Grateful.

Hello all! It's me, Hannah! I decided it was finally time for me to do a post. Let me just start off by saying that I am truly overwhelmed and humbled by all the love and support my family and I have received over these past few months. I don't know how I would get through all of this with out all of you. I started going through the literally hundreds of cards I received while in the hospital and can't even begin to express how grateful I am to have all of this love and support. I also cannot express my gratitude toward my family enough. My parents have given me everything and I don't know how to thank them.

Growing up in a home like mine, I have learned to trust in myself, live faithfully, equip myself to serve not only myself but those around me, and reflect good graces on one person at a time. But none of us knew how to handle this. I thought that this stuff doesn't happen to us, it's only things we hear about. We learned take it one day at a time, some days easier than others. Everything happened so fast, I still don't think it has really hit me yet that my life is forever changed because of this cancer.

I am in the middle of my fifth week of arsenic and after Friday I get two weeks off! After those two weeks, I start another five weeks of arsenic. We found out last week that I will not be home for Christmas, which I am very upset about because Christmas at the Cobley house is quite the ordeal! I go back in the hospital the Wednesday after Thanksgiving and am there for another 30 days. Sarah is also coming home for November, December, and half of January which I am very excited about because I will have BOTH my sisters here! Woo hoo!

I will write again soon about the very interesting and entertaining things one sees at the clinic every day. Boy do I have some stories :)

Here is a link to a video that Sarah's good friend Jared sent me. While I do not have the same type of leukemia the man in the video has, it sort of put things in perspective.

Day 61...a soap box..

Hi all, been a little over a week since my last update, so time to bring you up to speed. Hannah is doing well. Two weeks of arsenic done, 3 more to go, then 2 weeks off, followed by another 5 week cycle. Hannah is venturing out more, even went to a talent show over the weekend to watch friends preform.

She has grown bored with Netflix and DVD's so she has decided to start some craft projects for the church boutique.

Over the last several months, I have watched Hannah go from a lifetime high point (high school graduation, a staring roll in a show that she loves, getting ready to go to college) to seemingly having the rug pulled out from under her with a diagnosis of leukemia. While physically she my not have faced death because of the type of cancer she has, she has faced death mentally. I feel secure in saying that the vast majority have never faced death, so we really have no idea of knowing where she has been. I know where she is going though. On with her life. She has told death to get out of her way.

She chooses to get up daily go to clinic and have poison pumped into her, knowing full well that she has to go back into the hospital in two more months to hit rock bottom again. I do not know if I could do that. Fortunately at this time of my life, I do not have to make those choices.

I am also continually amazed at how she does not seem to care about going out in public with a bald head, and a mask. People do stare, but it does not seem to bother her.

How does she do it? I have an idea, her faith, the strength and support from Sharon, Jessie and Sarah, our entire family, and you her friends and support group.

That being said, it is my turn....

Those of you that know me, know that I very rarely get on my soap box. Why you ask? I have very few opinions about anything, and do not like to speak my mind (serious sarcasm)

While I do not think that this blog is the proper medium to climb up on on a soapbox, I will indulge myself.

We live in a society where it has become very easy to whine, complain or quit. We see it everyday. Someone is blaming someone else for their condition. People whine about not having material things. A few that I see everyday, "my son did not get a scholarship because the coach did not like him", or "coach did not give me a chance so I quit."

As a society we no longer seem to take responsibilty for our own actions, it is someone else's fault. It is sad, but also dangerous for us as a society.

There are a few things that I have always believed;
Our perception becomes our reality
We can not choose what happens to us, we can only choose how we react to it.

I know that I am in many ways preaching to the choir here, but maybe, just maybe we should all take a lesson from an 18 year old young lady, and stop complaining and just get on with life.

At the risk of being knocked off this soap box, I will now step down, thank you for allowing me this rant.

Eucaristia

Day 53....life moves along

Hi all....Life is moving right along. It has been a week since the last update, and it does not seem like a week has gone by. We have really gotten the normal routine of life with cancer. Daily trips to the clinic for treatments, and life in between.

As I sat down to blog tonight, Hannah looked over at me from the sofa and said "if I hold my nose up like this, to I look like Voldemort? I think I will be Voldemort for Halloween because I'm bald."

As you might have gathered, she is doing great. She has finished one week of arsenic, and really has not had too many side affects. A couple of headaches and nausea at the beginning of the week, but that has been managed. She is now enjoying the second of three days away from the clinic do to the holiday weekend.

She also had a few outings this week, dinner party at Jessie's house, Old Navy, and she even made it to Church today.

Thank you for your continued support and prayer, it is greatly appreciated.

Eucaristia

P.S. Hannah has been watching "Bridesmaids" while I have been blogging. Highly inappropriate.