Oct25

Monday, October 25, 2004

Maria is definitely in the thick of the battle. Last week was, without a doubt, "the toughest week yet" as stated by Maria herself. She knew the fight would be hard, and last week certainly provided evidence of that. The week was wrought with the anxiety, fear, medical uncertainty, emotional ups and downs, and unpleasant side effects inherent to the process of beating cancer. Maria continues to amaze those around her with her resilience and strength..... despite enduring a week from hell, her vitality and vibrance have not been dimished!

Friday, October 29, 2004

Maria's daily battle continues and she actually does feel like a battle-fatigued soldier, with her full-time job being fighting her cancer. Every hour of every day, she must summon the energy and resolve within her to overcome her side effects to get through each activity necessary for her recovery. From pushing through her morning nauseasness and fatigue to get dressed and ready for the daily commute to St. Louis for her radiation treatment; to monitoring her chemo unit and undergoing weekly needle changes; to spending hours taking sitz baths and applying ointments to try to alleviate the pain from her radiation burns; to forcing down nasty iron pills several times per day to help raise her hemoglobin; to forcing herself to take short walks to help combat her fatigue; to willing herself to eat well, even when she has no appetite,while ensuring that she does not eat anything that has adverse effects due to her colostomy.

As you can see, Maria's days are consumed with a multitude of challenges and she has valiantly risen to meet each one. As difficult as these struggles are, she knows that as she wins each daily battle during her treatment regiment, she is one day closer to winning the war!



	Monday, October 25, 2004 Maria is definitely in the thick of the battle. Last week was, without a doubt, "the toughest week yet" as stated by Maria herself. She knew the fight would be hard, and last week certainly provided evidence of that. The week was wrought with the anxiety, fear, medical uncertainty, emotional ups and downs, and unpleasant side effects inherent to the process of beating cancer. Maria continues to amaze those around her with her resilience and strength..... despite enduring a week from hell, her vitality and vibrance have not been dimished! Friday, October 29, 2004 Maria's daily battle continues and she actually does feel like a battle-fatigued soldier, with her full-time job being fighting her cancer. Every hour of every day, she must summon the energy and resolve within her to overcome her side effects to get through each activity necessary for her recovery. From pushing through her morning nauseasness and fatigue to get dressed and ready for the daily commute to St. Louis for her radiation treatment; to monitoring her chemo unit and undergoing weekly needle changes; to spending hours taking sitz baths and applying ointments to try to alleviate the pain from her radiation burns; to forcing down nasty iron pills several times per day to help raise her hemoglobin; to forcing herself to take short walks to help combat her fatigue; to willing herself to eat well, even when she has no appetite,while ensuring that she does not eat anything that has adverse effects due to her colostomy. As you can see, Maria's days are consumed with a multitude of challenges and she has valiantly risen to meet each one. As difficult as these struggles are, she knows that as she wins each daily battle during her treatment regiment, she is one day closer to winning the war!