TRAVEL UPDATE:  If anyone out there has any info or contacts for practicing yoga in Southern India for a month or so, please let Jay or I know.  Also, if you have any guesses on how to have books delivered to us in Greece (like a Grecian Amazon or Barnes and Nobles), please pass it along.  We have a month left on Kalymnos and haven’t yet learned how to read in Greek :).

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

I would like to reach through this sterile computer screen to grab onto and hug each and every person who sent my dad a card last week.  What an inspiration you people are!

Last week, my dad’s treatment was a roller coaster.  He began Round 2 of chemo last Monday.  He receives chemo in 1 all day trip to the hospital followed by 3 days of wearing a fanny pack filled with liquid chemo delivered through a port attached to his chest.  In addition, he gets radiation on his neck 5 days a week.  All of this treatment for a man who up until a month ago has only been to the hospital to get stitches.  On Wed., he lost his voice and also began vomiting.  He couldn’t keep anything in his belly and was feeling so horrible that the doctors decided to temporarily stop radiation.  Although his reaction to chemo and his doc’s decision to take a break from radiation are both normal and to be expected, the news was pretty devastating for my family.  The letters, cards and pictures in the mail really brightened his spirits and my mom’s.

My mother is one of those people who can see the beauty in just about anything.  However, this week was very stressful, tiring and just plain depressing.  Receiving the cards and letters reminded her how beautiful and kind the world can be.

My dad is doing much better now.  On Friday, he started to keep “food” in his belly and his voice came back as well.  I was able to talk with him on Sunday and both he and my mom sounded rested and positive.

My dad has never been a sentimental sort of guy.  In fact, one could say he can be pretty gruff-a no nonsense, man’s man kind of guy.  When he picked up the phone on Sunday, all he could talk about were the cards and letters he received.  He sounded warm and happy.  Thank you.