Novwember 16, 2020

-

I was just thinking how life throws us all curveballs.  Things that on the outside can look bad, but everything has a gift.  Everything has purpose.  And even when things may appear bad, there is good.  In the depths, if we look, we can find light.

If I look at what we are going through now, I don't consider anything other than full physical recovery for Marlon.  If anything I can see the emotional may take more attention.  Is this naive?  Pollyanna?  Or just a way forward?  I suppose it doesn't matter.  We all have our challenges.  We all deal with them.  We all have good days and bad days.

I feel ok now because we are having good days.  A parent's days are strongly affected by their child's.  If Marlon were in the midst of a bad spell I would feel more down, I am sure.

When asked today by Josephine, how he rates how he is feeling out of 10, he said 8 or 9!!!  That is an amazing gift.  Wow!

Tomorrow we are back at the hospital.  As long as his blood levels are ok, or ok enough, he will have the MRD.  The procedure with sedation where they pull bone marrow out of his back.  The bone marrow is then tested.  Assuming it continues to look positive, and leukemia levels are down, then the next stage of treatment begins, which is enrollment in a study.  In the past PH+ ALL (the type of leukemia Marlon has), has been treated with more heavy-duty chemo.  This study is looking at the results of less aggressive chemo but continuing with the daily chemo drug that he has been taking since the PH+ was diagnosed.

All that to say we don't know what is coming next.  Lol.  We never really do, do we!?!  One way or another more chemo, but the question is, how much.

Marlon likes the way the hat sits on his head.  One eye has a spectacle, not tears.

This next picture is the sun with a look of dismay, cleaning its sunglasses, looking down at the violence below…

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

July 7, 2022

-
Image
On May 23rd, the week before the chemo that weakened Marlon enough to put him in the hospital, the dog, the boy, and I drove to Montreal. (I am aware of the use of the word 'go' when writing. In German, the verb 'to go' means walking. You don't 'go' in a car.) Before we left, as I was packing up the car, I noticed a fair sized spider web between the driver's side view mirror and the car. I left it alone, figuring the wind would blow it off. It was so nice to see Linsy and Moira and spend time with them. I have missed having Linsy around. It was neat that, when we got there, Olivia, Jamey, and Roka, their dog, were there. They live 15 minutes away from us but were there visiting their son. Mina was definitely happy to see Roka (and all the others too).   Mina got used to walking on sidewalks and being in the city. Other people and dogs, not so much. Moira has given me a belt with a dog lead on it for hands-free walking. It worked but was even bett...
Read more

November 10, 2022 (2)

-
Image
Today, I dropped Marlon off at outdoor school and met up with a friend I have only seen a handful of times in the last 20+ years.  She was in the area for the passing of a family member. i then went for a walk with Mina.  I watched and she poised herself in hunting position and pounced.  I saw a squirrel run up a tiny little tree but also heard this pitiful whining.  At first, confused, I wondered if she had pounced on a nest in the ground.  But the dog ran to me, crying and whining, holding up her paw.  We were a ways from home and she hobbled carefully home after we sat for a while and she calmed down.  She will often run the perimeter of fields, running this way and that.  I saw her longing to run the field as we made our way back but she was uncomfortable and limping. A short while later, I went to pick up Marlon and watched in amazement as he hobbled to the car.  Yes, he had hurt his foot within an hour of the dog hurting herself.  ...
Read more

July 5, 2022

-
Image
Decision was made that Marlon was to go check blood counts on Monday.  We drove down to Hamilton together, quick finger poke, and then leave again.  A couple of times, we drove around the parking garage for almost a half-hour looking for a spot, but Monday was smooth.  Busy place. Blood counts are good so dental work begins.  Marlon's doctor was impressed with the dentist when she spoke with him last week.  In support, I sit next to him in the dentist's room and hope my own anxiety, discomfort, and fear don't affect him. Halfway through the drilling of four teeth which was quite intense, they took a little break to check in with Marlon and see if he was up to continue.  He agreed to do more but said he was most concerned about the tastes of the filling material.  With the pain and discomfort of the first part, one would think that would be the least of his worries but he is very sensitive to taste and flavour.  As it turned out he didn't gag or re...
Read more