So it begins.

Today I started my new 'chemo' program. I started at 8:30 this morning and its around 2:30 in the afternoon and I still have a few hours to go. I am lucky number 16 in a drug study program for my bizarre type of cancer. Well I am lucky number 16 in the worldwide study and lucky numero uno in the Yale New Haven study. The drugs are flowing and we hope they will do the trick to send me into remission.

Lets go back a bit... I decided on the title of my blog because of my participation in this study and because of my status as 'test dummy' to my older siblings when I was a little kid. I hold no grudges about this. I was younger then them by a few years and when they came up with a new idea they needed a willing subject. When you're the much younger sibling you'll do anything to be able to "play" with your sibs so I agreed. I lived through it! And now we have a few really good stories to reminisce about. "Remember the time we launched Tisha off the stone wall in the little yellow sled".

Now I am an adult and I have once again willingly submitted to being used as a test subject. I have a type of cancer that isn't all that well known. SPLTCL. Its a type of lymphoma and this is my second go round with it. I was in remission for 3 years. We were referred to a doc at Yale who has done a bit of research in this type of cancer and her thoughts are that this is what I need. I've signed all the forms and I've undergone all of the testing and finally today the drug is flowing.

I thought this blog would be a good way to get through this time. Keep my friends and family up to date and let them see where things are. I've always used humor to help me get through things like this and I figure this is no time to stop. So... hang on... and I will take you on this ride with me.

*** the picture at the top is Clemmy on Christmas day... aren't we all jealous of the way they can kick back... I so want to be her right now, curled up on the couch with the fleecy blanket.