Pre-op October 31, 2011

I know that Randy gets sick of me saying "make a wish" with every 1:11, 2:22, 3:33, 1:23, 12:34, etc. that I see on the clock. But, he squeezed my hand and wished along with me as we left Holly's house in KC to head to Iowa City at exactly 4:44 a.m.
We arrived early, attempted to move into our new home, the Hope Lodge, but they weren't ready for us. We went to get. . .you guessed it, coffee! The one thing that reminds me that our life has not changed -  Randy is still our same funny, energetic, determined, sweet man who has a not so healthy relationship with coffee - we have merely been interrupted.
11:00 Dry-run with the radiologist. You should see the net mask (aka Super Hero regalia) that Ran will be slipping into five days a week for the next seven weeks. We're hoping we get to take it home when it's all said and done - kinda like a cast! A pretty cool piece of memorabilia for our wall. There are about five people outside the room sitting at computers showing every possible angle - looks like the high tech bat cave!
Met with Peggy, our nurse. A wonderful woman who makes us believe we are her only patients in the world.
12:30 A trip up to the dentist but too late. Waited a bit but had to head to get blood work done.
1:00 A room buzzing with activity. We both had to stop - look around - and take note of how many people were in the large waiting room with us - how many people are affected by cancer. The young lady that drew Ran's blood was from Thailand and, as usual, Ran made her feel more comfortable than she made him with his pleasant conversation and interest in who she was and where she was from.
1:40 We met with Dr. Wehbe. A great guy who holds no punches. Young and energetic - he says it how it is with not much cushion. Thankfully, Ran has an awesome outlook. You can't ask for much better then 90% cure rate! He's strong and therefore he'll have everything "plus the kitchen sink" thrown at him but at the end - we'll be stronger than ever.
We left the hospital around 3:00 and headed to grab a snack. Went and got settled in at the Hope Lodge, making our room look as close to home as possible.
Room 107, shelf 107, and fridge 107!