A Look on the Bright Side at Hotel Hope

One of the most frequent pieces of advice I receive is, "Stay positive." That was easy in the days when I had a full head of hair and eyebrows, a full stomach of food that stayed down, and enough energy to double- and triple task my way through an endless to-do list.

But the first test to my ability to "stay positive" came when I checked in to Hotel Hope on Tuesday night. No, it's not the Ritz Carlton. Hey it's not even the Best Western, but it does have a few amenities and services that we're missing at home.

What I have at CoH / What We Have at Home

A firm, twin-sized adjustable bed / A sagging California King-Size bed

Sheets changed daily / Sheets changed weekly.

Daily breakfast in bed / Breakfast in bed on Mother's day, followed by a messy kitchen

Daily lunch in bed / Lunch at the kitchen table or office desk

Daily dinner in bed / Dinner in the dining room or out

No food shopping, preparation or cleanup / Weekly shopping and daily preparation and cleanup

A selection of 40 breakfast items / Three cereal types, bagels, fruit, yogurt

An extensive lunch/dinner menu with 76 selections / Three cans of soup, a jar of peanut butter, jelly, sliced turkey, canned tuna, wheat bread, pickles with a possible expiration date

Choice of 15 main courses with daily specials / Choices??

A flat-screen TV with VCR and DVD players, Cable and remote control / Bedroom TV with NO VCR and DVD, NO cable and remote control

The ability to sleep whenever I want for as long as I want. (After yesternday's record 14-hour snooze, I felt like conquering the world, or at the very least kicking some MCL. backside) / The ability to sleep in until 7:30 am on days that I'm not taking Cindy to school.


And it's especially easy to stay positive when, as Paula reported, I have high energy, good appetite and no harmful side effects after two days of intensive chemo. Those anti-nausea, anti-anxiety drugs are miraculous! When my white blood cell counts begin to drop, it may be a very different story, but I'm enjoying the bright moments while they last.