“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)
This is a legendary quote any Lord of the Rings fan would know–so when I tried to think of what I’d like to write after my last blog post (and I gotta be honest, it’s really hard to follow up with that), I couldn’t think of anything except what the wizard Gandalf said. I can only decide what to do with the time that I have, as my journey in Korea is quickly coming to a close. My one-way flight back to Texas will be August 25th, leaving me with almost exactly 3 months left in the most epic adventure of my life–however difficult it’s become in these last few weeks.
[ May 20th, 2023] An Update
My mom, who was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in April, finally came home after almost a month in the hospital. Even though she’ll return for chemotherapy every 3 weeks, this is a huge step! I applaud her for her courage; to leave all the monitors and watchful care of nurses to bravely pursue some normalcy again–having faith that God will sustain her every single day, as He has done so far. Just…wow. Way to go, Mom! ♥
I’m not with her or my family right now of course, so I can’t speak 100% on their behalf, but I can say that she’s gotten a lot of her strength back. The swelling from the blood clots has decreased (though the doctors say it could take up to 6 months for them to completely dissolve.) Whatever the case, she’s breathing so much better now!
Mom is also experiencing typical side-effects from chemotherapy, but I take this as a sign that it’s working. We hope that by July, we’ll know whether or not the tumor around the vein will have shrunk enough to remove by surgery or radiation treatments. Next week she’s already going in for her second round of chemo, so let’s keep praying/fighting the boss battle together for her!!
When I finally publicly wrote about what was going on, the days after felt so much more bearable–as though a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Friends, family and even neighbors whom I’ve never met flooded my phone with support for my mom. My family received so much food from people, too, that they had a huge stash of left-overs tucked away in the freezer for several days. Ha!
I gotta be honest, though. I felt kinda confused about what to do after that, especially when it came to social media. I didn’t know what I was supposed to say or do–if I should stop posting altogether to prevent misconstrued ideas about how I was “taking it”–or to continue as I always did. Then I thought of my mom. She wants to see all the things I do every day in Korea, along with so many of you who have been with me on this adventure all along! A few people might assume, with all the coffee and dessert photos, going to orchestras and what-have-you, that I’m either ignoring my family’s pain or not being honest enough about it. Well whatever. Showing you guys and my family what I’m doing almost every day and how life in Korea is like for me has been such a joy that I think has gone both ways. So don’t worry. I’ll keep posting. Especially for you, Mom! ♥
Anyway, I’m so relieved to feel your prayers and see people come together for my family. I couldn’t still be here in Korea, living each day with peace and courage, without those prayers. Thank you, sincerely! From the bottom of my heart.
And now I have but only 3 months left in Korea, precious time blessed by my family to finish what I started. So I better decide what to do with it, as the old wizard said, and make it an awesome ending to this adventure.
I’ve got some ideas in mind. 😏
Signed,
Allison the Adventurer
