February 16, 2010 - One Game at a Time

marc has another three days to enjoy the fresh air of truckee, the coziness of his home and family. then west on i-80, over the bay bridge and to UCSF he goes.

this past weekend he had a lot of visitors, at least one everyday. friends and family, and perhaps most importantly... his nephew elijah. melissa was on a mission to get everyone in rally hats--looking ridiculous for Marc--and the results of that mission are posted here. the visits have been both fun and exhausting: life just takes a little more work right now. a few more visits are planned before he returns to the hospital.

on friday february 19 he'll return to UCSF for more intensive treatment. today he had chemo at the local clinic and reports relatively few side effects. since there is much more chemo in the future, the lack-of-side-effects is a blessing for which we can only request: more, please.

so you've heard about "chemo" but if you've ever wanted to know more... like, what exactly is chemo? simply put, chemo is short for chemotherapy which refers to particular drug therapies used to destroy cancer cells. click here for Web MD's q&a on chemo for more answers.

it is a bit complex to fully grasp the treatment plan, partly because it could shift depending on a number of factors, partly because neither Marc nor I are oncologists. the thing we know for sure: it is a highly aggressive plan to tackle his highly aggressive cancer and the road to recovery is more like a series of serious games than a single battle. that being said here is a rough outline of the treatment plan (sort of like Marc's-treatment-plan-for-dummies):

• when Marc was last in the hospital, the first week of february, he was on what could be called round 1a. 
• this week when he returns he will begin round 1b which entails, among other things, five days straight of chemo and then rest. end of round 1
• after these days of treatment and rest he will be evaluated either for release or to stay on for monitoring until the next round, what we'll go ahead and call 2, likely with parts a + b.

pray that the time will pass quickly and the fresh air won't seem too far off.  Marc is feeling a little nervous. specifically: a bit nervous about the long stay in a hospital room, a bit nervous about the seriousness of the treatment course, a bit nervous about how overwhelming it can all feel especially when there is no way to schedule an "R-day" - short for the day we all are looking forward to: REMISSION DAY.

while we all look forward to a big celebration on this day, we know it's a little too complex to predict, so we will be patient. as such, Marc is walking the delicate tight rope of knowing enough to be informed about the next match/round without trying to understand all the matches ahead to get to the finals. it's one game at a time... being informed without being overwhelmed.

...and all the love and support from ya'll does help with that.

Marc and I talked about what the next couple weeks will look like and where we all might fit in. once he starts round 1b, he'll be neutropenic. this means that the chemo will not only destroy cancer cells but also white-blood cells which help fight off infection... and leaves him very vulnerable physically.  as he'll be both very vulnerable and likely very exhausted, it will become harder for him to communicate with all of us, though we'll keep this site updated. but phone calls could be harder, responding to texts, emails, etc., will be challenging. 

yet, he is so grateful for these shows of support. so, i asked if i could suggest one-way texts, and he agreed. i may have made this up, i'm not sure. meaning: a  text that does not elicit a response. it is just a statement of support, encouragement, or just an "i'm thinking about you" reminder. you could even text a phone-photo of your smiling face, thumbs up, or whatever else comes to mind. i'm sure the whole family would appreciate one-way texts, actually.

in addition to one-way texts, he has loved the comments everyone has been leaving for him--he said those help too. and, might i put another plug in for rally hats? sure. send rallyformarc@gmail.com photos of you in your rally hat, looking silly... for Marc. you are also welcome to email rallyformarc@gmail.com questions you have about Marc's treatment or information you'd like to see posted that will keep you more in the loop with Marc's progress and i'll run your questions by Marc when i get updates from him.

lastly, i asked Marc if there was anything he wanted to make sure i report to you loyal readers, you website devotees, and he said: "just make sure that everyone knows i am really grateful for everything."

and he, really, really is.

(stay tuned, friends! - posted by amber with Marc's consent)