We ‘heart’ MD Anderson

 

Another successful check up for The Cowboy at Houston’s MD Anderson this year. It’s been almost 2 years now since the first diagnosis and we are so relieved and pleased that they don’t need to see him for another year.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Brad in the Thorax center comparing last year’s measurements and liking the results. Please note that the finger The Cowboy is using to hold the chin strap is indeed his index finger.

Catherine is in charge of ‘Project Prepare’ – a program that we have participated in since day one of this venture. She gathers info from patients in all stages of this journey in order to benefit other patients and their families. She’s always makes each visit such a pleasure.

She made previous arrangements to meet with us in between appointments. The Cowboy appears to be instructing her on how MD Anderson could improve their operation with just a few minor adjustments.

Right now they are working on a very elaborate application that would allow everyone access on their computers or tablets. It’s all great material that would hopefully one day replace all the paper literature that they hand out. It’s all great reference material but having read it once all that paper is now stored in a plastic bin in our motorhome. We think the app would be a much more efficient way of keeping track of the very useful information – especially for recently diagnosed patients and their caregivers.

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Now totally off topic, very trivial to a lot of you, yet still pertaining to Houston and all of our life’s experiences there.

I’m sure many of you are familiar of this cityscape from our previous posts. It was taken about 4 minutes before this next accidental shot:

I say accidental for a reason – By mistake I clicked the wrong button on my camera but happened to notice the shot in my viewer before it was saved. Out of curiosity I tried to duplicate the shot . . . 32 Seconds later.

Proving, to me at least, that it’s not just dust on my lens.

Our daughter Shy plus another friend had told me a while back about this phenomenon . . . angels or guardians showing up in our photos. Still curious I later found this on the internet (so it must be true).

“What are orbs? Chances are, you've probably seen them before--they are translucent or solid circles (usually white) that appear unexpectedly in your photos. Orbs may appear in different sizes, as a single spot or as a multitude of spots grouped together.

Some people believe that orbs are more than dust particles or drops of moisture on the lens--they are proof of guardian angels, captured on camera.  When these "spirit orbs" or "angel orbs" appear near a single person or a group of people in a photo, it's a sign that they are blessed with the goodness, positive energy, and protection of angels.  When orbs appear in a particular location, it's also a sign that angels are hovering nearby and the location is particularly blessed.”

Click here for more from Beliefnet.com

What I also find interesting is that this is about the location that ‘my mistake’ occurred.

Many of you will recognize it as St. Joseph’s Professional Center from our posts while we were enroute to MD for The Cowboy’s daily treatments back in spring 2012.

Recalling some of the feelings we were experiencing at that time I came across this . . . just an excerpt from some of my journals:

Each and every day we walk through this entrance to the radiation department of MD Anderson we feel several emotions.

We can relate to the article that we posted earlier about the young lady who at first was very reluctant to come to Houston but soon found that MD Anderson was a haven, a safe place in this very confused time in her life.

The friendly valets now recognize us and there is no need for showing of ID cards and they call us by our names. We go through the formalities of checking in at reception and take the elevator to the basement. It’s at this point that we feel that we are not walking alone. I’m certainly not a psychic or a medium but it is a very spiritual feeling that surrounds us. Call it Guardian Angels, Spirit Guides or our Higher Power  - we know that we are not alone.