Número veintidós

BOX SCORE
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	11.0	13-17	^
Platelets	119	140-375	v
ANC	3240	1800-8300	^

If you are married, you may recall saying these words as part of your wedding vows: "...in sickness and in health...." Jill and I had an opportunity to test this part of our vows on the very first day of our honeymoon. We were in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Having arrived there and checked into our hotel before noon, we decided to walk about the town and get the lay of the land, so to speak. As you can imagine, it was pretty warm in Cabo in July, in spite of the ocean breezes. 

We found a little restaurant and went in for some shade and a little lunch. Being the savvy travelers, we knew not to drink the water, so we ordered soft drinks to accompany our meal. Unfortunately, we forgot to specify, "NO ICE!" You know, of course, where this is going. What you may not know is how fast Montezuma's revenge can swing into action. We enjoyed our meal, and anticipating a leisurely walk back to the hotel, we set out in that direction. Soon, we found ourselves hurrying, which turned into really hurrying to get back to our room, which we did just in the nick of time. Yep! We both got it...argghh. 

The upshot of this episode was that we had lots of time in our room and on our veranda, during the ensuing six days of our honeymoon, for some wonderful conversations planning our future together. We dined in the hotel's restaurant (without ice in our drinks) for the remainder of our stay. That turned out to be a blessing, as it was a five star establishment. We learned about chilaquiles for breakfast and whole, barbecued red snapper for dinner. We enjoyed the mariachi music. It was all wonderful and appropriately romantic, considering the circumstances. Fortunately, we recovered from our shared affliction in time for a comfortable plane ride home.

Today is our twenty-second wedding anniversary. This is the third time we have celebrated an anniversary since my leukemia diagnosis. The first was our twentieth, which was also the last day of my very first round of chemotherapy. We ordered a meal from Gustav's, a German restaurant across the street from Sunnyside Medical Center. Jill picked up bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cake, also near the hospital. She got a small one for us and a big one for the oncology staff. It turned into a very memorable occasion, with lots of new friends to celebrate with us. 

The following year, on our twenty-first anniversary, the weather was hot. We were on our way to the waterfront park in Independence, OR looking for a place to dip our toes in some water, aka The Willamette River, when my phone rang. It was Dr. Waugh (now Dr. Brow, who has since married and had a baby) with the results of the bone marrow biopsy I had had the week before. The news was not good. My leukemia, which had disappeared after five months of chemotherapy, was back. The nightmare was beginning again. 

Dr. Waugh offered three options for us. First we could do nothing. Second, I could go back to the hospital for a month of chemotherapy, followed by ongoing chemotherapy each month. Third, I could be treated on an outpatient basis with a combination of injected and oral chemotherapies. Dr. Waugh recommended the third option as the best balance between expected longevity and quality of life. We opted for number three. 

Incidentally, I have a chemotherapy appointment this afternoon, on our twenty-second. This morning as Jill and I were reminiscing about our twenty-two years together (twenty-three, if you count our courtship) I realized how intertwined our history with illness is with our wedding anniversaries. When I mentioned the idea to Jill, she said, "It's as if God is saying to us, 'You promised to be faithful ...in sickness and in health.... Did you really mean it?' " 

Yes, we really meant it. From a memorable (not totally for the traditional reasons) honeymoon in Mexico to the three times we have celebrated anniversaries punctuated by the specter of illness lurking in the background she has stuck by me like glue. Where do we get such women? 

I recall, when we were doing pre-marital counseling, many of the couples in their dewy-eyed state of infatuation seemed to need some grounding in reality. I would occasionally ask the prospective groom if he were prepared to push her wheelchair, if it should come to that. That usually was enough to help the couple realize that Happily Ever After does not always play out the way the fairy tales suggest. 

In sickness and in health. That is a big commitment; one that, I believe, can only be fully realized through the grace of God. And so on this, the occasion of the twenty-second annual celebration of my wedding to Jill, I give thanks to God for her steadfast love and devotion, as well as for His unfailing faithfulness to us both "for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health." Amen!