Sid Bacon

It is always nice to reach Friday, with the hope of a relaxing and enjoyable weekend ahead.  This weekend is special, with Sunday being Mother’s Day.  I want to take this opportunity to wish all mothers – especially my own and Cathy – a very happy Mother’s Day.  They do so much for us, from the time we are little through our grown-up years, that we really should have more than one special day for them each year.  But we don’t, so we should make sure that this one day is really special.
 

We are planning to attend the ballet next Wednesday evening, two days after chemo (fingers crossed).  I may be a little more tired than I would have been this past Wednesday, but I’m sure I’ll be wide awake and will enjoy every minute of it. 
 

I am going to take the weekend off from writing this blog.  I’ll be busy building platelets and preparing for a special Sunday for Cathy.  I also will want to have a nice long phone conversation with my mom on Sunday.  I will definitely write on Monday, with more information regarding chemo and whether I remain on the clinical trial or move to the Bacon study.  My first choice for Monday is to have a platelet count well over 100,000, and to remain on the clinical trial for now.  Whatever the outcome, however, we will face it with optimism and make the very best of our situation.  I have faith that the people at Piper have my health as their top priority in their care for me, so their decisions will be based on what is best for me.
 

Have a great weekend … more on Monday …

Well, my platelet count was only 95,000, but close enough that they could waive me on for chemotherapy today.  I’ll stay in the study.   I am very happy … very happy.  They commented that they almost need a different criterion for me in terms of platelet count, given that my normal count is in the low 100s.  I just happen to be “blessed” with a low number of platelets normally, which means I don’t have much of a buffer for when the chemotherapy drugs knock the platelet count down.  So, it looks like we will move our chemo treatments to Monday for now, instead of Thursday.  I am so glad to be back in the ring, fighting the cancer with the chemotherapy drugs.

During my exam today, the nurse told me that the staff clapped for me earlier in the morning during their big staff meeting, because I am doing so well. That news made me feel good.  And I already felt good.   Indeed, I have been feeling so good lately, as if I didn’t have cancer at all.  That, of course, is our ultimate goal!

We had a great Mother’s Day weekend.  Dan surprised us by driving over from San Diego.  He called me about 10:30 Saturday morning, and as we were talking, I answered the front door only to see him standing there.  What a treat!  Laura came out to our house soon thereafter.  We celebrated from there on.  It is always great to have your children back home … they enjoy each other’s company and we certainly enjoy their company (and they seem to tolerate us pretty well …).  It was quite a gift to us that Dan drove a total of 11 hours just to spend 24 hours in Phoenix.  He is quite the son/brother.

We hadn’t seen Dan since he was here for his wedding, just about a month ago, which of course made it all the more special to have him here.  While here this weekend, he commented that he thought my quality of life was better and my energy level was higher than it was when he last saw me.  He is right.  We certainly notice that I am feeling better, but I think the progress is more apparent to someone who only sees me sporadically.

Laura joined us today for lunch at Piper.  Her construction job is located nearby, which makes it great for us all.  Her support, like Cathy's and Dan's, is unwavering and incredibly meaningful to me.  We had sandwiches (Laura, me) and salad (Cathy) from a grocery store called Sprouts.  They make really good and fresh lunch food at a very low price.  A great combination!

Thanks to all of you who have been thinking about me and praying for me.  I greatly appreciate all your support.  It is great to be fighting together.

Yesterday was the first round of cycle 4; I think we have to declare that this first round went to Team Bacon.  I felt a little nauseous last night and a very little bit when I first got up this morning, but now I feel fine.  The patch is doing its thing.  We are definitely winning that battle.  Furthermore, a little bit of nausea is a small price to pay for having the chemo drugs in me fighting the cancer.   
 

My walk this morning was a little shorter and a little slower than usual, but at least I got out and got a little exercise. I expect to take a more typical walk tomorrow.  I do, however, need to get back to lifting weights … perhaps in a few days.
 

I forgot to mention that at weigh-in yesterday I had gained just over a pound since last Thursday.  It must have been all that good food over the weekend (and the trip to DQ on Sunday), much of which was prepared by Dan.  I’m now only four pounds away from my pre-diagnosis weight. (I had lost 20 pounds.  Cathy and I met a man yesterday at Piper who is just in the first cycle of treatment; he had lost over 50 pounds!  Boy, do I feel lucky.)  The goal now is to weigh more than I did when I started all of this.  I’m certain the extra weight will come in handy, even if I have to get an entirely new wardrobe of pants!  I could get them all with elastic waistbands to accommodate eventual swings in my weight (and hence waist).  And if I’m working at home for the most part, style is not an issue.  Some shopping days may be just around the corner …
 

I feel such hope and optimism.  Thank you for your support and for playing such an important role in my recovery.  It will be a long road, filled with ups and downs, but we’ve had more ups than downs and we are generally doing very well.  Let’s keep up the good fight!

I woke with no back pain or nausea and with lots of nasty, tumor-fighting chemicals in my body.  It is a great day!  I have lots to be thankful for on this wonderful Wednesday. 
 

I went on my usual 2.5-mile walk this morning.  Cathy joined me hand-in-hand for just over half of it before taking off on her desert run.  I don’t have quite the spring in my step that I had last weekend after about three weeks of skipping chemo, but my pace was good and I think it is just going to get better every day.  I have nothing to complain about in this area.  Indeed, I am pleased by how well I have bounced back after chemotherapy on Monday.
 

After our exercise I had a big second breakfast that consisted of fried potatoes, two eggs, and some cantaloupe.  As you can see, I’m working hard to continue my weight gain.  It has to be good for me.  My first breakfast isn’t quite so big, just a half of a bagel and a chocolate breakfast drink (what some would consider a complete breakfast). It is plenty to get me going on my walk, and it allows me to take a couple pills that should be taken with food.
 

I am reading a book on my iPad entitlted “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand (the first book I read on my iPad was “Steve Jobs”, by Walter Isaacson – seemed appropriate enough to read it on the iPad).  It is, according to the front of the book “A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption”.  It is an enjoyable and heartening book, one that I highly recommend.  (Thanks for recommending it to us, Mary E.)  At the risk of spoiling just a bit of it, the main character (Louie Zamperini) spends 47 days while stranded on a raft in shark-infested water, during which time he loses about 80 pounds, approximately half his body weight.  His journey makes my journey look almost trivial.  And if he can survive, surely I can, too.
 

We are going to the ballet tonight.  There is no rain in the forecast, so I’m confident that the show will go on.  The high temperature today is expected to be in the low 100s; the temperature at show time (8 PM) is predicted to be about 96 degrees.  It should be warm but ok for those of us in the audience.  I worry a bit about the dancers, however.  I know they are in great shape, but I suspect they lose weight nightly from loss of fluids (sweat!).  They are probably in no danger of losing half their body weight, however, so perhaps I shouldn’t worry so much about them … Anyway, it is going to be fun and very nice to see Liz’s parents again.
 

I am so grateful for all the love and support I am getting on a daily basis.  It makes such a difference in my life and in my recovery.  We are doing well as a team, and we are going to keep doing well.  Thank you all!

I guess I could have said Therapeutic Thursday, because even though I’m not receiving chemotherapy today, I feel like the beautiful day and all the support I receive is therapeutic.  (Plus, I am still taking plenty of drugs at home …) I could also call it Thankful Thursday, because I have so much for which to be thankful.  But I guess I’ll just rock the boat a bit and call it Beautiful Thursday.  It is, after all, a beautiful day with all sorts of possibilities.  We all are so lucky to be in this world at this time … may we relish the inherent beauty and see beauty where others might not. 
 

Speaking of beauty … the ballet Topia was wonderful.  Although the temperatures were high, it was not uncomfortable at all (for me, anyway … don’t know about the dancers).  The performance started a bit after 8:00 PM and was over before 9:00 … it was 45 minutes in total.  The dancers performed on a specially built 80-foot stage.  I read somewhere that this is about twice the size of their normal stage.  To practice, particularly with regard to the staging, they had to rehearse in Ballet Arizona’s parking lot. 
 

Last night was a beautiful confluence of nature and artistic expression. Immediately behind the stage were two magnificent saguaro cacti.  Behind them were striking desert trees with another saguaro emerging seemingly from the canopy of one of the trees.  In the distance were rocky buttes that wonderfully framed the entire setting. 
 

The dancers were magnificent, a combination of beauty, grace, and athleticism.  They danced to Beethoven’s 6th symphony (the so-called Pastoral symphony).  Although the music was not live, it was beautifully arranged and amplified to just the right level. 
 

At times, the light shone only on the stage, while at others the beautiful desert behind the stage also was illuminated.  It really brought the dance and desert together.  It was a wonderful experiment and experience.  I am so glad that the Desert Botanical Garden and Ballet Arizona teamed together to do this.  And I am so glad we got to experience it. 
 

Last night was the first time we had been back to the Botanical Garden since Liz and Dan’s wedding, almost exactly a month ago.  It was great to be back, and to think about how beautiful that event was and how happy the couple and their families were.  As requested (by some anyway), I will occasionally include another wedding picture with my blog.  Today’s picture perfectly captures the happiness of that day (and everyday when Dan and Liz are together), and it gives you some sense of the beautiful desert surrounding just behind the stage where they were married.  What a day to remember!
 

I hope your day is as beautiful as mine.  Thanks for your continued love and support … a true sign of beauty.