It takes a village.

     As you can see by the new title, the focus of my blog is changing from me and my health journey to include my husband Dean.  I truly regret not learning of the disease preventing, cancer-preventing benefits of a plant-strong unprocessed diet decades ago, long before we had our children.  Cancer takes many years to develop.....at least ten....before it grows large enough to be detectable by modern medicine.  Many cancers are initiated in childhood, even in utero, and the goal must be to prevent them from promotion and progression in the first place rather than treating them after the fact.
     That being said, Dean's cancer has recurred.  The good news is that it is a small mass and that he is strong and otherwise healthy.  He has opted to go back on a chemotherapy regime.
     We have told a few people about this:  close family members and a couple of coworkers and friends.  A support system is important to being a healthy person.  It helps make the hard work fun.  Sometimes our life journeys become harder than at other times and all we can do is help each other.  It really does take a village.
     We invite you to join our village.  Just send good thoughts Dean's way periodically.  The universe will take note.  Thank you.


                           Us


                       Our village,


     Dean had his first chemo treatment yesterday.  He did great.  While there, a tall, bald teen-aged boy  went around handing out doughnuts to celebrate his very last chemo treatment.  He was accompanied by his less-tall father, who propelled the IV pole for him and carried additional boxes of doughnuts.  The Dad said of his son, "He is the superhero.....I'm just the short, dumpy sidekick."
     It was a full-house.  So many patients receiving treatment.  All of them are superheroes.  But I refuse to be a short dumpy sidekick.