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.

Nothing says Merry Christmas like Chemotherapy

            Hello all, I hope this finds everyone prepared and enjoying their holidays. We are spending this Wednesday at the infusion clinic. This is number 8 of 12. Which means we are officially 2/3 done with this 6 month adventure. I am working at the firehouse tomorrow and then we are heading up the hill to the Cabin at Donner for X-mas through New Year's Eve.
            The infusions are really taking a toll on Kym now. She just started feeling decent (for her) 2 days ago and now we start over. At least the cabin will be relaxing. If it snows, it will be even better. We have finished our shopping, mostly, and are looking forward to spending time with the Sinclair's. Which is always an adventure. We are trying to not look at the end of the tunnel to much and just take this one step at a time, but we are getting close. Kym and I's living together is now official as we signed our new lease together today.
            Being that it is the Holidays, I have been thinking of presents to buy. I think about all of the people who have done so much for us through this. I decided to give a bunch of shout outs here and over the next couple of posts so this one doesn't drag on forever. But I think it is important to let those of you who mean so much to us know that we recognize there has been sacrifice and giving on your part and that we appreciate it. I am also adding a few pics of Kym at infusion this morning. She has a cute outfit and matching cap. We also took the HUGE step this week of buzzing the little remnants of hair she had so it had a more uniform look. That is when I divulged how attracted I always was to Sinead O'Connor. :)
On with the Shout outs ( in random order):
1. Aunt Becky for all the awesome juice she makes for Kym.
2. Billy (our roommate) for wanting me to move Kym in when this all started so he could help us. He had an out and chose to stay because he loves Kym - Awesome and Patient
3. Kym's family for helping me when I have to be at work. Dave Lori and Heather have been amazing.
4. My crew and chief and brothers at work for understanding all of my absences and always asking about her and if they can help.
5. Everybody at Dameron Hospital for being so supportive in every way. Kym was so bummed she didn't feel well enough to go to the holiday party.
            That is it for now, I will do five per post. So from our family (even Ernie) have a wonderful Christmas Season. And know we love and appreciate all of you. Take time after presents to take stock in what you have. You never know where life will take you.

Merry Christmas,

Koy and Kym

It's December! Time to shop.

             So Kym and I have seemed to find a routine. I work 48 hours on duty and then 96 hours off. So the week after infusion, on my 4-day off of work I try to take Kym somewhere fun. She typically does not feel well enough to travel right after infusion, and this usually lasts about a week. I can only imagine how hanging around our house all the time must get old. So last week we decided to drive over to S.F. for a couple of days. We wanted to check out the X-mas lights and get some shopping done and eat at one of our favorite restaurants. We even had a game plan to make multiple stops at the hotel for Kym to rest. She seems to get tired pretty quick.
            We tried a new spot (for us) to eat the first night. Flour and Water, what an amazing eatery. Truely the best meal I have ever had. The next day was to be for X-mas shopping but I had a different idea. Kym has been wanting to go to the new Athleta store since it opened. So we went, and we kicked ass. I told Kym Merry Christmas because her present was this shopping spree, so go nuts. Boy did she ever, after a couple of hours she was well stocked in fashonable lounge and yoga wear. I'm sure she will win best dressed at the Cancer center. All sorts of warm hats and comfy clothes were bought.
            Later that night we met up with our friends Steve and Lisa from Oakland and took them to Nob Hill Cafe for dinner. Kym will be in their wedding in Feb. The next day before coming home we swung by our favorite pub in the city to see a good friend, Deirdre. And found out totally randomly that the Pub, O'Reillys uses Leukemia and Lymphoma society as their charity of choice when they do fundraisers, like Oysterfest. Which you should go to by the way.

                                                     Us in front of the big tree in Union Square and Kym at infusion 7.

            A couple of days later Kym had infusion again. This was the day we officially made it over half way. This was number 7 out of 12 chemo infusions. So that felt good. Kym even rocked some of her new gear. That was two days ago, and as I write this we are still in bed having a slow day. Kym is not feeling so good, so we will spend this day catching up on Tivo and movies.
            I work this weekend, and then our next 4-day together. Who knows, maybe the cabin. Dave and Lori have been great about letting us use it a lot. It really helps Kym relax, more now that the snow has started to accumulate. I will post again before X-mas, so until then... Happy Shopping. And remember to take it easy and not get all agro, its Christmas

Koy

This year Thanksgiving means something different to me.

            Hello all. I hope this finds all of you enjoying your families and great food over this Thanksgiving weekend. Unless you are working, like me and many others, you may have even had a glass of vino.
            My entire update is second hand as I have been in the Firehouse since Tuesday morning. But I have been in contact with Kym constantly (as usual) so I feel this will be accurate. Kym had an infusion appointment yesterday and it went pretty much as they always do. I can only imagine how much it must suck to wake up Thanksgiving morning and feel terrible and not want to eat and know that it will not go away for days. After Kym's infusion, Lori took her out to their house in Rocklin. She will be at Dave and Lori's (Kym's parents) until I get off tomorrow and go pick her up. At least she can be around all her family and not stuck at our house watching cooking programs with me. She says she is feeling okay, which I translate as the same as after all infusions. We are going to relax the rest of the weekend before I leave for a Burn Foundation function in Florida on Monday. I'll only be gone a couple of days but if any of you want to say hi, that would probably be a good time to call.
          I want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and remind you to be thankful for the health and safety of your loved ones. You never know how quickly your world can be turned around.

Koy

Snowy Sunday

             So before I go into how beautiful and quiet Dave and Lori's cabin is when its snowing like this, I have a few more loose ends to tie up. Before we can call ourselves caught up we need to talk about the walk too. The Light the Night walk for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society was about a month ago now. We had a team, "Kymphoma" of course that totally kicked ass. It was a great event and we felt so supported by everyone who showed up. Team Kymphoma ended up sweeping the event. Most team members and most money raised. Nice job everyone.
            So now that we have talked about the haircut, walk and new scan results we are pretty much up to date. So no we can discus the Birthday. I got Thursday night off work but Kym was not feeling well so we ordered in. The next day she was awarded a small shopping spree at REI before we headed up to Truckee for the weekend. The snow is falling and these weekends really help with changing Kym's scenery. You can imagine how tired she must get of hanging around our house all the time. We will be braving the elements to have a nice dinner at Squaw village tonight. Then home tomorrow. I work Tues,Wed, and Thur so Kym will be having Thanksgiving at her parents house. Kym has another infusion (Chemo) on Wednesday so hopefully it doesn't zap her to bad.
              The infusions have started to take more of a physical toll on her now that it is doing it's job. It used to take her a couple days to be back on her feet and now it's more like a week. To be back on her feet is a relative term because she seems to always have some discomfort. She truly is one of the strongest people I know. I am so proud of how she is handling all this.
              We plan on having a great holiday season and decorating the house. Not something Billy and I do traditionally, but Kym is bring a woman's touch to the house. We have scented candles now and everything. So if you are not sick and have not been around anyone who is, give us a call. Holidays are always better with visitors. Bring your favorite beverage and some good stories. Kym's friend Jeanne came over the other day to do yoga with Kym, which was nice.  Anyway, that's all for now. Happy Thanksgiving.
Koy