Nearly five months ago I suspended my consulting and freelance business in the face of Robert’s then-impending surgery to remove a large melanoma from his scalp. I was too distracted, not to mention too busy with medical appointments and emotional upheaval, to concentrate on work, and I didn’t want to let any clients down by not meeting deadlines or by handing in sub-par assignments.

Now that the scare of a four- to eight-month prognosis is behind us and Robert’s status is “healthy” and “No Evidence of Disease,” the question comes up from time to time: am I “ready” to go back to work? And the answer is – NO!

Our day at Johns Hopkins on Friday turned out to be shorter than we expected - they called at the last minute to say not to come until 10. We were very busy (yes, a little "hurry up and wait") until 3 p.m., and we left with only one reservation - that we still didn't have much more information than we left home with. I promise to post again as soon as we know something - and if you don't really care very much what our day was like, feel free to skip this post. Check back in a few days to find out the results.

A Washington Post article about a Bethesda teen who’s recovering from an infection with necrotizing fasciitis (also known as “flesh-eating bacteria”) got me thinking – after I read every word. I couldn’t help but see a few parallels between her 16^th birthday and my own. We both “celebrated” in hospitals, uncertain about our futures. And both of us were changed by our brushes with death at a young age.

We got our schedule for Oct. 19 at Johns Hopkins - what a busy day that will be!