My carry-on luggage this time consists of pillows and medicines. And a letter from my oncologist, confirming that I need the morphine for own use.
I have traveled to Brazil, together with my two beloved daughters.
At 10 in the morning, the day after chemo- and immune therapy treatment, we left Hedalen (Norway). I will have a break from the chemo to do this trip; traveling in the 3 weeks gap between third and fourth dose of immune therapy. Already the day after I come back to Norway, I will be back on with both chemo- and immune therapy treatments.
When planning the trip, I booked for mobility assistance in the airports.
In Oslo and Frankfurt, that worked so-so. In Oslo, my daughter ended up taking care of it. She is an excellent wheelchair driver, so that was a delight.
In Frankfurt we relied on the service from the airlines…
After quite some mess, waiting and lousy communication, we finally reached the gate for our flight to São Paulo at the last minute before it closed.
To be carried around like that; be brought into different kinds of lifts to not have to walk the stairs into the airplanes – or to be pushed by strangers up steep ramps in a wheelchair – not always understanding where we are going – was a new adventure, and an exercise in trust 😆
I see that accepting help is one thing. To accept being helpless, is another thing. And I am aware that I am just having the first tastes of the moments when I am in absolute need for that help; when I cannot do without it. .
I drank half a beer, and ate the dinner that was served on the plane, before I took one pill of fast-acting morphine, lay down with my head in the lap of one of my daughters, and with the feet in the lap of the other.
I slept for 8-9 hours of the 12 hour flight.
No watching movies and drinking wine for me this time. Even from the very beginning of the journey, when we were in the car on the way to the airport in Norway, I used every opportunity to lie down, or to sit in silence with blindfolds and headphones, to save my energy. Hoping it would last all the way.
As soon as we came out of the plane in São Paulo, a sweet woman received me, took me in a wheelchair, and brought all 3 of us, so lightly and easy-flowing, passing all lines and helping us through passport control, luggage pick-up -and delivery – and toll. It was such a contrast to our experience in Germany.
She did not speak English, and none of us speak Portuguese. Still, the communication went so much easier than with the staff in Frankfurt 😆
Guarulhos airport in São Paulo can be a hell of long queues some times, and later I heard that the day before we arrived, it had been full chaos there.
We were lucky; Everything went effortless. Before we knew it, we were sitting on board on the plane to Florianopolis.
From Floripa, the journey went by car, and a bit more than 30 hours after we left Hedalen, we reached our destination. I was tired, but not so much more tired than I always am after a long journey.
It is almost unbelievable; One week earlier I got a high fewer and were hospitalized the day after chemo therapy. The week after, I go on a 30 hours journey the day after treatment – and, with the help of several angels (and some morphine) along the way, it all went surprisingly smooth.
In Norway there is autumn now. In Brazil its spring. The body is grateful to be here; warmer climate – the nature so healing and nourishing. The birdsong full of joy – and contagious like the laughter of a free human being.
The gratitude to see the Master
one
more
time.
My god… The gratitude to see the Master… the Beloved Sangha… And sitting together, in the Beloved’s Garden and in the White Lotus Temple…
one more time…
Thank you ❤️
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