Thursday July 10 - Big Day Tomorrow

Today was another day off from the hospital for us. Chris' numbers had been good on Wednesday, and they told us that tomorrow will be a big day. Thus Chris slept in, got a few walks in, made a few phone calls, and took many naps. She also suffered from nausea but only dry heaves, no lost meals. They gave her a new medicine that seems to push things through her stomach quickly before she can lose it. That said, she continues to get thinner and thinner. She has lost an incredible amount of muscle mass and to be honest, looks very frail. She has a great deal of work in front of her to rebuild herself. Yet, there is no question that she will - she is being tough, positive, and determined. Chris' goal is to beat me in tennis (hardly ever happend before any of this, but) in the next year.

Tomorrow we go through a series of tests, instructions, and a huge amount of paperwork. They will give her a final medicine protocol, instructions for frequent visits with her primary physician. schedule follow up appointments at BU, etc. Then Chris wants to get in the car at the end of the day, and go directly home. Home means back to Holliston, to her own bed, her own gardens, her own things. We may have to be back for another visit next week, but that would be a day trip.

We do have the apartment until next Wednesday, so the kids may have their friends into Boston for a night or two on the town. It would be great to walk to some great restaurants, sit in the park and read the paper with a coffee, stroll around the city, etc. Someday we'll come back for a month, with Chris totally healthy and celebrate the incredible success of her recovery.

I won't go into percentages here (I can quote them to the tenth of a percent), but what we are looking for is what is called an HCR - hematological complete response. This is where the light chain proteins (amyloid) are no longer being produced by the defective plasma cells. Partial response or no response are other outcomes, but all we are thinking about is HCR. This is my new favorite acronym, HCR, with C being the most critical letter. Everyone who has prayed, sent cards, flowed their positive thoughts Chris' way, have all made a huge difference. The message you were sending made the difference. Chris went through stem cell replant and the chemo with flying colors (and some flying vomit (sorry)). Now what we need is the same wish for HCR!! We will not know what the response was for another 6 months, but if we all think and pray HCR, it will be huge.

So, the journey continues, it doesn't end tomorrow, or in six months, as she will be tested always. But the journey has been a good one so far. We have a very tired woman, who feels beaten up, looks even worse, and yet she smiles for me everyday. The smile tomorrow when we drive into our driveway will be a great one to watch.

I know I have an incredible number of people to thank for their support. I don't know how and I don't know when to say thanks, but the list is amazing, I am awe-struck. Over the last week, over 960 people have read this blog. The love, interest, and support for Chris has been beyond comprehension and is a testament to the love she has been sent. Despite my editorial ramblings, poor writing skills and bad grammar, you all overcome that to check on Chris. Again, just amazing.

So tomorrow is a big day, I'll update the blog with how it went, and how glad she is to be home.
Have a great day, I know we will!!!