New Ground
And now the battle against bone cancer moves to a new battleground. Today we’re at Swedish Cancer Institute, where I’ve just gotten my first shot of something called GCSF. That’s a drug that will stimulate my bone marrow to produce stem cells and release them into my bloodstream.
The purpose of flooding me with new stem cells is to harvest them, next week. These little soldiers will be set aside to save my life in about 3 weeks, after my bone marrow is destroyed in one shot by something called Melphalan. Sounds dramatic I know, but this treatment has been done so many times to so many Multiple Myeloma patients that we’re virtually certain it’ll work. The treatment will prevent any new tumors for years to come.
They tell us that the shots will cause bone pain, and they’ve given us instructions on how to deal with it. There will be 3 more weeks of feeling relatively better before the battle to come in March.
How do I feel? A little scared to be honest. This is serious stuff. But more than that, much more than that, grateful beyond measure. To have Dr. Namburi’s team at Swedish leading the fight, to have Dave at my side, and to have your care and emotional support, means more than you can imagine.
I’ve lived a good life and there’s more good to come. This is a temporary hardship, like most, and we’ll get past it. This summer there will be new blessings that the universe has chosen to share with me, and I’m so very grateful to be able to draw breath and be with those I love.
Thank you for being my friend, family, and a part of humanity that I love most.
