Hi everyone! Just wanted to give an update.

Since the last time I posted, I was able to go home! After some of the side effects of the chemo had subsided, the doctor allowed me to wait for my counts to go back up at home instead of having to be at the hospital.

Being home was AWESOME! Since the hospital I'm at is an hour away from home (or more with traffic!), when I'm in the hospital I don't get to see my siblings very often. Being at home, I'm able to see everyone in my family every day! There are also so many things that make home more comfortable than the hospital: I don't have to be interrupted for blood pressure and temperature all the time, I'm allowed to go outside for fresh air, I'm not hooked up to a big IV pole...there's just no place like home! My cousin Eva and I went for a walk outside while I was home, so here's a picture!

One of the best parts about walking outside is that I don't need to wear a mask like I do when I walk the hospital hallway! Woo!

Unfortunately, just a few days after going home, I spiked a fever one night and had to rush right to the hospital again. Fevers are really common after the kind of chemo I've had since my white cells are pretty much all wiped out, so my immune system can't fight anything. They did tests and cultures for almost every disease I could have, and I received good news: everything came up negative, meaning the fever wasn't from a specific disease (they just all that a neutropenic fever). The doctor explained that sometimes the natural bacteria in my body or even on my skin could cause a fever when my immunity is so low. They gave me strong antibiotics here in the hospital, and they seem to have worked! Yesterday and today I've had NO fevers and I've been feeling SO much better overall. I'm back to my walking schedule (yesterday I did 3 walks, and one of them was 40 minutes long!). I'm eating well, even though eating is a chore. The chemo has completely taken away any and all appetite for any food. Regardless, to keep my body strong, I know I have to keep eating, so just like taking my medications and walking, eating is something I just have to do in order to continue my fight.

During my time at home, I did end up losing my hair. Once it started falling out all over the place, I decided to buzz it off since it was just too irritating to have hair all over my clothes and pillow! It's almost all fallen out now, but I'm really okay with it. As much as I'm bummed that I have to start the hair-growing process all over again and wait for long hair again, I'm not uncomfortable being bald. Once again I have the mantra, "bald is beautiful"!! Whether I have hair or not, I'm still the same Sarah. I have the same smile, the same personality, the same amazingly-created body. Cancer can take away my hair, but it can't take away my beauty, and it definitely can't take away who I am!

Things may not be easy right now, but there are SO many blessings to be thankful about! My fevers are gone, and I'll be going back home soon. I don't have any big complications from treatment. I'm not in pain. I have enough energy to walk and keep my strength up. I have some great nurses and techs that I've made friends with. I have great supportive family and friends to text, call, and keep in touch with, and I just had one of my best friends from school over to visit! Overall, there are tons of positives to focus on right now, which feels really good.

One more positive to mention: I have a GORGEOUS view of the Chicago skyline! If you know me, you know I have a huge thing for skylines. Here's a couple of pictures from my adventures in walking:

The skyline!!

The walking hallway with HUGE windows on a sunny day!

I don't have much more to report! Thank you, as always, for all the love and support I've gotten from you all! Love you all tons!

Love,
Sarah