Twas the night before chemo #3

Hi Everyone! Sorry for the silence lately—especially after my ‘downer’ of a last entry! Rest assured that as soon as I felt that the fog had well and truly lifted—I was out and at ‘em!!! It has been a very busy, yet productive week of wellness! Started with picking up my very glamorous wig (everyone says it makes me look younger and this hair hat keeps my head warm, so it’s a win-win). It’s funny because I can walk into a room and wave to a friend and they just look at me like ‘who is this stranger waving at me?’ But it is nice to be able to go out and about and not feel self-conscious about my bald head!

 We hosted our annual caregiver Christmas party at work on Weds the 5th and it was attended by 70 employees as well as the Mayor of Galway came to congratulate the Home Instead National Caregiver of the year who is one of our lovely employees! It was a wonderful event and the caregivers were so sweet, kind and supportive as well as excited to see me since the news broke. I emerged with so many promises of prayers and well wishes!

On Thursday I attended a very special healing mass. I had heard of this priest who offers a ‘Family Tree’ healing mass about 6 years ago but never had attended one. It was a horrible windy and rainy day out and I was quite fatigued but the thought of going to the afternoon mass would not leave me. And so I bundled up and went up the road to a lovely, 200+ year old church at 230pm.
I have to admit that I didn’t really have huge expectations of what or who would be there but it was one of the most special, inexplicably loving and yes, miraculous experiences of my life.
As this lovely 90 year old priest held and prayed over me, I could feel my burdens being lifted, my heart on fire with love, peace, joy and pure happiness as well as feeling utterly calm. I inexplicably kept focused on an image of Jesus walking in front of me and me saying ‘Jesus, if I could only touch your robe, I know I will be healed’, like the man in the crowd who is healed when he touched Jesus’ robe and Jesus told him that his faith had healed him. On this day, I heard the voice of Jesus lovingly and sweetly say ‘Heather, just trust, you WILL BE HEALED’ I know without a doubt –I WILL BE HEALED!
And when I checked the tumours, they have become noticeably smaller since Thursday. Hallelujah Honey!!! The amount of prayers being offered for all of those who had gathered, strangers praying for each other to be healed, offering everything up for each other. It was truly a blessed experience! So full of love and peace as I walked out of the church after 6pm!

 On Friday, Colman and I went into Galway city to help Santa with his mission and thankfully he is in a very good place for Christmas morning!! It’s great because as I head in for Chemo #3 tomorrow and won’t come out of the fog until sometime next week—a little late for running around trying to get sorted! That evening, we also took our office staff and their spouses out for Christmas dinner and drinks and had a wonderful time! We are so blessed to have such a great, hard -working and supportive staff. They are stepping up to the plate and giving it their all—not just because I have been side-lined but because they truly care and don’t want us to have a single worry about work!

 For that we are again, deeply appreciative!

 The weekend was spent just happily spending time with the kids, loads of love and laughter! We are anxiously and excitedly awaiting the arrival of Grandpa and Nona from North Carolina. They arrive on Saturday and stay until the 28th of Dec. It will be so special having them here and sharing our holidays with them! We are booked to see Santa Claus at Bunratty Castle which I think will go down a treat for the little and big kids!! (That’s us by the way!)

Finally, my every 2 week chemo session would have me due again on Christmas Day. Thankfully, they are not interested in working Christmas day! So, I was able to convince the hospital to let me have until Monday the 31st of December off!! That means that not only should I be in good form for Christmas but I also get a blessed 3 week break from the Chemo! And by the end of 2012, I will officially be half way there!!!
We are delighted and really looking forward to having the extra week off around Christmas 

 So, as I head back into the haze guys, rest assured in the knowledge that I WILL BE HEALED! I am strong in faith, hope, love and the greatest of these is LOVE! I love you all and thank you again from the bottom of my heart for all of the love and support that I get from your thoughts and prayers! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! PS I WILL BE HEALED!! And I love you too!!!