Have Imodium, will Party 🎉

First let me say that I am unapologetic about not having any updates over the weekend as I was too busy, living it up in the present and enjoying myself!!!

Something happened after my Friday appointment with Dr. Sidani and it was so amazing. Most people know I have had a ROUGH time with rounds three and four of chemotherapy and my good days really have become limited in number after those cycles completed. I have had every strain of side effect and even discovered some new ones. My level of fatigue has been almost indescribable. Friday’s appointment came with a lot of anticipation as there had been some back-and-forth between Dr. Sidani and Dr. Shergil in evaluating my scans from one week ago. We spent a lot of time together in Fridays office visit and he, like Dr. Shergil was very encouraged!!! After the office visit I had more fluids and I had a bout of energy that translated into one of the best weekends I’ve had since I’ve been diagnosed. Call it friends & family therapy or food therapy, I don’t know but the positive energy that pulsated through my veins from Friday afternoon through now as I write this has given me hope and has been really profound.

Let’s start with Friday night. Livios with Laverne and Shirley (aka my dance mom friends Kim & Barb). Laughing and chicken piccata topped off with Spumoni? Yes, please. Last night Barb sent me a text while making me some organic homemade bolognese sauce!

Saturday I had an amazing breakfast with Leslie at the Sandbar on Cedar Lake and a pop in from my dear friend Daphne Ortiz. Just ten minutes from my house, that little lake town makes you feel like you are in another world. After breakfast I walked up and down my block and delivered some thank you cookies and even had an Arnold Palmer with the Tanner family. Thank you to Mister Mike’s cookies for the delicious dozen’s.

Saturday afternoon, Gina, Gavin and I headed up to Winnetka to enjoy some family time with Hal, Alyssa, Audrey & Hettie. Mackie even joined us since Bobby is at a baseball tournament in Alabama so he spent time with his cousin Yoda. Burgers, salads and some heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market - great pick Henriette!! I even ended up scoring another baseball cap, this time one from Hal’s Cincinnati Reds collection. Sorry Chicago, it’s family:)

Now we move in to Sunday and OMG - a group text with the Service League ladies turned in to a huge and amazing impromptu breakfast at 9am!!! I was crying and so happy to see so many of these women come to spend time with me, thank you to all who were able to make it, it was so much fun! Looking forward to our Mahjong nights soon!

After the Sunday morning breakfast, my chariot arrived in the Uptown Kitchen Parking Lot (Billy and Leslie Figg in the UHaul) and off we went to say goodbye to my Chicago apartment in Fulton Market. Perfectly situated between my two Google Chicago offices and client headquarters, I just don’t know when this cancer journey will allow me back to work and so its not technically goodbye, it’s see you later for now. I’ve been on my medical leave of absence for about 75 days now and will likely be out until the end of the year at least. I’m so sad that I didn’t get to spend much time here. Despite all of the negative perceptions people have about the city, I love it and it always brings me great energy. Put this furniture to good use Olivia Figg!:)

We ended yesterday with one more unexpected party and another demonstration of neighborly love that was so greatly appreciated. Randy & Maureen sent me a text about a week ago and said “we’d like to make a taco dinner for your family and bring it over next Sunday, would this work for you? Ummmmmm yes please! Thank you to Tacos and Tamales (their taco catering/food truck business) it was delicious and we fed the family and even our extended family:) Everything was absolutely delicious. Sadly not much of what I eat stays inside and the Imodium headline is far from the fun part of this weekend:( 😩

Wow, what a beautiful few days, I will cherish these moments and have deep gratitude for every minute I feel “normal”. Thank you to everyone who made it very special.