Chemo Brain, Long Hair and Super Powers

Chemo Brain:
Definition according The Mayo Clinic
Chemo brain is a common term used by cancer survivors to describe thinking and memory problems that can occur after cancer treatment. Chemo brain can also be called chemo fog, cognitive changes or cognitive dysfunction.

Chemo Brain:
Definition according to Daddy
"Chemo Brain makes me smarter, almost like I have super powers, I can see through things sometimes. I might even be able to melt metal soon....Its like I have Radar eyes with x-ray vision, they should hire me at the airport....Also I think I am going to try and grow my hair out and see if there are any changes there."
Not sure exactly what he is imagining but it may be something like this.

Chemo Brain:
Definition according to Caretakers (all Family Members including 14 year old Granddaughter)
Craziness, hyper, and fabricated excuse to cheat during card games, but very funny and entertaining!!!

The subject of "Chemo Brain" has come up many times in conversation, most recent was today while we were playing games and Daddy was seriously on one or experiencing that somewhat confusing and unknown state of "Chemo Brain."
Oh how I adore my Father. His humor through this whole experience has been incredibly uplifting and has brought hope to us all. I assure you, if you are feeling like your situation in life is bad, miserable or unfair, come see Daddy, not only will he cheer you up but if necessary according to his designations on his Medical Forms, he is willing to donate his organs to you, specifically and limited to his Pancreas, His Liver, and his Left eye!!! He says he would have given his prostate if necessary but they already took that a few years ago.
And that is Daddy in a nutshell. Even when life absolutely sucks he finds the brighter side of things, and makes you laugh. It is his means of survival and also how we as a family gauge how he is feeling. If he is laughing and talking about his chemo brain induced super powers, life is good and Daddy is fine!!!
Tomorrow is Chemo so I guess we will see what new gifts he comes back with, maybe it will be Telekinesis, that would be fun!!!

Chemo or Christ...Yep this is a "Spiritual" Post

It's a New Year!!!! And we have made it through 10 rounds of chemo. Daddy had a CT Scan on the 2nd of Jan, the results have shown that the Cancer has not continued to progress and the tumors have not continued to grow, this is Great news and a Great Beginning to 2013. Mindie came down after the New Year to stay and visit with Daddy. She and Chris went to Chemo with him on the 2nd and as you can see from their photos they had a great time. Daddy always enjoys being around all of his kids, but these two are pretty silly and a lot of fun! Mindie also took a picture of the Bell that I had mentioned in a previous post, which I appreciated because I hadn't seen it yet, so here it is....The Chemo Bell!!!!!!!            

I do believe that Daddy will ring this bell, but I have been thinking a lot about when he does what it will really mean?  There are the obvious things, like the sign says "Celebrate your last Chemo Treatment." And that would in fact be a celebration, but not just for Daddy, and not just for us, but I believe also for a Higher Power. So what do we recognize this to bell to actually symbolize? To a Cancer Patient it is Hope, to their Family it is Strength, for everyone else, it is Courage and for all of us together, it is a very Healing. It is a world without adversity, without pain and suffering, it is a salvation, you could even say to a cancer patient it may be recognized as a type of Savior!  It is a testament, to a Much Greater Being, an accomplishment of ones obedience, of a families strength and of a Group's Faith and Sacrifice. Daddy will be ringing that bell for all of us, to show our gratitude, our thanks and our praise, the Bell is not just about Daddy beating Cancer. We know he can do that, it is in essence the acceptance of such trials; not a full understanding of why these things happen but an acceptance and an awareness that we recognize and know that we are not meant to face such challenges alone.  It is an acknowledgment that there is a something more for all of us and a recognition of the many sacrifices of our savior and the necessity of that very special gift that is the Atonement.

When we know who we are, what we stand for and where we can turn in such times of adversity it is then that we can pass into the very realm of his existence, and when we do that, spiritually, or physically we can all ring that bell together!!! While Daddy gets to do this for us physically, in my mind, spiritually, he rang that bell it a long time ago, because he knows that without the compassion of the Lord, Hope, is not possible. Remember, Daddy is already a survivor, this is his second bout with Cancer, He knows there is a greater plan for him and so for now, I think it is us who need to hear that bell to ring, a lot more than Daddy does. It proves to us that we can make it through such difficult trials and tribulations together. That's why Daddy will ring the bell, so that the hope is there for all who need it. He will ring it to pass along a message into the hearts and souls of many that they to can be healed, whether through the phenomenal science that is Chemo or the Miraculous Spirit that is Christ, they are never alone