When I was recovering, mom and Dave decorated my wall with wonderful pictures and drawings from family and friends. It made me remember that there is a life beyond these walls.

I had a great view of NYC from my private room this time

Jen blowing into the spirometer&to ensure that she doesn't get pneumonia

Jen couldn't eat or drink for a few days after the surgery&so "water lollipops" did the trick

ven in the hospital, Jen finds a moment to brush up on her cycling skills

Tina, Tina and Matt came for a visit

It was great to hang out with my sister-in-law Emily

Cousin "Nini" stopped by

Mom and Dad camped out every day in the hospital&it made the time go so much more quickly!

Marisa brought fun happy face balloons when she visited

Todd tried to steal my reading from the hospital room!

I had such fun when Sue, Meg and Bo came, I forgot that I was in a hospital, until they made me laugh and it hurt!

Martha brought her guitar and we sang together&anyone for John Denver?

I finally got a picture with Dr. Maki's #1 Nurse Lynda

aah¬ everything about surgery is that bad

Jen saying goodbye (hopefully forever) to the 15th floor MSKCC

The "Cancer Causing Deli" is officially closed!

Michelle was my nurse this time around and she was awesome. She made my stay a real treat (well, as painless as possible).

This time, instead of putting drawn pictures on the wall, I had a collage of my favorite photographs. It brightened my day and made me remember that there is a life outside of MSK

My friend Emily paid a visit to me...coming to the hospital almost directly from her honeymoon!

Sue, the massage therapist, definitely brought some pleasure into my day

What better way to forget about the hospital blues than to start helping Kiara plan her wedding? Talking about flowers and gowns is much more fun than talking about chemo drugs.

One of my oldest friends, Rita, came to visit me...with lots of candy for halloween. Chocolate is definitely the best medicine.

Not as fancy as the last one but a private room, nevertheless. It pays to know the right people :)

Brett and Jen - a nice visit from big brother Brett

Dr. Maki and Jen - My oncologist, Dr. Maki who has dedicated his life to treating Sarcoma patients.

Cheryl and Lance - Dan and Meg came to Memorial Sloan Kettering to trick or treat...as Cheryl and Lance. I loved it!

Paul and Jen - hard to believe that my drinking buddy from Duke is called Dr. Paul Hamlin at MSK and is actually respected as an oncologist! He comes to visit me every time I'm in the hospital and has been such a help making sure I am getting the best care possible.

Not only did my NJ mom come to visit this time but Dave's mom came all the way from Chicago for a quick 24 hour stay. It was such a labor of love for her to trek all that distance for such a short journey but I was so grateful for it...and she brought her famous chocolate chip brownies that were delicious

Sylvia came to visit...all the way from China! It was so nice to spend some QT with her...and she gave me one of her famous head massages which was so wonderful.

As if a visit from Sue was not good enough, she brought love from Arnold Schwarzenegger with her. I was hoping his comment would be something like "don't be a Sarcoma GIRLYMAN" but I've been told that since he's governor now, he has to watch what he says!

Meredith and Nymphia were my chemo nurses for my three day stay and they made it as pleasant and painless as possible.

Jen in the hospital for chemo session #2

The "penthouse" of a room I was given at MSKCC. Check out the flat-screen tv!

It was so great to see Vikas and Monisha before they headed back to Chicago

Jen Stern visited to share tales of her latest adventures in Croatia before she moves from the Big Apple out to Denver. I will miss you Sternie!

Jen and Alicia with matching braids!

This is the "wall of fame" that I create in my hospital room every time I visit. It is comprised of artwork from my nieces, nephews and friends and it always makes me smile!

A picture of me in my lovely surroundings at MSK

Juliet was the chemo nurse assigned to me during my first cycle of chemotherapy. She has been working at MSK for over 26 years and is wonderfully kind, spiritual and competent.

Rarely has a gift touched me so much as this one that Matt Spielman was able to provide me with. I have always loved Lance Armstrong and so admire his courage and strength during challenging times. I feel like he and I have similar personalities and similar ways of handling tough situations and his books and his words have provided me with real comfort and peace over the pst 8 months. Matt was able to get me a personalized message from Lance "For Jen, Live Strong!" I promise I will....

Mercedes is a nurse practicioner whose job is to communicate with my Dr's about how my treatment is going. She has been at MSK for 20+ years and is known as the "chemo guru" in the hallways (I personally would not want that nickname but I'm glad I have her on my team). She told me that I have been "the best chemo admin they have ever had". I told her to hold me to it...don't let me get down as this process goes on.