And the winner is: Kym

Hello all,
               Yesterday was the day we all have been waiting for. We had the appointment with Kym's oncologist Dr. Pai. Although we got the news informally last week, we found out yesterday that Kym is in Total Remission. She has no active Cancer anywhere in her body. Nothing on her scans but a few enlarged lymphnodes, and those are just scar tissue. Even as I type it now my eyes well up. 9 months ago when all this started we had no idea what we were in store for. But we made it.
               I thought I new how strong Kym was, but I had no idea. This cancer rocked her but didnt knock her out. For me it was like being the "corner man" for a boxer in a title match. Round after round I watched her toe the line and punch, never backing down. The cancer threw some punches that phased her but Kym's grit got her threw it. And then it happened, in the later rounds she started throwing bombs. It was like watching any of the great fighters. When they dig down and find another gear and then everyone knows they are about to see an awesome knockout.
                When she started all this I asked her if she had ever been in a real fist fight. I told her the only advice I could offer is when you get tired, and you start to doubt whether your stronger than the other person you just have to keep throwing punches. Dont ever be the first to pause. Always stay on offense...Boy did she ever. Even when her numbers were low, she felt the worse she ever has, she kept punching. And that my friends is how you when a fight.
                I would like to thank everyone for your support, prayers and kind thoughts and words. Lots of people were in her corner and we will Never forget you for that. She will have follow up appointments and scans in the fall, but everyone seemed pretty sure that it is not coming back. This will be my last blog entry. So thank you for allowing me to be Kyms voice threw all of this. Please dont hesitate to call or email her to tell her hi. She is beginning a workout program through the livestrong.com foundation with a trainer. This will help her get her body back in shape to go back to work. We are so excited to start our new lives together cancer free.
                  I will leave you with a picture and a cheesy quote. The picture is from our recent celebratory trip to Boston for St. Patrick's Day, at the Dropkick Murphys Concert. It is a little foul but hey, so are we. I just think the look on her face says it all.
                  So until we meet again remember:

                 "You never stop fighting until the fight is done"

    Koy

Home Stretch

Hello all,
Today Kym completed Chemo infusion #11 of 12. We are getting really close to being what we hope will be the end of Kym's treatments for Hodgkins. It can't come any sooner as far as I'm concerned. The infusion's have been really hard on Kym the farther we get into this.
We found out at Kym's appt with her Oncologist, Dr. Pai, that her neutafil(sp?) numbers are really low. The infusion before we were excited by how high they were, over a 1000. Now they are around 200. Anything below 500 is supposed to be risky. This makes her more prone to getting sick because her body would have a hard time fighting off the germs. The Doctor told us if she gets a fever over 100.5 that we have to go straight to the E.R., no questions asked. That sucks, but we will continue to keep the house sanitized and do our best to keep her healthy.
Since all this started I have been constantly impressed by all of our family, friends and workmates. You all have been so supportive, that even as I sit here typing this I tear up a little. The food, prayers and kind words that Kym sees on facebook help more than you will ever know.
As we get closer to hopefully being done with all the treatments I am thankful that we caught Kym's cancer early enough to have a fighting chance. I just want to remind everybody to not put off your health appointments, you have to be proactive to be healthy. Even though we have learned a lot about ourselves through this ordeal, I would have preferred to not have it happen in the first place. There are few things worse than watching the one you love in constant pain knowing you can do nothing to make it go away. It humbles me knowing how bad she has felt and how many times she has "manned" up and went on with her day with very little complaint. She is a fighter and a rockstar rolled into one. Hopefully a month from now the pain will be behind her. Forever
Koy

Here is to a better 2012

             So, I trust that everyone's holidays went well. We are at the good ol' UC Davis Cancer Center for Cycle 5, Infusion 1. Which means we are at number 9 of 12. After asking Kym how she has felt since her last infusion just before Christmas she said "Tired is a understatement". I would say she hovers more on exhaustion on a daily basis.
             We spent the last couple of weeks at the Sinclair cabin for the Holidays. We had a great Xmas with the whole clan present for dinner. Even Grandpa Ron and Uncle Tom joined us. It was only a couple days post infusion so Kym was pretty zapped for the first week we were there. More family came and went over the next couple of days and then Kym and I were alone for New Years Eve. We had a nice quiet date night. Pajamas and a toast at Midnight. "To a much better 2012".
              We hope very much that after Feb 15th (last infusion) that Kym's scans will reveal she has beaten this and we can begin to rebuild. In true Kym fashion she is already asking her Oncologist when she can go back to work. Makes me proud to know what a fighter she is, that as tired as she is and the pain and all the side effects she feels on a daily basis; she is looking down the road. I am in awe of her strength. I have known some pretty strong people in my life, and she has a place in the top of that list.
             We want to wish everyone a healthy and safe New Year. Please join us in celebrating the year we believe will show Kym Cancer Free.
         
              No for some more shout outs (no order)
1. Christine, Kyms clinical trial coordinator for being such a strong advocate for her when we get frustrated by the system.
2. My family for constant prayers and support.
3. My nationwide fire family for all the emails and calls.
4. To Fireman Jake Yeager for working for me today so I could be here to take care of her.
5. To all of our Sacto friends for all the well wishes.

Thats all for now, enjoy the New Year. And pray for snow.