As you might remember, back in December Nadine’s radiation theraphy had to be postponed for a while due to a steroid psychosis. Now, her chemotheraphy was halted too because she caught an infect. She took some antibiotics that brought her temperature back down within a week so that treatment could be continued on Tuesday. Back on track again!

In the picture you can see her sitting in the chemo-room of the breast center in front of a picture that symbolizes the long way she still has to go. Yes, the road shown there leads into Death Valley – but it is also leading back out if it’s followed with strength, patience, and perseverance. So that’s what needs to be done right now.

And it seems that chemotherapy and art therapy are going hand in hand – here is the picture she painted yesterday:

Nadine and me haven’t left the house together this year except for little walks around the block or visiting doctors and hospitals. Yesterday we went one step further, got ourselves a Toyota Aygo from the carsharing pool and drove to Tübingen. We had some banking business to settle and visited Nadine’s nephew Nick.

This was quite a challenge for Nadine, but was worthwhile the effort. She felt very exhausted afterwards but had a lot of fun meeting the almost three year old toddler on his home terrain. The little guy is such a sunshine and does her very good. And he’s a clever litte bloke who is able to say things like “salad spinner” (Salatschleuder) and knows how to prepare paperwork for the tax accountant (Steuerberater):

disease raises
its kraken head
hits once
hits twice
snatches countenance away from us

under its tentacles
to our surprise a man rises
writes his fears
into a new shape
searching his way
within chaos

blows a call for duty
to everyone of us
gives the 9 to 5
a new face
and all of a sudden we can see
how he reshapes his day
accompanies his wife
we can hear him talking about her
in a loving voice