Update on Chris

Chris continues her forward momentum. She has been getting out even more than before, has been very busy with normal activities and is really getting back to running things around here her way. My brief assignment as head of the household has been unceremoniously ripped from my clenched fists. Clearly my turn at the top of the family food chain has been deemed as a nice experiment, but in Chris' mind can easily be considered a weak attempt at organization. Without a doubt she is getting stronger!!

Yesterday Chris walked 5 miles (with some good hills) as part of a Walk for Breast Cancer fundraiser. She was hesitant to do this as it would be at a good pace and no opportunity to really stop and rest. She completed it with no issues at all. Here she is diagnosed with a very serious disease that she is battling everyday and she goes out and does this event. We are all very proud of her. This was both a physical and mental challenge and she did it with a smile on her face. I asked her if she thought she could have done this a few weeks before any of the chemo or stem cell transplant and she thought she could not have. In other words, she feels better now then she did before the incredible undertaking she went through this summer. This to me is a testament that something is going well. We don't know what is happening on the inside (we won't until December). but without question, good things are happening on the outside.

Chris still continues to be extremely thin (104 pounds) and has got to now focus on muscle strengthening. She wants to go back to yoga and her gym, but is afraid of all the germs, so we are kind of in a no-man's land; needing to workout with a trainer but not able to go to the gym where all the equipment and her friends are. She will probably soon get frustrated enough to just go ahead and start the workouts and yoga, while ensuring she is maniacal about washing hands, etc.

She has started to see many more of her friends around town as she gets out more. Some recognize her immediately and rush to give her a hug, while others just nod at her and have no idea who she is. Then they do a double take and are thrilled to see her. I am sure that when we get some weight on her, she loses the always present head scarf, and she gets a little color, that she will look as good as new. In all cases, everyone is thrilled to see her and are eager to tell her how they are of her. I know we all are.