Curve Balls

AJ makes contact back in the day!

 On our recent get-away, Christine and I not only took in the basketball game at Cameron but also passed by the much less frequented baseball stadium next door, where I spent more of my waking hours at Duke than anywhere else - yes, even more than the library, I'm guessing. Standing there, looking out on home plate, I was reminded of an email my Uncle Peter sent me on hearing of my cancer.
"I hear God's thrown you a curve ball," he wrote. As a baseball hitter, the pitch you generally 'sit on' is a fast ball in the heart of the strike zone. In fact, in college we were instructed to look only for the fast ball and let off-speed pitches go by until we had two strikes. The fact is good curve balls were hard to hit. The key to hitting them with any authority was waiting on them, keeping one's weight and hands back, much easier said than done with pitchers mixing them in between 90 MPH fast balls.
Like a curve ball, the battle with lymphoma has a long arc, and definitely calls for patience. I find myself wanting to fast forward through the treatment and be done with it. Yet God's timing is perfect, I keep reminding myself, and moreover He throws every pitch - fastball or off-speed - for a reason. Not sure where all this is heading but keeping the faith, and definitely learning to wait on a whole new level!

Jack Coombs Field today (Duke University)

High Drama in Cameron

So it wasn't the ending we hoped for, a game-winning shot at the buzzer for Florida State that ended Duke's 45-game home winning streak, but, other than that, we had a fabulous time visiting our old stomping grounds and recharging our batteries, individually and as a couple. The atmosphere for the game was electric, making us feel like undergrads all over again. And we ate like royalty. We lunched at the all-time student favorite restaurant, Satisfaction, followed the game with a delightful dinner at a Parisian-style cafe, and wrapped the weekend up with the jazz brunch at the Washington Duke Inn. Don't worry, we did get some exercise in, as well. We were so successful in getting away from our Falls Church routine that I (AJ) forgot to take my morning pills both Saturday and Sunday - yikes! 
Back into the routine now, mainly helping Nate and Darcy prep for their mid-terms before I kick off round 3 of therapy tomorrow and Christine dives into a super busy work week - good to be home and all together. Thanks to all for helping out with our kids enabling us to leave them behind these past couple days. We marvel at what a great community surrounds us! 
P.S. AJ & I (CJ) debated on the drive home whether we "marvel" at this great community or whether we are "in awe" of it! But as I (CJ) post this, a surprise dinner is in the oven, dropped of unexpectedly by a neighbor just a few minutes ago.   Leftovers were not looking so great and I hadn't asked the kids to defrost anything, so now I think "in awe" is better.  AJ & I have long believed that we have a God who provides for us; now we are seeing this crystal clearly! Crazy!

Cleared for Round Three

Just a quick posting to let you know that today's bloodwork and meeting with the oncologist only served to prove that Andrew is the healthiest person in our family! His platelet count is almost normal (up 30% from three weeks ago) and his white blood cell counts are off the charts (for chemo patients) as well.  The oncologist just had to laugh when Andrew talked about his biking, hiking and tennis activities.  Even I would have though he was bragging if this wasn't the normal way of life for our AJ. Now Andrew is cleared for the next round of chemo which will begin next week.
Even though Andrew is super strong and living a seemily "normal life" during this "sweet spot," I'm reminded of how we often felt living in Rwanda.  Yes, Rwanda is a beautiful country and the people are lovely.  But the history of the genocide is always right below the surface and it wouldn't take much - a conversation, a drive past an unusual "mound" in a field, a political speech - to bring it to consciousness.  The cancer never leaves us either.  Because of this we are especially grateful for everyone who swooped in to offer help on the new "lotsahelping hands" website that a friend set up for us. It seems weird to ask for meals in a "normal" day even as I know this new normal is not the old normal at all.  Thank you, thank you!

Sweet spots & bald spots

AJ at the top of Bull Run Mountain

It's Monday of week three of the second chemo cycle and we're in that "sweet spot" where Andrew is strong and energetic.  No tubes, no chemo, only one doctor's visit this week. Life is good.  Today Andrew & I took a "gem" of a hike up Bull Run Mountain to a rock outcropping with a stupendous view! 
Meanwhile, after a laborious process of shaving and re-shaving Andrew's head, Andrew is sporting a totally clean shaven look now.  It's a new look that will take some getting used to. In the meantime, Andrew's winter hats (this year's Christmas presents) are getting a lot of use!
We wish we could tell you that during this sweet time, the Jones household is full of peace, calm and gratitude.  But the reality is that the "I'm Third" motto - God first, others second, I'm third - is just so darn hard to live out! Our tempers are short and the to do list seems endless for all of us.
Because we are aware of the toll this is taking, we have some fun escapes planned.  The older kids have been invited to go skiing with their cousins in two weeks.  And in response to my, "There's nothing to look forward to!" whining, Andrew bought two tickets to next Saturday's Duke basketball game in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Woo-hoo! We're heading to Durham for 24 hrs! Life is indeed good.

Digging Deep

Well, it's a rainy dreary day here in DC, the kind of day that makes you feel "blah". And that's exactly how AJ feels today.  He's tired and while not exactly "achy" (which we expect after Monday's shot), not exactly raring to go either.  This is an exciting and busy work week for Andrew and Discovery Communications, with the US launch of a new feature film, "The Inside Story."  VIPs from Africa are in town and last night Andrew took the boys to the Wizards' game as part of the week's festivities.  Tonight is the actual movie premier and tomorrow there's a dinner.  Whew!  These late nights would be exhausting on a regular week. 
But we're hanging in, depite a bit of dissent in our household over the use of medications.  Can you guess who is for using pills only on an as needed basis and who supports more preventative measures? Either way, with his great work ethic and enthusiasm for this new job, Andrew will power through. He can always sleep through the weekend....

Date Hike

Doesn't Andrew look great?  We had a great hike along the Potomac this afternoon as we continue to enjoy "Forest Bathing" in the hope that the time in the trees is strengthening AJ's white blood cells.  It certainly is strengthening our marriage!  Who doesn't like a hike on a gorgeous day?  We continue to marvel that AJ tolerates the chemo so well, even as the "week two" symptoms of a metallic & sore mouth, loss of taste for certain foods & cravings for others, and general fatigue all begin to creep in. Andrew felt great on the hike but came home to "check" the Steelers/Bronco's game and suddenly felt so exhausted I thought I'd lost him for the evening. Meanwhile, it seems that I cannot even have a pity party for myself without being spoiled by sweet texts (thanks Emily!), sweet conversations (thanks many of you!) and food and flowers (BIG thanks Sue!)
Tomorrow is the Neulasta shot.  Please pray that this doesn't affect Andrew too much; he has an especially busy and exciting upcoming week at work.  Thanks to all of you for reminding us about what really matters.

Key Lime Pie for Breakfast

Wa-hoo!  We made it through a second round of chemo.  Yesterday when Andrew lost his "baggage" (the chemo pack) it was once again like a new lease on life.  While he continues to tolerate the chemo well, he doesn't sleep well during these weeks and then everyone is grumpy!  Last night, Andrew slept deeply, soundly, and most thankfully, past 5:30am. 
Meanwhile, many of you have asked after us and then followed with, "And how are you doing?" clearly meaning the you that is Christine M N Jones and not the collective we that is Andrew's cancer. If I answer honestly, I would have to say that, "It sucks, but it could suck more."  I'm still surprised each day when I wake up and see Andrew's thinning hair, armies of pill bottles, and lists of questions for all the doctors. I've been putting off writing to our French friends telling them we haven't - and cannot - book tickets for a European vacation (yet). Really? This is our life now? Mostly I'm just a wee bit anxious as January is a hectic month for both of our jobs and I wonder how we'll manage a chemo week, high school finals, and my work team's annual conference on church missions all on the week of the 23rd.
But lest you think I'm heading over to the dark side - I'm not worried about Andrew not being cured. His hair is falling out in droves. Surely if the chemo is killing the fast dividing cells of the hair follicles, it must be killing the fast dividing cancer cells.  And the fact that Andrew played tennis last weekend without getting winded must indicate that the tumor is shrinking.
On balance, life is SO good.  It's Saturday, we're rested, we've got a great community near and far, and I had key lime pie for breakfast, left over from a delicious meal brought last night.  I cannot think of anything better than this!

We like this time zone!

This is just a quick update to tell you that yesterday's "Day One of Round Two" went smoothly.  Most miraculously, Andrew continues to feel "great" even with the returning little friend attached - literally - to his hip.  Some say that Andrew's overall good health and fitness are contributing to the fact that AJ can tolerate these meds well.  And on Friday the doctor told us that how one handles round one is often an indicator of how one will handle subsequent rounds.  But it still seems that chemo is like altitude sickness or jet-lag: it affects some worse than others in a way that isn't always logical.  Andrew happens to tolerate high altitudes and different time zones rather easily and we are now especially thankful that he continues to tolerate chemo. We'll take what we can get as we move through round two!
As always, thanks for emails, texts and phone calls!  We feel very beloved moving into 2012.

Forest Bathing Part II

Today we took the kids out for a first ever family mountain biking adventure!  Here is Nate cruising along with Darcy in the (distant) background.  (AJ isn't feeling so photogenic with his new hairstyle, hence this photo of the kids.) The weather was perfect for a second round of "forest bathing" and we hope that increased white blood cells will prepare Andrew for the second round of chemo, which starts tomorrow.  But just to be sure Andrew is in good form, after biking, we ate at Five Guys in order to give all of us a healthy dose of protein (and who knows what else.)  What a great day!
Tomorrow we start round two, which involves another marathon visit to the hospital for 5+ hrs of chemo infusion. It's a holiday, so we can't go back to our regular place, where we know the nurses and the comfortable reclining chairs.  We'll be in the hospital section and we're sure it won't be as easy.
Now, I have realized over the weekend that "easy" is always relative.  As part of my job, I often act as a sounding board for immigrants who just need a listening ear.  Over the weekend I spent a lot of time listening to the travails of Tina* who is helping another ESOL student, Luis* navigate the County's health services for the poor.  Luis has legal status but no insurance.  And it took Tina 72 hrs harassing the County in order to get Luis's 4 prescriptions filled, drugs he desperately needs for what is most likely an advanced form of hepatitis.  Compare this to our oncologist who on Friday, when AJ mentions the bone aches, immediately writes out a script for 30 percocet pills simply because, "I don't want you taking Naproxen."  And then we waltz out of the office without even being asked for our co-pay.  Meanwhile Luis cannot get lab work done because they don't think anyone will pay for it (despite my phone calls to the contrary!) 
So this is the perspective we are trying to maintain when we think about a Federal holiday hooked up to tubes. Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers.  Please keep us in mind this week as Andrew regains his "friend" the chemo fanny pack!
*Not their real names.