So much to say and so little time....

So much to say and so little time…..

I.                    Radiation

II.                  Physical Therapy

III.                Never Give Up

IV.                Singing

Introduction:  Today, marks my two month anniversary of being cancer free!  Here is my monthly chair picture.

I.                    Radiation:  January 31, 2012 marked my 15^th round of radiation.  It is a milestone because I am halfway done with radiation.  Every little milestone is worth celebrating.  I must say that the people that I interact with where I get my radiation are a great group of individuals.  They are always smiling and usually say something to make me laugh. They have taken the time to get to know me and share parts of their lives with me.  Everyday though, I tell them…..”can’t wait until this is over.”  The fatigue has definitely hit home this past week.  Last Friday, I was so exhausted that I went to sleep shortly after we put Shua to bed at 6:40pm.  It doesn’t help that I have PT twice a week which adds to my exhaustion.  Segway into the next chapter.

II.                  Physical Therapy:  I started physical therapy on Tuesday, January 31, 2012.  I have been wearing a sleeve because my left arm had some swelling. I was hoping that when it was checked there would be no additional swelling or even better the therapist would tell me that I could not wear the sleeve any more.  It is rather annoying.  It is not fun to put on and adds a good 5-7 minutes in the morning to my already busy routine.  No such luck on that front, in fact the arm has more swelling than the last time I was there.  Ho hum…..

III.                Never Give Up:  I hear this phrase a lot.  Throughout this journey, lots of people have told me this.  Friends, family, colleagues, random people on the street have all said “never give up!”  The phrase means does mean a lot to me.  It shows that what I am doing is not easy but I need to stay strong and not give in.  Don’t get me wrong, there are days that I totally feel like throwing in the towel because it is just too much.  On those days, I just take a little walk to my living room and look at this.

My father made this for me.  It is one of his many talents.  He needlepoints some really awesome things.  The picture is so pretty and calms me down.  It reminds me that soon, I will be able to relax and enjoy life again.  Soon, I will be able to hang out with the children and do fun activities like the beach, park, or maybe even Disney.  It means a lot to me that he spent the time working on this.  Thanks dad!  I would give you a hug but we both know…..I don’t hug and neither do you.

IV.                Singing:   Those of you that know me well know that I can’t sing for beans.  I have never been able to and most likely never will be able to sing.  There is a vice principal where I work that read my blog many months back.  She saw that I was using the song “going the distance” to get through my tough days.  This vice principal mentioned to the chorus teacher at my school about singing this particular song.  To make the story even better, Mr. Bishop was my music teacher when I went to CMS.  No, I was never in chorus. I was told by the chorus teacher at the time to “stick to academics.”  Those of you that went to CMS with me will probably be thinking of who that gem of a teacher was.  Remember he had those coins with his picture of himself on it?  Remember he went on tour with Debbie Gibson.  He totally knew his music and was talented but he totally didn’t know what he was doing to young children by telling them they can’t sing and to “stick to academics.”  In the end, it was probably for the best. I had a class where we did map skills and geography and that fit my interests perfectly.  No one had to listen to me sing and I am sure my brother Aaron will tell you that my singing is not a pretty experience.  Throughout my life I have be comfortable singing around him.  He does know music and would say “you are way out of tune.” Of course I would respond “tune?  What is that?” and keep on singing.  Sorry, I digress.  So shortly after returning to work a girl came up to me in the hallway.  I did not know who this girl is.  It is clear that I am the teacher that was out sick with cancer. I am not sure if my bright pink shirts or my leopard print hat gives it away.  Anyways, she said to me “are you coming to the concert?”  I responded “no?”  After she walked away this is what went through my mind….

“who was that?”

“what concert?”

“did I sign up to chaperone?”

“did George (my teammate) sign me up to chaperone as a joke?”

“who was that?”

The bell rings and my next class is starting. I push these thoughts out of my head.  Ideally I hoped to return to these thoughts and pursue the situation.  Of course, I forgot all about it.  Thanks Chemo for killing my short term memory!

Many days later I walk into school and go to fill up my water bottle. I do this every morning. I always say hi to the people in the office as I do this.  I walk by the vice principal’s office like every other day and say “good morning.”  Instead of a “good morning” in return I got “could you stop by my office for a few minutes during second period.”  This is what went through my mind…..

“oh crap…what parent is calling to complain that I gave a homework assignment.”

“oh crap….did I not hand in something?”

“oh crap….did I not post my lesson plans?”

“oh crap….didn’t the kids know that I was joking when I said “if you don’t stop clicking that pen, I will throw it out the window.”

“oh crap….I have to wait a whole period to find out what she wants.”

Well this is what she wanted:  She took me for a walk and we walked by the chorus signing and preparing for their concert.  Mr. Bishop sees us and shakes his head no at us. All the pieces start to fall together. We continue walking to the copy room and check the mailboxes and then slowly walk back to the chorus singing.  These two girls (former students) went to the microphone and said “the next song is dedicated to Mrs. Isler……” (I am not sure of the entire announcement and don’t want to quote it wrong)  Then they all started singing “going the distance.”  This is what went through my mind….

“this is what that random student was talking about…”

“man, they are doing such a nice job….”

“I can’t believe the chills I have running through my body.”

“hold it together, don’t cry….don’t cry….don’t cry”

“wow the people I work with rock!”

Thank you Kim for getting the ball rolling.  Thank you Mr. Bishop for being a great teacher when I was a student at CMS and for being a great teacher, friend, and colleague now!  Of course I would never post a picture of the kids singing. I wanted to post a picture of Mr. Bishop and myself but that would involve me remembering to bring my camera to school.  Here is the next best thing.

 Irvin McDowell, leader of the Union Army.....aka.....Mr. Bishop :)