The Glass is Half FULL!

Blaine is doing very well with chemo, and lab results show that his blood serum protien is back in the normal range, as well as many other amazing things, like his white counts are normal, his red blood cell count is close to normal and holding steady, and his platelets remain on the high end of normal. The docs are very pleased about this and the results of the previously mentioned MRI. As a result, they will be doing another Bone Marrow Biopsy on June 3rd, much sooner than expected. If that comes back as positively as everything else, Blaine could be declared to be in remission! Which means Bone Marrow (stem cell) transplant will be much sooner than anticipated. This inspires a lot of gratitude! And a fair amount of panic, at least on my part.

Stem cell transplant requires a month in the hospital, where they will administer a high dose of chemotherapy which will kill his bone marrow. Dead. This will entirely wipe out his immune system. Then they will give him his own, previously harvested stem cells, which will regrow a hopefully cancer free marrow. His immune system will take time to come fully back on line, and we will have to be extremely careful for a time about his environment, contact with the public, visitors, etc. It will be managed, but it will be work. Blaine doesn't like that it could be coming so much faster. He can't fit it into his work schedule! All joking aside, his company has been great, and has adjusted schedules for him, and will get to do so again. His company has been great, and our insurance through them (THANK HEAVENS!) is fantastic. It's Aetna for anyone looking for insurance. We reccomend them highly.

Blaine continues to not be a complainer, though sometimes chemo is hard, but he is again, handling it soooooo well. It had to be him not me, because I am DEFINATELY the bigger baby. However I am not ready to explode at the drop of a hat anymore, and the cup is once again, half full. I hope that now makes me better to live with. :) My family is the best, have I said that before? Our blessings definately outweigh our trials. We see the hand of God in this, everywhere we look.

Someone asked me recently if these posts were real, or just the public face we are putting on. They are real. We can choose to see the negative, or to accentuate the positive. Which one will help my husband regain his health? Which one will make this experience easier, even joyful at times? The answer is clear, and that is what we have chosen. Indeed, with all of the help and blessings we have received and continue to receive, it is hard not to see the positive, and we would be ungrateful if we began looking for the negative. So, yes, these posts, though upbeat and optimistic in general, are real.

Speaking of real, Hillary St. Pierre, a cancer warrior of three years, very patiently spent way too much time answering my questions yesterday. I was like an information vampire, trying hard to suck her brain dry about stem cell transplants and other things. She finally got tired! (Imagine that.) Thanks for your time, Hillary. You are amazing, and gracious. She also has a great blog, and I will ask if she minds if I post a link to it. She's very real.

As always, thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. They are so much a part of the wind in our sails. God Bless.

Marleigh