Spring break was good! Everyday, including weekends, minus two non-consecutive days I hung out with David. I hung out with Kelsey three or fours times and not straying from non-break life talked to her everyday via text or phone call. I babysat my two favorite boys for two consecutive days and for the third took care of their dog. On Friday evening went shopping with Kelsey to peruse prom dresses and oddly enough we got lucky! We both found dresses in that one shopping trip. (Well really, I thought I had found my dress but on the following day when I went back with my mom to show her, etc. I realized my chest was rather exposed and the bra situation was just no good. Thus I had to search again, in the same store, but that time I actually got lucky and found thee dress! It’s solid bright lime green, has a balloon hem and a roused imperial waist. I think I look like a head of lettuce but a wonderful, pretty head of lettuce. I do believe it fits both my personality and after some alterations will also fit me physically well, too.) Kelsey’s dress is long, form-fitting and bright pink that looks beyond glamorous on her; the moment she put it on we both knew it was thee dress for her. Originally we were looking for dresses in darker shades for Kels but on a whim she picked the pink dress and ta-da! Together we will look like a watermelon. For three days I had relatives staying at my house which was rather awkward in the beginning for I had never met them before. It was my mom’s cousin, Brad, his wife, Terri and their horribly matted poodle, Sadie. But thanks to a good bath, face trimming, body and leg shaving plus an overdue brushing she left looking like a new woman! Driving for three days from northern California exhausted both Brad and Terri and such a trip would burn out any healthy being but considering both of them are rather sickly it pushed them to the limit. Brad has a benign tumor on his brain stem that has been with him for over ten years. Over those years it has forced him to need oxygen and constant rest. Terri had a heart attack a few months ago and is still recovering; the poor woman has five stints in her heart! Brad’s tumor was actually the root reason they visited because a friend of my dads is a premiere neurologist, who specializes in the skull base, at OHSU. So by using his connections my dad was able to get Brad an appointment with Dr. Johnny Delashaw, Jr., M.D. It’s not that Brad has not seen many, many other doctors but none of those said doctors have been able to give him hope for any improvement in his current way/quality of life. A rough sketch of his way of life is: sitting on the couch all day, oxygen tubes in his nose and in the afternoon spending time with is grandson. Dr. Delashaw did indeed give Brad and Terri hope, more her than him, but it’s the hope of being able to help him. Delashaw has a tool that is basically a GPS for your brain thus allowing him to tour Brad’s brain stem, etc and remove the tumor! Said tool is apparently both rare and extremely advanced in the brain surgery technology. The surgery would put him out for six or so months but with rest and rehabilitation Brad would be fully recovered in about a year. Considering both Brad and Terri have lived with the fear, frustration and stress for countless years I think they are willing to survive one more. The surgery of course has risks but according to Terri it’s worth a try; I admire her optimism. Fun Facts: Brad is obsessed with the Grateful Dead and Terri wants to open a craft store.
My spring break was wonderful and tumorful.
