Author: Robin Hinnen

  • 10 February – back to the grind

    I report back to the hospital today. I didn’t sleep that well last night, probably due to being slightly keyed up over my return. I awoke way too early, my brain already spinning over the things I still needed to pack. I was showered and out in the kitchen by 6:30 and got a bit…

  • 9 February – final day of break

    Well, here it is, the last full day at home before I have to be re-incarcerated. The day is gloomy and a bit damp, a perfect day to spend curled up under a blanket with a good book. We have some light shopping to do and may get some lunch but I want to spend…

  • 8 February – third full day of break

    Didn’t have a great night last night. My bladder just won’t let me rest for more than two hours before sounding the alarm and that makes for a VERY broken night’s rest. Still, being in my own bed, snuggled up in my own fluffy down blanket, is infinitely preferable to the cold institutional feel of…

  • 7 February – second full day of break

    Things I’m grateful for: 1. All the friends and family members who have sent well wishes and prayers. You’re all a huge blessing! ❤️ 2. The ability to sit in the sun on a beautiful afternoon, chatting with friends. 3. Ice cream. Particularly our favorite little downtown haunt, Scoop Street. Can’t type now. Eating. NOM…

  • 6 February – first full day of break

    Things I’m grateful for: 1. FOOD.😄 It just makes me so stinkin’ happy. 2. Being able to sit at my dining room table and gaze out onto a beautiful day. 3. My home. I always found it rather shabby (I am no interior decorator, after all), but now it’s a nest of warm, loving safety.…

  • 5 February

    Things I’m grateful for: 1, My twisted sense of humor, which allows me to step away from present events and see the utter ridiculousness of the situation. 2. Geez, I’m struggling a bit here. I guess a body still young and healthy enough to withstand all the poisons it’s being asked to absorb. Poor body……

  • February 4

    Things I’m grateful for: 1. My quiet, gentle morning nurse “mice”, Rosario and Quynh (pronounced Quinn). Wonderful, sweet, they try very hard to disturb me as little as possible during nightly labs and vitals. 2. Dr. Bamboh. From Tanzania, her voice is like rich honeyed velvet. Her smile will light up a room and she…

  • 30 January

    This is the second time I’ve skipped my gratitude section. Don’t worry, I’ll get back to it soon, but I want to hurry to offer an update. I had a restless night last night. Couldn’t sleep and began to feel warm, too warm, a bit past midnight. Turns out I was running a fever that…

  • 29 January

    Had my bone marrow biopsy this morning at 10:15. I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink ANYTHING after midnight so when the procedure was finished and a nurse handed me a cup of ice water, I chugged it down and then was looking for more. Today seems to be going a little better. Still no…

  • 28 January

    Things I’m grateful for: 1. My artistic talent. It’s my greatest gift and yet I feel that I’ve squandered it for most of my adult life. Getting well again will mean addressing this deficit. 2. My ability to get along with others, to strike up conversations with total strangers. I’ve never considered myself a terribly…