So, with that in mind, I apologize for the stream-of-consciousness that is about to come spilling out right now but I need to write it down somewhere so I can get it out of my system and move forward.
I talked to my mom tonight about her situation and it’s getting a bit grim, with a (hopefully) silver lining.
After talking with her doctor and specialists at the Univ. of Washington Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, she’s going to be going through some very harrowing treatment over the next few months.
They’re going to extract stem cells from her since she’s currently in remission and then give her chemotherapy to destroy all of her bone marrow. Once the marrow has been destroyed and starts to re-grow, they’re going to re-introduce the extracted stem cells to her system to help it produce healthy cancer-free white blood cells.
That might not sound so bad when you just read it, but it’s bad. She’ll basically be in isolation, boy-in-the-bubble style, for three to four weeks while she’s without marrow/infection-fighting white blood cells. As a bonus, it’ll be during Christmas so she and dad won’t be going to Hawaii after all. Fuck.
On top of that, it’s not like she’ll just be able to walk out of isolation and resume her normal life afterward, she’s going to be very susceptible to infection and disease for months after that. All told, she’s looking at six months of little-to-no contact with anyone.
All she wanted to do was see my daughters before she started treatment, but can’t risk getting sick now.
I’m in a really bad place. She told me tonight that this treatment should add another five years to her life. Should. Should.
All she kept asking me is if I was OK.
I don’t know what else to say, so I’m done for now.
Done.
