The caregiver chronicles: The luxury of time
On our first visit to MD Anderson, Tom stayed busy signing what seemed like an endless number of consent forms. There was one for pharmacy, another for X-rays and still another to diagnose and treat, with no promise for success.
After those were done, we maneuvered our way through a number of doctor, scan and X-ray appointments. One of them was with a clinical specialist, where we learned that removing a kidney brings a good...
The caregiver chronicles: It's always something
Tom's doctor told him he knew he would make it when he stepped into the hospital room during his rounds and saw him shaving, just a day after...
The caregiver chronicles: It became our journey
The Dreamsicle-colored sun rose slowly as I entered my fourth mile at the high school track. I've just completed the first week of an 18-week...
The caregiver chronicles: Ours is not to question why
Labor Day marked the sixth anniversary of Tom's diagnosis. Although his illness caught us off guard and reeled us from our comfortable spot in the universe, I can't recall that we ever asked, "Why us? Why Tom?"
There was plenty of time for questions as we waited for his surgery later that week.
The surgery to remove the mass and Tom's left kidney would be a challenge because of the size of the tumor, said the...
The caregiver chronicles: The red flags
Once Tom was admitted to a local Houston hospital, a urologist and a team of medical personnel examined him. The lead doctor said the surgery...
The caregiver chronicles: Flight for his life
My sister Jackie reminded me last weekend that Sunday, Aug. 22, would've been Tom's and my 29th wedding anniversary. We always favored the...