The Tour

 As an update on Dana's cancer since confirming the relapse of her Hodgkin's disease Dana and I have made a pretty decent tour of some incredible medical institutions. Last week's tour stop was Northwestern University to meet with their lymphoma expert. Her recommendation was the most aggressive treatment plan including radiation therapy, high-dose chemo and an autologous stem cell transplant.

This week's tour stop was the Cleveland Clinic to see their top radiation oncologist and lymphoma expert. The consensus from them was high-dose chemo and an autologous stem cell transplant. The rationale for this is that it gives Dana the highest chance of curing the cancer. Which is exactly what I want as her husband.

So what does that really involve, here is the breakdown, 2-3 treatments of chemo which will require about 2 days in the hospital for each one roughly 2-3 weeks apart. After that they will do another PET scan to make sure no disease is present and then do the stem cell transplant. That requires the oncologist to harvest her own stem cells and then give them back to her. The hospital stay for this is typically 3-4 weeks in an isolated transplant unit.

I don't know how to accurately describe what it feels like to love your spouse more than life itself and then be completely powerless to help them. Impotent doesn't do it justice. Failure isn't accurate. As a dad, a husband and average guy I want to fix things. It doesn't mean I am always good at it, but if you bring a problem to me I try to fix it. If our kids fall down and scrape a knee I can fix that. Broken toy, no problem. Rough day at work, well I will give you a solution whether or not it truly fixes the problem is up for debate. But this I can't fix this for Dana and I truly hate that feeling. Dana hasn't asked why me and quite honestly it doesn't matter, because medically no one knows what causes it.

I have all the confidence in the world that she will beat this again, but it won't be an easy fight. Hopefully, her three biggest groupies give her all the incentive she ever needs to fight through everything to be cured.

                                                                Dana's groupies.