Jessica has had an extremely long summer. Feeling sick is NOT fun. Being tired is NOT fun but she has kept her complaining to a minimum and tries to stay positive. Mostly, she's ready to have things just get back to normal.
Jessica's response to the chemo so far is a complete response. Her tumors have been pretty much been melted away by the chemo. She still has a few enlarged lymph nodes that we are watching, but the Doctor's are pretty pleased with her progress so far. The type of cancer Jessica has is found in the blood. It is the cancer of the White Blood Cell called (Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma). It's one of the more aggressive forms of cancer, but seems to respond well to treatment. Recovery rate is about 70-80%. She will continue on the regimin of chemotherapy for an entire year which puts her completion date for treatment sometime in June of next year.
We go to the MISTI (Mountain States Tumor Institute) clinic in Boise every three weeks for chemotherapy and once a week for Dr. visits and lab work. The week and a half after chemo therapy, Jessica is miserable and sick and yukky. The week and a half after that, she does pretty well and looks and feels much better. She still battles with fatigue, but for the most part can plug into normal life the two weeks farthest away from chemo. She hangs out here at home with her cute bald head, and when she goes out, she loves to wear her soft caps. The wig, for her, seemed too fake and she hated it. Her hair is starting to fill in a little bit. she proudly shows off her fuzz that covers her head when she's here at home, and everyone loves to rub her head and kiss it. Although, she misses her long hair, she still looks adorable with fuzz.
Jessica is really looking forward to getting back into a sense of normality. She will be going to School as much as she possibly can and we'll try our best to stay caught up on her missed days.
She is enrolled in the core classes and was brave to attempt one elective (choir).
We understand that sometimes friends and family may feel a bit awkward in knowing what to say to Jessica or how to treat her. You have expressed concerns and shown so much kindness to her. She appreciates it more than you know. For now, she is ready to just be as normal as she can possibly be. As her friend, if you're wondering what to say or what to do, here is a suggestion that might help with Jess. Just treat her as you did before this all happened. Act as if the cancer doesn't exist and hang out with your friend the way you did before.
Our family and Jessica in particular has been on the receiving end of so much love and so much support. We are so grateful. She has received quilts and cards and letters, and books and movies, and all kinds of gifts of love and service. Frankly, all our other kids are getting a bit jealous. Carston, the other day said, "Mom, how come when I'm sick, no one ever brings me presents?" The funny thing is, later that week, he did get sick and Jessica and I ran right out and bought him a present.
I've said this more often than I should, but human kindness is alive and well. We are motivated and inspired by it. It makes us all want to do more for others and look out more for people in need. I am convinced that random acts of kindness like what we've seen this summer ripple out and have a far reaching effect on the world. Thanks everyone. We sure appreciate the example.
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