Wishing everyone a wonderful, peaceful, and very Happy Thanksgiving weekend. I can't believe it's been another week. The days have been flying by. Mark's chemo treatment finally caught up with him, and kicked his butt last weekend. He spent a couple days mostly in bed; very weak and slept most of the time. His side effects included dizziness, numbness in his hands and feet, and a constant ringing in his ears which drove him nuts.
Thankfully, the side effects have diminished each day. We will be heading to daily radiation treatment in a couple hours. He is starting to get some burning on his neck and throat from the radiation, and soreness when he swallows. He is still able to eat orally, which makes me happy that he will be able to enjoy some turkey and mashed potatoes this weekend.
I have been thinking about Thanksgiving a lot the past week. I have come to the conclusion that when life gets tough, you have even more reasons to be thankful. The love and support from Team Mark has given Mark and I the strength we need to get him thru this. Thank you to Meghan, Maura and David for being incredible to their Papas. Thank you to family and friends locally who continue to bring us food, stop by to lend support, and watch Gracie for us. You have taken a lot of pressure off us to get everything done so we can concentrate on Mark's health. Thank you, Team Mark, for continuing to reach out to him via calls, texts, e-mails, and cards & letters. I smile everyday when I open the mailbox and see the notes and cards for him. Thank you to our three cancer survivor friends (you know who you are) who have privately shared your journeys with Mark. Your brutal honesty and inspiration has given him strength and hope to beat this. I will never be able to accurately express the love in my heart for all of you.
My biggest thanks goes to Mark, for loving me. Here's a photo from our wedding day this past March, the best day of my life. After 24 years together, I am so thankful we are now legally married. Happy Thanksgiving. Love, Perry