Road Trip With The Parents =)

Well, it's taken 26 years, but I finally made a road trip with both of my parents! It was time for Dad's trip to M.D. Anderson in Houston. We got all packed up and headed for Texas!


Here we go!


You wouldn't believe the things my Dad packs for a short trip, it's enough to live on a deserted island for months! But at least he left me a little room to sit, ha!


Coming into Houston...notice the haze...that's pure humidity =(


Just one of the many, many, clinics that are a part of M.D. Anderson


Spent alot of time in this building...for a couple of reasons. One reason is because Dad had several appointments there. And the other reason is because....

It had this place!!

Yummy!!


Medical buildings as far as you can see


You would think that a sign like this would be unnecessary at a place that treats cancer, but apparently, people need a reminder.

Let me give you an idea of what these hospital visits are like:

Wednesday
9:15 - Bloodwork, Main Building, 2nd Floor
10:00 - Radiation Consultation, Main Building, 1st Floor
11:30 - X-Rays, Mays Clinic, 2nd Floor
12:00 - Meet with IV specialist, Main Building, 2nd Floor
2:10 - CT Scan Prep, Mays Clinic, 7th Floor
3:40 - CT Scan, Mays Clinic, 7th Floor
7:30 - Prep for MRI, Main Building, 3rd Floor
8:00 - MRI, Main Building, 3rd Floor
9:30 - Back to the hotel!

Thursday
7:00 - Check in for Radiation Treatment, Main Building, 1st Floor
7:30 - Halo Placement, Main Building, 1st Floor
8:30 - MRI, Main Building 3rd Floor
9:00 - Gamma Knife Radiation on Brain, Main Building, 3rd Floor
2:30 (delayed until 3:30) - Dr. Tannir for Test Results, Mays Clinic 7th Floor
4:30 (delayed until 6:45) - Chemo Treatment, Mays Clinic 8th Floor
10:15 - Back to the hotel, finally!

Now the Main Building and the Mays Clinic are connected by this...

See the long white tunnel? That's a quarter of a mile long SkyBridge that can be traveled by foot or by golf cart. Needless to say, it's quite a bit of traveling to various appointments and makes for very long days. But we'll do whatever we have to do =)

Then on Friday, we left very early in the morning to go back to Mississippi.

Made a little pit stop at Disney World for outdoorsmen =)


Grabbed my favorite snack and hit the road again.

I'm so thankful that I got the opportunity to go with Mom and Dad to M.D. Anderson in Houston. It really is an amazing place, one where they are saving lives every day. One thing that really became a harsh reality for me was that cancer knows no favorites. It strikes all ages, races, and genders. I spoke to a lady whose entire family, literally, has either died of cancer or is currently facing it, but she is so far the lone survivor (and the only one of her family who sought M.D. Anderson for treatment). I also spoke to an eight-year-old adorable little girl who showed me how her chemo is administered using a "Chemo Kids" doll. Poor baby, she really shouldn't even know about these kinds of things. We met people who were there for the very first time and people who have been coming for treatments for years and years. It was humbling...it was startling...and it made me so much more thankful for every morning that I wake up healthy. And also very thankful that such an amazing facility is available to my Dad.

By the way, I'll bet you're wondering how he's doing? Well, the doctor came in and said that there was nothing new, the cancer is stable and he's going to see my Dad live to be an old man =) Thank you Lord!!