I closed the door on my cancer treatments just as this pandemic hit. My husband finally closed the door on his long and very successful career in education. Right before the pandemic hit, we decided it was time to put our home on the market and start the process of living out a dream…involving palm trees. We had an open house and several showings, things were moving fast then it all came to a screeching halt. Our realtor came down with Covid-19 and we were afraid for him. Luckily, he recovered with no lingering issues. We all decided it would be prudent to pull our listing until things improved in our area, which it did.
The decision to relist was hard. We were eager to sell but were just as eager to keep everyone safe and healthy, and protect me as my immune system is being a royal sloth here. People would need to be fully screened for covid and financial before we could agree to let them inside our home. That was the easy part.
When folks would leave, the windows would fly open and the fans would be cranked to high speed. The husband would enter, geared up with a mask, gloves, Lysol and bleach. Switches, door handles and counters would get a soaking while the air was sprayed with Lysol. I’d stay outside until long after he was done. Once I was inside, with mask and glove, I’d rebleach everything including the floors, two or three times. Overkill? Maybe, maybe not. I didn’t survive cancer to get taken down by this new plague.
We are under contract with people who remind us of us. This house holds lots of wonderful memories. We had our first wedding here at home. We began raising two beautiful boys here. Early on in our marriage, we’d sit outside and plan and dream about the future, and that always involved palm trees. Buying a new home was a bit interesting but our realtor down south has a great sense of humor and really helped us score a lovely new place.
Selling and buying during all of this has been a test of patience. Getting things ready for the move isn’t so daunting. Establishing a new medical team is a little hard. I love my team here, with all of my heart. They are the only part of all of this that is actually a little hard for me. People who essentially saved my life and pieced me back together hold a very special place in my life. They are a part of me. With their help, I have a new team being put together at the Moffitt Cancer Center. One thing that was important to us in moving was living near enough to them so I can continue to be monitored. Quarantine life? Got nothing on the cancer life!! Indeed I am free of disease but will be followed for the rest of my life. I don’t mind, those visits remind me of just how fragile life is.
Just as I have closed the door on chemo and treatment, there’s a new door about to open. I get to live my dream. There’s a lot of love in these walls and the house has been good to us. I hope the next family gets all of those same feels and then some.
