Afraid of the Jinx

I’m almost afraid to say this for fear of being struck down by the jinx, but Tate is doing awesome! He has gained 10 pounds and he’s losing that skeletal look. He’s eating enough – that may have something to do with all the ice cream sandwiches his Aunt Sara sent him – so he got to stop taking the appetite stimulants. If his weight begins to drop we will just add them back. He finds the new appetite stimulants much more tolerable than the last kind, so getting him to take them isn’t as much of a fight.

Tate’s last appointment went well. His ANC was over 1900! That’s too high, so they increased his other at-home chemo. Greg’ main question was what happens to the patients that get COVID. Their response was that despite the patient’s compromised or suppressed immune systems, they treat the COVID symptoms but don’t back off the cancer treatment. They said some patients have tested positive – I cannot even imagine that nightmare.

Actually, I can imagine that nightmare, which is why our house is on lockdown. It’s the inspiration for the cranky note I put on the front door saying we’re not going to open it if the person ringing the bell isn’t wearing a mask. It’s not an exaggeration to say Tate has had to fight to survive, and after everything he has been through he has no desire to risk that. Six months with no friends and family and no end in sight is wearing on us. I miss Scott so much it hurts. My mom hasn’t been banging around in the kitchen way too early since January. Two trips to visit my sister in California have been cancelled.

Still, we have a lot to be grateful for. Tate’s school and my employer have made online school and work possible so we can press forward from home while wearing pajamas. Greg is an essential worker so staying in our bubble is not an option for him, but his employer has put several protocols in place to maintain as safe a work environment as possible.

Tate’s recent weight gain has improved his strength, and the amount of work he’s able to do on his exercise days has doubled. I still don’t think he realizes he was running on empty when he was so skinny, but I can see it. As the person helping him with his resistance training, I can feel it! His arms and legs are stronger; he’s lifting heavier weights and doing more reps. It has finally cooled down enough for him to start taking daily walks again. And he’s doing it without his can. Can I say again how AWESOME that is?!?!

Tate’s favorite exercise days are when our naughty dog Violet plops down in his workout space and pretty much ruins everything I have planned. No matter! I can adjust the workout to include the all major muscle groups and dog cuddles. I chose this picture to share because you can see how Tate still has a pretty noticeable wrist drop. Those hands still curl up more comfortably than they extend.

This week we had a ring-and-run, and these flowers were at our front door with a sweet note from the Bankhead Family. Our sweet neighbor Cathy Bankhead may not know this, but she’s the one that started me on the weekly bundle of flowers. Early on, when Tate was really, really, really sick and could barely move, she left a little arrangement at our front door. We put them in Tate’s room, and he liked it so much we decided to do it every week.

This year continues to be a weird one. One of the things that happened near us is that grocery stores were out of yeast, which really put a damper on our pretzel bread production. No friends, no family, no irresistible homemade carbs for the cancer patient that’s too skinny? It’s just too much.

We hope you make it through this crazy year with your health and spirits in tact. 2020 has been hard one for a lot of people, yet people are still finding room in their hearts to help others. We have received more than we can ever pay back.