I’m processing some new information. Clinic days are hard, and I feel pretty emotionally fragile after 5 hours spent at the hospital today. Overall, it was a good day and we are still happy to celebrate Gavin’s great scans of last week. But – this morning in audiology we learned that Gavin has, in fact, [...]
The results are in and Gavin’s MRI from today looks great. We are busy celebrating at home while Gavin has a well-deserved rest after a busy day. As ever, many thanks to our family and friends for your never-ending support and love. We feel incredibly lucky tonight!
I am in the clutches of a particularly bad case of scanxiety. We finally got a date for MRI – it is scheduled for next Tuesday morning, January 24th. It comes the day after our six-month check-up with Dr. Dirks of neurosurgery. I would have preferred to have the scan done before the neurosurge clinic [...]
Cancer. The big C. Tumours, chemo, radiation, side-effects. All of it is inexpressibly ugly and sad. We spend our lives fleeing it, and living in fear of it. And yet it touches all of us – we all have known someone who has succumbed to a cancer of some sort. We also all know someone [...]
Yesterday marked one year since Gavin was released from his stint in the ICU and was able to begin the process of recovery. I remember walking beside his bed as we wheeled him back to his old room on 8B, which was packed to the ceiling with toys and gifts from the Gavinator fan-club. In [...]
Gav wasn’t an early walker, but nor was he late. He took his first solo steps in a hotel room in San Francisco a few weeks after his first birthday. He then spent a long flight to Sydney tottering up and down the aisles of the plane. A few months later, he was walking all [...]
Gavin and I, and Bubby and Da went to hospital this afternoon to meet with the neuro-onc team about yesterday’s MRI. I am happy and relieved to report that the scans of his brain and spine came back clear! There is no better feeling than knowing that this cancer has not returned and that I [...]
I love autumn. Flaming fall leaves, pumpkin pie, jack-o-lanterns. As blue skies and sunny days give way to chilly nights, we Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday in October. Like our American friends to the south, the holiday is mostly about stuffing ourselves with turkey and potatoes, minus the Pilgrims at Plymouth bit. This [...]
G: Hi, I’m back from the wedding! Me: Oh, that’s nice. Whose wedding was it? G: Mine, actually. Me: Oh really? Who did you get married to? G: Oh, I just married myself. (With arm stuck down the side of the couch) Help! The couch is eating my arm!! Somebody call the police! [...]
I have spent a lot of time over the last year or so contemplating brains. There is something very circular in using the organ that creates thoughts to have thoughts about brains. Just think: these command centres of ours are in our heads, getting feedback from and sending messages to all the trillions of cells [...]