Stability

Hello friends. Some decisions have been made and it feels good.

I have decided to go with UVA in Charlottesville, VA for my gamma knife procedure. They made me feel comfortable, seen, and the Dr. is very well known in the field of acoustic neuroma treatment. Here is a video of my Dr. (Dr. Sheehan) and his team explaining the process.

We will head there on 12/2 and then I have an MRI, CT scan and mask fitting on 12/3 and 12/4. The treatments will begin on 12/5. I will have 5 sessions and will stay until 12/11. I probably won’t have many side effects right away. He said I might feel tired, but not too much beyond that. I won’t lose my hair which is a relief. In a few months, I might notice some swelling and increased headaches, but I deal with that anyway. The goal is to kill this thing off and I am onboard for that!

Ella “Ace” is doing much better. She is now at a place called Kolob Canyon in Utah. It looks amazing and is near Zion National Park. They have horses and other animals, go on hiking and camping adventures and work with teens who have trauma. They cap out at 14 girls, so it will be small and comfortable for her. They have regular school so she will be able to make up all of her credits there. We look forward to exploring the area.

Last weekend I went on an adoptive mom’s retreat in Asheville, NC. It was wonderful to bond with all of these other moms who “get it.” Parenting a child going through this can feel very lonely at times and we were all able to laugh about all of the crazy stories and cry about the hard journey we have all been on. Of course I bonded with all of the animals!

These women are my tribe and some of us have known each other for a few years now.