Chemo and Blood

Jace started getting the chemo blues Monday night, asking how many more hours until his treatment Tuesday. He managed it like a champ though, and was happy to see Dr. Hancock and the ladies at Teton Oncology. Jace even attended Hayden’s baseball game Tuesday night after his treatment. Something about the steroids Jace has to take for five days the week of IV chemo makes it difficult for him to sleep though, so he tosses and turns- sweats and aches, and usually ends up in our bed.

Wednesday I was nervous to take him all the way to Salt Lake for the Blood Drive, but he slept most of the way there and all of the way home. We had an amazing experience meeting total strangers who out of the goodness of their hearts organized the Blood Drive in Jace’s name. Thank you PSS, Cindy, Taunya, Brian and everyone else who is making an effort to help us in our journey with this crazy cancer. We know you aren’t strangers anymore.:)

I have to admit that in my memory, I can’t remember ever donating blood. For those of you who know me, it’s not a natural inclination for me to crawl into an enclosed space (the bloodmobile), with multiple people (claustrophobia), and have a needle the size of a straw jammed into my vein. This just isn’t something I would randomly desire to do. So, as I sat there with blood draining, and Jace carefully observing, I rhetorically asked the tech person, “So people just choose to do this, hu?” and then I followed by quietly saying, “Where have I been?”

When they had enough of my blood to fill the bag, they told Jace it was enough to save three people. He quietly listened and nodded, and I couldn’t tell if he was mellow because of the chemo the day before, or if it was a little overwhelming. He did enjoy taking a million pictures of me, as he said it was paybacks for all the pics I’ve snapped of him. Fortunately for you, he doesn’t know how to post pics to this blog yet! ha ha Many unfamiliar people donated blood that day, and we were also blessed to have the support of a few family members and long-time friends who gave up their afternoons to also donate. Over-all it was a huge success

We want to have a blood drive here in Rexburg sometime in June. We’ll let you know as soon as we get it organized. Our new appreciation for this life-saving liquid is immeasurable, as Jace has used his fair share.

When Jace reported to Matt at the end of the day he said, “That one bag of blood mom gave will save three lives!” He was impressed that ‘his’ mom was a contributor. Then very quietly, as he snuggled between us in our bed he whispered, “Do you think when I’m a dad and I’m feeling stronger that I can save three lives?”

My eyes welled with tears and I gently whispered back, “You already have.”