We had so much stuff to do yesterday to get ready to come to the hospital that we did the obvious - went to the beach! And if you are about to spend 45 days in the hospital, I recommend it highly. Bella and John instigated it and we followed. It was a bit windy but refreshing as always. We ducked behind the dunes at our friend Susan's house and had a picnic. And finally we were rewarded with an amazing sunset as the low low tide left shallow pools of water that reflected the sky brilliantly.
We got to City of Hope at nine this morning and Rosina did a Red Cell Exchange. She was hooked up to a machine that took about 1200 milliliters of A+ blood out of her body, and replaced it with six units (about a pint each) of O+. This is to make the transition easier to the new blood she'll be making, after the marrow transplant, which will be O+. The O+ is shown in the two bags in front, the bag in back is all the blood they took from her skinny body! By the way, by using her height, weight and gender, they calculated that her body holds 3,333 milliliters of blood. Using this same formula, I believe I am holding about nineteen gallons. I'm like a keg of blood. A blood sausage. How come my wife who has Leukemia looks ten times better than me? And thank God she does.
After that she was admitted and we went up to her room. It's on the sixth floor of the Helford Hospital building and looks north toward the mountains. As I sit here now by the window, the sun is going down and it looks pretty nice. The other side of the building looks at concrete freeway structures and giant power lines, so we lucked out.Along with Chemo, Radiation begins early tomorrow, the very same radiation that created the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Shrinking Man, Spiderman, and a lot of other amazing people who were strong, unique, and wore colorful garments. Rosina already is all this, so I'm trying to imagine how astounding she'll be coming out of there.
re: Cry Cry Cry. I think I put that there more in the tone of a bittersweet song title than an active verb. But it does come and it waves through you and little things can trigger it. Last week, Rosina was talking to Dr. Forman and he asked how she was doing. She said she'd been a little teary, and then he slid his chair just a little closer which made her burst into tears. It don't take much. I think we all need to slide our chairs a little closer!
xo
ph
PS See below for blood donor info.
PPS Visiting info next post
3 comments:
Dear, dear friends...I cry cry cry just because I wanted to be there, holding your hands and been useful...At the same time I'm full of hope and positive thoughts. Our Super hero Rosina is moving on. She is brave, sweet and never alone. She is surrounded by our love and support.
Ro, só penso em vc, em vcs, aguenta firme, estamos caminhando pra resover tudo e te ver vivendo sua vida tão cheia de felicidades.
Pedro, you are my hero too!
COM TODO AMOR QUE EU POSSO TER,
Zélia
Guigui querida. Estou acompanhando estes dias de lutas e vitórias, e de um amor maravilhoso, que vocês estão vivendo. Rezo muito, pedindo a Deus que tudo passe rápido e que o sucesso seja total. Você é linda, sempre foi e sempre será. Esta retrato na praia, no entardecer está fantástico! Conte sempre com minhas preces pelo seu total restabelecimento. Um beijo da Anna Lucia
Man, Peter. I was doing great, blogging along here until I read where you said, "I think we all need to slide our chairs a little closer!"
Then I had to cry a little bit. You are so right, right, right.
But our chairs are all close to you both right now, so sing.
(I was in a band with a bass player once who wrote a song about singin' instead of cryin'.....)
Many, many hugs and much love,
Liz and the guys
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