Merry Happy Christmakwanzikah

The last 11 days since my last blog post have been emotionally overwhelming and exhausting. The ups and downs have got me in a fog. Sometimes its easier to retreat than to face the hardships that life throws at us. I retreated as much as I could (I do have a family to take care of), self soothed and feel a little better today. The joys of Christmas shopping have brought me out of a stupor, for now. Every big holiday, unfortunately, also brings about feelings of whether this will be Lauren's last and its extremely consuming. Not to mention that today was supposed to be the end of the world (and the day isn't over yet).

Lauren has been fighting bouts of nausea but never actually vomiting. As many cancer survivors can agree, the nausea is actually worse than the act that follows. She has also had some stomach cramping. Trying to get this all under control has proven to be a not so easy task. The good news is that the mucositis, which we were most afraid of, is pretty much non-existent. This week has been a little harder than usual because she actually received chemo three days in a row plus we drove down to SF the day she received her infusion. Both of us suffer from nervous/anxious stomachs when we are away from home, so that didn't make it any easier at all. She is drinking Eater's Digest tea, from Traditional Medicinals, to help with the nausea and cramping and she loves the taste (peppermint/ginger).

We attended two holiday parties in the last two weeks, one for NNCCF and the other was at the clinic (the day of her chemo). She seems to do better when she is "busy" so while she may have not been feeling the best, being distracted by holiday spirit and little kids made her feel tons better. She also did an interview at the clinic for News 4 - click HERE to watch the video.

Team Lola was contacted a few weeks ago by Gamerosity, a newly founded childhood cancer community. They hold social fundraisers to purchase electronic items such as iPad Minis and Nintendo Gameboys for children with cancer. The founder, Manny, is a childhood cancer survivor and understands what its like to have to be bed-ridden 24/7. To date, they have funded gifts for 14 heroes! Truly amazing! Thank you Manny and Gamerosity for all you do!

I want to close out this post with a dedication to Ariel Rose and the entire Gariano family. Ariel, because of you, many people in this world love deeper, speak sweeter, and most importantly, live each day to its fullest. Your time here on Earth may have been shorter than we all wanted, but in those 14 years, you LIVED and that is what each of us are trying to do each day, guided by the grace of God. While we are sad that you are no longer here with us, we rejoice in knowing that we will meet again someday and you will be waiting for us with open arms.

Ariel Rose - forever 14

My wish for all of you is good health and lots of love for the new year <3

peace and love
-cherri