Hello family and friends.  For the past few weeks I have been recovering from my hospitalization for obstructive jaundice.  The most recent blood work (April 15, 2024) indicates that the bilirubin level in my blood is low enough that I can now receive treatment for breast cancer.  So I will receive a target therapy drug beginning this coming Tuesday, April 23, 2024.  I will be scanned in three months to see if the treatment is holding back the cancer.  If so, I will keep taking this drug until it is no longer effective.  For those of you wondering what a "targeted therapy drug" is, it is a drug that attempts to target and destroy cancer cells, while leaving normal cells alone.  Because the medication is targeted, it tends to produce fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy.

After being released from the hospital, I began to experience pain in my lower back and legs.  I have a MRI scheduled so my doctors can attempt to determine the source of the pain.

My energy level has been low during the past few weeks.  This has been tough for me.  There is so much I want to do, so many people I want to respond to or reach out to, and so on, but I have struggled to find the strength and energy.  I want to live my normal life to the extent possible, including moving around and exercising; I just have to be gentle with myself, move slowly, and let go of some things I used to do in order to conserve energy.  Thank you for your patience.

During the past couple of weeks, I have focused on pinning down my plan for my funeral and burial.  This has been a meaningful process.  I have experienced some very good conversations with family members and friends as I have been working toward a plan.  I'm sure there are more great conversations to come!  At times I cry a lot, and so do those who are close to me.  It's impossible to live through all of this without feeling sorrow.

I am grateful for the beauty of this spring.  When I look at the rejuvenation happening in the natural world around me, it reminds me of my human body -- my precious body keeps trying to heal itself, to bring itself back to balance and health, to recover and rebuild.  So grateful.