I had a hard time deciding what to put in this post. I thought it would be a great idea to base this off of Hannah’s prayer from 1 Samuel, until I read it and decided a prayer for fertility didn’t exactly fit the bill… although there were a couple other reasons we didn’t update you mid-week.

Big Week #3

We’re SO incredibly happy to report that Andrew’s nausea was much more manageable this week. He was up watching movies and eating small meals just like the doctors hoped he would be most of the week. In the last day or so that’s changed and he’s feeling pretty crummy at the moment. I really hesitated posting anything about it because it just felt too good to be true.

A Hannah Update

I’ve been wrestling with a couple of health things of my own in the midst of this, most recently a lingering and brutal cold. I’ve been very happy to go to bed at the same time as Andrew, some nights even before he was ready for bed as I try to kick it. The last couple of days it’s resulted in aches, gross coughs, migraines, and working hard to accomplish daily chores between work and sleep. I’m honestly pretty exhausted and so grateful for this weekend.

And the Moment We’ve Been Waiting For

We’re happy to report that Andrew just has ONE MORE DAY of treatment. On Monday he will go in for his last small dose of chemotherapy! Then we work on resting him up until he’s regained his strength post-chemo. Your guess is about as good as mine as to how long that should take.

One Big Thanks

It just needs to be said again. I have been absolutely blown away by the love we’ve received from our friends and family during this time. A big thanks goes out to the people who have given up so much time to sit with him on chemo days. Andrew’s parents, his Grandma Pruim, my mom, and my Grandparents Boer have all worked together to make sure Andrew was taken care of on chemo days. I’ll never be able to repay that kindness; I love you all.

Disappointing News

On Monday morning I awaited with a jittery heart the news that would determine the next week. Then the message came: Levels too low. No chemo this week.

I moved from sadness over the disappointed hopes of a quickly approaching end date to happiness surprisingly quickly. This means a week of board games, meals together, and movies, and I couldn’t be more excited about those blessings!

Next week, we anticipate that levels will be back up to where the nurses feel comfortable with administering chemotherapy.

And now, in this waiting for the final big week, it begins to sink in…

The Truth of the Matter

The thing Andrew and I haven’t talked too much about is there’s a chance that chemo will not be successful. There’s not a clear way of knowing this chemo is treating the cancer, because there’s not a way of knowing if the cancer is testicular cancer which has spread, or lung cancer which has just begun. If it is in fact lung cancer, we’ll likely have to begin over again with another treatment program. More chemo.

Waiting

We’re waiting on some big news right now. The blood work they’ll perform next Monday which will clear Andrew for chemo or delay him another week. Our move-in date to be finalized, or even estimated. And the CT scan six whole weeks after completing treatment which will tell us if the mass in his lung is bigger, smaller, or gone.

The Positives

We got a couch for the house! It’s delightful and ideal for hosting game and movie nights. We also got rid of an old couch, donating it to some Kuyper students who picked it up for us. We’re continuing to daydream about our space and checking boxes like this every week. Our next box to check is finding a Queen mattress, box spring, and frame for our bedroom. Feel free to let us know if you’re upgrading yours or getting rid of a spare!

The Part where You Come In…

This blog post is what’s on our minds. But here’s a bulleted list (with some action steps) for you to organize your thoughts:

• There’s anxiety over the end growing farther away, and the uncertainty that waits for us there
• There’s nervousness for the nausea that could increase and was very intense last time
• We’d appreciate prayers against sickness in Andrew as there’s some things going around
• We like to read letters from you all; that’s been enjoyable.
• Any leads on a mattress would be much appreciated. we don’t expect to move for another month or two yet.

My Mom came to visit us in the chemo depot this week!

Big Week #2: A Summary

This past week can pretty well be summed up (after our last post’s adventures, of course) by Andrew’s suggested title for this post: All I Do is Sleep and Puke.

While it’s not a delicate title, it is a very accurate statement. There is also a lot of burps and a couple of small meals, as well as the rare Netflix shows and movies.

Another interesting note; I was asked if I work at the cancer center because I visited every day this week. They were about to offer me a badge to use instead of validating my parking ticket every time — I think I’ll regret not going along with it!

One Small Ray of Light

Perhaps there are other motives that would be more poetic or worthy to keep us motived and moving forward, but we are very excited to have a semi-finalized closing date on our new home!

Next week Friday is the date, a Friday the 13th, which hopefully doesn’t bode poorly for this type of adventure. We’re very hopeful that Andrew will be in good enough shape to attend the closing. I’m especially anxious for him to be there, considering if he doesn’t come I’ll be signing each sheet of paper three times! Once for myself, once for Andrew, and a third for Andrew as myself, his Power of Attorney.

The Light at the End

I titled this short post “Slowly but Surely.” This is a long journey in a short period of time, but I am finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I suspect Andrew will join me once all of the sleep and the puke subside in a couple of days.

Today we enjoyed a big breakfast together, chocolate chip pancakes and all, and I cannot wait until we can enjoy all of life post-chemo with a clean bill of health.

The Light that is You All

Thank you for your time, care, and support. There’s not a lot to be requesting for in prayer or in action, but here’s what’s at the forefront of our minds:

• It would be really awesome if Andrew could keep his food where it belongs. The sooner the better!
• We hope that the chemo will be effectively killing all of the cancer cells in his body so the end of Big Week #3 can be the end of treatment.
• We’re continuing to love and support one another, and to accept support when we need it. This is difficult sometimes.

Well folks, it’s Hannah here, reporting that chemo, otherwise known as Big Week #2, has officially begun.

The Good

Side effects can also be positive, right? We really enjoyed our extra week between chemo cycles. Getting to spend some quality non-sick time together, watching our favorite shows, playing lots of board games, reconnecting with a couple of people, and even taking a few walks was so refreshing! The highlight of it all was a real date night, sanitizing wipes, masks, and all!

Andrew enjoying his favorite thing: Endless Fries!

• 

We went to see Men in Black: International (with some precautions)

More Good

Honestly, we are just so relieved that Andrew’s blood and pulmonary tests all came back okay. We’re glad to be back on track and moving towards the final goal: the end of Big Week #3 and a clean CT Scan! Oh, and moving to our first home. We get to close next week and we will be moving in a month or two after.

The Bad

With chemo week being this week, Andrew may not make it to our closing date, which is next week. We’re planning ahead so he won’t legally need to be there if he’s unable, but we’re hoping against hope that he can make it.

And the Ugly

Today, when I got home from work, I couldn’t find Andrew. When I did find him, he was stuck in the bathroom, unable to stand, stretch his hands, or move his legs. He’d lost power of some of his muscles. He’d also lost his afternoon snack and he was covered in sweat. At this moment I was so thankful that we live with Andrew’s parents. We called in Dad (Randy) the chemo expert as backup.

I was eventually able to get Andrew from the toilet to the couch with some leaning, shuffling feet, and maybe a little dragging. As I write this, he’s taking a restful nap and has regained feeling in and control over his limbs again.

The doctor told Randy this is most likely a normal reaction to an anti-nausea med. I’m really going to have to re-learn what “normal” means in this new context where stroke-like symptoms are resolved by Benadryl!

The Part where You come in

As already mentioned, we’re so grateful that you care, and that you’re following our journey. We’re thankful that you’re walking with us. Here’s what’s at the forefront of our minds:

• We’re learning this new normal where weird and scary things can happen every day.
• We’re preparing to close on the house and hoping for Andrew to attend without nausea or discomfort.
• We’re grateful for no sicknesses so far and we’d love for us and our household to stay healthy.
• Let’s have some strong thoughts and prayers against nausea as well as drug side-effects. There are some good side effects (see above) but this week will likely be full of bad ones.