Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Big Honkin' Earrings

My mother--fondly known to many friends of my siblings as "JoMama" is having a hard summer. The surgery for cancer was scheduled really quickly, so from confirmed diagnosis to actual hospital release was only about 5 days. The cancer hadn't spread, so the mastectomy and lymphectomy apparently got everything there was to get.

On the whole, she has kept a really good attitude about the whole thing. It helps that all of her medical providers can't believer that she is as old as she is, AND that she isn't on any medications. No high blood pressure, no heart medicine, no arthritis.

Sure--except for the CANCER, that is, she's really healthy.

The chemo, however, is a real bitch.

Some days are really good, and some days are...well, not. I guess it's even just a prophylactic treatment anyway, as there is no indication that there is any cancer left. According to the surgeon, it would be a mild course of chemo. "And you won't even lose your hair." Tell that to the hair that has fallen out.

Anyway, in her quest for the right "look" for a chemo patient, JoMama has started to think about wearing earrings. She's been seeing pictures of women with really short hair who wear really big earrings, and she thought that might look good. She's never pierced her ears, in part because she has a fear of needles. After 6 needles a week, however, she's kind of gotten over that. But her immune system is kind of depressed (or oppressed) by the chemo, so now is not the time. But clip-ons could work.

So, I went to the bead store and bought some clip-on bases to make some earrings for JoMama. I also got some chandelier parts and put together an intricate set of blue crystals. It looks pretty good--and after her hair grows back, she can wear them for belly dancing.

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