A Plan to Beat Cancers Ass
Hola Amigos,
Puerto Rico has been warming up and we’ve entered into the dry season. Unlike my childhood home of Redding, this dry season only lasts around eight weeks and isn’t the kind of ‘dry’ I am used to. This is because it is still incredibly humid here, but despite that, the grass just seems to dry out. It’s amazing how time crawled at the beginning of Covid for me, having been stuck in the house mostly just waiting on doctors' appointments and test results. Now, at least for me, time is flying and there is so much to be done.
Sunday I moved across the driveway from the Rodriguez home into my own condo. I got a short term lease so I can have some space to heal and rest over the coming weeks and months. I’m on the ground floor now and have a smidgen of a back yard and patio. Going from living alone on acreage in California to a condo with six of us plus a dog, on the third floor, locked down pandemic no less… well let’s just say it was a grace-filled adjustment. That said, this home and little yard is beyond wonderful and I’m incredibly thankful for it!
Since it’s dry here, I was watering my little back lawn this morning and a small charcoal-colored bird flew down and sat right at the edge of the cascading water. It proceeded to put its body ever so slightly into the mist of the mainstream of the hose and sat in the wet, but dead, grass. The bird watched me cautiously. It flew away and back, but in the end, it was more motivated to feel the life-giving water than to keep its distance from me. I don’t think birds fly about worrying about what is going to happen tomorrow. They are too focused on taking care of the needs at hand. I personally feel a lot like that bird right now, however, I’m not so easily giving into focusing on only today and what is at hand. I want so badly to focus on the tomorrows, they are why I came here. As I watched the bird, I felt a deeper resignation come over me, I felt the birds surrender and I felt my own. Keep my focus on the life giving water that’s in front of me. “Don’t focus on the giant threat that stands on the other side of the hose.” If I keep my focus in the right place, I’ll be refreshed by the water and can fly off into the sunset… or something like that. 😉
My surgery is scheduled for the early morning of the 28th, basically a week away. As of the 26th, most of lockdown will be lifted here in Puerto Rico - with just strict social distancing orders in place and the now “new normal” mask wearing in public. Ironically, as someone who currently has a weaker immune system and can not get any form of illness before or after surgery, the timing of Covid masks has been beneficial for me. As I’m sure many immune suppressed people are feeling, it's a big benefit. So thanks for wearing masks for anyone like me, near you.
As far as Covid goes, Puerto Rico is ramping up testing and forecasting 15,000 tests a day for the foreseeable future. I myself have gotten a Covid test (along with about 9 other pre-op tests), which will not only tell me if I currently have Covid (low probability) but more interestingly, if I’ve had it in the past. Guess we’ll test that ‘Northern California herd immunity’ theory out. I was really sick in January, so admittedly I am curious. I’ll also be tested again the day of surgery.
I’ve been putting in the work the last few months to build my immune system back up. This includes staying away from sugar, taking all sorts of vitamins and supplements, and juices of the green color. So going into this surgery I’ve felt pretty good that my recovery wouldn’t be as difficult as my Feb. 28th emergency surgery where as I had to have two platelet transfusions. That said, I just got test results back showing that my blood platelets are low, and because of that I have to have another transfusion before surgery. Unfortunately this means that although my surgery is the 28th, I will be admitted a day earlier and have to stay the night. Prayers for peace over this added step would be really appreciated as I was only expecting to have to do the surgery and the transfusion came as a bit of a surprise. No matter what the results of my surgery and the biopsies are, I plan to intensely do a four month program to heal my body and give it the rest it needs. After that we will reevaluate what my plans are regarding health and see where my body is at and how it is doing. A big factor in why I chose to move houses this week is because the house I moved to is still the perfect proximity to my friends, but simultaneously allows me to create the best environment in giving my body the best chance at healing. On that note, thanks to everyone who has sent items through the amazon list. Amazon is so delayed, but I know they will all arrive as I’m in recovery. I’m sure it will feel like a cascade of love via the parcel post. THANK YOU!
Prayer needs:
Pre-op tests: That my tests would continue to go well so that I am cleared for surgery.
Blood platelets: That my transfusion would be successful and that we would have no more surprises regarding my blood platelet levels.
Surgery: Please pray that everything goes smoothly on the 28th and they find no additional cancer. (I expect you Californians to intercede for me in your sleep as I check in at 3am your time 😉).
Recovery: That it would not be painful and I would bounce back quickly. Please specifically pray for my waking up. It was so painful last time waking up from surgery and I’d love to be pleasantly surprised that this time around is not like the last.
Biopsies Results: That no cancer will be found in any of the new biopsies taken during surgery. Not next week, not ever.
Health Journey: That I would find the things that I need available in order to help my body recover. That I would have extra grace for the steps that I need to take in doing so.
Family: Monday my cousin Jennifer is set to arrive for one week. My Mom is coming June 4th. Both of their visits are a true gift. Please pray for their safe arrival, covering over their health and no travel delays.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico’s unemployment hit 50% last week. The economy here was already lagging and they had not completely recovered from Hurricane Maria. Because of this, we are more motivated than ever to find ways to provide jobs, training, or resources for people.
Our community feeding program is up and running. We have an incredible ‘Mama Chef’ who was teaching cooking classes before Covid even began. Now we are reaping the benefit of this group of extremely loyal adult students who have become this machine of a cooking crew. They’ve pumped out hundreds of meals each day, M-F, then delivered them all over our city. We plan to continue this until the fall and then re-evaluate. Although we are paying this crew, they are working beyond just their pay and putting their whole hearts into it - caring for people along the route and coming back letting us know what else they’ve done to help. It has been truly beautiful and a representation of community at its finest.
We’ve submitted our proposal to the city for the old campus I mentioned in the last email. We laid out phases of remodeling and our vision for what it could be. We are starting to gain some momentum and it's hard to stop a ship in motion. The state has already promised power washing, paint, and the labor. We are hopeful and dreaming about this potential community campus.
We are still making and shipping masks. The other day I was in route to do a delivery to our mask crew and thought, “oh man, I forgot my mask at home”. Looking to my right in the passenger seat I realized, “oh yeah! 500 masks are riding shotgun. I think you got the mask thing covered”. It’s been great being able to help out in that way as well.
I will be happy to never see a shipping label again. However, it looks like for the foreseeable future I’m in logistics and training others to do it. We are beginning to set up our own printing shop here in Puerto Rico so we can bring some fulfillment here. This is the whole vision of @thehappygivers, the dollars you spend in the ‘non profits store' fund jobs and projects. What better project than to train and employ people so they become more empowered. We love the single parents we’ve been working with, and believe we’ve found the team to make it all happen locally.
Thanks so much
for all of your continued care and support. I appreciate the thoughts and the prayers, the texts, emails, and phone calls more than you could ever know.
Much love,
Natalie
