Cancer buddies

Mayla, a young volunteer and dar child who is living with us at home for the past month came to our room yesterday evening and wanted to take a picture. I guess we were both not at our best, but then this is the way we look today. I call us: cancer buddies! Why? Because for the past months we have shared every moment of our life with a third unwanted guest: Sir Hodgkin. Our mission is to boot him out of our lives as soon as possible. Easier said than done as he is a tenacious and difficult tenant who functions in his own ways. But before I get to that just a little bit about the picture. I think Ranjan is looking good after 6 chemos. I love the new fuzz on his head and have never seen so many black hair in a long time. Would love your reactions to his new look!

Now let us get back to the Sir H! The best case chemo scenario is that it gets rid of 80% of the cancer cells. This stands to logic as chemo can only destroy cancer cells when they are dividing, or to use a medical term: during interphase or mitosis. Now to hope that there is a given moment when all cancers cells are in mitosis is absurd. There will always be some that cannot be destroyed. The downside of this approach is that it also destroys your immune system. Now how do the remaining cells get destroyed after chemo. The answer is: by your immune system. So the true picture can only appear when all traces of chemo have left your body and your immune system has recovered from the shock of having millions of healthy cells destroyed and has taken back its primary role: giving you immunity.

Chemo aside, I have been pumping Ranjan with all kind of remedies that aim at strengthening the immune system, but sadly whatever success I have is reversed by the next chemo. It is only after the last chemo that I will be able to boost his immune system and have it take care of the remaining cells. Right now the simple fact that I have been able to minimise the side effects and ensured that he has not lost any weight is more than I could have hoped for.

We are half way as we have been told that he needs 12 chemos. 6 more to go!