A few mostly good days

Hi everyone:

We haven't been writing much because there hasn't been a lot happening, at least on the medical front. We visited with Patty's cardiologist at Edward; she discussed with us the issues with Patty's antibodies, and expressed that it was her belief that Patty could wait a while before a suitable donor heart could be found. This isn't news, but it still sounds unsettling every time a doctor shares it with us.

Both Patty and I made sure we were on the donor registry with the State. If you live in Illinois, and want to be sure you're on the list, visit https://www.ilsos.gov/organdonorregister/

Patty finished up a couple of tests, and is now waiting on a colonoscopy. When that's complete, she'll be listed for a transplant. She will soon begin her first rounds of chemotherapy; we should have more details on this next week. She seems to have good days and bad days. The bad days usually involve nausea and fatigue. My bad days usually occur whenever the Sox lose -- this also usually involves nausea and fatigue. On the good days, Patty seems to have few limits, and I just love to see her energetic and happy. I take a camera with me almost everywhere we go, much to Patty's delight. Here are a few pics of our activities recently:

Patty relaxes at her brother Mike's home, during a party to celebrate Myles' and Elizabeth's graduation. The food, from Pizza Capri (Patty's brother Neil's place), was amazing.

Connor, Kelly and Patty before going out to a family lunch.

Patty in Morris. We went out to do some window shopping, and Patty came away with this hat. I have already made several off-color jokes about it. Feel free to share yours by clicking the "comments" notation below.

Patty faces her fast-food drive-thru demons. You'll have to ask her the story...it all seems pretty bizarre to me. She was so excited about the picture that she tried to grab the camera, presumably so she could take the photo herself.

In the early evening, visiting with friends at Kicker's:

And, finally, the things some will do for others' enjoyment:

More soon. Thanks for everything.

Love,
Brian

p.s. Go Contreras; go Sox.