Chemo update and other stuff

I was admitted to HUP this past Friday for my next round of chemo and am more than halfway through my treatment which has been going well overall. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do this cycle at home cause of the length of infusions and toxicity of chemo which needs to be monitored in my blood. Thankfully, the covid situation here has been better than anticipated so they opened up all the oncology floors which had been closed before in anticipation of having to accommodate covid pts. As a result, many oncology patients who had been on hold have now been able to have procedures and come in for treatment so it’s gotten pretty busy again here. I was bummed to find out there was no room in the Inn this time on the 7th floor of Rhoads where I’m familiar with, but I’ve been enjoying my stay here nonetheless meeting new nurses and staff who have all been wonderful. There is even a small staircase at the end of the hallway where I’ve been able to get in some stepping exercise! 💪

Last weekend, we made a surprise visit to Baltimore to see my brother Dan’s family and congratulate Tabby on finishing her first 28 day round of chemo. We hadn’t seen them in person since everything with corona began. Tabby has recently started her next phase of chemo. So proud of her fighting spirit and love her so much. Please keep her and her family in prayer. 

Prior to this weekend, this was the longest stretch of time I’ve been home straight since I got cancer. We’ve really enjoyed time with family these past 7 weeks including going for walks, backyard camping, and watching k-drama (which we even watched together via face time while I was here in hospital!) 

We also had fun doing some social distancing fishing! 🎣

This past week, we celebrated Chloe’s 15th bday covid-style. Her friends surprised her in a caravan of cars and enjoyed some time together hanging out in person!

I know many of you have been praying for Ron, my fellow fighter friend who always motivated me to keep doing laps in the hospital! We bumped into each other last week at Perelman. He was there for a PET scan... which came back clear of cancer! 🤗 Please keep him in prayer as he continues to recover from his recent Car-T therapy.

Many of you’ve also prayed for Ryan who had a successful transplant a month ago. He was discharged home last week and is steadily recovering. Please keep him in prayer as he battles nausea and fatigue, and especially for his blood levels to go up. Understandably, his body is undergoing major transition right now as his blood cells transition to his donor’s DNA. Amazing!

Charles Barkley made a surprise visit to him during a previous admission. You can see how TALL Ryan really is!! 😜

As we celebrate Memorial Day and remember those fighters who gave their very lives so we could enjoy the life and freedom we do today, let’s also honor the donors who have sacrificially given of themselves so that their recipients could have a second chance at life. These donors are heroes in their own right! 

Thank you all for advocating for me and for others through the recent donor drive efforts to make this a reality for more folks in need of a life-saving transplant!