Author: Rachel Lynch

This year I ordered a new Christmas tree. Two reasons: Done and done…or so I thought. When I was online shopping, I could not remember how tall our ceilings are. Not a clue. So, using highly advanced Girl Math™, I looked at Mike standing in the living room and decided our ceilings were roughly one […]

Yesterday, while Mike was back for another MRI, I found myself doing the thing every caregiver knows too well: sitting in a waiting room pretending I’m relaxed while my stomach does Olympic-level gymnastics. Then a woman across from me started talking to me – just easy small talk at first. But somehow, in that strange […]

Someone asked me the other day if I planned to watch the Super Bowl halftime show and what I thought about “Bad Bunny.” I know there’s some kind of controversy swirling around them, but honestly…I haven’t really looked into it. Not because I don’t care what people think or feel — but because, after the […]

I feel like I’m in limbo. And honestly? It sucks. Waiting is its own kind of agony — too still to move forward, too heavy to rest. Mike has good weeks, the kind that almost convince me we’ve turned a corner. I start to exhale, let my guard down, maybe even laugh without checking for […]

This weekend, I took a much-needed break to my happy place — the mountains of western NC. The timing couldn’t have been worse — Mike was laid out from maintenance chemo, my tailgate gave up the ghost, everything at work broke, and construction on I-26 had traffic backed up from Spartanburg all the way to […]

This morning in the waiting room, my brain went rogue. Not “what’s for dinner” rogue. Not “should I reorganize the pantry” rogue. Straight to: “If we were all cavemen right now, who survives the saber tooth tiger?” Excuse me, brain? But once it started, the casting was obvious: It’s dark, I know. But that’s what […]

One down, eleven to go. Mike finished his first week of maintenance chemo, and while it wasn’t easy, we’re counting it as a win. This phase looks a little different than the daily grind of chemo + radiation: one week of oral chemo each month, plus MRIs every two months to keep tabs on things. […]

It’s been a busy few weeks, and I’ve been dying to share this — for the first time since all of this started, we finally have some truly good news. We went to both Duke and MUSC for fresh opinions on Mike’s case and his latest MRI. Both told us what we were hoping (but […]

Our Sunday morning started as our old Sunday mornings used to start. Coffee, reading, and brunch and beer at Steel Hands. Brunch was bliss—tangerine sours, fried mac n’ cheese bites, great music and the quiet camaraderie that we used to take for granted. For a hot second, I thought life was back to normal. So […]

This weekend, we escaped to Milwaukee to meet up with dear friends—a trip that had been on the calendar long before life turned upside down. Back then, it was just a fun getaway to look forward to. Now, it felt like something more: a lifeline. A chance to breathe. I’m beyond grateful Mike felt well […]

I was in the Delta Sky Club bathroom when I heard a woman say, “I’m having a shitty time…” That’s all I caught before the bathroom door closed behind her. Shitty time with what? The wine selection? The lack of cucumber water? The Sky Club bathroom? A few months ago, I would’ve rolled my eyes. […]

March 17, 2025 – the day our lives changed forever. The day that my husband and soulmate found out he had something terrible in his brain that turned out to be cancer.  And yet… …sixteen and a half weeks later, after undergoing a craniotomy, eight days in the hospital, eight days in rehab, and six […]

(A cautionary tale of caffeine, chaos, and the illusion of maturity) All I wanted this morning was a cup of coffee. Just one. A simple, steaming cup of sanity to start the day. Instead, I got a front-row seat to a domestic disaster — the kind that only caffeine deprivation can properly magnify. Cole, bless […]

Up until now, side effects of radiation and chemo have been blessedly mild, but things are definitely starting to ramp up. Over the last few days, Mike has been absolutely WIPED. He’s more tired than ever, everything tastes metallic, and he barely has an appetite. The silver lining – he has an amazing nurse at […]

It’s been a week since I’ve posted. The writing bug just hasn’t visited me. Last week was a rollercoaster — some good moments, some hard ones. Mike has completed three full weeks of treatment. He’s starting to lose a little hair, but it’s not very noticeable as long as he keeps it cut close. His […]

We didn’t do anything big for Father’s Day this year. Mike got a few gifts. Cole came home. I made one of their favorite meals — lemon salmon with roasted vegetables. It was a quiet day, with a little TV and a nap or two. Unremarkable. But it mattered. We got another Father’s Day. This […]

“How are you doing?” A seemingly innocuous question. At a minimum, it’s a conversation starter. It usually follows the obligatory “hello,” “hi,” or “hey.” But lately, it feels like a landmine. Do people want me to just say, “I’m okay,” so they can move along with their day, unbothered, with no emotional investment? Or are […]

One full week of treatment down — five more to go. So far, Mike is tolerating it incredibly well, with only mild symptoms. We know it’s still early, but we’re calling that a win. The weather is warming up, but not so much that I can’t enjoy a gentle stroll around the hospital while he’s […]

This morning I went in for my annual mammogram. You know, the appointment where you’re already feeling vulnerable because you’re topless, squished, and making awkward small talk with a stranger. The tech was nice – a little chatty, but nice. We got to talking about walking, and when she mentioned a local pond she likes […]

So far, we’re relieved to say that Mike’s symptoms have been relatively mild. He’s mostly just very tired—understandably so—and has had some mild nausea, but the anti-nausea meds are helping quite a bit. We know there may be tougher days ahead, but for now, we’re grateful for a gentle start. We’ve been doing our best […]

Mike began radiation treatment yesterday morning. He didn’t feel the actual x-rays themselves, and the treatment only took about 15 minutes. He remained fairly alert and didn’t experience TOO much fatigue yesterday afternoon. We even stopped at the Lexington Mill Pond for a brief walk, just to get out and get some nature therapy. We […]

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve begun our final descent to our destination. Please ensure your seatbacks are upright and your seatbelts are fastened. Thank you.” As my flight began its final approach to Columbia on Friday, it struck me how much that message is exactly how I feel heading into Mike’s treatment. The takeoff was really […]

This week I am blessed to be on a wellness retreat in the desert. I had set this up several months before our world was knocked off kilter with Mike’s diagnosis, and I almost cancelled it several times before ultimately deciding that since we’re still in a holding pattern waiting for treatment to start that […]

We went Monday so that Mike could be fitted for his radiation mask. They also did an MRI so they’ll be able to determine exactly where to target the radiation.  We will meet the oncologist Thursday to learn more about the chemo treatment plan. We do know that chemo will be in pill form, and […]

“If you see someone without a smile, give ‘em yours.” – Dolly Parton The other day I just needed to get out of the house. I hadn’t been shopping in a while, so I thought it might be nice to just go out and calm my racing thoughts with some new clothes. New clothes always […]

I guess we’ll need a new countdown now, because we got a call from Dr. Engh last night. He has enough information from pathology from Duke to fully diagnose Mike’s tumor as a grade 3 astrocytoma with wIDH. Not the news we were hoping for, as it is a more aggressive tumor, classified as having […]

Still no updates on pathology or when Mike will begin radiation therapy, so I thought I’d change things up a bit today on this here little blog (I suppose I’m a blogger now, how weird is that?). When someone we love suddenly has their world shattered by an event like this, whether it’s a loss […]

This weekend Mike and I celebrated our 22nd anniversary. 22 years that seem to have breezed by! We’ve been through a lot these past 22 years, but Mike’s brain tumor has definitely been the hardest challenge we’ve had to face together. What did we do to celebrate? Well…Mike went with me to Publix and he […]

23 days and every day still brings improvements. His stride continues to improve when he walks. His face is less droopy, and he’s starting to get some feeling back on the left side. His left arm and hand also continue to improve – he was able to put together a shower chair Thursday without any […]

I genuinely wish I had more of an update for everyone 3 weeks to the day after Mike’s brain surgery! We are still waiting on pathology results, and we’re still waiting for home health to be approved so Mike can continue his occupational and physical therapy. In the meantime, I’ve had to go back to […]

That smile!!!! For the last few weeks that left side just wasn’t cooperating with Mike’s smile game, and I was starting to get used to the lopsided grin, but his entire smile is back!!! We’re still seeing small changes every day, and he continues to improve. Still no news on pathology, but home health is […]

What a weekend! Saturday was the big coming home – so after the discharge process we took it easy the rest of the day. Mike spent all day with the dogs, we sat out on the porch for a good chunk of the afternoon, and we called it an early night. We, of course, had […]

Today is the DAY y’all! Today is the day we’ve been training for the last 2+ weeks. Mike came home today! They sent him off to Ride the Wind by Poison: And the girls were absolutely DELIGHTED to have him home!!!! The past few weeks have been a whirlwind – I feel like we’ve been […]

I just got home from packing up most of Mike’s belongings because at 10:00 AM tomorrow morning the discharge process will begin! I don’t know that either one of us will sleep a wink tonight because we’re so ecstatic. Now that he’s off the walker, there really isn’t much we need to do to prep […]

Y’all notice anything missing??? That’s right…NO WALKER! We just took a couple of laps around the building! I couldn’t be more excited to see him walking on his own. In other news…guess who’s busting out and coming HOME Saturday?!?!? The big guy is officially coming home the day after tomorrow. I know 3 little fluffer […]

Today Mike had OT and PT all day until 5:00. So I took the opportunity to take a much needed rest day and just zoned out for a while. I had some books and some Netflix that I desperately needed to get caught up on (I wasn’t crying…or screaming…much). Yesterday was a mixed bag. Mike […]

Monday was a full day of therapy. Everyone, absolutely everyone, that sees how well Mike is moving tells us that they doubt he will be in rehab much longer. In fact, the facility therapists, nurses, doctors and case manager will all consider him in their meeting today – HOPEFULLY that means he’ll be busting out […]

Yesterday was Easter! It was a gorgeous day. Our friend Mandy dropped of a delicious roast and a giant pan of scrumptious mac n cheese (she knows me so well!), so we had a wonderful Easter dinner, complete with rolls and strawberry shortcake, courtesy of my mom. We brought little Maya, who barked at anyone […]

Today was Mike’s first full day of rehab, and he had both occupational therapy and physical therapy. He was done by noon! One of their goals this week is to start walking without the walker. The facility doctor stopped by and said he was doing so well that he didn’t think Mike would be there […]

…well, from LMC, anyway.  Today is moving day! Still waiting for official discharge, but we’re busting out today by noon and will be checking in to Mike’s 5 star resort rehab center in Cayce. Not sure what that process will look like or how long it will take, so please give me until tomorrow to […]