tom's blog

Anna had treatment on Friday, which was an all day event. Kathleen drove her and was a trooper for hanging around all day. Friday night Anna's parents came out, along with TJ so we had a busy household. It was great to see Anna and TJ, as I hadn't seen them all week because I was fighting off a cold and Anna really shouldn't catch a cold... it really starts to complicate things, especially if she were to get a fever or anything like that.

Anna had treatment on Saturday and Sunday back in the 5300 unit at St Barnabas. Since her discharge from the hospital about a month ago, all of her appointments had been in a different wing of the hospital that deals with Oncology for outpatient type stuff. Because these appointments were on the weekend, we had to go back to the 5300 unit which is where she stayed for about 6 weeks. Although she had been back once before to visit, this time was definitely different. I could see it in her eyes as we were heading up there, that she wasn't completely comfortable with it. Her dad was with us (along with TJ), so I could tell she was fighting back tears and trying to remain strong. It definitely was tough for me, so I'm sure it was very hard on her. As we were taking the ride up the elevator, it really reminded me of the day that they moved her from the ER to a room, and I was watching the floors go by (ie. short-term stay, maternity, etc) until we got to the Oncology unit. There are some things we'll just never forget. Although there was no intent or reason to keep her there, I think we both just felt weird about having to go to that area of the hospital and spend time in one of those rooms. It was really nice though to see all the nurses. They are really wonderful people and we'll all be eternally grateful for providing Anna with physical and emotional support throughout her stay (and beyond).

We spoke that night and reflected on the progress she's made over the last month and just how different things were just a few months before that. Saturday night seems to be the night when the house is a little quieter than normal as we are generally in between "shifts". Whereby, her parents had headed back into the city and my mom wasn't coming down until Sunday.

My mom came down today and will be here through Wednesday. I think she's really enjoying her time as grandma.

Good week in football. Pittsburgh wins. Jets win. Giants win.

There are very few moments in life that are both happy and sad at the same time. Today was one of those days. Tino was officially adopted. This was sad day for us, as Tino was really a very special part of our family for the last 6 years. When changes like this occur, the event itself is often sad (ie. giving up Tino), but it is often the reflection upon the road behind and the road ahead that causes the greater influence upon emotions. While this was sad for us, we are absolutely thrilled with the outcome. Tino had been staying with Frank and Judy. Judy was the dog walker back when both Anna and me were working. Frank and Judy are great people, but they already have 14 (yeah, 14) dogs themselves and Frank wasn't going to have another one... especially the size of Tino. Frank/Judy apparently were at a halloween party in their neighborhood and they were just casually talking with an acquaintance. Somehow the conversation led to the fact that they guy really loves German Shepherds. One thing led to another, and first they took Tino home to give him a try and then really fell in love with him. They are a married couple with two kids, and a decent sized property on a lake in Northern Jersey. The guy apparently takes Tino for jogs/hikes most mornings and they have been kepping him very active. We really could not have asked for a better adoption scenario and for this we are truly happy.

In other news... .we had a great weekend. My sister came down on Saturday and we hadn't seen her since all of this started. TJ got along with her instantly and it was great to see her. My mom and sister went home Saturday and Lele flew back home to Orlando. Also, TJ went into NY with Anna's parents and by 10pm, the house was pretty quiet. Anna and I went out to breakfast this morning and ordered take out tonight. It was a pretty relaxing day all around. Anna heads back to the hospital tomorrow and then heads into the city. She was a bit achy and tired from the Chemo this weekend, but did feel good enough to get out of the house for a couple of hours.