Ringing the Bell

Hello Everyone-

Long time, no post -- sorry about that.  I've been on the verge of posting something now for a couple of weeks, but I worried that, had I posted then, it would have been a real downer so I opted to wait for happier days.  I'm excited to report that Brooke is in a much better place now than she's been the past few weeks.  

More on the good stuff in a minute, but let me summarize the past few weeks in a few paragraphs.  In a word, they've been rough.  Brooke has been consistently very sick, always nauseated, constantly tired, regularly dehydrated, and worst of all, she has felt discouraged and, for a few days, even hopeless.

Over the last few weeks, she has needed to go into the clinic in-between treatments several times for IV fluids and nausea meds to get by.  By far the worst part of the last few weeks though, was that she got very discouraged.  Brooke is a woman of great faith, but for a few days, she just felt so down and out.  Hope is a powerful thing, and the despair of hopelessness is paralyzing and frightening.

Watching her, I was reminded of the saying about it being darkest just before the dawn.  I knew she was so close to her final chemo treatment, and while she knew that intellectually, she couldn't begin to feel it.  Watching her and trying to help her through it, I couldn't help but compare her situation to that of the boy Joseph in the grove, who was overcome by a power of such thick darkness that he felt he was doomed to sudden destruction and was ready to sink into despair, right before he saw a pillar of light that delivered him from the enemy, and changed his life and changed the world.  I don't mean to over-dramatize her situation, but to me there were some striking parallels.

So let's get on to the figurative pillar of light shall we?

Yesterday Brooke had her last chemo treatment!  That's such a wonderful sentence that I have to write it again:  Yesterday Brooke had her last chemo treatment!  It was a great day to say the least.  And although she's got the usual day after chemo symptoms today, there is a light in her eye and a hope in her countenance that is wonderful to see.

Because it was her last treatment, I decided to take a few pictures to document the moment.  The first two are of a bell that they have at the chemo clinic for patients to ring when they complete their final treatment.  When I first saw it, I'll admit I thought it was a little silly or gimmicky.  But a couple of times ago we were in the clinic when another patient rang the bell, and it was inspirational.  It really does give you hope that this too shall pass, and we've looked forward to Brooke ringing the bell ever since.

The Bell

The Bell "Poem"

These next two pictures are just representative of chemo for Brooke.  The first picture shows what it's usually like:  just sitting in the recliner, under a blanket, waiting for the chemo to drip through the IV.  The second photo is the drug they call the "red devil" that is so toxic that a nurse has to sit with a giant shot needle and gently push it in to make sure it stays in the veins -- I blogged about this a while back.

Last Treatment!

Pushing the "Red Devil" One Last Time

The last picture shows the moment the nurse is removing the needle from the port as Brooke finishes her last treatment -- a very cool moment indeed!

Needle Out -- Game Over!

Finally, I used my phone to videotape Brooke ringing the bell.  You'll notice from the "poem" above that they are to ring it three times -- Brooke got a bit carried away!  A wonderful, wonderful moment.  What a blessing to be at this point.  Here's the video:

So, the logical question is what's next?  Brooke will start her herceptin treatments in three weeks.  She will get those by IV through her port every three weeks for the next 10 - 11 months.  We were trying to understand what herceptin is, and how it works.  When we looked it up, it was explained to be a monoclonal antibody -- that cleared it right up for us!  Brooke asked our daughter-in-law Maren to help explain it (it's handy to have a geneticist in the family!).  Here is Maren's explanation:

"Yes, I can help you! I've never understood antibodies super well but I'll try. I think of them as missiles that target something in your body. Monoclonal just means that it only targets one specific thing, in this case herceptin. Herceptin is a receptor protein on the edges of cells that signals to the cell to divide. In some breast cancers (the kind you had), herceptin is produced too much, so you have too many herceptin proteins on the cell surface and it signals for the cell to divide before it's ready, which makes a cancerous cell and eventually a tumor. What the herceptin treatment will do is block those receptors so that it can't divide anymore. So, the herceptin treatment targets the cells that could turn into cancer."

Herceptin is not chemo, and the side effects are supposed to be quite mild.  Her hair should start growing back in the next few months, the nausea should subside, and things should improve greatly.

Brooke will also undergo outpatient surgery to complete the reconstruction that they started last October.  While any surgery is not something to look forward to, it will be minor compared to her initial surgery and will be a great relief to remove the tissue expanders which are uncomfortable at best, and sometimes painful for her.  We anticipate the surgery will be scheduled for sometime in mid to late April.

So, that's where things stand.  Brooke is feeling hopeful, optimistic, relieved, and blessed.  We are grateful for so many tender mercies that have come to Brooke and to our family, and know that our Heavenly Father is mindful of Brooke, as He is of each of us.  We are grateful to Him, to our Savior, and to each of you for your love and kindness.

Best to each one of you-

John