A Good Morning
The morning started off with the normal routine of getting people ready.  We dropped the girls off at pre-school and Grandma Jane took Tucker.  With much anticipation, Lindsey and I then headed to Simon Cancer Center.

We arrived at our appointed time, waited a bit and had labs drawn.  We went back to the waiting room and then the tech announced “Dr. Cripe is running 45 minutes behind.”  So we waited some more.  Eventually we got back to the BMA room….and waited some more.  Finally Dr. Cripe was able to come in and perform the BMA.  After all was said and done, Lindsey and I went to the coffee shop and then came back up to the consult room to wait on results.

The Consult Room
We were in the same consult room that I was in when I found out I had relapsed.  Back then, on June 3rd, I was feverishly typing on my laptop.  Arranging coverage at work, notifying people of the relapse and preparing to update my caring bridge.  This time was more relaxed, albeit with more anticipation.  We were waiting on the news that would determine the next course of action.  And then the door opened…

It was the nurse.  Just checking to see if Dr. Cripe had come in yet.  Of course he hadn’t, but we knew it would be soon.  Lindsey put her phone down and grabbed my arm.  The moment becoming more real for both of us.  We waited a few more minutes and finally the door opened.  Before it closed, Dr. Cripe uttered the words we wanted to hear, “You are in complete remission.”

On to SCT
It would be nice if this was it.  If remission meant that treatments were over.  That I could go back to work.  That I could do the normal family things.  But what it means is I’m on to SCT.  The transplant team will be contacted today and things will go in motion.  I should be hearing soon what the plan is and meeting with the transplant doc, Dr. Nelson.  I will still be admitted on Wednesday to start the 2nd cycle of Blinatumomab.  Stay tuned for more information and I’ll of course be posting the #cancercation recap at some point.  Until then, thank you God for this remission!  And leukemia, you can kiss my ass.

Back to Cancer
It’s been a good run and we were able to do a lot of things, but #cancercation has ended.  I’ll post some highlights over the next few days.  It definitely felt like a vacation in many ways.   I spent a lot of time with family and no time with anything cancer related.  Unfortunately as this vacation ends, I don’t get to go back to work, I have to go back to cancer.

Tomorrow morning we will wake to excited twins as the girls have their first day back at pre-school.  They’ll don their backpacks and talk excitedly about seeing their friends and teachers.  We will drop them off at pre-school and then drop Tucker off at Grandma Jane’s.  Then Lindsey and I will head to Simon Cancer Center for my 9:45 am appointment.

Continue reading All Good Things Must Come to an End

Pool Time
Not only did I go the pool this past weekend, but I was able to get in it!  I bought a waterproof cover for my PICC (which you can see in the video).  You can’t do anything crazy with it, because it could shift and let water in, but as long as you are sensible, it’s waterproof.  I was able to play with the kids.  Natalie swam to me without her floaties, Sydney jumped to me in the water, and I threw Tucker up into the air and in the water.  All 3 also rode on daddy’s back and let daddy pull them through the water.  It was a lot of fun and something I’ve been looking forward to.  Hopefully we’ll go back again before my black backpack makes a return.

#Cancercation
This morning I went to the Southport Road Starbucks (not that one, the one across the street).  Lindsey was at work (thanks babe!) and the kids were at Miss Lindsay’s (thanks Miss Lindsay!), so I was out in society relaxing a bit.  A morning Starbucks used to be normal for me.  Not frequent, but normal.  I never used to drink Starbucks and then they went and built one across the street from my former job.  After that, I became quite the Starbucks drinker.

Scene:  A typical morning at South Campus
Eric: “Hey Rob, you wanna go to Starbucks?”
Rob: “Well sure, but it’s 9:15 on a Monday.”
Eric: “I gotta get out of here.  I think I’m going to lose it”
Phillip: “Uh oh.  Sounds like someone’s got a case of the Monday’s”
…And off to Starbucks we’d go (sorry Dave, there were only 3 parts available)

After I left IUH, I didn’t stop at Starbucks stores nearly as much because we have a Starbucks machine at hc1 :).  Still, I would go there every now and then to work, meet with people, or just get stuff done.  Sitting at a Starbucks, drinking an overpriced coffee and listening to alarming conversations of complete strangers is a nice normal thing to do.

Continue reading Enjoy It While It Lasts