The probability of making a royal flush in poker is 0.00000154% or 1 in 649,740 hands. Royal flushes are extremely rare. In life, we are all dealt cards – good ones and bad. As the saying goes, it’s how you play your cards that is important. The same two players can start a Texas Hold ‘Em Game with the worst cards – unsuited 7 & 2. Player one likely folds before the flop. The other bluffs her way to the pot. One threw their cards in before the hand was over. One threw all their chips in regardless of what happened in the end.  

My mom, Ginny, fights cancer like she’s bluffing holding an unsuited 7 & 2. She has stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Doctor says there is no curing it. The goal of chemo when she had stage 3 breast cancer in 2021 was to cure it. The goal of chemo now is to slow it down and hopefully prolong her life.  

Those were the cards my mom was dealt. She could have easily rolled over and wallowed in anger, fear, anxiety, depression, … But she hasn’t. What did she do six days after her last cancer treatment? She bowled. Not one game – THREE. What did she do after she bowled the three games – go home and take a nap? Nope! She went grocery shopping – at a bulk store no less.  

After a recent doctor appointment, the one when she was diagnosed with stage 4, I asked her how she was doing. She said, “Good, I know Jesus is walking with me.” I put my bent arm up and so did she.  We left the hospital that day walking arm in arm with Jesus between us.  

I recently asked my mom what she wants to do with whatever time she has left to walk this Earth. She said two things – ride a horse in Monument Valley where the John Wayne movies were filmed and drive a car as fast as she can on the Salt Flats of Utah. Um, anyone have any connections???

My mom has chemo two Fridays in a row, then one Friday off. On each week off, we’re celebrating with No Chemo Friday Fun Day. We’re celebrating one day off from the hours-long process of putting potential cancer causing drugs into her system to fight cancer. We’re celebrating having a few days off from the lovely chemo side-effects. We’re celebrating having more time with her. 

For our first No Chemo Friday Fun Day, we went to the Falls Family Restaurant for breakfast with some family members. Then to the West Side Market. It wasn’t a long outing. Mind you, it was just one day after that bowling and shopping spree. Her body wasn’t quite able to follow-through with her heart’s desire two days in a row. 

For our second No Chemo Friday Fun Day, we stayed home. Mom’s white blood count was too low for her to be in public. We made the best of it. We played a card game called Hand and Foot and ate her favorite pizza – Pizza Hut – all day. She beat me every single game. Pretty sure she enjoyed every moment of her No Chemo Friday Fun Day. Mine was pretty good too – even with the butt kicking.  

She will keep fighting. She will keep throwing all her chips in the pot regardless of what happens in the end. Only God knows how many days she has left to walk this Earth. He has a royal flush waiting for her in heaven.  Until then, she’ll play like she has one now.  

 Our first Friday No Chemo Friday Fun Day at the Westside Market.