I thought it a good idea to add a little narrative to the recent events in Charlotte's life followed by a current status report. Sorry if this runs a little long.
On Tuesday afternoon, the 8th of October, Alicia flew out to be with Charlotte for several days. To be honest, the reports we were getting from Sheelagh seemed to indicate that Charlotte was going downhill, seemingly near the end. When Alicia arrived on Wednesday morning, Charlotte was very weak and lethargic and Alicia described to me how Charlotte would pick at Alicia's clothes. Charlotte wasn't eating, nor was there any output. It seemed very grim.
Friday morning, Charlotte took a dose of steroids and showed little change all day. Graham drove down several hours to be there too.
By Saturday, Charlotte was much more awake, active, and eating. It was good for everyone to see her more active, but Alicia wondered to me if this was the "last burst" of energy before the end. Several weeks previous, Alicia found a list of symptoms that indicate how much time someone might have left with this sort of cancer. The exact process and indications are different for everyone, but there are some signs that tend to occur for most people. One of the symptoms is a state of alertness and interactivity only a few days before the end. Was this it?
As you can gather from the recent posts, Charlotte felt well enough to actually get out of bed and eat and output! They celebrated her birthday and enjoyed some time outside away from bed.
We're not sure exactly the cause of the turn around, save for the steroids she has taken. From the first dose, she had another each day and has gained strength enough to stay with us a while longer.
As of this past weekend, Charlotte felt well enough to go to church - although she didn't stay the whole time. Unfortunately, she became very nauseous and vomited before the meeting was over.
I've included a picture of Charlotte watching a movie in bed while Graham was there. I think they were watching "Unicorn City" at the time. I think it's safe to say Charlotte is surrounded by loved ones - even if no one in the picture gets the joke about "Warlocks of the Beach" (I had to explain it to Alicia).
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