I'm really gonna do it this time! A solo October 2017 (?) PTR **Real World Update 9/27**

[IowaTater]

You will also be down there around the same time as myself & DH. I'm so jealous of BC! I would love to stay there sometime.

I agree with @Elevationist. If we didn't have the Memory Maker on our trip, not only would we miss out on the ride photos (and now the ride videos as well), all of our pictures would have DH only with some crappy selfies thrown in. We love it!

Dining Plan: We have the DDP budgeted into our trip. I am also getting a couple of Disney gift cards to use for F&W for when we run out of snack credits. I only use the snack credits for the more expensive samples.

 

[Jennafoo]

So it's been about a month since I updated here, and it's been a crazy month indeed.

Basically, I've been having a lot of health issues, and they culminated today in my doctor finding a cancerous tumor. I still need to find out what we have to do to move forward, though a major surgery is almost certainly in my very near future. Yay.

I haven't given up hope, though. I held off on buying plane tickets until I found out what was going on, but I still have my hotel reservation, and I've decided not to do anything about it right now. I have up until 45 days beforehand to back out, and it seems like it would be a good thing to shoot for.

I may have to dial back on my expectations of what I can do (maybe 1-2 events instead of ALL THE EVENTS), and look into things like a scooter while I'm there. But I'm not giving up hope, because that just seems dumb.

So, fingers crossed I can keep true to the title of this pre-trip report!!

 

[SnowWhiteOz]

So sorry to hear about your medical issues Jenna - wishing you a speedy recovery and sending lots of pixie dust your way

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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[Jennafoo]

So, I thought I'd fire this puppy up again...

Let me back up and give an update. In my last post, we had found cancer. From what they could tell from the scans (which are great nowadays, but can really only see so much), it was early. I needed a 2 hour surgery with a couple of days in the hospital, and may not even need chemo at all. From the PET scan, it had not spread to the rest of my body, which was a good sign.

Well, fast forward to the surgery mid-March and it was not early. It was late. Not, "Oh, my God, call the hospice" late, but it was certainly marching that way. The tumor was HUGE - what the scan showed was just the tip of the iceberg - and required an almost 7 hour surgery (!) and 11 days in the hospital. One of the lymph nodes showed cancer cells, which means spread was possible. I then endured complication after complication, including two that nearly killed me (renal failure and blood clots in the lungs) and six months of bi weekly, very aggressive chemo. Needless to say, I haven't worked or done much of anything in nearly 8 months other than try to survive.

Fast forward to now, and I've been given the all clear (it may come back in the future, but if so, we'll deal then), and am off all chemo and medications as of this past week. I go back to work on Monday for the first time since I left in March.

How does that affect Disney? Well, I waited as long as I could, but I eventually cancelled my trip in late October for this year. Though I was very lucky with insurance and disability benefits (and a workplace that held my job for me) so I'm okay financially, I just won't have any vacation time. Plus, I still have a few disabilities that would make traveling cross-country rough.

But, I am determined to make it! So, now I'm looking at October '17. I am already looking into dates and hotels, and saving my pennies. It will be my chance not only to fulfill my bucket list of going to WDW, but to celebrate making it through everything I've gone through.

So, I'm serious this time, people! Watch this space!

PS...BTW, all that glorious hair in my avatar? Yeah...bye bye. Stupid cancer.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

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