Round 2, Cycle 1

 Hey friends! Hope you guys have been enjoying July, I cannot believe it’s almost over! I had a solid two weeks before  my new round of chemo started yesterday. Also, I have some stubble on my head, maybe the mane is growing back?? We shall see! So the new round of chemo went well. It’s a little shorter than the previous one since it’s one less drug to get. I still get a steroid as a premed but the new premed is Benadryl. I was knocked out in no time. So really I guess when I was getting my new chemo drug, Taxol, it went by pretty quickly because I was knocked out for half of it. They give Benadryl because it’s a plant based drug and they don’t want any allergic reactions. The only thing I got from it was a 5 hour nap once I got home followed by a 7 hour night sleep. Not bad. I had a great crew at the hospital with me yesterday and it was nice having big support to kick off the new cycle. So far the side effects I feel are fatigue (could be the Benadryl still?) and nausea, which I was told wouldn’t be a problem this round. Hoping that subsides sooner than it did with the last drug at least.

So how about the fun stuff.. During that little break I got have some good times with friends. I went to the “Under the Sun” fest at Ravinia and saw Vertical Horizon, Smash Mouth, Sugar Ray, Fastball, and Gin Blossoms play. It was AWESOME. Most of y’all know what a 90s music fan I am so this was like heaven. Sugar Ray was so entertaining and my Mark McGrath still has it. I wish you all could have seen me screaming my face off during Smash Mouth’s “Allstar”. One of the highlights was meeting Vertical Horizon at the end of the night, the lead singer Matt was so great to me and loved rubbing our bald heads together. People are fun!

There was the Swim Across America at Navy Pier to raise money for cancer research. My mom and sister swam the 5k and were the only two to did it in a bikini! I also had a lot of friends do the swim, Dave Sims, Christina Klinge, Elaine Wilkinson, Adrienne Bicek, Morgan Piasecki, Patti Piasecki, Christine Kuczek, Katie Braun, Charlie Cunnick (who put the whole deal on), and a new friend Chris Thompson. I’m probably forgetting someone else.. sorry if so! It was a perfect day for a lake swim. Lake Michigan was warm, it wasn’t too hot on the beach, and the Chicago skyline always makes for a nice backdrop. The event raised a ton of money for research at Rush and was a fun and successful gathering. Congrats and thank you to everyone who participated and donated! Special thanks to Sarki's Cafe for feeding the fam with Lorettas post swim!

 Another cool thing I got to do was cook an authentic Italian feast for friends! The menu included: meatloaf, sautéed spinach, a light, fresh pasta, bruschetta, and rice pudding in a cake-like form for dessert. The meatloaf was out-friggin-standing. Unreal. Not surprising when 3 meats and 3 cheeses are involved though. I think another feast will be happening soon, I’m pushing for Mexican next time!

This weekend should be pretty relaxing. Hoping to stop by the Illinois state meet and the Hawks convention. Expect some good pictures coming soon!

Also, anyone want to claim the amazing pillowcase I was sent? With my face and Lord Stanley on it?? It is SO soft and just plain amazing! Talk about sweet dreams! Thank you!!