Jane Roper's Blog, page 17
January 15, 2014
The ‘Roid Routine
Every three weeks, Clio starts a new treatment cycle. It’s been this way since November 2012, and will continue to be this way through July, when she’ll finish treatment. A key ingredient in each treatment cycle is steroids. (Dexamethazone, specifically.) Last year, she got insanely high doses of it; this year she gets a third... Read the Rest »
January 10, 2014
Hello, Young Doctors, Whoever You Are
Yesterday I participated in a presentation and Q & A for medical students at Harvard, in which I recounted the story of Clio’s diagnosis and treatment, starting with the first symptoms she had — intermittent fevers, leg pain, belly pain — and going right through to her current treatment, and thoughts about what the future... Read the Rest »
December 31, 2013
When One is Lost
We realized very soon after Clio’s diagnosis that at some point in the course of her treatment, we were going to be confronted with the death of some other child with cancer. Maybe it would be someone we knew well, whose family we’d gotten to be friendly with. Or maybe just someone who happened to... Read the Rest »
December 17, 2013
Christmas Crafts for the Lazy
The other day, I rustled up our wreath from the depths of our basement to put on the front door. If you’ve been reading since back when I was blogging on Babble, you may recall that I gave a step by step account of how I made it so that you, too, could create a... Read the Rest »
December 8, 2013
Crazy Good News and a Giveaway
Hello there! So, I’ve been kind of a slacker blogger lately. But this is, in fact, a good sign: It means nobody else in my family has been diagnosed with cancer! Nothing is driving me to the brink of insanity! Nobody is in the hospital! I’m just busy. But today, I have a couple of... Read the Rest »
November 28, 2013
Go Indie for Books this Weekend!
Just a quick public service message — and an amazing (well, decent) offer! Keep reading! — to those of you inclined to get some shopping done on “Black Friday.” (Aside: When did this become a cultural establishment? Around the same time as the expression WTF, methinks….) I know that Amazon is offering some pretty awesome... Read the Rest »
November 22, 2013
When the Universe is Kind
It’s a silly post title, because I don’t really believe that “The Universe” (a.k.a. God / fate / etc.) is or isn’t kind. It just is. But it is nice when good things seem to happen in such a way that it suggests a sort of higher plan or celestial harmony. I had been hoping... Read the Rest »
November 17, 2013
Our Fellow Travelers
One of the the silver linings of having a child with cancer is the wonderful people you meet along the way who are on — or have been on — the same journey crappy little boat trip. We’ve met Destiny — the 12-year-old girl we shared a room with one of the times Clio was... Read the Rest »
November 12, 2013
The Dream Vacation We’d Trade Away in a Minute
So. Now that I’m settled back into reality and I’ve gotten the whole my-dad-has-a-rare-and-aggressive-form-of-lymphoma thing off my chest (and thank you, truly, for your kind words and thoughts on that front) it’s time to post some vacation pictures! Quick note on the title of this post: At one point during our trip Clio said, “Aren’t... Read the Rest »
November 4, 2013
A World Away
I wish this post could just be about what an amazing time we had in Florida on our Make-a-Wish trip this past week. Because it really was wonderful, start to finish. From the stretch limo ride we got to the airport, to the warm welcome and homey accommodations at at Give Kids The World, where... Read the Rest »
