“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” Albert Einstein

Tomorrow, Wednesday begins the process again and today I noticed the ever present rash on my hands, but this time it is barely visible. Gotta love those steroids! Every day I meet someone who knows someone who has been diagnosed this year with cancer. It seems like ages ago that this journey began for me and how I freaked my dad out with one of my drug induced days of screaming, “I cannot do this.” Now, I am doing “this” and I really don’t know how I am doing “this”, but I am. I visit message boards to see how the other half “lives” or handles the chemo and give my recipe to avoid nausea with all the drugs that I have, just hoping I can spare someone that horrible feeling.  I pull out my binder of recipes for cocktails for a more successful chemo treatment and respond to questions about dosage and read about foods I ate and try to eat. All I usually say is that even though your taste buds are whacked, you have no hair, you have to draw on your eyebrows, you really need nose hairs in the winter, you really have to keep your strength up and eat. Eat with your eyes closed, eat small bites, eat what you feel like with the exception of Ho-Hos and Twinkies, you should be fine. Of course, my big message is always make the most of every minute and try not to freak your dad or your mom out. I tell the people I meet that they should look at me and know that if I can do it, they can too. It is worth it even though it is completely annoying and a big gigantic inconvenience.  What is more annoying is daylight savings time and even more annoying is the fact that people are oblivious to what is outside the “bubble”.  I keep saying that we should take a moment to think about what we can do today or in the case of a cancer patient, what we can do in this hour or even 4 minutes. Never forget we all have our “issues” .  I have no patience for someone who sweats all the small stuff. In attempting to get my stuff ready for tax time, I see the sea of bills, pills, and other assorted new fun cancer related deductions. Too bad most of this is not deductible! What about a cancer credit? Come on IRS, work with me. The make- up has to be a deduction? The new clothes, new accessories, footwear for combat in the closet have got to be deductions and I should be able to count them twice? Cancer credit, right? I don’t understand why there isn’t a cancer double deduction or cancer credit?  I do understand the importance of today and every day and hope you do too.