Future Plans

As we practice sheltering in place, we are discovering how hard it is not to be able to make plans. Tasks as simple as planning a doctor’s visit has become a complex procedure. Life goes on, but not as we knew it. We are used to so much freedom, we don’t want to be told what to do. We want to go to the market when we want. We want to go to sporting and other entertainment events when we want. We want to go where we want, when we want, how we want. The thought of sheltering in place or worse a full quarantine is terrifying for many.

For those of us that have had to deal with cancer treatment or likely any other major illness, we understand this all too well. Life gets put on hold. Everything that seemed important becomes unimportant. Family, friends, connecting become tremendously important. Fighting the disease a day at a time becomes the norm.

Then there are the times the cure feels worse than the disease. (Except the disease typically carries a life sentence). So, you continue to fight.

There are also the legacy moments, that make it so much easier. For me, the people and the moments are:

• My husband for sitting beside me through every appointment and day in the hospital.
• My children and their families for putting their lives on hold just to be with me.
• The fellow in NYC, who walked me to my destination after I asked for assistance getting across an ice patch.
• The fellow in Baltimore who did the same when I couldn’t determine if I was looking at a puddle or ice.
• The doctors, who made it possible for me to now say I am cancer-free.
• The physical therapist that got me out of my head and on the way to recovery.
• The ICU nurses that made me feel like the most important patient they had.
• My friends that stopped by, insisting I looked great even with half of my face paralyzed.
• My eye doctor who has worked tirelessly to try to save the vision in that paralyzed eye.
• The physical therapists that got me back on my feet.
• The speech and physical therapists that worked so valiantly to help me recover the use of the muscles in my face.
• The acupuncturists that have stimulated the nerve regeneration in my face.
• My oncologist, who gets giddy with excitement every time he sees how much I’ve healed.
• And so many more

This journey for me has been more than three years. I know many who’s struggle has been much more intense. Sheltering at home, with all the comforts, feels like so little to ask of people. I hear things like – I have cabin fever, I just had to get out. Cabin fever is much easier to recover from than Covid-19. I hear others say, I’m basically healthy, it won’t be a big deal if I catch it. Maybe not, for you but what about the ten, twenty, or more people you pass it on to. We are in this together. Let’s defeat this invisible enemy and continue to create many more legacy moments.