Let's try this again, shall we?

Hi everyone:

Okay, before anything else: Kathleen is home from the hospital!!! Quite a bit more on that in just a bit. First, though, I feel a need to explain myself. Well, not quite yet. Isn't it awesome news? Did I mention that Kathleen is home from the hospital?

So we're back. Here's what happened:

First, I received roughly half a million messages from people with impassioned pleas for us to continue sharing updates about Kathleen--not only her medical challenges, but also the anecdotes about her life...not all of which, thankfully, are about cancer. Some of these pleas came from folks who have never met Kathleen in the flesh, but who now feel a connection with her. I'm biased, of course, but I believe you'd feel honored to know her, as I do.

Some notes came from family and friends who have spent time with Kathleen at the hospital and who I'm sure will agree she's one tough chick. Some came from people who must be feeling a little beaten up right now, but whose hearts were really in the right place. And one came from Kathleen's niece Jessica (who, by the way, is an amazing artist with a gorgeous voice), who choked me up with her letter to me today. Thank you so much, everyone. Clearly, Kathleen has, through the years, won the hearts of a great many people.

Last night, Patty made calls that cleared up misunderstandings about the blog. This, combined with the many notes we received, convinced us that I should keep this chugging along. So, for better or worse, you're stuck with me again.

Please understand I never wanted to step away from this. Kathleen loves it and, to be honest, I love writing about her. I'm learning that our collective worries about Kathleen are bringing many nerves close to the surface. So, although I feel strongly that the decision to step away was the right one under the circumstances, nobody wants to take anything away from Kathleen or those who love her.

This reminds me: we're supposed to be talking about Kathleen.

Kathleen was released from the hospital this afternoon at around 4pm. She had a lot of "stuff" to bring home, including several vases of flowers, a gaudy amount of snacks and candy, stuffed animals from her niece Emma, a beautiful ceramic candy dish Patty made just for her sister, and an awesome and colorful quilt Patty bought for her over the weekend. Kathleen may be sick, but she's also delightfully spoiled. Anyone have a problem with that?

We spent much of the afternoon with Kathleen (as did her brother Mike and his family, Kathleen's sister-in-law Eileen and our very good friends A.J. and Kristin). Kathleen wore a shit-eating grin on her face all afternoon, a look that was mirrored in the eyes of her family when she arrived home for the first time in almost two weeks. Kathleen was practically mauled by Don, Sean, Danny, Matt and Valerie; turns out, Kathleen mauls well.

What else is new? I mentioned in an earlier post that Kathleen was losing her hair. Yesterday afternoon, I shaved her head. She looks adorable; I told her she should have kept her hair that way all along. We picked her up a Livestrong cap which, I believe, supports cancer charities and which looks great on our little patient. Her nephew (and godson) Luke flew in from San Francisco just to spend a night with her, and her sister MaryBeth brought her some homemade chili.

In terms of Kathleen's medical condition, I'm not sure much has changed (please bear in mind I'm not a doctor, and I'm never one to sugar-coat). She still has a distended abdomen and her blood counts are still far below ideal. She is weak, in some form of pain or discomfort at most times, and ailing from the chemotherapy. To stay out of the hospital in the near future, she will need constant support, both from family and friends and from home healthcare providers. She will be spending a lot of time in doctors' offices, and on a constant regimen of medications, blood products and procedures. And she will, no doubt, have some real rough moments going forward. But I believe that being home will work wonders for her spirit, and that has to count for something in terms of her ability to fight the good fight.

When we left Kathleen's home about an hour ago, she was sleeping comfortably on her sofa. Don had spent the day preparing the house for her return. Sean plans to spend the night by her side. I'm planning to camp in her house many weekdays while the Callahans are at work or school (I can do my work anywhere there's wi-fi), and Patty intends to visit most evenings. We're quite addicted to this gal. The Callahan house is going to be a busy venue.

I'm sure Kathleen will welcome other visitors, and may even need a sleepover companion from time to time if she's having a rough day or night. Please check with Kathleen before you drop in, though...if people visit and she's having a tough day, it's better that she rest than try to socialize. Besides, if you check in, you can find out if you can be the hero who satisfies a craving for a milkshake or other treat.

This is getting long-winded, so I'm going to wrap it up for tonight. My apologies to anyone I upset with my earlier choice; I'm glad we're keeping this going. Before I sign off, I just want to say that I'm so, so, so happy Kathleen is out of the hospital. She's a fighter, and I'm sure she'll keep doing everything she can to kick cancer's ass. I'm sure Kathleen's family derives great comfort that there's such a passionate network of folks who will do everything they can to cover her back.

I'll post some pictures soon. If you visit Kathleen, please snap some photos of yourself with Kathleen and send them to me (omara_croft@yahoo.com) so I can post them for others (and for Kathleen) to see.

One more thing: did I mention that Kathleen is home from the hospital?

Love,
Brian

P.S. I love you, Kiddo.