Weekend Update - Stopping Chemo to Recover a Bit

Just a quick update to that last posting—I wrote that last week while traveling, but did not get a chance to review and post it until this morning. There is some news to report from the last couple of days, but we were a little occupied by yet another lax tournament. I’ll let you know how that went and then tell you a bit about Sandy.

Hannah had another lax tournament on Friday and Saturday, the Galaxy National Championships, which was held in Malvern, Pennsylvania. The weather was incredible and uncharacteristically nice for this time of year—low humidity, sunshine and in the 80s. Sky Walkers plays in the Galaxy League, which now includes 18 different club programs. Many of the teams are from Maryland and Virginia, as well as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York/Long Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire… and there are even a couple of newer clubs from Ohio, and Illinois. The league site has a pretty cool introduction that the girls just love, if you have any interest http://www.galaxylacrosse.com/

Hannah’s team played well and advanced to the semi-finals before losing an exciting and very tight game in sudden death. They call it “sudden victory” now…how cheesy. These kids are great athletes and competitors and expect that each game will result in a winner and a loser…no one is going to suffer any damage by losing a game in “sudden death” overtime. Even the refs shrug their shoulders or giggle when they call it “sudden victory.” Perhaps it is the parents that we’re palliating with all of these friendlier terms, and not the kids at all.

Anyway, Hannah played very well and is feeling great about how she ended the season. She made some big plays in midfield and on defense, and contributed a couple of goals and some assists on attack.

My 2011 team also played in this tournament. We really struggled in our first four games (all on Friday), but improved a bit in each one and finished the day 1-3. It just felt like a real step back after what has been a tremendous season of progress and success. So much of this game is mental and we just didn’t step on the field with the confidence that we should have. It turned out to be a great test for them, emotionally, and they came back out Saturday morning and raised their level of play. Our girls were playing for pride at that point, and fought through a close, tough game to lose by one. They ended the tournament and their season in a way they should make them proud.

Now, to the update on Sandy.

You read on the last posting that things were progressing without event. That is true, but this is a roller coaster ride, after all, and it would just get plain boring here on the blog if there was not some news to report. We’re not sure whether the cold had anything to do with it or if it was simply another week of chemo that beat her up, but her white cell count is very depressed and they pulled her off of the chemotherapy treatment on Friday. She started a course of antibiotics (preventive) and will also take human growth hormone injections starting tomorrow. Sandy will go into the hospital on Monday for a couple of hours to hook up the bags and take some fluids by IV. This should help hydrate her with the right types of fluids. Between the hormones and the fluids, this should put her in a better position to improve her production of white blood cells. It is the mature white blood cells that are so critical in fighting infection, and new cells have to produce and mature quickly enough to replace the older ones. Right now, her body is vulnerable because the count of mature white cells is depressed.

This in turn will make her stronger and better prepared to fight any infections. Hey, this approach seems to work for the wrestlers! You don’t ever see them with any colds….

So, that’s where we are as of today.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Back on Chemo...Without Much Ta-doo.

Not much to report right now…so I thought I’d report it anyway. Sandy resumed chemo on Monday without much fanfare (no one showed up!). She really did not get much of a chance to recover from the last cycle because she contracted a pretty wicked cold as the cycle ended. I say “wicked” in the sense that it was wicked to her. Being immunosuppressed to begin with, then having your immune system beaten down even further with chemotherapy, you’re going to catch anything that gets close. We think Haley probably had it first, and then Sandy got it in spades. It forced her into bed for most of three days last week. So, that’s why she didn’t really get a week of R&R during the “off week.” I got it, too…but don’t feel too sorry for me—it was pretty mild.

Oddly, Hannah was the one hit with another ailment, altogether. I pulled a tick off of her back a couple of weeks ago, which ultimately gave her lyme disease. It took about a week to ten days to become symptomatic, showing the classic concentric circles on her back between the shoulder blade and spine. I know, that’s all we need… Fortunately, we spotted the rash as it emerged and got her to the pediatrician that same day. She is taking a three week course of antibiotics and the Dr. is optimistic that will take care of it. To add insult to injury, the antibiotics caused her to burn in the sun during her last tournament. Hannah is pretty diligent about sunscreen (I witnessed her applying it a number of times that day), but she still burned on her cheeks and nose, and on the tops of her hands, of all places. It is a week later as I write this, and she is still very bright red across her face and hands. We later learned that these are the places that antibiotics make more sensitive to the sun.

If you haven’t already, now you must be thinking something along the lines of, “That poor family! What else could possibly go wrong?”

Well, it gets better from here. Comical, even. Consider this: All in a period of just a few weeks—concurrent with Sandy’s cold and Hannah’s lyme disease and subsequent sunburn—our oven stopped working, the refrigerator started making noises, and the washing machine broke. The ice maker and handle on the refrigerator are already broken. This was the second time the washing machine broke in a period of 30 days. The dang thing is only TWO YEARS OLD!!!! It now has a new water pump. The refrigerator and oven were new when we gutted the kitchen 6 years ago. We did not buy cheap appliances...so, I say “aaargh.”

Last week, Sandy got a flat tire in the Volvo. Puncture in the tread. No problem, right? Wrong! There was also some sidewall damage…and because of the All Wheel Drive system, the car required FOUR new tires.

All in just a few weeks.

You just can’t make this stuff up.

Relay For Life

Sandy's sister, Beth, along with her husband, Chris, and children, Ryan, Lauren, and Lindsay decided to raise money for the American Cancer Society through Relay For Life. Many people who participate in Relay For Life do it in honor of someone they love who has been stricken by cancer.

The 24-hour team relay event was a few weekends ago in Ohio, and consisted of a grueling 200 mile bike ride on Friday followed by a twenty-four hour walkathon on Saturday. Chris rode the bike, and Beth, Ryan, Lauren, and Lindsay all hoofed it through the walk. During the walk, they covered an aditional 150 miles. Chris also did the walk after the bike...bike shorts or not, that seat's gotta chafe!

The Relay web site describes it well, "Relay For Life opens as cancer survivors take the first lap. This emotional time sets the stage for the importance of each participant's contribution. A festive atmosphere always develops as participants make new friends and spend time with old ones. Highlighting the evening is a luminaria Ceremony of Hope held after dark to honor cancer survivors and to remember loved ones lost to cancer. The luminaria candles line the track and are left burning throughout the night to remind participants of the incredible importance of their contributions."

The goal of Relay for Life is to eliminate cancer in our lifetime. A worthy goal, indeed. According to the ACS web site, "At these events in 4800+ communities nationwide, teams of familes friends and co workers join together to CELEBRATE the lives of those who have battled cancer, REMEMBER those that lost the fight, and FIGHT BACK against a disease that takes too much." The format and history of the event are quite interesting. You can read more on the ACS website via this link http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/about

Sandy was one of the honorees of their efforts, as you might expect. Unfortunately, Sandy is not the only one in their family who has been affected by cancer. In the time that it took to print the tshirts you see in the photo, Chris's dad, Karl, was diagnosed with gall bladder cancer and underwent surgery. Fortunately, Poppy, as the kids call him, is rebounding quickly and doing very well.

Many of you know that my mother, Harriett, was also diagnosed with lung cancer in February 2006. Her battle continues today.

It is a devstating disease that just demands too much of too many of us. It seems that any goal short of eliminating cancer is just unacceptable. The Schlabach's impressive efforts raised $7200+ towards that goal for the American Cancer Society!

THANK YOU Beth, Chris, Ryan, Lauren, and Lindsay!