Normal is as Normal does...

So – one of the ironies of caregiving is that at some point when the caregivee is up to the task of feeding, washing, dressing, brushing, wrapping, binding, driving, etc, themselves, the caregiver must return to their pre-caregiver routine.  This generally means their day job – which by necessity – is generally far away from the caregivee.  Daily routines are reset, daily patterns are different, and there is at the same time a sense of familiarity of the past now present and one of loss of the present now being the past. 

For us, life continues to return to whatever normal was a year and a half ago, but at the same time, normal must now be different from what it was for both of us prior to the Summer of 2010.  Tracy has lost parts, and also gained some new parts.  We have met a tremendous number of folks including supporters, survivors, and medical providers, both in person and online, who have helped those with this disease, treated this disease, and have gone through / are going through this disease. 

The reality is that Tracy’s cancer was only Stage 2B and not of the more serious Stage 3 or 4 category.

The reality is that we are very, very fortunate to have the support system around us that we do, and that we have a world-class treatment center just down the road from our home.

The reality is that we are both able to laugh about the funny stuff, cry about the sad stuff, and to also share it all with everyone around us all the while moving forward.

This reality is our “new normal”.