August Great news and visits

Started August with my sister Karen and her son Luca with us. We had a nice visit, including a trip to Chicago. Nicole was with us and she was helping with my care and cleaning the basement, she did a great job. We all enjoyed visiting museums and going to concerts.

With Luca at Plush in St. Louis

After concert at Washington University with Luca and Karen

Alejandra came back from camp where she had a wonderful time. Tired but happy. She has a great group of friends from camp. She started training for the Softball team.

Karen and Luca left for Florida and we miss them.

The week of my birthday we went to Duke for my check up and all looks great, yeah!!! At Durham we also had a wonderful visit with Monica Cooper Levitan, from high school in Peru. It was fun to see her and share a nice cuban meal together.
 We celebrated my birthday with a surprise visit to my home from my friends in St. Louis and a dinner out with the family. We missed Stephen and Kela.

At Vin de Set. check out the arch in the background with Nicole, Luca, Karen and me.

Brunch at Plush, delicious!!!

With Monica in Durham

Birthday dinner at Sidney Street Cafe

Nicole left for Oberlin and Kela and Stephen arrived. With Kela we went to a TaiChi retreat along with Monica, it was a very nice weekend, very relaxing. 

This month I started using acupuncture and chinese herbs for my chemo and it is working very well, I am very glad. however I have to prepare teas that look like coffee and drink it twice a day. I do feel like a pincushion with all the needles I get but it works!!!

My friend Susan from high school in Peru was in St. Louis and we had a great visit. Now that I can drive my life has changed, I took her to the boathouse and showed her Forest Park. We went to Augusta to visit MABA, the buddhist temple, with her sister and brother in law. It was a great visit.

Lily pond at MABA

Augusta, MO with Elliot, Lucho and Milagros

Augusta, MO with Susan

Celebrating my birthday with St. Louis friends

Celebrated my birthday with latin friends in St. Louis. Stephen is still here as is my mother. We will be celebrating another birthday before he leaves for LA.

Visited my oncologist this Monday and I just get good news, all is going well.  I am not done with my treatments but have found using acupuncture and chinese herbs is working great for me!!! Less pills more tea.

My hair is making a comeback!! I now have fuzz in the areas where there was no hair. So who knows, maybe by next year I will have some more hair!!!

Thankful for being here and my wonderful friends and family.

Great Summer news

It has been a really long time since I last wrote, sorry for the long pause. I have been tired with treatments, visiting doctors but we are now getting into a routine. It goes like this every 2 weeks I get the Avastin infusion, had one this past Monday and every 28 days I start my chemo cycle of Temedor, 5 days of chemo 23 days off.  Theses are the times when I am tired and sleepy when I actually get my treatments, after I stop the effects lessen gradually.
I am very excited because this past Monday we were informed by Genentech the company that produces Avastin will not charge the hospital for the drug I need, we were very concerned as this was not covered by insurance and it is a big relief. Avastin is a very expensive drug and from the insurace world it should only be used when there is a recurrence of the GBM (Glioblastoma Multiforme). Lucky for me I have not had a recurrence which also meant no coverage!!!
I have had wonderful visits from my friends Monica, my super fantastic yogui, my good friend Alejandra who lives in California, it was wonderful to have her here and now my sister Karen and her son from Paris. In addition all my St. Louis friends always checking on me and helping when I cannot drive.
Nicole, my daughter went to Indonesia for 4 weeks and is now back to help me. Stephen who stayed here for 1 1/2 months is in LA, he will be back in mid August.  My mom Kela will be back in mid August.
In the past few months I have recovered nicely, I now have permission from the doctor to start driving again, I will take this slowly for sure.  I have been very lucky since I had no seizures.
Finally the basement was cleaned by Nicole and Elliot and will be making a nice play/family room there. It is completely gutted so we will start from the very beginning.
Ally our youngest daughter is at camp for a few more days. She has been wonderful, all her cabin mates wrote me letters and it was very sweet and inspiring.
Next week we will be going to Duke for the 2 month check up. I will have my MRI here in St. Louis Monday before I leave for Duke Tuesday. My recovery is amazing!!!
This past weekend Elliot and I went to Chicago and had a wonderful time, such a great city. We also met there our St. Louis friends Eli, Pedro, Claudia that came with my sister Karen and Luca, other friends were my yogui Monica and family and Monica and Fernando and family joined us too, a good time was had by all.
I have more good new to come and continue my recovery.
Thank each one of you for all your support and prayers. You all make a great difference in my life and recovery.
Love
Frydel