newest blondish wig<\/a> the entire trip-enough to convince me to never wear a wig again.<\/p>\n4-I just mailed McCanless’s summer camp forms off for this summer!\u00a0 She’ll go for just a week again this year.\u00a0 I’m not quite ready for her to go any longer just yet.<\/p>\n
5-Mel and I went to the see a movie together last night.\u00a0 I think it was the second movie we’ve ever been to, just the two of us.\u00a0 Not kidding.\u00a0 I’m not a movie girl and IF I go, it’s usually to see Rapunzel or Dolphin Tale or something of the sort with the girls-not typically a Mel kind of movie.\u00a0 Since the girls were away, we took full advantage.\u00a0 We even ate Mexican beforehand and snuck in M&Ms and Junior Mints.\u00a0 Did you know a Hartsville Cinema Twin movie ticket is $2?\u00a0 (I swear it’s a legit Regal Cinema, too.)\u00a0 Funny, because our small popcorn and drinks were $15.\u00a0 We saw The Hunger Games since I can’t seem to get middle school literature out of my system.\u00a0 I read the trilogy last week just so I could see the movie while the girls were away.\u00a0 As always, the books were far better than the movie.\u00a0 Which is why I don’t like movies.<\/p>\n
other stuff…<\/p>\n
I have so much to think about on my morning drives to Columbia.\u00a0 I need to take a tape-recorder to capture my thoughts.\u00a0 They’d make great blogging material.\u00a0 And speaking of, it seems my blog has taken a backseat lately with all that is going on.\u00a0 Spring is filled with upcoming programs, dance, end-of-school excitement and cramming.\u00a0 This week is Spring Break and the girls are at the beach with Nonnie, Kacy and Kate, soaking up the beach sun and sand until we can officially go uninterrupted by school. We are all so ready for summer.<\/p>\n
Mel and I were asked to be the torch bearers at the opening ceremony of the Relay for Life Luminiara Ceremony next weekend.\u00a0 Wow.\u00a0 I’m so very humbled and honored and saddened and happy to have the privilege to do so.\u00a0 We don’t have a team this year, as we got a really late start.\u00a0 I think we’ll just invite friends and family to walk the opening lap with us.\u00a0 (Maybe even get working on that “Half-a-Brain, Half-a Heart and Half-a-Boob” shirt Mel thought of so long ago.)<\/p>\n
I’ve also been asked to write something to be read as we take our first lap.\u00a0 I guess throughout all of this, it’s been hard to believe it was\/is even happening to me.\u00a0 Even now as I walk out of SCOA everyday strong and healthy, I feel sad for the not-so-healthy people I see.\u00a0 I know I shouldn’t.\u00a0 I’m on their team.\u00a0 Technically, I’m not even considered “caner-free” yet.\u00a0 But it’s one thing that I hated.\u00a0 I never wanted anyone to feel sorry for me.\u00a0 Cancer is a part of life.\u00a0 Sad, but true.\u00a0 Why shouldn’t I get cancer anyway?\u00a0 Why should I be spared when so many others aren’t?\u00a0 I knew I would fight the battle and move on.\u00a0 Get on with life.<\/p>\n
I’m learning everyday that it isn’t such an easy journey for others.<\/p>\n
I think of one woman in particular. She’s probably not much older than me.\u00a0 I don’t know her name, although I should.\u00a0 I see her every morning.\u00a0 Waiting.\u00a0 She’s in a different waiting area and always has someone with her.\u00a0 To drive, I imagine. Although she’s always on the radiation side of the building, I noticed the tell-tale signs of a chemo patient:\u00a0 thin, whispy hair, yellow skin, deep circles around wide barren eyes, a frail walk.<\/p>\n
After several mornings of casual waves and hellos, grasping onto her husband, she asked me what size guard I used on my clippers.\u00a0 I laughed and explained that months ago after a trip to my hair stylist and getting 7 inches chopped, Mel used a #2, then #1, then nothing.\u00a0 I told her that I, too, was going bald due to chemotherapy before I made the decision to shave it.\u00a0 My current style was not by choice, it is what has resulted from what chemo took from me months ago.<\/p>\n
“My chemo didn’t work, which is why I still have some hair left.\u00a0 I’ve stopped chemo now.\u00a0 I’m taking radiation as a last ditch effort.” she said with a smile.\u00a0 Then continued on with how amazing my hair looked.<\/p>\n
What I thought was self-confidence is merely arrogance.\u00a0 How dumb of me to waltz through SCOA as if chemo, radiation and cancer is easy.<\/p>\n
Which is why I’m having such a hard time finding words to write for the Luminiara Ceremony.\u00a0 Cancer isn’t easy, but for some reason, I have been blessed with health.\u00a0 Despite cancer, despite chemo, despite radiation.\u00a0 I shouldn’t have the honor of carrying the torch.\u00a0 So many others have fought this battle and have had to sacrifice so much more than I have.\u00a0 Even Mary Clare has battled much longer and harder than I have.\u00a0 She has overcome the odds and has learned to live life to the fullest every single day despite how difficult it can be for her.<\/p>\n
I’m not deserving to carry the torch.\u00a0 At this moment I can think of so many others who have been sick for years, or my friend Betsy who lost her mother, or my new friend who is desperately hanging onto hope that radiation will work. \u00a0 These people have suffered because of cancer.\u00a0 Their lives have forever changed because of cancer.<\/p>\n
I can only hope that God gives me the courage to represent those of us who have fought the battle and won and the words to touch those who have not been so fortunate.<\/p>\n
This morning, I noticed my new radiation friend has a short new hair cut.\u00a0 Gone are her thin, brown, wispy locks.\u00a0 She winked at me as I walked by her\u00a0 in her waiting area.\u00a0 She pointed to me and explained to her friend that I was her inspiration.<\/p>\n
If only I had the nerve to stop and tell her that she is a true inspiration.\u00a0 She has taught me so much more than she will ever realize.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
1- Today, I completed my 13th treatment.\u00a0 Only 20 to go!\u00a0 I’ve actually enjoyed my daily drives to Columbia.\u00a0 I grab my coffee every morning and crank up the iTunes.\u00a0 (My 2001 Tahoe isn’t equipped with a fancy outlet to hear my iTunes through the speakers….like some Mayor I know, so I rock the ear […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8003"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8017,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8003\/revisions\/8017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.babypennington.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}