Mrs. Dubose
All this healing has brought out the cranky old woman in Jordan.
A Note from a Proud Grandma
[This piece was contributed by Kathleen Callihan Morris, Jordan's grandmother.]
Jordan completely blew me away last night. As I was driving home, feeling sad for what she’s going through — as well as how painful it is for Larry and Jeanette to witness, my cell phone rang. I know I’m not supposed to talk [...]
Another Nickel
As we approached Children’s Hospital this morning, Jordan sighed and said,
– Children’s Hospital. Another day, another nickel.
She’s in the O.R. now. It will be a few hours before we see her again. I’m all nerves. Unlike me, Jordan was witty, spirited and determined to get this done. I’m certain she was nervous, too. But [...]
Another Step
I know myself well enough to know that when I find it hard to write, I’m usually avoiding something. The words aren’t flowing today, and that’s because I’m uncomfortable thinking about tomorrow. At 8:30 am, Jordan will check in for the surgery we’ve diligently researched, laboriously discussed, and frequently postponed. But we can’t avoid it [...]
Determination
In Jordan’s world, determination governs everything. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Disclosure
After six years kicking cancer’s butt, Jordan forgets that she’s about more than surviving.
Ready for Book #2
I think the news is finally setting in. My clue: she tells everyone that her cancer is gone. Friends. Family. Complete strangers. Sometimes I think she says it just to remind herself. The list of things she wants to do next is endless. She wants to write a book. She wants to take up tennis [...]
All I Wanted for Christmas…
It was like old times.
When I awoke this morning, I challenged myself to make a great stack of pancakes. Pancakes have been a Saturday tradition in our house, but I stopped making them months ago because the electric stove in our new place is temperamental and doesn’t cook the batter evenly. I’m quite finicky [...]
Understatement
The news is actually better than I imagined. Jordan’s doctors are now very confident that what we see in the MRI scans is actually scar tissue. Based on the few patients similar to Jordan who have reached this stage and had biopsies, the tissue biopsied has been benign. Because there is no evidence of new [...]
More Progress
Jordan did AMAZING today. She was so mature at handling everything, which is unbelievable considering the tension we all felt about this MRI. She let them access her port without any pushback. In fact, Jeanette said that when they came in to do the access, Jordan turned to her and said, “do I really have [...]
Exams
Tomorrow is a big day. Jordan will have her first MRI since stopping chemo in September. Though she tries to be nonchalant about it, we can tell she’s nervous. We are, too. So much has been going well, we have our fingers crossed the scans will give us more to celebrate.
Just Bacon
By the time my preparation of the Sunday breakfast fixings was complete, she lumbered down the stairs. As usual, she was ready to go from the time of waking. I barely had a moment to say good morning before she started rambling action items for the day.
Jordan can be quite regimented. She has it in [...]
Wellness
The nurse walked right by Jordan. She looked around the waiting room curiously and then asked Jeanette where she was. Jeanette pointed to the vending machines where Jordan stood wearing her favorite pair of scrubs–the ones she wore for Halloween. Jordan thought it was hysterical. We are relieved that when she visits Children’s Hospital these [...]
Oblivious
She’s doing well, no new episodes. She will see her neurologist next week. The doctors don’t seem as concerned as us. That makes me antsy, because I don’t like waiting. But we’ll have real data to evaluate next week. In the meantime, Jordan is very content and feeling great. She even managed to use the [...]
Blame Writers
It’s Tolstoy’s fault. Or maybe Dickens. Shakespeare didn’t help either. I suppose if we’re really pointing fingers, you’d have to include the Greeks and all those cavemen who told stories by firelight. I thank them all for sometimes dashing my hope. Because we all know the stories. The stories have been told so many times [...]
The Lovepug
Fewer words on the blog always means the same thing: progress. I must admit, I’m a little reticent to say much every tenth month of the year. It’s one of my favorite months, but for so many years it was a curse for Jordan. She beat that curse in 2007, and ever since we’ve been [...]
Annoyance
The new drugs are supposed to settle her down, but she seems more hyper than ever. Maybe it has nothing to do with brain tumors or medications. Maybe it’s just a kid at age 11. She has a momentum that can wear you down. She’s always chattering. She’s always fidgeting. She’s always in the spot [...]
Girl Unleashed
There were murmurs on the other end of the phone. Before I could finish saying hello, Jordan interrupted me.
– Daddy, I can stop chemo!
Her voice was charged with excitement. She rattled off a thousand words a minute without a breath. I don’t even recall most of what she said. I just lingered on the opening [...]
Big Day
It’s the long awaited day. It started like any other, except everyone’s nerves are frayed. Jordan is moody. It’s understandable, but doesn’t help any of us stay upbeat.
A Good Day
Jeanette and Jordan
She did very well today for the MRI. She went through the accessing process without any fuss, and she woke up easily (always a gamble). When I got home tonight, she was lounging comfortably and was very talkative. I didn’t go with her today, but I received texts from Jeanette throughout the morning.
She [...]
A Saturday Sitting
The girls let me photograph them this afternoon and I thought it would make a nice addition to The Journey.
The light glints off them.
The heavens shine on them.
The highlights intrigue them.
The shadows define them.
They glide together,
in turbulence and in skies of tranquil calm.
They move and pause and dart and bank,
and with them the world follows.
My [...]
An End to the Highway
Monday is a big day. Not because it marks the first Monday Night Football game of the season. Not because it starts the first full week of school for the kids. Not even because it is Amy Winehouse’s birthday (one of Jordan’s favorite singers). Monday, September 14th may be the end of a road we’ve [...]
The Unwritten Chapter
We are determined. Jordan will read. It is our conviction, shared with her doctors, her teachers, her family and friends. It is the gift that eludes her, yet she never alludes to her disappointment. She pretends to read, scanning through books and improvising passages of story. She recalls everything that is read to her, sometimes [...]
