UPDATE: Treatment Interrupted

I have a few books on the go right now. One of them is Suleika Jaouad’s account of her battle with leukemia: Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted. I am certain that this won’t be the last time my writing finds its beginnings in this book, but today I feel most connected to the idea of “life interrupted.”

I won’t (for now) dig deep into what a life interrupted by cancer has meant for us or deal with the more philosophical question of whether interruptions are actually interruptions at all, or whether they are life itself. Instead, let me simply update you. My treatments this month were interrupted and put on hold because of illness. Chemotherapy has made my body particularly open to viruses. Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) took advantage of that opening during my last chemo cycle and hit me, and subsequently Kathy, pretty hard. I was hospitalized for a short time and was preemptively treated for pneumonia. I am #thankful that recovery was quick for both of us and that it appears that chemotherapy can resume on Jan 26.

We continue to pray for the protection that normally one’s immune system would provide. We are also still praying for access to Isatuximab, the third chemo drug that we have not yet gained access to. The decision is currently being made by the drug company as to whether they will provide it on a compassionate basis. We pray that they will decide to do so this week, not only for me but for others who need access to this drug. Knowing that some of you will join in those prayers helps us to keep the faith!