This past week, we took Suzanne’s dad out for breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, in Urbana. As is customary now, I explained to the waitress that Suzanne was unable to eat solid foods and I ordered an orange juice for her. The waitress responded to Suzanne in a slow, distinctive, and very elevated voice, “would you like a water or straw with that?” To which, I shared that she couldn’t use a straw and would be fine with just the…
Wednesday we took another trip to Chicago, strong crosswinds both on the way up and back made for difficult driving. On top of that, snow north of Kankakee was also an issue with whiteout conditions caused by the wind coming home which had us moving at 30mph with vehicle flashers on a number of times. This was Suzanne’s fourteenth infusion in the PATHway trial. The past few weeks, we have had a number of discussions about whether there were going…
Growing up, young boys watch their dads for queues as to how to become a man. Up early, work hard, provide for the family, these are all traits fathers hope to pass along to their sons. I was fortunate that my dad passed on another trait, it’s OK to be a man and cry. Not one you were expecting, I’m sure, but it is one that I recognized early in my adult life. I would see dad cry, especially when…
This year has brought so many challenges to our family, it’s hard to imagine. With Suzanne’s surgery in February that changed her eating and speaking ability for the rest of her life, to the clinical trial that she is in that hopefully will keep her cancer from returning, the death of my brother whom I will miss dearly, family turmoil and the many challenges that the pandemic has thrust upon us all, a difficult year is an understatement. But the…