Written On the Body #4 — May 27, 2019

I wake on a sunny morning in late May. I finished the first round of chemo last Sunday (May 19) and have enjoyed a week with more energy — though still with a few waves of fatigue. I feel very lucky I didn’t have the side effects of nausea and other physical unpleasantness that I had feared. Taking pills is much easier than going in for IV treatments, but it was still nice not to worry about the precise timing of meals and pill-taking. I see the oncologist tomorrow, and a new round of chemo will probably start on Thursday — not sure if this will be the IV of herceptin and the pills again, or if another drug will be added.

The week was enlivened and brightened by 2 visits. Roger’s daughter Terri came from Seattle to Toronto for work and also to stay and visit with us for a few days. Her warmth, intelligence and presence are like fresh spring air, and it is always good to see her. Then my friends Judy and Marji, whom I have known since college — over 50 years now — came for the weekend from Washington D.C. to see me. They stayed in a hotel, and we were able to have nice meals together (including dinner with Roger at a neighbourhood restaurant), a morning-coffee visit to our home, and a lovely afternoon at the AGO, discovering art both familiar and new. They are friends with whom I feel like family, we have shared so much memory and history, and are still connected in the present. This is where email, I think, is helpful in keeping people in touch with each other, even at a geographic distance. Then the warmth of a personal visit enhances the connection, and also helps keep me in touch with the various parts of my life and myself.

The iris have started blooming in our garden. And the Raptor won 4 games in a row, won the Eastern NBA conference, and are moving on to the finals. Life is still good (even if I feel I am moving in slow motion at times.). To be continued…