Good News and Bad...

Melinda's cycle 5 of chemo is in the books!  She continues to tolerate it well, and is doing great this week.  On Monday we saw the oncologist's PA and heard the results of her PET scan from last week.  The cancer is responding well to the drugs and all tumors continue to shrink at a pretty good clip.  In the original consultation with the oncologist in August the plan was for 6 cycles (3 consecutive days at 3 week intervals), and they will be completed by mid-December.  We'll be consulting then for her opinion on the best course of action.  She has never led us wrong and will look for her for guidance.

But a few minutes after completion of cycle 5, a reminder came in how fragile and precious our lives and connections are.  We got the news that Melinda's older sister Susan had died overnight from an apparent heart attack.  Susan had been diagnosed with lung cancer within a week of Melinda's, though a different type (non-small cell).  She also had been responding well to treatments, but recently had difficulty with back and joint pain.  Middle sister Maj and Melinda are of course, very distraught, and are in the middle of a thousand arrangements, since Maj has been her primary support during her treatments.  From happier times, the picture at left shows the sisters at our wedding five and a half years ago, Susan in sunglasses at right, Melinda in the middle.

While Susan circled in and out of our orbits back and forth through our Midwest trips, sometimes not seeing her for seasons at a time, we were always in close touch.  The loss of a sister is always a jolt, and the hole in our lives and hearts will take time to fill.  But the one thing we know is that we expressed our love for each other at the conclusion of every phone conversation - nothing was ever left unsaid just in case something bad were to happen.  Make sure the ones you love know it!