Matt then went back to work for a couple of weeks. He went in expecting to be sent home the same day, but he was instead chosen to serve as a juror on a first degree murder trial! Matt wanted to do his best as a juror and was excited to serve, but mid-trial, the state declared a mistrial due to Covid-19, and everyone was sent home. Once Matt was adequately recovered from his radiation treatments, he headed back to work - but not for long! At the beginning of March, Matt had jury duty that he had postponed during his treatment. Then he will go back for scans often for the next few years, to make sure the cancer stays gone. Once he has a clear scan, he can schedule surgery to have his port removed. We are supposed to go back later this month, but his appointments may be pushed back due to Covid-19. Radiation takes a while to work, so we have not yet had Matt's final scans, but the docs are very optimistic that the cancer will be all gone. Interesting fact we didn't realize about radiation (at least on the chest, for this type of tumor.) You have to get tattooed for it! Yes, in order to get the radiation aimed at exactly the right spot, Matt had to have several little dots permanently tattooed on his body. The radiation didn't have much of a noticeable physical effect aside from some fatigue. He says the worst part was that first week, especially the biopsy surgery/recovery, which was quite painful. However, he only had a little bit of nausea and maintained a good appetite. Yes, he was exhausted and slept through many days and had to stay in the house to keep away from germs (which I'm sure most of you can relate to at this point!) And he had some degree of unpleasant side effects like neuropathy (numbness in his hands and feet). Yes, it was debilitating and he lost his hair and eyebrows. Every week day for 3.5 weeks he headed in for a quick, targeted radiation treatment.įor anyone reading this who might be starting the process with a lymphoma now, or have a loved one starting the process, the chemo was not actually as bad as he had feared. His oncologists decided that it was best for him to have 17 treatments of radiation in January, to make sure the cancer wouldn't regrow. Surrounding it is a shell of 'dead' cancer. See that tiny orange-ish ball that looks like a miniture sun? That is what remained of the 'hot' (or 'live') part of the cancer in December. Well, this year due to the pandemic, no trip unfortunately - but we can still get out and enjoy nature as a family and get some fresh air and exercise. I always order a lot of clothes and gear we'll need for the trip from Backcountry. It's something we look forward to for months. The past couple of Summers, I've taken the kids out west to explore some of our national parks. new duds for my dog, Felix! (Isn't he the cutest?) I'm excited about this for a few reasons - one, amazing brands from one of my favorite sites (I absolutely love the clothes I chose here, read on for links to everything.) Two, this gave me a nice excuse to take a day off and go out for a nice walk in the woods with my family, which is where I am the happiest! And three. I'm partnering with Backcountry to tell you about their incredible Memorial Day sale and share my outfit picks for Spring! For anything that isn't already on sale, you can use code 'SAMPLESALEMOM' to get 15% off your first order at. This post was sponsored by Backcountry and ShopStyle and contains affiliate links (I will receive a percentage of commission if you make a purchase through one of my links.) (If your deck is an even shape, you may not need one.) I only needed basic tools and a jig saw, to cut the partial tiles around the columns. (Note, it's a lot of work to remove a large number of them, so we plan on just leaving them out there for the Winter.) I installed them all myself. I found what I think is the perfect solution though – interlocking teak tiles! They snap into place and then, if needed, can be removed. Painting it wouldn't have been enough, covering with rugs didn't work (uneven shape due to the columns and chimney that cut in.) I consulted a professional and found out that building a regular wooden deck wouldn't be allowed either (something about the building codes and the deck having to be a certain amount lower than the doorway.) It had a not-very-attractive cement floor. We've always liked the pretty, open space on our covered side deck.

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Tailored grey patagonia pullover