Day +4

Day + 4...Guest author today as Veronica gave me some silly excuse about being tired or weak or something.  Anyway, it's day +4 and she's still without a fever and achieved a new mark today of having an absolute neutrophil count that was too low to register.  Absolute neutrophil count, bank account, compassion account, forgiveness account...all  accounts in life that would be nice to not have at "too low to register".   So far she is not badly anemic (her hemoglobin/hematocrit are at 9/28 with normal for her, say12/35), and for you medical folks her platelet count is still above 100,000.  We received fair warning that she may need to be transfused at some point...we'll see. Basically she is kicking butt and I couldn't be prouder.

Today was a tough day in that it was the awards ceremony for our kids at the end of the school year...but we were with them in spirit. They had a great year...again.  We are proud parents! My folks would come to the Juvenile Detention Facility every year for my brother and I also...just kidding.  I was never caught.

first day of school 2013

We have also been missing our beloved lab puppy and hope to be home for his one year birthday on June 23rd.   I was reminded of Hick the other day when I met my mom at the famous Chicago Union Station as she was coming in from Michigan. Yes, I walked and she did also on the way home...her choice, go Mom.  Anyway, when I arrived and went down into the main area I noticed police everywhere. Then I saw a Labrador Police dog and let's just say he was not at all calm and serious like most police dogs.  He was acting like Hick when Brian comes over.  Then, the dog "locks on" to a guy with a red jacket and a backpack.  I'm about to take cover (they are bomb sniffing dogs not just drugs) when the cop handling him smiles and throws a tennis ball at the back pack...training exercise.  Happy lab with a tennis ball. My mom's train was already late and a bomb would have really messed things up.  If that guy had bomb residue on his ears, Hick would have had him cold.

                                      Hickory is a great hugger

Today's photo is of Veronica wearing some new scarves that are temporarily adorned with jewelry.  I caught her at the computer trying to somehow adjust her lab values. She has found baldness to be somewhat less than liberating in that lots of fabrics, etc. apparently irritate the chemo-dome.  There is a product out there called "Anti-Monkey Butt Cream" but she has declined.

So I went out to get her some scarves...they were all adorned with jewels for some reason, but at least they were the right fabric.  For those of you who know Chicago and the Magnificent Mile...I was at Marshall's, not Burberry or Saks or Armani or Zara.  No Kate Spade, whoever that is.  As I round the corner off Ontario onto Michigan Ave with my jeweled scarves (got some funny looks getting those, Duncan suggested I stop wearing high heels)  I stop in front of the Cartier store.  Side bar...Wrigley Field, where the Cubs play, is 100 years old and to help celebrate the city has placed pairs of stadium seats all over, decorated with all sorts of  painted stuff like hot dogs, pictures of famous players, etc.  Stay with me...my dad was an engineer and spent his career with American Seating Company and he was involved with stadium seating all over the place. The two seats on the corner of Ontario and Michigan Ave are not only American Seating Company Seats, but the one I sit in is painted "End Multiple Sclerosis".  As I sit, I am looking at "real jewels" in the windows of Cartier, any number of which costs more than, say, a stem cell transplant.

The opportunity to have my wife and mother of my children get treated, the vision of Dr Burt and his team, the kindness and support shown to me and mine by our families, our friends, my co-workers...there's nothing in that window to compare.  That's what I'm thankful for...

~Craig