it was very good news. So life continues.
Dr. C said that when we began this journey she would have said Ron had a 5% chance of surviving 5 years. That was in 2009 and we are well in to our 6th year. I credit Ron's amazing attitude and the way he has continued living each day as it comes. I've learned so much from him and only hope I could be as positive if I were faced with the challenges he has met head on.
I'm humbled every time I go to the Oncologist's office. We wait in the waiting room surrounded by people obviously fighting their own battles with cancer. Women with headscarves covering their bare heads but always smiling. There are old people and young. Cancer knows no age limit. It is a ruthless opponent but more and more battles are being fought and won. It isn't the automatic death sentence it once was but it stills inflicts fear at the sheer mention of the word.
Ron recognizes every day how fortunate he has been. Faced with a double edged sword.......his cancer doesn't respond to any other treatment other than surgical removal. So in spite of 3 major surgeries he has remained unscathed. He hasn't endured the side effects of chemotherapy or radiation. He has lived a very normal life in spite of the disease. Even though his prognosis was bleak the time he has had has been quality time. As he reminded me, we are all dying but what we all we want is the highest quality of time we can have while in the process.
The nameless faces are many. I'm talking about the real people impacted by the decision to not accept the Federal dollars offered to our state to expand Medicaid. Our Governor chose to play politics and make her stand against the Affordable Health Care Act no matter who it hurt.
Well we see the faces of those impacted every day. Due to her refusal to expand Medicaid and the fact that our state has an over $600 million dollar shortfall we are receiving cuts in provider rates. Our hospital is primarily comprised of Medicaid patients. Patients who will no longer be seen by private pediatricians. We will be receiving a 25% cut in rates this year equating to a 2.1 to 3 million dollar deficit. At that rate we can keep our hospital operating for another 2 to 3 years by absorbing the loss.
We are also hearing that the Okla. Healthcare Authority (Medicaid) will no longer pay for medications. Since many of our patients are on seizure meds that means when they are discharged their parents will be unable to purchase their medication. Another possible cut is funding for wheelchairs and other durable medical equipment. Again, many if not most of our young patients are either in wheelchairs or use some other form of medical equipment.
So once again the people who vote for people like our Republican Governor don't understand the impact their decisions have on the most fragile population. Not everyone impacted are the so called "dead beats" of society. They think that everyone who is poor is because they are lazy. Not true! Some people are "medically" poor. The cost to care for this population is astronomical and more than any average family could afford. These children are not lazy dead beats......why must they pay such a price? Is it because they are invisible? Is it because they don't vote?
I hope everyone had a Happy Easter! Ours was a little wet but wonderful none the less.
We always have a short children's service during our regular church service. The children of the church go down to the alter and our children's minister conducts a brief lesson with them. The children are all ages and of course the little ones are just too cute.
Well, yesterday Abby, the youth minister, was recapping what had been learned in Sunday school that morning by asking the children questions. She asked what had they learned and a little 3-4 year old quickly raised her hand. With the microphone under her chin she began to review the lesson she had learned. "I learned about God, the Holy Spirit and.................her eyes rolled upward in deep thought."
Abby tried to prompt her and the little one just held up her palm hushing her. "Annnnd Cheezits she exclaimed."
With a chuckle Abby inquired, "You mean Jesus?" And with an affirmative booming voice she replied emphatically...."NO, CHEEZITS"!
It really makes me sad to see politicians attempting to use religion as a legal way to allow discrimination. First of all I don't think politicians really care about anything other that pleasing voters in order to get elected. And this whole thing about refusing to provide service to someone who is gay because of your "christian" beliefs is nuts. If you don't believe in homosexuality then don't be a homosexual. Since when did people start asking people what their sexual identity is before selling them a pair of shoes, a cake, or anything else for that matter. I just don't get it!
They have been comparing the Indiana RFA to the Federal RFA written by Senator Ted Kennedy and introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer in 1993. Senator Schumer states that the Governor of Illinois is saying the two laws merely "mirror" one another and Senator Schumer says only if you are using a fun house mirror. He describes the differences as "First, the federal RFRA was written narrowly to protect individuals’
religious freedom from government interference unless the government or
state had a compelling interest. If ever there was a compelling state
interest, it is to prevent discrimination. The federal law was not
contemplated to, has never been, and could never be used to justify
discrimination against gays and lesbians, in the name of religious
freedom or anything else."
"Second, the federal RFRA was written to
protect individuals’ interests from government interference, but the
Indiana RFRA protects private companies and corporations. When a person
or company enters the marketplace, they are doing so voluntarily, and
the federal RFRA was never intended to apply to them as it would to
private individuals. Because of these significant, legal
differences, the Indiana RFRA in no way resembles the intent or
application of the federal RFRA."
Plus I've never thought that it was anyone's "Christian" obligation to judge others. That's hard to find in the New Testament. Or at least I can't find where Jesus was teaching us to judge thy neighbor.
I have to keep checking my calendar to see what year it is. I'd swear we've been teleported right back to 1955.
Well, it is April Fools Day and my brother Mike wanted to play an April Fools prank on his Silver Sneakers Class. Mike is a die hard Oklahoma Sooner Fan. He only wears OU T-shirts and that's it! He sings the fight song everywhere he goes and everyone knows him by his OU shirts and red suspenders. The rival team here in Oklahoma is the Oklahoma State Cowboys..........their colors are orange and white. So we suggested Mike wear an OSU T-shirt for April Fools Day. Well that idea really got Mike excited so the next thing we knew an employee at the Subway Sandwich shop he goes to every day loaned Mike and OSU T-Shirt. Mike just called and he's so excited. He says his Silver Sneakers Class will laugh at his prank. He's wearing the orange OSU shirt and his red suspenders. Can't wait to get a picture of that!
What a sweet thing for the young lady at Subway to do for Mike. There are good people in this world!
Change is difficult in any form yet is also unavoidable. I feel like my life is in transition as I prepare to retire from my job after 28 years here at the hospital and 35 years of state service.
We are looking at the prospect of building a new home. I've lived in my current home 46 years so that would be a huge change.
Even our church is in transition. Our pastor left about 7 months ago and we've had an interim pastor for the last 6 months. Lots of turmoil in the church as it navigates through this transitional period. I just learned today that our assistant pastor Pam is resigning. This really makes me sad as she is the one who married Ron and I and has just be a wonderful friend and support to us.
It will be interesting to see how we all survive these changes.
Well, tomorrow is mother/daughter mammogram day! Every year my two daughters and I go for our annual mammograms together. We make a day of it. First the exams then lunch at where else? Hooters! This year one of their friends requested to join our group so we will be getting a table for four! After lunch we will go shopping. It's a fun day and keeps us vigilant about our yearly exams.
Last year I wrote a letter to the Hooters corporation suggesting a marketing campaign where by Hooters would provide discounts to women when they had a routine mammogram. I told them that since they make money exploiting women's breasts why not pay homage to healthy breasts and keeping them! I called my idea...."Healthy Hooters". So I'm still working on my campaign. I had T-shirts made for us that have the slogan "Healthy Hooters" on them and we wear them to the restaurant after our exams. Inevitably we get asked about the shirts and that opens the door for me to hit them up again. We've gotten free appetizers almost every time we've worn them. I just try to get the manager to promote the idea. Anything to get women to have this very important exam.
