Photo of the Day - my nephew John Brenneman, his wife Stacia, and daughter Natalie

I Slept Through Chemo on Tuesday

It was a fast three hours of chemo because I fell asleep at the beginning and slept until the last drip of Adriamycin and Cytoxan entered my body. My niece Jody came to the hospital today to keep Nancy and me company - sorry about falling asleep during your visit Jody. I hope that I can sleep like that for my next six chemo days! Everything went well today - port placement, lab work, doctor visit, thyroid ultrasound and chemotherapy. The only down side of the day was that we did not get home until 9:00 pm.

BUT, when we arrived home, Nancy and I were greeted by her sisters Barbara and Jane AND a wonderful FOMK (friends of Mary Kay) supper supplied by Olivia and Tony. We enjoyed a gourmet meal of pork loin, green beans, carrots, and rice - all cooked in the same dish. It was delicious!! My special shout-out of the day goes to our friends Olivia and Tony! Thank you for your kindness and especially the generosity of the love that you share with us. I am disappointed that I was NOT at home when they delivered the food - I missed the photo opportunity to put them on the blog. I have a feeling lots of my family friends are a little leery of my camera! Don't worry - I have lots of photos that are waiting their turn for the photo of the day.

I feel much better tonight than I did after my first chemotherapy session. My doctor told me my 'fog' last time was probably due to the medications to keep the nausea and vomiting at bay. I suspected that was the case, but she seemed fairly confident that it was a side-effect of medications to deal with the side-effects of the chemo drugs. Yes, it seems like a vicious circle. Nancy's sister Jane is staying with us for a few days - I am not sure if it is to take care of me as much as it is for her to be here for her sister. I know how strong that bond between sisters can be - I feel it with my sisters, too. Our bond is so strong that my sisters don't let me get away with things just because I have cancer!! In fact, they tell me my legs and arms are fine so get up and do the dishes!!!!

Love to all,
Mary Kay

Big Day on Tuesday

I am not looking forward to Tuesday, June 19. My day starts early with minor surgery to get my port at 6:30 and will end after chemotherapy around 4:00 pm. I hope to be home by 6:00 pm. Then I wait to see how this round of chemo will affect my body.

I had a great weekend with family in Dorrance and Niles. Do you know where Niles is? My sister Deb lives there with her husband Greg. Actually, Niles is the closest town to their farm that is located northeast of Salina. Nancy and I stopped on the way home on Sunday and enjoyed Father's Day supper with Deb and her family. It was our second Father's Day meal of the day. Earlier in the day, we dined with Mom, Susan and family in Dorrance. Let's just say that it was a delicious Father's Day!! The best part of the weekend was spending time with Dad. We took him to the Bear House on Saturday night and he ordered his favorite meal - fried potatoes with onion.

These are two of my friends from Dorrance - Fern Stienle and Joyce Langhofer. I would like to give a special Happy Birthday shout-out to Fern. She brought me (and the rest of the family) brownies on Sunday afternoon. She brought them right out of the oven, so they were still hot when we ate them. Thanks Fern!!

Happy Father's Day to the Best Dad in the World! (My dad Casey Siefers and my sister Susan Thielen)

Photo of the Day - Todd Wells and Candi Hironaka (my friends and colleagues at Leadership Studies)

Photo of the Day - Sharon and Kevin Thielen (my nephew and his wife)

This photo was taken as Kevin and Sharon were hauling cows to summer grass. A big shout-out to Sharon for cooking a delicious meal on Wednesday evening. We enjoyed grilled rib-eye steaks (from Thielen Beef), new potatoes (that Sharon dug from her own garden Wednesday morning at 5:00 am), and apple salad. Thanks Sharon!! Her husband Kevin isn't too bad either. He sends me phone photos to let me know what is happening at the farm. Kevin doesn't need to send a text with the photos - I know what he is saying because 'a picture is worth a thousand words.'

It's a Hair Thing

My hair is supposed to fall out between days 14 and 21 (June 19 and 26) of chemotherapy - and the thought of it is starting to bother me a little. I am not really worried about being bald, in fact, I have always wanted to shave my head for the fun of it. My friends who have done that say it is freeing and I have been tempted to do it a couple of times. I do wonder what my head shape will be.... The thing that bothers me about having a bald head is that people will notice me in a way that hasn't happened to this point in my journey. I can still HIDE the fact that I have cancer. You can't look at me now and assume that I am sick. When the hair goes, that will all change. I know people will stare and wonder why I have no hair. (I know because I have done it to others. Haven't you?) Is she sick? Does she have cancer? Did she shave it for freedom? What crazy group does she belong to? Did it turn gray? Does she have male-pattern baldness? Is she sick of spending so much time on her hair each day? There are so many questions and thoughts that go through our minds when we see someone who is bald WHO WE EXPECTED TO HAVE HAIR.

It is not that I am trying to hide that I have cancer - I am writing this blog for all to read. Ok, I just figured it out. We don't know how to treat each other when we experience DIFFERENCE in our lives. I will be different when my hair falls out. My cancer will become more REAL to me and others when that happens. It will be somewhat like 'coming out' with cancer. When I walk Kramer next week with a bald head and see the same neighbors that I see each day, they will look at me differently. I will then have to say to them - yes, I have lost my hair because this dog is so bad and he has caused me so much grief that my hair fell out!!

On the flip side of the issue, there must be some good to being cancer bald. Will people let me 'cut in line' at the grocery store? Will friends buy my lunch more often? (hint, hint) Will my sisters be nicer to me? I will definitely save on shampoo, conditioner, and hair cuts. Any other ideas on the good side of cancer bald?

I know I will be fine with no hair, in fact, I am looking forward to my first foray in public with a bald head. I always tell my students that we must find our courage muscle and exercise it on a daily basis. Gotta go now, I have a little exercising to do.

Love to all,
Mary Kay