These are my girls. The smaller one on the left is my granddaughter, Sarah. The fabulous shutterbug on the right is my daughter, Shannon.
Theirs is a work-in-progress…’tagging’ the wall of Shannon’s scrapbooking room. The missing word to be filled in is “Buttercup”. Shannon very frequently greets friends with “What’s up, Buttercup?”
I chose this “work-in-progress” shot to represent my family’s current state.
Some flickr friends already know that this dynamic duo is facing some struggles. Sarah had surgery Thursday to have two extra bones removed. It’s a syndrome that usually affects one foot. Sarah’s doctor told her she was special to have two feet involved. She will spend the remainder of summer and fall confined to a wheel chair or walker. Not easy for an athletic cheerleader. But as she is bouncy-by-default, I expect she will display her determination vibrantly as the paint on this wall.
This, I believe, will be a source of inspiration for her Mom, who is becoming much less bouncy. After Sarah’s surgery was already scheduled, Shannon was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes. Weeks of testing have determined the severity of the disease and course of treatment. The prognosis is good and full of hope. Chemo was postponed due to Sarah’s surgery; preparing for it was not. Whatever joys of summer left to be had were crammed into the remaining hours.
It’s why I have been MIA on flickr. It’s why I expect to continue more extended absences. I will be Shannon’s chemo buddy. She’s one of my girls.
Cancer is just another wall we ran into. Hard. Now that we’ve dusted ourselves off a bit, I see that wall as another one to tag. With the word to be filled in: HOPE.
