Remembering Faith

BOX SCORE
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	11.4	13-17	^
Platelets	125	140-375	^
ANC	1250	1800-8300	v

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted. This happens when my blood counts are up, and we have the opportunity to be out and about. In fact, my ANC has been above 1000 since January 19th. We have been able to attend church in person. We have gone out to eat...more than once. We have been able to visit with friends and family. Last weekend we had breakfast at the Original Pancake House (I know; there's one in your town, but it must be a fake cuz the one in Salem claims to be the original, and they couldn't put that on their sign if it weren't true, right?) with daughter Tara. On Sunday, we drove to Eugene and took son Patrick and Katie and their girls out to breakfast and then spent several hours hanging out in their beautiful home. Are you picking up a theme here? "Hey, Jill, my ANC is up, what shall we do? I know, let's go out to eat!"

This turn of events is thanks to the fact that my chemo regimen has been reduced by about half. It is nice to be able to be more like real people and engage with life outside our four walls. We are even hopeful of being able to visit daughter Laura and her family in San Diego in June, when her eldest, Josiah, will graduate from Point Loma High School. 

When you have a severe, debilitating disease, like leukemia, traveling is not as easy as it once was. My stamina is not great. An hour and a half in the car on the way to Eugene was about my limit on Sunday. Anticipating a two and a half hour flight to San Diego is a bit daunting. I think we will check into flying first class, since we have a travel budget that has barely been touched since the Covid shutdown three years ago. 

When Josiah was born, I told Jill that I wanted us to be an influence in his life, although he lives in San Diego and we lived in Clackamas at the time. Well, up to three years ago, we were able to visit the family in SoCal 3 or 4 times a year, but since Covid and leukemia have been part of our lives, we haven't been to the beautiful city of San Diego. So, fingers crossed we are going to the graduation.

Back to the complications of traveling while being treated for a chronic illness; I was advised to register with Kaiser Permanente of Southern California as a guest patient. That way, if I have an urgent need for medical care, I will have the same insurance coverage as I do at home. I have made that connection and will meet my Southern California primary care physician by phone on Friday this week. 

Of course, my physical condition is a concern while traveling, too. I have posted previously about my "frozen" shoulder for which I am in physical therapy. I've made some progress, but there is much to do yet. The shoulder problem has resulted in difficulty sleeping, due to night pain, which I have learned to manage to a degree with our adjustable bed. When we went to the beach a couple of weekends ago, however, it was a comedy of errors as I propped myself up with as many pillows as I could find in the hotel room. All of this stuff is doable, but it slows life down a good deal. Thank the Lord I have the most patient wife on the planet, who helps me through it all with nary a complaint.

I just continue to cling to the Lord's promises, like 

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." (Proverbs 22:17)

And

"The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:5-7)

And 

¹⁶ "Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

My favorite aunt was a master at keeping a joyful heart. She suffered from multiple sclerosis for all of the time I knew her. I never knew anyone who loved a good joke and to laugh as much as Auntie Faith, even though her life was devastated by a crippling disease. I often think of her as I navigate the ups and downs of my own medical challenges. Her legacy lives in my heart.