Author: Greek Fighting Orange

Happy belated Mother’s Day to all! We had a great day with our families. The rain in the morning threatened to put a damper on the day but by 9:00 am, it cleared up and turned out to be pretty nice, a little soggy but nice. 😊

We had our weekly meeting with our hospice nurse, Lisa, yesterday. Chris had two questions for her. First he wondered if he could have a glass of wine occasionally? You may know that before Chris got sick we enjoyed a little wine. 😉 She said of course he could have a glass if he wants. He may just be a little sleepy. I’m thinking he already sleeps a lot but if that will make him happy, go for it. The second question was could he drive? Due to his meds and his lightheaded moments, he and I thought it was best that he didn’t drive. His dizzy spells haven’t happened for a while so she thought he would be okay to drive a bit. Of course you and I take both driving and having a glass of wine for granted. It struck me how simple these two things are but at this time, for my honey, these are two very important things. One for enjoyment and one for freedom. I think today I’ll have him drive me to get dinner and we just may have a glass of wine! 🍷

Hugs to all!

Well it looks like it’s going to be another beautiful day in Toledo Ohio! Last spring, my sister LuAnne and I, planted all of our 🌺 flowers in our yard for my honey, as he was unable to be in the garden. Well we did it again yesterday! Due to the warmer weather we were able to plant before Mother’s Day this year. Needless to say, they look even better than last year! A BIG thank you to my Sister.

Chris has been talking about getting out to golf so yesterday, our friend John, took Chris out to Ottawa Park. Chris enjoyed driving the golf cart and he even hit a few balls. Next stop he hopes will be the casino!

I have told you all before that Chris’ leukemia is winning. I’m pretty sure I haven’t told you that “Cancer Sucks”!!! We have decided to stop all treatments, blood draws, transfusions and doctors appointments. We have moved my honey’s care to Hospice of NW Ohio. I am happy for the help that Hospice will give us but I am saddened to be in need of them. Of course my Superman is still up and at it, he is just slowing down a bit. He sleeps more and eats less.

I thank the Lord everyday for this man and that not only are we blessed to have each other, we are blessed to have all of you. Thank you for your love, thoughts and most importantly, your prayers.

What a beautiful spring morning it is in Toledo!

As I was waking this morning, I was thinking how are lives are full of numbers. When you are a child the milestone numbers are your 1st birthday or when you turn 13. Then you are able to drive when you are 16, vote and graduate when you are 18 and of course consume alcohol when you are 21!

Chris and I have a lot of numbers! We have know each other for 43 years and we have been married almost 42 of them! Chris is 62 and I am 60! (NO I do not feel like I am 60!!) We have 2 children, 2 in law children and 4 grandchildren! We have 2 wedding anniversaries, the first is 6/26/1976 and the second is 4/24/1982! Yes we were married twice in case you didn’t know. I would marry him again too!

The last 14 months have been really full of numbers for us! I’ve shared with you all numerous numbers about Chris’ blood counts. The ups and downs of his white blood counts, red blood counts and his platelet counts. It was a 100 days after transplant that he would have his bone marrow biopsy. The numbers would give us something to focus on, something that you could think about other than the battle that was being fought in my honey’s body. Sadly Chris’ numbers aren’t so good lately. Blood pressure is low, heart rate is high and weigh is dropping slowly. I guess for all of us our days are numbered. What will you do with your day?? Mine will be sitting on our swing together or walking around our yard or maybe taking a ride with my Superman!

Happy Spring!

Spring is trying to come to see us, I think, 😊 more so down here in Columbus than in Toledo. Hang in there all of you! Trees are blooming beautifully, tulips and daffodils are so bright and beautiful, even on rainy days! On our ride down to Columbus another thing we noticed “popping up” is those orange barrels! I think we all love to hate these barrels. We all know that when the work is done the roads will be better BUT…….what a pain till then AND it just starts all over again in another spot!😳😲 We have also uncovered our fig trees again. Last fall we bent the whole tree down to the ground and covered it with mulch and a tarp. Now we are in the process of pulling it back up slowly. This again reminds me of my honey and what he is going through. His radiation treatments have pulled him down again. I’ve got him using a cane till we can get him back up and strong. I’m usually on his other side, just in case he needs a little support. If I am not there and you are, please feel free to step in for me “just in case”.

Chris has two more radiation treatments this week and a appointment with his transplant doctor. As long as all goes well, 🙏 he won’t have to come back to Columbus until the end of May. He will still need to get blood work twice a week in Toledo and a return appointment with his urologist but we will be home!

Hi there!

I hope you all are doing well. We were home last weekend for our nieces’s wedding. The weather was cold and wet but the wedding was wonderful and the reception was great! Chris even got out on the dance floor a little!

We are back in Columbus for another 5 days of radiation treatments. He seems to be handling the treatments pretty good. His blood work numbers haven’t been too bad either. One, not so good thing, is my Superman is weak. Also, he is losing more weight. His blood pressure is low so he has to be careful when he stands up because he gets lightheaded and has fallen twice. As you can imagine, this is making me very nervous and concerned. It’s not surprising considering what his body has been through.

When we go to Chris’ appointments it is so sad because most often you see a seemingly “healthy” person with a obviously “not as healthy” person. You know that person is fighting just like my honey is. You all have been so great praying for Chris and I but could you pray for all these other fighters too today? Thank you!

Love and hugs to all!