Walking HP Home

Judi Purdy

Description

"Walking HP Home" is a collection of Judi's diaries written during her husband's journey after Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis and my role as his caregiver. Not being emotionally prepared for his diagnosis, I needed an outlet in order to stay on the positive side of life and to be his pillar of strength. This book has a clear beginning and end - diagnosis to departure from Earth.
Battles and fighting were cancer words we did not use. We chose to climb the mountain. Our hike up a very tall mountain was unplanned. It was as if the universe picked us up, took us to the base, dropped us off and said, climb. We were no more prepared for his diagnosis as we were to climb Mt. Everest. Together, we had an amazing climb. Day by day, we learned more about a cancer journey than we ever wanted to know. Quality of life, enjoying our limited time together, and falling deeper in love were the rewards that motivated us to get up each morning and face that day's hike. In our own way, we wildly succeeded. Writing was my therapy. I simply started with two sentences, the rest flowed. My written therapy turned into a book. I share deep feelings. Our journey has been the richest experience of my life.

Sujets

• Personal Memoirs
• Biography
• Quality of life
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: Balboa Press
• Date de parution: 12 janvier 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798765237939
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Walking HP Home

THE DIARIES OF A CAREGIVER





JUDI PURDY








Copyright © 2023 Judi Purdy.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.



Balboa Press
A Division of Hay House
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Bloomington, IN 47403
www.balboapress.com
844-682-1282

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.



ISBN: 979-8-7652-3792-2 (sc)
ISBN: 979-8-7652-3794-6 (hc)
ISBN: 979-8-7652-3793-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023900586

Balboa Press rev. date: 01/12/2023
Contents
Preface

2012: Costa Rica and/or Bust
Tuesday, November 21, 2017: The Unplanned Journey: Our New Norm
Wednesday, November 22, 2017: Being Grateful
Sunday, November 26, 2017: Gratitude and Happy Tears
Thursday, November 30, 2017: The Summit
Thursday, December 14, 2017: Hope Beats Not Knowing
Saturday, December 16, 2017: Hope, Love
Friday, December 29, 2017: Surrender
Friday, January 12, 2018: The Elusive Biopsy Results
Tuesday, February 13, 2018: Reinventions
Sunday, February 18, 2018: Knowing What I Know Today
Sunday, February 25, 2018: Flow, Timing, and Friends
Sunday, March 4, 2018: Day 3 with Pre-Clinical Trial
Thursday, April 12, 2018: The Faslodex Scavenger Hunt
Wednesday, May 16, 2018: Accepting What Is
Thursday, June 14, 2018: Feeding the Soul
Monday, July 30, 2018: From Mount Everest to Space Mountain
Tuesday, October 23, 2018: Our Unplanned Journey Includes Polishing Rocks
Saturday, December 1, 2018: We Will Always Be Here for You
Tuesday, January 8, 2019: I Believe in Miracles
Monday, February 25, 2019: Ebb and Flow
Sunday, March 10, 2019: A Diagnosis Changes Everything: A Chapter Reflecting on June 24, 2017
Tuesday, May 7, 2019: Springtime in the Rockies
Thursday, June 6, 2019: The Cancer Journey Is Not All about Diets and Medicines
Monday, December 2, 2019: Holiday Seasons
Monday, December 9, 2019: Norman
Wednesday, December 18, 2019: Thought Police
Monday, December 23, 2019: When Not Caregiving (Part I)
Wednesday, January 8, 2020: When Not Caregiving (Part II)
Monday, January 13, 2020: When Caregiving Transforms into Service
Thursday, January 23, 2020: Stable Results Make Us Lax
Sunday, February 9, 2020: An Unexpected Meltdown
Thursday, February 20, 2020: Natural Coping Practices
Friday, February 28, 2020: Discovering New Ways to Cope with Sadness
Friday, February 28, 2020: Out-of-the-Box Coping Experiment
Wednesday, March 11, 2020: Tough Decisions: Live Life or Self-Quarantine
Thursday, March 19, 2020: Self-Quarantined Now
Friday, March 20, 2020: Today, Sadness and Isolation Intersected
Wednesday, March 25, 2020: Feeling Lost in Technology
Thursday, March 26, 2020: Is the Economy More Important Than Lives?
Friday, March 27, 2020: A Mandatory Lockdown’s Challenges
Monday, March 30, 2020: Pandemic Lockdown Day 5
Saturday, April 4, 2020: It’s Our Forty-Fourth Anniversary and a First
Wednesday, April 8, 2020: Honoring Our Temple Bodies
Thursday, April 9, 2020: An Open Mind May Save Your Life
Wednesday, April 15, 2020: Existential Anxiety
Thursday, April 23, 2020: The Great Divide in America, Again
Monday, April 27, 2020: Do We Have Rights? Are We Losing Them?
Monday, May 4, 2020: You’ll Never Walk Alone
Tuesday, May 12, 2020: Not a Darned Thing Going on Here
Tuesday, May 19, 2020: Staying on the Sunny Side
Friday, May 22, 2020: Finding Peace Amid Physical Pain
Tuesday, May 26, 2020: It’s Time to Hit Pause
Saturday, May 30, 2020: Hitting Pause Didn’t Work So Well
Tuesday, June 2, 2020: Traveling on Paved and Rocky Roads
Saturday, June 6, 2020: Seeds for My Garden
Tuesday, June 16, 2020: Humble Up and Pray
Thursday, June 18, 2020: Thank You, HP
Monday, June 22, 2020: Father’s Day, June 21, 2020
Sunday, July 5, 2020: Exploring Options to Eliminate New Cancer Pain
Wednesday, July 15, 2020: It’s the Time Between Knowing and Not Knowing Where Memories are Made
Tuesday, July 21, 2020: The Old and the New
Thursday, July 30, 2020: Again, We Travel Down the Cancer Treatment Rabbit Hole
Tuesday, August 11, 2020: Patient and Caregiver Medical Intervention during Tough Times
Monday, August 17, 2020: Hoping for Efficacy of Cancer Radiation Treatments
Thursday, August 27, 2020: In the Flash of a Moment, Nothing Else Matters
Friday, August 28, 2020: Enter “Google” Zone with Caution
Tuesday, September 1, 2020: My Love Letter to HP
Friday, September 4, 2020: My Prescription for Caregivers
Saturday, September 19, 2020: Learning about Mutations
Friday, September 25, 2020: The Unwanted Roommate
Tuesday, September 29, 2020: The Strength of a Hollyhock
Thursday, October 15, 2020: A Big Box of Hope
Monday, October 26, 2020: Zero Side Effects
Monday, November 2, 2020: Changing Paradigms
Friday, November 20, 2020: The Land of Enchantment
Monday, December 7, 2020: Merry COVID Holidays
Tuesday, December 15, 2020: Squeaky Wheel, Love, and Fear
Wednesday, December 30, 2020: The Uninvited Guests
Tuesday, January 12, 2021: Being Here for HP and Me
Monday, January 18, 2021: Balancing Hope and Letting Go
Saturday, February 6, 2021: The Hospital Isn’t for Sissies
Saturday, February 6, 2021: A Fork in the Road
Saturday, February 6, 2021: A Prescription for the Caregiver
Saturday, February 6, 2021: My Invisible Team, His Imaginary Friends
Thursday, March 4, 2021: Supporting HP’s Traumatized Body with PT, Nutrition, Acupuncture, and Patience
Monday, March 29, 2021: Palliative Care Is Not Hospice Care
Thursday, April 15, 2021: We Return to Houston
Saturday, May 8, 2021: Sadness Not Laced with Fear
Wednesday, May 12, 2021: Yes, I Really Need Surgery
Wednesday, May 19, 2021: Surrender and Be Free
Monday, May 24, 2021: Inflammatory Myositis
Friday, May 28, 2021: Road Trip Destination: Fairfield, Iowa
Monday, June 21, 2021: I Must Flip My Thoughts about This Surgery
Wednesday, July 28, 2021: From Caregiver to “Caregivee”
Wednesday, August 4, 2021: A Time When HP and I Are Both Patients
Friday, August 6, 2021: Is HP’s Body Ready and Able to Do What We Have Planned?
Monday, August 9, 2021: It’s Called a Stereotactic Approach
Monday, August 16, 2021: Two Radiations Down, Three to Go
Tuesday, August 24, 2021: Happy Birthday, HP
Wednesday, September 1, 2021: The Choice Between Quality and Quantity
Monday, September 6, 2021: A Different Kind of Labor Day
Saturday, September 11, 2021: Our Last Fling
Thursday, September 16, 2021: Our Extended Last Fling: First Stop, Gallup, New Mexico
Sunday, September 19, 2021: Stairs, Stairs, and More Stairs in Santa Fe—Oops
Friday, October 1, 2021: Hospice Comes on Board
Friday, October 15, 2021: The Good Old Days
Wednesday, October 20, 2021: Never Say Never
Saturday, October 30, 2021: My Inner Child
Monday, November 8, 2021: Our Love Story Continues
Friday, November 12, 2021: Preparing for a Graceful Passage
Saturday, November 27, 2021: Enjoying Every Bite
Tuesday, December 7, 2021: The Gift of Time and Silver Linings
Friday, December 10, 2021: The Comfort Phase of Our Long Journey
Monday, December 13, 2021: The Comeback King
Saturday, December 25, 2021: Merry Christmas with HP
Saturday, January 1, 2022: Happy New Year
Monday, January 3, 2022: I Want You to Know This Before Your Physical Being Leaves Me
Saturday, January 15, 2022: Coming and Going
Sunday, January 23, 2022: Transitions
Tuesday, January 25, 2022: What I Miss the Most
Tuesday, February 8, 2022: My Love Letter to HP

Epilogue



Preface
Why do I write? First, I want to share our story about my husband’s diagnosis of Stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the long journey back to health and quality of life. This diagnosis was handed to HP on June 24, 2017.
I write because it is my therapy for the most difficult journey of my life. Writing my blogs was a way to keep close friends and family up to date on HP’s condition and progress. While HP and I were in Portugal, I received a call from Balboa Press. That was when I learned my WordPress blog