39. Chemo #7 - Party time

Chemo #7 -

Let's start off with good news - my white blood cells were up to 600 (as opposed to 3 last week) so no more nasty steroids all week! YAY!

I drove myself because Shem had urgent family business to attend to and we're pretty short staffed now that the borders are open and DJ has left. It wasn't as terrifying as I thought it would be because I've watched how Shem navigates the crazy traffic patterns. But I didn't realize just how much concentration it takes to drive in the madness - and I was fully exhausted by the time I got back.

On the way home, I was reminiscing about happier times - and thinking about the night before I went into the hospital to have my tumor removed. It was the LAST karaoke night of the KFOR26 group before they headed home and were replaced by a new group of national guardsfolk.

Facing an uncertain outcome, I admitted I was having surgery the next day as an excuse to sing something I would never otherwise have been brave enough to belt out - "She Used to be Mine" by Sara Barailles. One of the most beautiful songs ever - and exactly how I was feeling after two years of rediscovering myself.

They were kind, as they always were - so many familiar faces, who's voices I could pick off the radio based on tone (or lack of tone) and who's smiles had shared my Thursday nights for months.

At the end of the night, just before J.D. shut it down - one of the guys (and I'm embarrassed I don't even know his name) got up and looked at me and said, "This one is for you. Kick cancer's butt." And then he, and the rest of the room burst into an altered version of Toni Basil and sang, "Hey, Nikki!"

It remains one of the happiest moments of pure kindness at a time when I was absolutely terrified.

I missed the beginning when everybody was screaming and singing - but here's a small snippet - little miracles happen every day.

Today, if you have the opportunity without putting yourself in danger - be the miracle someone else needs. Random act of kindness. Make someone's day. Send an email to someone you haven't talked to in far too long. (Or a video from your favorite drag queens - Steven Stewart, I'm looking at you!) Make these moments part of your legacy.