Gene had the kids the week of my surgery. Before they went to his house, Maggie declared that she'd never be able to wear her breast cancer wonder woman shirt again after I had surgery because the cancer would be gone. I told her then we'd wear it because I would be a cancer survivor. Maggie had to process this new information and decide if she really could wear the shirt again. Mena responded "if." I looked at her and asked, "If? If I survive?" "You could die," she told me. I assured her this was a surgery done many times and I would survive.
I called the girls the night before surgery and Mena was very nervous. She thought I wouldn't have a right arm after the surgery. I assured her that they were only taking a lymph node from my right arm pit and that my right arm would still be on my body. She didn't seem convinced of this. Maggie forgot I was calling before surgery and chatted on about other things until she declared that she had to go. My girls are so different!
The day before surgery, my parents had gotten their first covid-19 vaccine. During the night, my mom started having a reaction. My dad dropped me off at the hospital and I was confident that I could handle it by myself because I've had so many surgeries in the past. Prep went fine and when I woke up from surgery, my mom was in the room with me because she was feeling better. Mom went home for the night and I stayed by myself in the hospital.
During my surgery, the girls were at school. Mena started stressing out and crying so much that the school counselor called my mom. Mena talked to Grandma and calmed down enough to stay at school thankfully.
