Tumors and races

My 5k is on Saturday! Less than a week away! Although I still have a long way to go, I see my body being transformed by running.

Wait.

Scratch that qualifier, "although I still have a long way to go". Adina has practically spent our whole relationship trying to get me to say nice things about myself without throwing in a backhanded insult in the same breath. There's no need to bring myself down here. I guess when I do that I want people to know that I don't think I am immodest or delusional. Like if I say my body is transforming, maybe somebody will think that I believe I look like Uta Pippig, the winner of the Boston Marathon, who incidentally crapped herself during the race. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Yep, take a moment to laugh.

So, anyway.

I have a new "primary" patient at work. That means that whenever I work I have him. We've been taking on more patients lately who have residual disease or active disease, and my patient D's tumor keeps growing even while he is getting his Busulfan prep (a chemo to kill the bone marrow). It's actively strangling him. He is only 27 years old. I am hopeful that when he gets the Cytoxan part of his prep, which is another chemo with strong anti-cancer properties, he will feel better quickly. His father is his bone marrow donor, which means that once D gets the transplant, his dad's immune system will be fighting against D's aggressive tumor forever. It's like the ultimate gift. I imagine little dad immune cells dressed up like knights at the Renaissance Faire with swords, and they are all lined up ready to charge at these big globby cancer cells. What more could you ask for when you look at your sick child, when most parents would feel helpless, and know that a part of you will live inside your child, circulate in their bloodstream, and defend against sickness and pain. It is so beautiful.



-- Posted from my iPhone