A letter to The Liz Army (May 2010)

Written by Brett, and sent via e-mail to friends

Dear Friends of the Liz Army,

Greetings! As you may have noticed, it has been quite some time since there has been a Liz related update. Well, as they say in the movies, "sometimes no news is good news". This applies to the medical field as well.

This week, Liz and I headed to Redwood City for her MRI and follow-up with the awesome neuro-oncology nurse practitioner. As has been the case for a while now, there are no significant changes. While there is still a small amount of residual tumor left behind, the main tumor cavity is still empty, and showing no signs of growth.

Not only have the MRIs led to a "no news" situation, but they have also become fewer and further between. Liz continues on her oral chemotherapy one week each month, and tumor growth continues to be non-existent. As such, her visits have moved from every other month to every three months.

In non-cancer news, Liz continues to enjoy her new job, which is quite busy due to the upcoming primary elections. She is still in physical therapy as part of her recovery from her shoulder surgery in March. Oh, you didn't know? Remember how Liz kept dislocating her shoulder last year? The whole Wii tennis thing? Well, in March, she put her chemo on pause, and got a much needed tightening of her shoulder, arthroscopically speaking. The surgery went smoothly, and her recovery is slowly but surely coming along. Wounds are long since healed, and she says for the most part the pain is gone. Now it's just a matter of sticking with the PT exercises in order to get her range of motion back.

As for me, still working two part time jobs. I'm still working part time at the ________, but no longer at the Penny Saver. My job was relocated down to Brea (Southern California), and while I was offered the position, I had to decline. Now, I find myself once again working at a used record store, but this time it's online only, which I have to admit, is nice. It's a nice relaxing job, and it pays the bills while I seek something a little more permanent.

So that brings things up to date. In case you haven't heard, Liz and I are getting married. We are enjoying the stress of planning a wedding, and look forward to October. Thank you once again for being the best Army a Liz could have.

Sincerely,
Brett (and Liz)

Liz Salmi

Liz Salmi is Communications & Patient Initiatives Director for OpenNotes at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Over the last 15 years Liz has been: a research subject; an advisor in patient stakeholder groups; a leader in “patient engagement” research initiatives; and an innovator, educator and investigator in national educational and research projects. Today her work focuses on involving patients and care partners in the co-design of research and research dissemination. It is rumored Liz was the drummer in a punk rock band.

https://thelizarmy.com
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