Less Terrible

Last month’s chemo was terrible for Tate. It took him 11 days to recover from the Vincristine and steroids, and it took about a week longer for his belly to stop hurting and get back to normal. It got so bad the clinic squeezed him in for a Friday afternoon appointment so he wouldn’t have to go to the ER over the weekend. His blood work was good, the X-Ray didn’t show any inflammation, and the ultrasound came out clean, so we don’t know what happened to him last month. Tate only had one good week before his next chemo appointment. I’m not going to tell the whole story to give the guy a little privacy.

Fortunately, chemotherapy last week was less terrible. It’s 8 days since his appointment, and while he’s exhausted and achy, he’s not experiencing the same pain and problems as last time. Tate has gained 4 pounds since his last appointment, too, which is wonderful. Alison Staker has been diligently delivering baked goods over the last two months, and I think she should take credit for at least 2 of those 4 new pounds.

We got to celebrate our older son Scott’s graduation from Arizona State University last week. It was the first time anyone has come into our house since March 2020. (Except for the neighbor that barged in that one night, and honestly I’m still baffled something like that could happen during a pandemic.) We also went out to dinner as a group, and not to make a joyous event a political thing, but everyone getting vaccinated was the only way the gathering was possible. I am so grateful for that vaccine and the people who are willing to get it. There are a lot of people in my periphery with that are loudly contesting the need for the vaccine and masks, and it hurts a little bit. (Okay, it hurts a lot.) These are people that I know well, people that have seen what Tate has gone through to survive, and yet they can’t see how vaccines protect others in the community that need it. I would never expect a family where everyone’s healthy and strong to take the extreme route we have, but my next door neighbor held a lemonade stand where the lemonade was free if you weren’t wearing a mask and .50 if you were. Someone I’ve known my whole life puts provoking things on Facebook about not needing a vaccine because she has an immune system “and you do too.” No, not everyone does have an immune system, and that’s why the vaccine is so important. I know everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but seeing this from the people who are close to us crushes me.

Tate’s next chemotherapy appointment is June 1. We’re hoping he enjoys a few good weeks this month before getting wiped out again. Thank you to everyone who still reads this. Knowing you’re out there helps us more than you could ever know.