Slowly, but Surely

It’s been six months since my last entry and things are moving positively in a good direction. Not as quick as I hope, but surely.  What is the saying again? “All in God’s timing?”

Alyssa can now bend to about 105 degrees and can easily do squats and bicycle machine.  I know it seems like such a long time, but we can only hope it will continue to be restored as time goes on.  Her physical therapist just said she should be done with therapy soon, and I ask her “but what about her full mobility” she said Alyssa will have enough to work on her own. So once the surgeon is ok with this decision, I hope she will allow Alyssa to continue personal training at the gym which will give her a chance to increase her flexibility.

Alyssa and I have been at the gym for may 2-3 months now. We are both getting stronger and able to lift heavier weights each time.  As for me, I am not on a drastic diet but I feel a bit better.  I have to thank God for the job to get me up each day and have a purpose.  I just am not in a place to start a drastic diet yet. Been there, done that, know what it requires. So again….slowly but surely.  My goal is to be strong enough and motivated enough to start up the SoulCore certification that I got back in 2018.  If God wills it, this will bring me even more energy and purpose to life. 

My job is going well. I feel proud that one of projects I managed is near completion and now I am given a few more responsibilities so I am at a good place now with meeting a work-balance.  I always want to make a difference, so if it is toward the end of my career that I see output of my work, so be it.  All in God’s hands and all in God’s plan.

Since it will be another six months or so until I jump on this blogger again, I wish you all a Happy Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I am looking forward to spending the Holidays with family in Canada.  Not looking forward to the cold though.  But who’s complaining?

An Update Since September 2020

 It's been too long since I've updated my blog.  This year has gone by so fast.  It's now been nine months since Alyssa completed chemotherapy.  She's also still doing physical therapy although now she goes only once a week.  She's able to bend her leg to about 85 degrees but still cannot bend it all the way and this is a  year after her first surgery has taken place.  The therapist doesn't force her leg to bend anymore, but does different functional exercises to get her moving.

She goes for her third leg surgery on Thursday.  The screws that were part of the original surgery had come lose and they need to install a plate as they are unable to remove the screws.  Her second follow-up leg surgery was to remove the other screws attached to her growth plate in her leg and to add more bone graft to facilitate healing.  Still her leg is not healing as it should so they will be adding more bone graft on Thursday.

How is Alyssa feeling? She's not nervous, this will be her seventh surgery since her cancer journey started.  1) When she biopsy done to confirm she had cancer 2) Port installed for chemo treatment 3) appendix removed as it became inflamed 4) major surgery to remove cancer tumor in her femur and add cadaver bone and her own fibula bone 5) follow-up surgery to remove screws in her leg 6) removing port after cancer treatment.  And finally this one.  

She's a trooper that's for sure, and she's managed to maintain A average on her report card.  Only one term she got a "B."  She works hard and stays positive; even makes time to do ab workouts.  I'm proud of her.

Mother's Day was a great celebration.  Alyssa filled out a "mom and me" journal I bought from Target in 2019. It's good to see how she responds to questions in the journal that we both can relate to. She also got me a care basket and we, as a family, went to Pho (my favorite noodle soup place) for dinner.

As for me, I'm doing OK.  I've been teleworking now for 3 months and it's going OK.  Not so busy, but get to work on a high visibility project.  I'm still waiting to hear on my security clearance -- it was pulled in October which limits my ability to bid on assignments.  I don't know the reason for it, but I hope it gets reinstated soon.  It was mostly related to my panic attack when I was in DC and had to be hospitalized (voluntarily).  

Well, I'm just glad that Alyssa has been cancer free, her hair is growing and she's gaining weight.  We just hope she continues to grow on schedule.