Speaking of ...

A little after 5 PM yesterday, I called my mother. I had been on the phone with a mortgage lender earlier in the day and felt really good about beginning the process of buying a home. The pre-approval should happen before the end of the week. Between some money I have saved and some savings bonds I inherited from my father (who inherited them from my grandmother), I've managed to put together a little down payment. I wanted to share this with my mom. She answered her cell phone from the emergency room. At this point, I don't panic at the idea of knowing she is there. It's more like, "What, now?" She's had shortness of breath and lightheadedness and was advised by her oncologist to go to the ER. They proceeded to run their usual battery of tests, including an EKG and a chest x-ray. Both came back normal. To the chest x-ray results, my mother replied, "Normal, except for the cancer, right?" (I may have mentioned that the cancer metastasized to both lungs.) "There is no evidence of cancer in your lungs," the doctor said.

No cancer in the lungs.

NO CANCER IN THE LUNGS!

I guess the chemotherapy is doing it's job. We don't know about the other areas, but my mother did say that the tumor under her rib is loosening up. I don't want to get my hopes up, but when you are dealing with cancer, you have to celebrate all the victories - big and small. Because you don't know when it's going come around and take the wind out of your sails again.

The shortness of breath is due to a low oxygen level in her blood. She will need to discuss a way to treat that with her oncologist. It is supposed to be at least 60 and it's fallen, continuously, down to 21 since last year. This, combined with her asthma, is causing her to feel winded just by walking from the driveway to the back door. She may need iron supplements or possibly a blood transfusion.

She is going in for a port-o-catheter today to make her chemotherapy treatments a little easier. It's better than digging and digging for a vein that eventually presents itself. She's got tricky veins. She would make a terrible heroin addict. Or, at the very least, a very slow one.

Speaking of cancer ...

On another happy note, Lester pulled a no-hitter out of the ether yesterday! I wonder if he had a port-o-catheter. Someone at work just pointed out that he has an enormous head. It's true. And it's all fuzzy bear on top. Anyway, you've got to tip your hat to John Lester. Cancer survivor. Pitcher extraordinaire. Until his next start, anyway.

Speaking of pitching ...

We lost our softball game last night. You want to know why? Because we played a team that clearly belongs in a more advanced league. It sucks that a group of highly skilled players gets together and decides, unanimously, to play in the recreational league simple because they'll breeze their way through. Jerks. Plus, I struck out looking during my last at bat. Jere did great! Came up HUGE in the outfield and robbed these jackasses of a few good rips.

Speaking of coming up HUGE ...

The Celtics play game one against the Pistons tonight at the Gah-din. I am so excited! Prepare to be riveted, people! I predict that Ray Allen is going to step up his game tonight. And hopefully Doc will let Eddie House play again.