Stella is Glowing
People have asked me about the picture of Stella that I used on the homepage. You know the one of her in the baseball cap with a big, glowing smile. It’s my favorite picture of her because it really represents her personality so well.
Here’s the scene. Last year, we had planned a big family vacation with my parents and my brother’s family. We went camping in a few of the national parks in the U.S. One that we visited, Bryce Canyon in Utah, is simply magnificent. If a scene can literally be described as breathtaking, it must be that of the rim of Bryce Canyon.
Now my brother had planned out a whole day of horseback (mules actually) riding. It is the best way to really see everything the Canyon has to offer. For us, living in Israel, an opportunity to go horseback riding in Utah does not come up that often. So we were very excited about the trip.
The only problem is that on the one day (booked months in advance) that we had planned for the trip, we awoke to pouring rain. Most of us started grumbling and decided to just scrap the day. Not Stella. She insisted that “it’s not so bad” (her favorite line no matter what the situation.) So while the rest of us were complaining, there she was smiling as if there were blue skies and warm weather. That’s when I took her picture, standing in the rain telling us all that it was going to be a great day.
And you know what? Shortly after we started, the sun came out and we had an amazing time. And I really think she simply willed the weather to get better just like she is going to will this cancer to go away. She has an inner glow.
And now she has an outer one too!
We spent the day at Tel Aviv’s Asuta Hospital where she had to go through a PT Scan to make sure the cancer has not spread. Before this scan starts, she drinks an icky and radioactive dye so that the scan can see cancer cells. So when I tell people that my wife is “hot,” she really is!
We will have the results soon enough and I will continue to keep people informed online.
But now I must raise a delicate point. You see, we really, really, really appreciate the support we are getting from around the world. But…. how can I say this nicely….?
The volume of calls is freaking my kids out.
The immense love that we feel from all over means that the phone rings every ten minutes. And that just is not good.
So please try this. Send us an e-mail with your number and when we can, we will call you. Or chat with either of us online. These days we are tethered to our laptops, and I have even been learning to use my new iPhone. We can chat, Facebook, Skype, Facetime, IM, etc. That way we can keep everyone in the loop and yet feel that we are insulating the children as much as we can from the Cancer circuit that we perform on.
So from a tired Yarden and a glowing Stella, we wish you a good-night and hope that tomorrow we have good news and maybe even a day with no tests, consultations, procedures, and hospital food.
A day off from cancer?
Why not indeed.
By the way — if the woman from Meuchedet should read this thank you very much. I know that you worked hard for us when anyone could have just given up. The extra effort means a lot to us.