Teenage Hormones on Crack

   Well, we only have one more week of treatments left.  Whew!  Almost done!  Tori has been feeling somewhat better over the past week with less nausea & not as many headaches. I don't think she has vomited even once this week & the steroids seem to be helping the right sided weakness too!  She has a really good heel strike on the right side and her balance has improved quite a bit from two weeks ago.  She even was able to do a 1.5 mile run a couple days ago, so it seems that she is getting better!

    In the meantime, she does have one side effect that is quite dramatic: the steroids are making her have EXTREME mood swings.  Now those of you who know Tori are saying to yourselves, "Oh yeah, I have seen her that way before." But let me say that these are not just the normal teenage mood swings, these are TEENAGE-HORMONES-ON-CRACK MOOD SWINGS!  Ha ha! BLESS HER HEART...she is crying one second and laughing the next, then she gets mad for no reason at all, and then goes back to laughing again.  I do have to laugh about it though, because it is quite entertaining. (We will see if her boyfriend, Neil, thinks its funny after a couple more weeks! Ha Ha! I wouldn't wanna be him right now. Hee hee.)

   Anyway, she is really looking forward to getting back to work.  I am really looking forward to not having 2 homes to clean and 2 homes to fill with groceries, etc...  However, we are going to miss Bloomington very much.  It is just a gorgeous fall season here and all the colors are bright and the smell of the leaves in the air is wonderful.  Today I took her and Neil out to one of the trails here and we took some pictures (see below).  I have to say that they do make a very sweet couple!

   The insurance payments have finally come through!  The insurance is actually covering all of the proton beam costs except for about four thousand dollars.  This is great news because now Tori will have some of the donation money left over to pay for her remaining/future healthcare costs. She will have to go back on a regular basis for MRIs (starting in 6 weeks) to see how the radiation has worked and to make sure the tumor cells are not growing.  The doctor has made it quite clear to us that this is probably not a permanent solution, and that Tori will probably have some more significant medical costs over the next decade of her life.  Hopefully, if or when it does start to grow back, there will be an actual cure available for her to utilize.

   Thank you once again to all who have so generously given of themselves and their finances to help. We continue to be amazed and deeply touched by everyone's compassion and support.  If you would like to donate to help Tori with these costs, please make checks payable to:
 Victoria Collins and send to:
                                             PO BOX 25
                                        Sheridan IN 46069        Or click HERE to donate online

"We have peace with God and, by faith, we have full access to His grace, in which we stand. Therefore, we daily rejoice in His love. And we also take pride in tribulations, knowing that tribulations work patience, and patience works experience, and experience works hope.  And the hope we have in God does not disappoint us because we are fully assured of His love that has been shed abroad in our hearts."  Romans 5:1-5