Lean On Me!

Max enjoyed his freedom at the Dog Park today where there were more dogs there than ever. There were two playful, large, friendly, beautiful, muscular Dobermans who loved playing and running. They were gorgeous creatures to watch their body movements and strength. Another perfect fall day in Houston was enjoyed by God's creatures with comfortable temperatures and bright blue skies. Thank you God for the magnificent day to enjoy your gifts.

We dropped Max off at the studio apartment since we were heading to MDACC to meet with one of our Mantle Cell ACOR support list comrades who had an appointment at 2PM with Dr. Romaguera to go over her test results from last week. As we were about to leave, we got a call from the lovely Whitney Wilkinson, future pastor of a blessed Presbyterian Church to be determined. Whitney is currently living with her family in Victoria, TX which is about a two hour drive from Houston. Her voice will brighten any one's day by hearing it. She had invited Joe and me for Thanksgiving with her family in Victoria. Isn't that awesome! We would have accepted, without a doubt, but Joe is being re-admitted to MDACC on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving for Part B of the HyperCVD-R and will be in the hospital till Monday, 11/29. Joe and I considered being in the hospital over Thanksgiving is a good thing since we are so thankful for the medical advances that give Joe a chance at living longer. We are so thankful for the amazing medical staff at MDACC with their loving but professional attention to the physical aspects of chemo but also the emotional aspects for the patient and the caregiver. God is always present in the halls of MDACC. You can feel Him.

Off we went to MDACC to see if we could find Holli Baker, fellow Mantle Cell patient, at the clinic. I was looking for a lady with a pink ribbon on her purse. I had asked several ladies if they were Holli Baker but a gentleman sitting nearby stated the Holli had just stepped into Fast Track to get blood drawn for the labs. The long pony-tailed weathered man was Holli's husband! We walked to meet with one of Joe's favorite blood drawer and when we walked back, there was Holli. She knew that I was Bonnie and Joe was the tall guy next to me. We warmly hugged each other and fell into easy conversation about her journey with Mantle Cell. She had eight long rounds of HyperCVAD and had some rough experiences but she made it through it. She had been in remission for 1.5 years. Holli was very nervous as anyone would be to find out the results of her previous tests to see if she was still in remission. She talked about the foods that she had to stay away from and how Romaguera made her stay away from her grandchildren, teachers she worked with, and had to wear a mask all the time. She told us how she creatively saw her grandchildren through the car windows and spoke with them via cell phones. After awhile the kids knew that they could not run and hug her and to stay across the room. Holli has been back to work as an Art teacher for 1st and 2nd graders. Kids that age are germ carriers and teachers catch every cold and infections the kids get. Holli spoke about the dreaded Bone Marrow Biopsies where she makes them sedate her since she finds it so painful. Holli was so open and so lovable and eager to share her medical experiences with Joe and me which we are grateful. We only got to talk for about 15 minutes before she was called back for her meeting with Dr. Romaguera. We intended to stay there till she came out but she and her husband were there for a very long time. Our instinct told us the Holli was not getting good news so we left the clinic at 3:15PM. Later via e-mails Holli told us that she was devastated with the bad news that she was no longer in remission. Romaguera had mentioned the stem cell transplant but it is something that Holli is trying to avoid. First they must determine what type of cancer Holli now has so a game plan can be determined. Pray for Holli to give her strength of spirit and body for her next battle.

Since we did not have lunch, we stopped at La Madeline's for Linner, a combination of lunch and dinner. Joe and I both had the French Dip sandwich on perfectly baked Sourdough Bread. Joe took my recommendation to try it and he loved it. He also had a slice of Cheesecake which he says is so good at the restaurant. I had a cup of the Tomato Bisque soup again along with my sandwich but no dessert for me.


We got back to the studio apartment about 4:45PM and we both took a nap till 7PM. We stayed in and watch TV and Joe groaned as I enjoyed watching Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. I got him to stop groaning by massaging his legs and feet with some creamy Shea Butter the whole time. He loved that so he tolerated me watching my shows. I had offered to go to the Community Room downstairs to watch TV but he would not hear of it. Now he is sound asleep with Max next to him. Max senses that Joe is sick so he stays by him more than me these days. It is sweet to see them together, real pals.



God is walking with us and His Spirit guides us! Amazing Grace how sweet it is!

Ciao!