It's only a Choroidal Fissure Cyst. Confirmed by the MRI. Absolutely nothing to worry about. Lots of people have them and they mean nothing.

I can't begin to express the relief and the joy I feel right now. Today is my birthday, and this was the best gift I could have received. The gift of a healthy, brilliant, wacky daughter whose brains are intact...

Thanks to all of you, who left messages in my guestbook, and notes of encouragement along the way. You can't know how much it helped when my sick imaginings got too out of control.

The kid was funny. She went out on the balcony and hollered "Guess what, world???? I'm gonna LIVE!" Then she called a bunch of people and left messages for them.

Through the past month, I kept wondering what lesson I was supposed to be learning from all of this (I have a philosophy that lessons are learned from everything we experience in life). I couldn't see how this could have been educational - except in how to drive myself nuts. I have an inkling now, however. Life is short. Life is uncertain. People around us are suffering pain and loss. Nobody is above it. Not even me or mine. There is no time in life to put up with being abused, cheated, feeling less than, or stuffing feelings. Life is to be grabbed on to and lived. Because you just never know...

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know we will...

November 26, 2003