One Foot in Front of the Other

You might remember that song around Christmas time from the old animated show “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” that to me is somehow – in my own distorted way of looking at things - is indicative of Susan and her healing process:


You never will get where you’re going
If you never get up on your feet
Come on, there’s a good tail wind blowing
A fast walking man is hard to beat
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking cross the floor
Put one foot in front of the other
And soon you’ll be walking out the door



She has – and is still doing – just that. Let me give you today’s examples.


She visited Dr. Nguyen. Again today, as he was last week, he was pleased with her blood test results. He was genuinely smiling today, which he rarely does unless Susan says something really funny off the cuff. This time, the Great Houston Healer was free style grinning. For the record and as future reference for you folks, normal blood platelets level is 140. She was at 139 today. To put it in perspective, when Susan was in ICU last month, her first platelet reading was at .01. See how far she’s come? Her red blood cell count is still low but higher than it was the last time around; the same goes for the white blood cells. Dr. Nguyen said that the numbers were where he expected them to be because of the chemo. We are hopeful that chemo therapy will be a go next Wednesday. I think so at this rate.


Susan spent much of the day outside in the nice 75 degree weather. Doug did a fine job in the garden not too long ago, and it was a perfect time to spend some time there.


It was also a time of discovery for her. She discovered that she can lie down in our bed, lift herself up, and stand up from it. This for those of you who didn’t know this, she couldn’t do that before for nearly two months. She can’t sleep in our bed still, because the “tick arm” is too uncomfortable for her to lie completely on her back. Hence the reason for the chaise lounge when she first arrived from the hospital, and why I bought the coma couch. But she’s getting there, and in no time she’ll be back where she belongs.


This morning I left a cooking magazine on the dryer and Doug and Susan found it. They found a recipe and decided to make a very good ham and potato casserole from it. Susan’s been aching to cook again. So this was the first opportunity to actually do it. She peeled the potatoes, defrosted the peas, put the cheese on, and oversaw the whole operation.


Here's the end result: A fine ham and potato and cheese casserole. It was awesome.



As a reward for her labors, she and Doug went to Marble Slab Creamery and bought ice cream. This was her first actual foray into a public place – not including a doctor’s office that is.
One foot in front of the other….That’s exactly what she’s doing. First across the floor, and soon she’ll be going out the door. There’s a good tail wind blowing, and she’s doing just fine thanks to Dr.Nguyen, Dr. Shree, and all the love and prayers from her family and friends.