Jacksonville Beach

We are not beach people!  We do not like to be in the sun very much, detest sand in our shoes and clothes and don’t do much swimming.  We do like to be NEAR beaches and listen to the waves crashing while we sleep and enjoy walking on solid ground above the beaches.  That is why we so love Nice and La Jolla. However, if I ever had to live in Florida, I would consider living on the beaches of Jacksonville:  not because of the beaches, but because of the people!

We have been so impressed with every interaction we have had here - whether at supermarkets, restaurants, dry cleaners or shops - everyone is genuinely nice, concerned and friendly. It reminds us of our first visits to Australia and New Zealand, where the pride of country was evident in every encounter with the locals.  I don’t think it is ‘beach culture’ per se, but rather civic pride, which is usually missing in transient places like beach towns.

Today, after a long walk on the beach - yes I do walk on beaches in the winter - I came back only to discover that my glasses must have fallen out of my shirt pocket.  I tried to retrace my steps to find them on the sand, but to no avail. Megan and Cindy suggested that I check the walkways that connect parking areas to the beach because sometimes folks will find something and place it on the flat handrails. So after breakfast I did just that and on the 12th walkway, there were my glasses, completely intact. There was a surfer dude standing nearby and he heard me gasp out loud, "well, I’ll be" and asked what happened. I told him I lost my glasses and some kind soul had found them and placed them here. He said, “we have a lot of kind souls here.”  How cool!

Megan continues to get stronger and is eating and sleeping well. Yesterday we attended a conference on Multiple Myeloma for patients and caregivers sponsored by Mayo. The morning speakers were mostly people we know who have been treating Megan. At one point, Megan’s primary doctor was talking about the breakthroughs in this treatment and said that the very first patient to go through this clinical Car-T trial had just been released from the hospital and was sitting right in front of him. He asked Megan to stand and she got a big round of applause from the crowd.  It was a good experience. 

Megan’s son Blake came up yesterday - always a spirit-lifter for her - and went home today. The four of us had dinner last night at a lovely restaurant not far from the condo. It was not your typical beach menu but rather some sophisticated dishes, all of which were well prepared and served. We shared some of the best crispy Brussels sprouts and bacon I’ve ever had and a small order of perfectly cooked Lamb Lollipops  with mint chutney. My citrus glazed salmon was decorated with the most beautiful edible flowers and blistered green beans on cauliflower mash; Cindy loved her Gorgonzola-filled ravioli with a warm mixture of endive, walnuts, and pears alongside - as I said, not typical beach fare.  Best of all, they had real French Champagne for a mere $8/ glass - not only is the real deal seldom available in this country; it tends to be $12-15 or more per glass. 

Blake's dad, Clay, drove him up here to Jacksonville and back and we had breakfast with him this morning. We haven’t seen Clay in fourteen years but we have been so impressed with his parenting and his concern for Megan. It’s a ten-hour trip up and back and he did it to help support Megan. Gotta love the guy!  We have another week here and if all continues to go well, we’ll start the drive home next Sunday afternoon.

Jacksonville Mayo Clinic

It has been a remarkable three weeks, filled with roller coaster ups and downs. The great news is that Megan is making a remarkable recovery. The staff marvels at her attitude and her ability to maintain a very positive persona. The first few days after they infused her with her genetically modified and refined blood were tough for Meg. She was quite fragile going into the treatment and having to do an MRI for one hour placed a lot of strain on her body and her pain level at that time was a ten out of ten. The good folks at Mayo got her stabilized and treated her pain. That was ten days ago and now she no longer takes any pain meds at all since her pain is gone!!

All of her blood work is showing signs of returning to the normal pre-cancer readings. She is doing so well that they are letting her leave the hospital a day early, so this Monday we shall take her to the new rental on the beach. She will have a room with a balcony directly overlooking Jacksonville Beach and I predict her recovery will be far more enjoyable than having to stay at the hospital.  We’ll be here for the next two weeks looking after her but they are not placing any restrictions on her in terms of walking or eating. She just needs to be within a thirty-minute drive of Mayo and will have some appointments during the next several weeks to make sure all is well.  We are all so greatly relieved and so thankful to all the professionals at the Mayo Clinic who have made this possible.

As you can imagine, my usual tales of food and drink and long walks aren't being reported now since they haven't happened!  Nevertheless Cindy and I have gotten into a pleasant routine of visits to the hospital to spend time with Megan, lots of little shopping trips for special foods and things she needs, frequent loads laundry so that she had clean jammies every day (who would want to wear a hospital gown?) and some short walks around the neighborhood. I’ve been cooking up a storm for Megan and we deliver hot and healthy meals. I must say that the food at Mayo is outstanding, but I know what my little girl likes!  Once they spring her on Monday we hope to get out and about a little more, but if not we are perfectly happy continuing our routine with Megan with us.  We won't miss the drives back and forth to Mayo - even though it was only 15 minutes door to door, we sometimes felt that we were entirely too far from her.  That ends on Monday afternoon!  

More later, Cindy and Wm