Back in the Saddle Again

Wednesday, Jenuary28th, the six-month anniversary of my stroke: I did something I didn't think I'd be doning again, especially this soon. I taught again! A couple of weekends before, I was having a particylarly low time from not playing/teachin. So I contacted the parents of a couple former students That havebeen kind in keeping in touch with me through all of this. asking if their kids would honor me by letting me teach them one time before Solo & Ensemble ( for free, of course, as I'm no longer their primary lesson teacher and wasn't sureHow I'd handle it anyway. Plus, as I saw it, I'd owe them for the time, as They would be doing me the service of helping me feel like a eaxher again) These were two of my favorite junior high saxophone students fro last year, who were my most favorite students ever and both really talented players. The kind of students that made the whole week worth while amidst all the awful uncaring students who don't practice or care how they play. To have them back-to-back was almost too good to be true It would have been nicer if I coould have played during the lessons, but it was still so much fun that I was sad when the second student was heading out the door. But the experience put me in such good spirits for the rest of the week, My last set of labs are getting even better. Before my lastround of chemo, ( before Christmas my CD4 was 51 and viral load was 99,. After chemo at the beginning of January, iCD4 had dropped to 43 but still up from the labs October and my viral load is down to 49( just one point awat from "undetectable"). So now that I'm done withthe regular full chemo treatments, my numbers should continue to improve