Radiation SIM is complete!  I went down to the basement of Lake Forest Hospital for this appointment and was so glad to be welcomed by the friendly face of Jean who was the secretary at Grayslake last week!  She is such a sweet and friendly person and my journey down to the basement was strange so I was so thankful to find her there when I reached my destination... It was strange because the elevator acted up and took me up when it had shown that it was going down and then when a tech brought a bed on to the elevator to go up we went down to the level I needed.  I hate elevators so you can all tell how much I loved this trip and imagine how nervous I was when I finally made it to the basement....I must say for the basement of the hospital this office area was rather elegant but maybe that is because we were in Lake Forest!!

Once I was there I met a lovely radiation therapist Kally who took me back to the changing area.  I got into one of those glamorous robes and then was met by another sweet radiation therapist Melissa who took me back to the CT scan room.  Here  is where I had a mold of my head and shoulders in the position I will need to be in for the radiation each day.  I had a 3 minute scan of my upper body to help decide the angle of the radiation.  It was one of the easiest tests I have had to have so far!!!  I had a few pictures taken for measurements and one of my face to help make sure I am the right patient each time.  I am still so impressed at how wonderful all of the people have been who have been involved in my journey through Breast Cancer.  God truly provides such caring and compassionate people!!  I can feel how much they truly care and that is so helpful for me to keep my spirits up throughout these different treatments!

As I finished up and got rid of the robe for my own clothes I was then able to set up my appointments for the 28 radiation sessions.  I will be having radiation at 8:30 am in Grayslake everyday from Aug. 2 to Sept. 9.  This time will allow me to start my day off early and either have a fun day with the kids during summer and then it will also allow me time to get to work when school begins.  I am also able to change the time if I need to which helps since I will have to transition back into work while still having treatments. 
I am looking forward to going into work tomorrow for the first time since I left in May.  It feels like I have been gone for a lot longer!!  I am moving rooms so I am anxious to figure out where I am moving and how all of my stuff will get moved.  I am even more excited to see my family at OG!! 

Life is so good!  Amongst all the appointments I was blessed to stop in at Picnic Basket for lunch and be brightened by the owner and her daughter as they complimented me on how inspirational I am for being so positive during this tough time.  I also got to go to the Tavern tonight with my mom as the girls were in Vacation Bible School at church.  We visited with Brad and had a nice quiet time together to catch up and just enjoy our time together!   My mom is awesome!!!  She is such a HUGE part of my strength and positiveness!  I love her so much and am so glad she is one of my best friends as well as my mom!!  Then while I was at the Tavern a blast from the past occurred when Ricki Lutter who lived across the street from me from age 4 to 17 (she was four years younger than me) came into have dinner with her husband.  It is so fun to see someone I knew as a kid who is all grown up and has a beautiful family.  It brought back so many awesome memories and made me smile!

Life is great... and yes I have cancer but I am still alive!!!  I want to live this life making a difference and loving every moment!