"The best way out is always through"

It is 2½ weeks since my last chemotherapy...and a lot seems to have happened since then.  Fortunately, my reaction to chemo seems to be following a pattern. It makes it easier knowing what to expect! I have worked out the right medication regime to keep any tummy problems at bay - and I know that the first 2-3 days I feel reasonably OK - and hit my lowest on the 4th day. Then it is a gradual improvement process over the following few days - until I am feeling almost back to normal at around the 10-day mark.  The day after chemo was Mum’s 93rd birthday, and I was pleased to be well enough to enjoy lunch at a local café with Mum, Harry, my sister Netti, her husband Howard and their daughters Rachel and Naomi (who came from Sydney for Mum’s birthday as well as her own, which was the following day) together with her 2 children, Joel and Ruby. It was a lovely celebration, and Mum had a ball. That night we had Beck, Brad, Arlo, Edie (& Mum) for dinner. Gary, Edna, Ab...

It is three weeks since my second chemo session, and hence I had my third session of chemotherapy yesterday (Thursday, 5 September). The 3-week cycle started with our last Shabbat dinner with Romy, Leon, Dash and Lulu before their return to New York. Fortunately, I generally feel well for the two days following chemo, so we all enjoyed a lovely night and had an early celebration of Dash’s 7 th Birthday, which fell only a few days after they arrived in New York.  At the start of the evening, Harry and I were invited to sit on the couch, and the kids played us an incredibly moving and uplifting version of what they called “Nanenian Rhapsody” – a take on Freddy Mercury’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. All the words were composed by Romy, and it was sung by Leon, Gary, Brad and the grandchildren. I think I can say (from a completely unbiased point of view, of course) that it was absolutely brilliant! Unfortunately, I am unable to download it here for some reason, but if anyone would l...