Yesterday (10/24), Caleb and I flew out to Houston to start the treatment process. After two flights, one very long layover, and a Lyft ride, we finally made it to our hotel around 2:30AM. 
Today, we walked to the hospital to get bloodwork done to make sure there weren’t any issues to get in the way of the chemotherapy. While having lunch, we found out that the echocardiogram and PET scan that are needed before chemo haven’t yet been cleared by insurance. So, even though there are appointments in the calendar, they can’t be completed until the hospital’s financial department and our insurance company can figure this out. After a few phone calls, we went back to the hospital to have my PICC line inserted. Two hours later, an x-ray confirmed the line was where it needs to be and we were able to leave. Unfortunately, still no update on the tests needed to start chemo. Tomorrow we have the day off unless an authorization goes through. We aren’t scheduled to get home until late next week and that’s only if the insurance company does what they need to do.
The hardest part of this whole thing isn’t really the treatment or the cancer (even though it’s scary as hell). The hardest part is not being with my kiddos, seeing their sad little faces on the screen of my phone, and knowing that it has to be this way – I have to just keep telling myself that I’m sacrificing this time now so that I won’t have to miss another holiday or birthday, so I can make it to every hockey practice and gymnastics class, so I can tuck them in every night until their too old to need me to. When the surgeon told me the diagnosis and that I had a 50% chance of making it 5 years, all I could think about was how I would never see my kids become teenagers or graduate high school. Thanks to our doctor here, I’m not afraid that I won’t be here. So I just keep holding onto that hope to get me through.