Almost There

Halloween is tomorrow and marks 4 1/2 weeks of radiation treatment. Linda's radio oncologist calls her the poster child for radiation. Other than a general 'tan' in the affected areas, there is no tissue damage. No blisters or burns. No pain!

Only 2 more weeks to go and then that's it. Nothing else to do. No more treatments. I'm sure, after spending the past year actively fighting cancer, it will seem strange doing nothing. Unlike the majority of breast cancers (which are ER+ and/or PR+), triple negative breast cancers (ER-,PR-, Her2-) do not have any long term targeted therapies. It really is just wait and see. No Tamoxifen, no Aromasin, no Herceptin. Although there may not be any active treatment alternatives, there are plenty of passive treatments which include eating right, exercise and most importantly, just living life to the fullest.

This photo was taken last Halloween at our annual street Halloween party. That is pretty much how I looked from 1983 to 1992...not much of a stretch for me :)

What's strange to me is looking at us, 1 month or so before our diagnosis, and not having a clue what lay ahead of us. How our life could change from one day to the next. It is also weird to know that Linda had cancer in the photo (hey...quit staring at my wife's boobs!).

When you're young...you're invincible! When you're pushing 40...err...not so much. When your life is turned upside-down by cancer, everything takes on a 'temporary' feel, and I don't mean that in a bad way. That whole 'stop and smell the roses' nonsense begins to make sense. No, I'm not about to put up a motivational poster in my office, but I do find myself spending more time with the kids, more time cuddled up with Linda watching TV, and more time trying things I wouldn't usually do. How can that be a bad thing?

So tomorrow we will have the 2008 edition of our Halloween party, the kids will run amok in the neighborhood, the parents will enjoy a potluck dinner and we will all have a great time. Life is good.

Happy Halloween!