PHOTO'S FROM MY TRIP TO VIRGINIA TO SEE MY MOMMY.

A picture of my mom and a few of her sisters. My mom had 11 siblings, and I think she was the most rebelious...

My mom is the one in the front, bleached hair, cig in her hand (I wish she would have quit smoking back then...), barefoot, non conservative outfit. My mom was a unique woman, and still is.

I love you mommy!

I received the following email from my sister today:

"The swelling in Mom's arm is starting to go down. I think she's just going to wait until her appt next week now.
Also, I believe her wound is starting to heal. It looks more like meat and not much infection anymore. I'm also having trouble packing it near the bottom as it's not much of a hole there. Her chest is still pretty raw under the hole but I'm sure that will heal too.

She's been taking her vitamins, drinking her tea and drinking 2-3 boosts a day.
The nurse will be in again tomorrow morning. Hopefully it will be Robin again so she can give her opinion on how it looks since she saw it last week".

Thank you all for your healing thoughts- keep them coming my mom's way!

My sister is now cleaning my mothers wound on her own...two times a day. It will take time, months for this wound to heal. While I was there, each time my sister and I cleaned my mothers wound, she would ask if it looked better...she wants it to heal quickly so that she may resume her chemo. treatment. My mother has not seen the hole in her body other than looking down at it, and each time she says- "damn- that is large!" She does not know the depth of the wound and I don't want her to see it. Eachtime she tries to look at my sister or I tell her to turn her head so she doesn't breath on it, of course it is that we don't want her to infect it more, but mostly. we don't want her to fully know the extent of this wound.

I am concerned that the wound will take much time to heal, and if the treatment does not continue, that the cancer will begin to spread. I pray that this does not happen. I pray to the Universe, the Goddess and God many times each day.

I pray- "please Universe, Goddess and God- please make my mother become infection free, virus free, disease free, and cancer free. Please take the cancer from her body- take it out and heal her. Please make my mom live for at least 10 more years in a healthy, happy, cancer free body from this day forward"

I pray that my prayers will be answered.

I'm trying to look into alternatives...If I can't get laid-off....

Does anyone have any addittional information regarding Family Medical Leave that they could share with me?

The organization I work for has many less employees than 50...

Today is my first day back to work.
Already I have taken my stress medication...

I have 99 emails, 12 voicemails and 10 faxed applications to go thru- not to mention all the issues others will bring to my attention.

I was thinking on the plane that I really need to try to spend as much time with my mom as possible...and I thought if only I could get myself laid-off- I could go stay at my sisters house for a couple months...

Now....how does one go about getting laid off when they WANT to??!!