Port Day

Well, here we are again, at good ol' Presbyterian St. Luke's hospital, in honor of Port Day. Port Day is a new holiday that I just came up with this morning (Andy and I are even taking off work for it). I invented this holiday as I first sat down here for today. Once again I sat down here, in the same waiting room, with the same computer on my lap, infusing words and feelings into this same blog (another type of portal), as I anxiously await my same dear husband to finish up with another procedure. Making a holiday out of it is a way to put some spunk into some all too familiar territory.

Bless his heart . . . shoot, while we're at it, bless my heart. . . as it is always tough for us to come back here. Exactly 4 weeks ago today, we were all sitting in this same room while Andy was getting a foot of his colon and that unwelcomed tumor removed from his precious body temple.

Thank God for 4 weeks later!!

Thank God for Andy's continual courage and humor as he continues down this path. We were just commenting this morning how hospitals are just plain creepy, especially this one since we have so much memory and emotion tied to it, but how the process has become so familiar to him that he's almost immune to it. The admission, the hospital gown, the IV, the many many doctors asking the same damn questions ("allergic to any medications?" they say. . . as if we didn't just tell 4 previous doctors just minutes before, "sulfa drug".), the "happy juice", and then into the procedure. He never ceases to amaze me . . he's so dang sweet and polite to all the doctors and nurses as they poke and prod him and wheel him away for another invasive process. He is truly my hero.

So today on Port Day, I'm gonna celebrate these things that relate to my hero:

-Today is his official 4 week full recovery date from his colon resection surgery. .
-Today, right now in fact, as he gets this port injected into his jugular vein, he is one step closer to being done with all of this and getting his normal life back. . .
-I just learned he is getting the "POWER PORT", which basically takes place of an IV for the next 6 months. The power in this port is that it not only takes in chemo meds, but any type of med that would normally go in an IV. This = NO MORE IV's for 6 months! Something to celebrate alone right there!
-Aside from this synthetic port I speak of, what's even more powerful are his real portals (heart and mind)-the ones that came with him originally and will never leave him (that synthetic one only has the privledge to be with him for 6 months). It is so touching for me to witness the reaction from his heart and mind, as he takes in all of the love and support, that is delivered by all of you! BOTH of us are inundated with love and support, and it is absolutely what is holding us up and keeping us going. It's an enormous sea of loveboats out there, sending precious cargo of thoughts and prayers and letters and packages. . . it is absolutely breathtaking and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
-And last but not least, I will celebrate what Andy is portaling (a word?) right back to us. True Inspiration.

Perhaps I will celebrate this holiday with a glass of, hmmmm, port wine? (that was too easy).

Happy Port Day!