On Sunday we made the drive down to the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Newnan, GA—just outside of Atlanta. We have been looking so forward to this trip, not because it’s going to be easy… but because it’s the next important step in Joey’s treatment to get her body rid of all the cancer that might still be lingering in her body after the surgery.
We’re going to be here in Georgia for a while, so we loaded what seemed like half the house into our Suburban and headed south.
On our trip down, we made a couple of pit-stops for gas and lunch, and of course… bathroom breaks. But not your normal, everyday bathroom breaks. These are Indiana potty-training breaks…
Believe it or not, Joey has had Indiana ‘going’ in her little wooden potty chair since she was about 11 months old (a fan of our tv show made the chair for her and brought to one of our concerts last year). Joey always sits her down on her chair and starts reading to her…and next thing you know, well… mission accomplished. So when you’re on a long drive, and Indy starts showing signs of needing to go on the road… Joey has me pull over and get the potty chair out, so they can do their little routine. It’s the funniest, strangest, sweetest thing. Especially when this time, it was in the middle of nowhere and starting to rain, so I had to get out the umbrella for them.
Before long we were back on the road and Indy and Joey were happy as can be. We got to Atlanta and checked into the hotel where we’ll be staying for the next four or five weeks. They have a swimming pool, so Indy and I will be spending some time there while Mama does her treatments. Indy loves to play in the water, and I love to play with her in the water, so it works out perfectly.
The hospital facility here is beautiful. And like everyone at CTCA in Chicago, the people who work here are amazing. They have welcomed us with open arms, and though we’ve only been here a couple of days…we already feel at home.
Indiana and I had breakfast with Joey each morning at the hospital, then we walk her to her first appointment. Afterward Indy and I head out on our own adventures. Yesterday I think we walked a hundred miles around the hotel and nearby places here in this sweet little town.
Today my bride has a long day of meetings and tests to get ready for chemo and radiation, so Indy and I will explore some more and be ready when she calls and says it’s time for us to come get her.
And she’ll be there in the lobby watching for us. We’re kinda easy to spot. I’ll be the guy in bib overalls with the cute baby on my shoulders.
