Week Five!

Only one more week to go – hard to believe. I will have mixed emotions, though, at graduation, because it will also be the end of my association with the great people at Oyster Point who have shepherded me through this, particularly Adella, Justin, and Nate, my techs. My friend Bobbie accompanied me one day this week and, as I got my gown and blanket out of the cupboard, she said, “Like a spa”- an image that really captures the feeling of the place.

Still no side-effects to speak of, although Nate did notice today that my back is showing some effects of the burning. I never thought to look at my back! I thought the radiation was all through the front of the chest. I've been a little more fatigued the last couple of days, but I think I just need a little more sleep. I'm seeing Faith (Breath therapist and healer) regularly, as I did ten years ago with the breast cancer radiation, and I credit that work for much of these serendipitous results.

That's not all, though. My treasured friend, Jim Welch, has offered all along to play me a personal concert of the organ music of J.S. Bach. As many of you know, I grew up surrounded by this music (my Dad was a professional organist), and it is soul food for me. I'm a believer in the advice of one of my mentors: “Try and listen to at least a little Bach every day – it can have a profound effect on one's thought process and sense of well-being.” This morning, after the treatment, I drove right to St Mark's in Palo Alto where I spent a glorious hour listening to toccatas, preludes, fugues, sonatas. He ended with an all time favorite of mine, the Toccata in F Major, after which I always feel like I've died and gone to heaven.

Breath, music, friends, family, good medical care delivered in a healing environment – it's a recipe for well-being, no matter what the circumstances.

P.S. For those of you interested in the nutrition and cooking workshop mentioned last week, check out my friend Annabelle's blog, annabellesbigadventure.blogspot.com