Quite the eventful day

Today was Mask Making Day.

When one is receiving radiation treatments in the cranium region, one gets fitted for a mask.

Kori explained it like this...

They warm up this meshy material and then gently place it on your face.  And while it has holes in it so you can breathe, it still makes you feel a bit claustrophobic.  The warm sensation on your face is also a very strange feeling.   

 Almost immediately after the mask is placed, the doctors begin fanning.

The fanning cools the mask quickly and allows it to harden.  

The fanning also probably helps with breathing as well.

 The way I understand it is...  now the doctors will know exactly where to place the radiation beams (if they are even called beams,  I am totally making all of this up to try and sound smart...I willingly admit it...)  

...Please if you don't mind, I beg your indulgence for a moment while I digress to tell a quick story that pertains to this particular subject...

Today at therapy,  one of Kori's therapists said

"I am so famous!!  People literally stop me on the street now to tell me that they saw me on 'The Blog'.  So many people are reading it and everybody knows me now"

And Kori goes....  "Well, you should know that only about half that stuff on there is true."

Implying that I make stuff up?  

Is that what you are saying?

Fine!  I suppose that is true.
Sigh

But, is it really made up, if it seems like it's the total truth in your own mind?

Or if it's written with love?

50% true is like an F-

And the reality in my rose colored world is it's more like 80/20

And that's pretty good, given the quality of details I receive

This blogging isn't as easy as it looks, friends.

And I am almost not bitter at all.

Like only 50%

Digression Over...

 This is our beloved, Dr. Richards

Today, he reiterated what Dr. Rao said, that Kori's cancer is the most responsive to treatment. 

And mom started crying.

She thought she'd heard Dr. Rao say that, but then over time, she couldn't really remember if she'd heard that or if she had just made that up hoping that could be true.

But, Dr. Richards said it again today and it was just as lovely to hear the second time as the first. 

I also want to point out how symmetrical her smile is in this picture.  That is a wonderful thing to see.

 This is Nurse, Jason.  Jason was also her nurse when she was first diagnosed and was in ICU.

And he took really good care of her today

Notice the not so nice looking blue tube that she has to go into
My feet get sweaty just looking at it
(of course, I get claustrophobic in my 1/2 bath, so I would have a fit in that thing)

Mom says she gets the royal treatment at Gamma West

And everyone is SOOOOOOO  nice to her, like she is a celebrity.

Additionally, she is getting really close to walking on her own and mom says that today more than any other day so far her personality is returning to her face and voice. 

Later this evening, Garrett had a double header at Snow Canyon High School.

Look at the posture...  Richard in OT would be so proud.

 Then she and Russ danced a little bit

 I love this picture

 So a kind of sad thing happened at the game...

We had just arrived and Kori was laying on this blanket.

And we were all a buzz, saying hi to everyone and setting up our chairs.

And I noticed Kori was rolling around and fidgeting and I thought she was just trying to get comfortable.  And then all of the sudden my dad jumps up and says...

"Honey is your arm stuck underneath you?"

And Kori says  "Yes, I've been trying to roll my body off of it for a while now."

And this is just like her....   to quietly suffer....  while the rest of us are all oblivious.  

It really broke my heart.

Thank goodness Dad was paying attention to her, poor girl.

We also have started planning our annual Fourth of July 

H.E.L.L Trip

(for those who don't know, the first letters of our last names Hyde, Ellsworth, Lund and Little spell H.E.L.L.)

So anytime we do a big family to-do we call it a HELL thing.
~And sadly, some of them end up being a little "hellish"~

We are all planning on Kori feeling well enough to go

We are just rolling forward like it's going to happen.

I said to Russ.  What if she doesn't feel well in 3 weeks?

He said "We're going even if we have to leave Kori at home."

Yeah Right!!