What's Up With The Bird Socks?

I've gotten a lot of questions lately about how the "bird-sock-wearing-on-treatment-days" came to be.  It all started with my aunts, my mom's two sisters, who live on the West Coast.  My aunts found the "Birds on a Wire" socks and sent them to me to wear on my first treatment day on September 14th.  They also bought pairs of socks and wore them on my first treatment day, along with my uncles.

It was a way for us all to be connected, even though there is great distance between us.  Then, Janelle and the rest of my immediate and extended family got pairs of socks to support me.  After my second round, Janelle shared the story of the bird socks on my caring bridge site and prompted people to buy them to help us all feel connected on my treatment days.  We had no idea that so many people would purchase and wear the socks on my treatment days.  One of my favorite parts about this amazing phenomenon is that the socks have birds on them.  If you know my extended family, you know that we range from casual birders to very-serious--award-winning-birders.  Birds have always connected us.  Now bird socks are connecting us.

On treatment days, I get pictures from my family, my mom's friends, my dad's coworkers, my cousin's roommates, my old friends from high school, colleagues, my brother's work friends, Janelle's extended family, my family friends, Janelle's friends from Thailand, and even my principal.  We were not expecting this.  However, the bird socks anchor me on my treatment days.  The constant flood of texts, emails, Facebook and CaringBridge posts of sock pictures help get me through the day.  Even when people don't send pictures, just knowing people are wearing the socks brings a smile to my face.   How magical is that!  People are wearing bird socks to remind me that I am not alone.  That I am not going through this by myself.  I have people.  And they've got me.  Even people that don't have bird socks send me pictures of their socks, which I love just as much.

If anyone feels moved to buy the bird socks, you can buy them here:
Birds on a Wire Socks

Or if you're local, you can get them at On Centre in JP or Brookline Booksmith.

I'm dreading Monday but know the sock pictures will get me through the day!  Also, the date of my last treatment was changed to December 29th, so that Nurse Jackie can be my chemo nurse.  She's been my chemo nurse for every treatment so far.  She brings us comfort and a familiar face.  She won't be with us this coming Monday(because she has the day off, which is totally allowed), but that's the only one we'll have without her.

Love and bird socks.