Last week we went to Sunnybrook Hospital for the radiation consult. The hospital is about 50km from our house and the centre where Judith will get radiation treatment if neccessary. It is a most daunting place- almost like a village with numerous buildings- probably 10 times the size of JHB General Hospital if not bigger. The cancer centre there has it's own building and fortunately we had some directions on how to get there otherwise we would have parked in the wrong parking lot and been tired out and late for the appointment.
We realised that the radiation is still being debated. At some point Judith needs another Gallium scan and CT scan and her response to the chemo will then be assessed as well as a decision made on whether chemo is to be extended or radiation to be started. We heard that for females under 30 there is an increased risk of breast cancer before age 40 and with Judith's mass in her chest they want to be sure that they do not treat these sensitive areas unneccessarily. We appreciate the expertise of these doctors and their commitment and we are so grateful that we have access to such good care.
After that day Judith started thinking seriously about deferring her studies for a year and I must say that I am greatly relieved that we are now talking about this because I could not imagine her being anywhere else but home at this stage.
The build up to Prom was exciting. Miriam, Mark and Sean were all at home for the afternoon helping out with makeup and photographs. Judith was so excited ( read: a little hyper) Her boyfriend Mark at times looked somewhat bewildered and at other times bemused but most of the time calm and unflappable- a good balance for Judith. When they eventually left, Terry and I went out for dinner- a beer and wings at the local pub.
You heard about the hair. She had a stunning haircut this afternoon (on the house) done by Dan who is our local hairdresser.
OK that's it from me.
Ingrid
