Three down and one to go...

This is Chandy today as she gets her treatment.

Chandy relaxing and eating her yogurt and fruit.

Chandy's last post was on the day of her second chemotherapy treatment. She was feeling pretty well and she showed a number of the photos from the "hair buzzing party" we had. It was a good day for her and a good day for our family and friends.

The second dose went much as the first. We are usually in and out of the cancer center in 3-4 hours. Not too bad. Thankfully, she has never had any issues with allergic reactions to any of the drugs and while she is being treated, it seems more like a time of quiet reading and talking in an EZ chair than it does a health care procedure.

During her second dose she even went to a "look good, feel good" class across the hall. We just took her iv pole and wheeled her right in. There were a number of women in there who were in a similar situation and it was nice to see some of the things that are provided for these women to help keep their spirits up. They were putting on make up and talking about cosmetics and wigs and scarves. Any self respecting man would have excused himself but I had nowhere to go. I decided that to make sure I wasn't noticed in a "make up" class I would just kind of hunker down in the corner and bury my face in my book and give the impression that I just kind of ended up there by happenstance.

Chandy has learned that if she chews ice and drinks a diet coke during the treatment that it seems to help with her mouth issues afterwards. She hasn't gotten mouth sores like some do but she says her mouth feels like she's scalded it on some hot chocolate all over the inside. She hasn't experienced any major side affects from any of the drugs she has taken. She is achy and tired for the next few days and a little bit nauseous and that seems to be the extent of it.

We've been expecting the fatigue and the nausea to get a little more pronounced with each treatment and it certainly did after the second. It seemed to last a few additional days and she relaxed on the couch and took her medicine and got through it just fine.

About a week ago, we came back here for her NADIR appointment where her blood is tested to see how she is doing and how her white blood cells are holding up. Her white blood cell count was off the charts high! Great news. She gets a shot after each chemo that boosts her bone marrow into producing more white blood cells. Either that shot really works or her body is so good at it that she has little need for the shot. We were hoping the latter because that shot alone costs $6k. We're waiting for the blood results right now to see if she'll need it....Oh, just found out that she will need it. Her white blood cell count is good but not high enough to save six grand. Thank goodness for insurance.

I'm sitting with her right now while she is getting her third dose. She is doing great.
She wanted to make sure I mentioned a few things and with me being her "yes man" and all, here they are.

Dustin's super league basketball team is pretty darn good. They won the President's Day tournament! This Saturday they begin play in the AAU State Championship Basketball Tournament. He says if they win they could go to Florida so if any of you are hiring 9 year olds he may be looking for a job to help fund the trip. Right now he is doing double duty. Basketball games and practices 2-3 times each week and he has also been having 2 baseball practices during the week as well preparing for the upcoming season.

Matthew spends his time rubbing mom's head. He used to play with her hair almost every night now he just massages and rubs her head...he is one little mama's boy. He's doing great in school and he plays baseball on the wii. He says he's preparing and practicing for the important upcoming tee ball season.

Brett is gearing up for the lacrosse season to start. He's been involved in the Sport Fit program at the Dimple Dell Rec Center trying to stay in shape. He looks like he's getting taller, stronger and leaner. I'm pretty sure he's getting smarter but it's hard to tell with his grades the way they are.

Cody just played in the first lacrosse scrimmage for the Alta High Varsity Lacrosse team. Even though he's just a sophomore he seems to be getting an awful lot of playing time. They routed American Fork and he played well. He won a face off and put a nasty move on the defender and took it to the goal and scored. He also had a shot bounce off the goal post. My proudest moment though was when he "decleated" his opponent. He's a bit smaller than the others but he put a good Bronson hit on the boy. I told Cody afterwards that he should've said something cool like "How does that grass taste?" or "I got more where that came from" or even "can you remember your name?". It's just unfortunate that, like his brother Brett, he doesn't attack his schoolwork with the same intensity that he attacks the goal.

Nothing new with me. Living and working. I have been getting kind compliments from my wife about my ability to do the wash, dishes, dinner, getting kids off to school, general pick up, yelling at kids, taxi service, etc. I'm pretty sure that when this is all over I'm going to make somebody a pretty good wife.

This whole situation is messing up the home situation for me. I married Chandy when she was relatively young (19) and have been able to convince her over the years that real men don't do the dishes, laundry, etc. because I figured she didn't know any better. We had our little traditional roles worked out nicely. Now that she sees I have developed some proficiency in these areas, I'm doomed for the duration of our lives. Damn that cancer.

Chandy is about done so I've got to finish up.

Nice to realize that she has only one more dose and she's done with chemo. Three weeks from now on her last dose, we're going to have a small party here. They have kind of a break room with a big bell where you can have a few family members and friends come and you get to gong the bell and have a little celebration. We'll probably check the boys out of school and have them come for at least the last part of her treatment and the party.

This past Fast Sunday Chandy bore her testimony for the first time since her diagnosis. As you would imagine, she was pretty emotional and thanked everyone for everything. She talked about the whole losing her hair situation and how tough it was. She talked about how she has become closer with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ over the last few months. She mentioned that she's certain that we were led to this area by Heavenly Father who knew full well what lay in store for her. The ward has been incredible, she is a couple blocks away from her parents and within a couple miles of a number of her siblings.

She shared again how much she loves her primary children and how much their smiling faces and faith have buoyed her up. By the way, Dustin bore a great testimony and I think he set a Bronson family record for bearing his testimony for the fifth month in a row.

Chandy also mentioned in her testimony that she has the best husband in the world and is so impressed by his strength and good looks and his abs, and how he is her rock and she couldn't live without him and that he buzzes hair really well, and that he doesn't look like he's old enough to be her father, and that he's a great father who only yells when necessary and is always thrifty, brave, clean and reverent....I may have added a few items that she should have said but didn't.

She just finished the treatment and we are heading out of here.

Thank you so much again for all the love, support, food, flowers, cards, etc, etc. It's a huge boost for the family and especially to Chandy.

G