girl drew

We’re 50 days into this cancer thing. It’s still somewhat surreal to type that, yet it’s also difficult to remember life before the diagnosis. Thankfully there’s not much to report; Ramon’s treatment has been complication-free thus far, and we hope to keep it that way. He received platelets on Monday, and he might be due up for some blood tomorrow. (Side note: Many people have inquired about donating blood or platelets. If you’re interested and/or able, please take a look at www.redcross.org , www.americasblood.org , or  www.aabb.org  to donate. Also, while you’re at it, join the bone marrow registry at  www.bethematch.org.  You could be someone’s hero. You’re already my hero, FYI.) I keep thinking about something the hematologist/oncologist said during our first week in the hospital. Naturally, upon learning of a diagnosis, people’s minds venture to the prognosis – AKA survival rates. Even though I know first-hand how quickly statistics can make you feel defeat...

We're fighting cancer AND traffic! After some slight rerouting, Ramon is finished with the first round of outpatient chemo infusions. His counts are dropping, as intended, so he'll likely need a blood transfusion later this week. Today is day 8 of this chemo cycle, and his white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets should bottom out around day 12, 13, or 14. If the next few weeks are event-free, Ramon should be ready to start the next round on or around July 8. Keep the good vibes coming as the chemo does its thang!

Is # ManCrushMonday still a thing? Regardless, it's also  # BoneMarrowMonday , because we've got news. Today we saw the oncologist, and Ramon's bone marrow is in remission! So, what does this mean? - Induction chemo was successful! It did what the doctors hoped it would do, and Ramon's bone marrow biopsy looked normal. However, since only a sample was examined, there are most likely still leukemia cells in his body. We need to stop those cells from multiplying, hence the latest chapter of this book: consolidation chemo. - Today Ramon got his first dose of outpatient consolidation chemo, and he'll have his second dose at 8 tonight. (He's wearing a manbag holding his IV pump, by the way. He's doing more of a strut than a walk.) This will be repeated on Wednesday and Friday of this week. Next Monday, he'll get a second chemo drug added to the mix. We'll then wait 21-28 days while the chemo wipes out his immune system and [hopefully] any additional...

After leaving the house at 3:50 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7, guess who's finally home! Yesterday Ramon had a repeat bone marrow biopsy, and we'll learn those results on Monday. If all goes as expected, he'll begin outpatient chemo next week. Although coming home is a huge milestone, there's still quite a long road ahead of us. We'll share more as we learn it, but Ramon is handling this all with incredible strength and humor. Coming out of sedation yester day (pictured), Ramon kept repeating, "I feel perfectly fine." I'd acknowledge him, then he'd say again, "I feel perfectly fine." I'd tell him I was glad and he'd assure me, "I feel perfectly fine." Finally I told him he must be feeling more than fine because he kept repeating himself. He then proceeded to get up and do field sobriety tests. Oh, Ramon. Thank you all for your ongoing support. Whatever you're doing, it's working! We're exhausted, but we feel su...