It has been a "joy" to observe Karen as this very positive, young woman who sincerely meets life head on! She has kept her marvelous sense of humor and encourages those around her to see "The Comedy Hour" moments in so many scenes of this cancer story.
We have watched her reach out with encouragement to people who are
dealing with their chemo; we have listened, while driving to
Rochester, as she continues to do her job in handling pricing,
deadlines and concerned clients all with a positive upbeat attitude;
and we have observed her with friends and family as she focuses on
their health, their day, their problems.
Our daughter hasn't changed because of being thrust into the spotlight
of cancer, but rather has continued to live her life to the fullest.
For example, at her second chemo treatment Karen made the statement to
the nurse who was preparing her for the chemo injection, "I am keeping
positive thoughts that I'll be able to keep my hair". And the nurse
said, "Karen, the side effects of each of the two chemo drugs is hair
loss." Karen then said, "I guess we will be looking at wigs this
afternoon".
That, in a nutshell, is what we have come to admire about this
daughter of ours! She is keeping positive about each step of this
cancer treatment, but she is also being practical and proactive to the
many side issues of cancer.
We thought our role would be to hold her, comfort her, encourage her
but she has been the one to help us to be able to accept the journey
she is traveling through. We are proud to be able to stand with her.
We also want to thank Janis for her role in being researcher,
note taker, blogmaker and the best sister support that Karen could have
and to thank Kyle for all his concern, calls, and now being in
Minneapolis to be there for her too.
You three make us feel very proud.
The Love and Support "Posse",
Mom and Dad
5 comments:
What a wonderful thing to read. I am watching this blog daily, and your perspective is just so lovely. We never know exactly when it is that we grow up. But the moment when our parents know exactly how grown up we are has to be one of the toppers. And Karen is just being a full-blown grown up in this, isn't she? A full-blown grown up.
Haza Karen! And Karen's parents. Nice work, all of you. Keep your eye on the prize.
j-
Family love and a can-do attitude. Two key ingredients for success. I loved reading what your parents wrote.
Michelle, Mike and Adam
Karen, I'm using your Mom & Dad's computer bec ause I have been having problems not being able to leave comments on your Blog - so she is showing me how to do it. So far, everything is the same as I have been doing so now we'll see what happens!
Good to follow your progress. Also just saw your picture with your new hairdo and like it a lot. Keeping you in my daily prayers and with lots of love your way.
Love Aunt Carol
Karen:
What a wonderful gift to have the support of family and also to be blessed with a positive, proactive attitude. This blog is inspiring.
Thank you,
Matthew Christensen
Hello Karen,
I have been looking for a good laugh, and I found some jewels in a book "Oh Lord, I sound just like mama!" by Lynn Alpern and Esther Blumenfeld. I hope that you can laugh also.
You can spend four hours baking a beautiful cake and the company will rave. You can spend 5 minutes buying a beautiful cake and the company will rave.
Eat. You can diet in your own home.
When I diet, I nibble myself to death.
Don't bother to eat. Just apply it directly to your thighs.
Take pride in your appearance. Would you like another brownie?
If you haven't started dinner, fry an onion because it smells so promising.
Cooking is easy. You use a fistful of this and a fistful of that, and then you improvise.
Cook your vegetables till they're tender as a baby's behind.
Stick-to-your-ribs food is really stick-to-your hips food.
His greatest joy is eating a good meal. My greatest joy is not having to cook it.
I hope you smile at some of these comments. We can bring you more later. HUGS Kathy & Maury
Post a Comment