What an amazing day...

I am not sure I have ever been this exhausted, mentally, emotionally and physically. But what an amazing day. The walk was very emotional for me on so many levels. I learned that this disease is truly as scary as I think it is, but I also learned there is hope. Many people got up to talk about the loved ones they lost, survivors got up to discuss their journey, and so many inspirational goals and efforts to eradicate this horrible disease. There was one man who is a 20 year survivor. He was diagnosed in 1984, and the tumor has returned 4 times in the past 20 years. I think that the some of the keys to surviving, are lots of luck, great doctors and treatments, positive attitude, and due diligence on staying on top of recurrences, because they will come...It is not a matter of if, but when.

The mood was light, but still held the air of the seriousness of what we had all gathered for. There were people of all ages and the walk was right along the bank of the San Diego river outlet, and was fun and jovial.

There were 353 walkers today, which they said was a 20% increase over last year, and $73,000 was raised this morning to help brain cancer research. All in all, a pretty successful day. And the support of good friends and family has been incredible. I personally raised $1425 thanks to all of the wonderful people who took the time to donate to this amazing cause, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. And to be surrounded by so many wonderful people today on the walk...Special thanks to Team Scotch on the Rocks: Paula and Jay, Allison and Chris, Rachelle, Linda, and Team Bama's Blessing: Kristen, Laura, Maynard, and Jack and Debbie for being there today and always.

After the walk, I called Mom, and she was just too tired to go out today. She is still recovering from being out of commission for over a week. Going to see Dad two days in a row just tired her out. So, I went and picked up my Dad's next round of chemo pills, which he will start in a few weeks, and headed down to see Dad. He was a little tired today, but looked good. We had a visit from the Prestons, which he thoroughly enjoyed. After a few hours, I convinced him to get in the wheelchair and go outside. He gets sort of preoccupied with the process of getting him into the chair (which requires a lift), and often says "just forget it," Once I got him convinced, I stepped out, and our friend Dennis showed up. The three of us went outside, and he got in a smoke, and then they brought him dinner...Beef stew again...Sheesh. The place is really nice, the people are wonderful and caring for the most part, but the food really is awful. I know it is hard to feed 99 people, but I would happily pay more money per day for some better, more well-balanced meals. I think it is a problem for everyone. So, Dad pretty much had part of an apple fritter, some Pringles Stix (these are awesome BTW), a glass of milk, some orange juice, and a little bit of ice cream for his evening meal. I am planning on bringing him some Costco pizza tomorrow.

I went back to my Mom's house for dinner. We had leftovers from our dinner at Chin's last night. When I got there, all my stuff was packed up in bags...(Yes, some had twist ties...). She was evicting me home I guess...:) We are supposed to go to a late brunch tomorrow and then take her down to see Dad. I hope she is feeling up to it.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for their thoughts and good wishes. Your offers to help out do not go unnoticed and are greatly appreciated. The only things I am really struggling with right now, other than lack of sleep, is trying to convince Mom she shouldn't smoke even one cigarette with her patch on...And trying to convince her that driving is not a good idea...So, if any one of you has any conversations with her in the near future, if you can reiterate that neither of these things are good ideas, that would be great. Also, I may need a few folks to give Mom a ride down to see Dad in the afternoons from time to time...And I can take her home in the evening. But we can cross that bridge when I get to it...:)

Enjoy the rest of this beautiful weekend!

Love to all!