I'll be home for Christmas......as long as we define home as with those we love

Good Day Citizens of Earth.

I thought I'd try to get a quick blog entry in before my day begins.  Not that I have a particularly strenuous day planned, Cancer has a tendency of clearing out one's social calendar, but I have some time, and some thoughts.

Things continue to go well for this LDS hospital resident.  Contrary to the designs of days 1-6 of my chemotherapy regimen, all of the important pathological counts are still pretty high.  I officially start day..... I don't know..... 10?  I'll have to ask.  I do know that I get to start probably the most impressive looking of the chemotherapy drugs I will be receiving today.  In a few hours I'll start a 24 hour push of methotrexate, a particularly nasty little chemical, that should do a spectacular number on  whatever cancer cells I have floating around my body.  I also suspect that this will also do a nice number on my counts, and my ability to grow hair on my head.  This will be kind of nice, in that I'm pretty sure I'm the only guy on the floor with any hair.  One loses credibility as a cancer patient when one has hair.

I've been able to learn an incredible amount over the past few days about my condition.  According to my doctors, I remain as unique as ever, and still defy a traditional lymphoma classification. It looks like I have an interesting mixture of the  pathology demonstrated in a Burkitt's lymphoma, but with the annoying fact that it came back, I don't really fit.  I think the terminology they are using is "Burkitt's Like"  They do feel strongly that the inability to clearly classify the lymphoma shouldn't change any of the treatment currently planned.  Since I responded so effectively the last time to this treatment, we are going to do it again.

I started reading a book recommended by my doctor (side note, does anyone else's doctor give them reading assignments?)  The book is called The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Murkherjee.  He is an oncologist who has an amazing talent for writing.  The breadth of the book is amazing.  He is distilling down the entire history of cancer, into a single volume.  I might be somewhat predisposed to be interested in the subject matter, but so far, I have been very impressed by the book.  Anyone looking for a good read should take a look.

I anticipate being a semi-permanent resident of East 8 for the next few weeks at least.  Anything past that is beyond the abilities of my crystal ball.  We have already secured some space in one of the conference rooms on the floor for Christmas.   Brad and Lucy are slated to get some sweet Razor scooters for Christmas, and I'm already trying to figure out how we are going to get away with hallway races.  Should be a holiday to remember for sure.

Every time I find myself descending into the spiral of pondering unfairness of my whole situation, I find myself immediately reminded of all the blessings that I have in my life.  I have been blown away by the support of friends and family, who have expressed a real desire to help and assist however they may.  I am reminded that I live in a place that has some of the best healthcare one could possibly ask for.  I am blessed to have the amazing and unfailing support of my beautiful and wonderful wife who makes up for so many of my own personal failings.

I might not be able to be able to be in my house this holiday season, but I'm blessed, that my home will be wherever my loved ones happen to be, even if that happens to be a conference room nestled in a corner of a hospital.