Finding Joy in Room 114
One of the biggest surprises about this journey has been how much laughter has found its way into my hospital room.
When people think about leukemia, they probably imagine chemotherapy, IV pumps, needles, and long, difficult days.
And yes... there have been those.
But there have also been so many moments that have reminded me that life doesn't stop just because you're in a hospital room.
My sister, who has been graciously watching Etta and Graham for the past week, somehow decided that this was the perfect time to officiate a legitimate wedding ceremony between Dallas (my Cavalier) and Darcy (her Cavalier). There were vows. There was a ceremony. There was even a wedding video. And not just any wedding video... Anna Chase somehow turned it into a beautifully edited highlight reel that looked like something straight out of a real wedding.…
I laughed until I cried.
Then there was Laura Nafe. She was already headed to The Greenbrier but added an extra day to her trip just so she could spend time with me.
We picked up exactly where we always do. And in classic Nafe fashion, she nearly missed her flight home because she went all over town to gather supplies for my hospital room.
Anna and Casey showed up one day with gummies. Let's just say they understood the assignment. They took me from curled up in the fetal position feeling miserable to sitting up in bed laughing and chatting.
My brother and Amelia flew all the way from Bozeman, Montana, just to spend time with me. Having family travel across the country simply because they wanted to sit in a hospital room with me is something I'll never forget. Because sometimes just having company makes staring at a hospital wall more tolerable.
One afternoon, Katie, Kristy, April, and Alli, all of my DWB veterinary peeps came by. For a little while we didn't talk about leukemia. We talked about life, work, stories. The usual. For a brief moment, everything felt wonderfully normal.
My barn girls came to visit too. Talking about horses always heals the soul.
Anna somehow volunteered to pick up the 40-inch television I'd ordered for my room. I’m not great at eyeballing measurements, so I went a bit overboard. She dragged that enormous box all the way from the parking garage and finally burst into my room completely out of breath, panting and laughing.
I still laugh every time I think about it.
And then there was haircut day….when it became clear that my hair was going to fall out, my VVS girls didn't let it become something sad. They brought Haley to my room. She chopped off twelve inches of my hair while we laughed, took pictures, and turned something I had been dreading into another memory filled with love.
That's been the theme of this entire experience. Over and over again, the people I love have taken moments that could have been heartbreaking...
...and somehow transformed them into moments I'll remember forever.
Cancer has changed my life, but I refuse to let it steal my joy. Not even close.