Walking for Curesearch

Today I am writing about my friends Martina, Emilia, Gaby and Javier Barreiro.  In April of 2011, Martina was diagnosed with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma.  She was 14 months old at the time.  The past 15 months have been a challenging time for the Barreiro family.  Martina has undergone two major surgeries, had multiple indwelling catheters placed and has undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy.  Despite all the trials, the side effects, the worry, the appointments, she and family have continued to remain amazingly upbeat, positive and energetic.  And, miraculously, all signs of her cancer have disappeared.  She underwent her last chemotherapy in July.

On August 25th, she and her family will be participating in a 5-kilometer walk for Curesearch, a foundation that funds and supports research to diagnose, treat and prevent children's cancers.  Diego, Mugen, the dragon and I will also be walking to support Martina's team.  Please consider a small donation in support of us!  Check out this website to donate.  Click on donate to a person on the right hand side and enter my name, which will take you to my donation page.  Or click on donate to a team and enter Martina's Happy Feet.

http://www.curesearchwalk.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1022699&lis=0&kntae1022699=F9C42AE5886045D8AE4FE395B8CBEE66


I'm considering this the first of my training opportunities for the marathon.  Of course, I can't begin training seriously until after the baby is born.  But I'm trying to keep up my stamina, despite being pretty tired and pretty darn big.  I'm 33 weeks along now, and we had another ultrasound.  The dragon is currently weighing in at just under 6 pounds, still > 95 percentile.  Oh boy.  I almost choked on my gum when the ultrasound tech told me that.

Still, I'm trying to get to at least one prenatal yoga class each week, and also trying to get into the swimming pool, where the extra weight melts away and I can swim laps and feel like my old self again (almost).  And I've been getting on the exercise bike, though Diego has forbidden me from getting on an actual bike because he's afraid I'll crash (such a worrywart!).

Here's a recent pic of me getting ready to go to the gym!

32 1/2 weeks

The good news is that everything looks healthy, we got to see his little heart beating again, and saw his abdomen expand and contract as his diaphragm moves while he practices trying to breathe.  Way to go, little dragon!!!

This past two weeks work has been somewhat slow, so I have had more time to think about and miss Winston.  On Wednesday, when I got home from work, I found this on the kitchen countertop.  Our vet had called us and asked us to come pick it up.  One of the vet techs there made it for us.  It is a beautiful tile mosaic of Winston's name.  We couldn't believe how thoughtful this gesture was.

Winston made an impression on everyone with whom he had contact.  The outpouring of love we experienced when we lost him was more a function of who he was than anything we have ever been or done.    This outpouring has been ongoing.  Everyone who met him loved Winston....what was there not to love?  Here's a picture of the discharge instructions we got for him once after he had his teeth cleaned.  This still makes me laugh!

Winston was a special soul.  When he was good (most of the time) he was VERY, very good, and when he was bad....well, he was AWFUL!  Just like the nursery rhyme.  But we adored him because of it.  I still don't quite understand how that complex, beautiful soul could be...just gone.  And it still surprises me how much it hurts to think about it.  Being faced with death head-on, it launches me into that existential mental swamp of questions - what does it all mean, where does it go, is this really it?  His body was failing him, but we felt his soul there, up until the last second.  What is this thing we use the word "soul" to describe?

Believe me, I realize I'm not the first person to struggle with these questions.  Many more intelligent and famous people have done this before me and come up with various and sundry esoteric non-answers.  Seize the day! is probably what is all comes down to.

This is my moment.  Right now is my reality.  Today my reality consists of my side porch, with the sun peaking in and out of the clouds and a cool breeze blowing across my shoulders, listening to my favorite Pandora station, with my remaining baby, who is never bad.  He loves to hang out on the porch and listen to the cicadas and crickets and birds and watch the butterflies visit our neighbor's flower bushes.  The dragon is sleeping, for now.  Diego's going to grill burgers.  I'm feeling pretty fortunate right now, and pretty satisfied with my current reality....

Mugen on the porch

You're a good boy Mugen, we love you so much!!!

The grillmaster at work!!!