thoughts that we’d like to share.
The first time around, I captured and posted various images and videos that painted her journey in some humorous ways. We actually think, in retrospect, we might’ve made her leukemia and cancer look a little too romantic. It was the worst time in either of our lives. It was frightening, difficult, emotional, gut-wrenching, painful, expensive and awful.
We expect this time to suck just as badly but we’re only looking for one outcome: her survival and safe journey to a normal life.
That’s all that matters.
I’ll be doing the same great radio I’ve always done and kicking 105.7 The Fan and CBS Radio’s arrogant, lazy, bloated, corporate asses at every turn. WNST will be doing swabbing events. I will be recruiting lots of people in lots of ways who want to help.
Honestly, I’ve been working on this stuff every minute since her first diagnosis via our There Goes My Hero partnership. Here’s a scoreboard:
We traveled to 30 Major League Baseball ballparks in 30 days this summer to promote saving lives.
Here’s Chapter 1 of our journey.
Here’s Chapter 2 of our journey.
We’ll be posting some pictures and updates on a semi-daily basis. We’ll use the universal hashtag #JennStrong2. And when there’s more news to report, I’ll blog here at WNST.net as she recovers.
Please assume that no news is often good news as well. There are only so many hours in the day and I’m only one person.
On a personal level, I’m simply overwhelmed with responsibilities to my career, my radio station, my staff, my sponsors and my wife. I also have a 96-year old mother. After answering virtually every email, tweet, note and Facebook message over the first 25 years of my career, it’s super hard for me to have time to respond to a ton of correspondence beyond my current level over the next few months.
Jenn remains my first responsibility every morning and my last every night during this journey. I’m her caregiver. I’ll give her anything she wants – anything that can make it a little more comfortable at a time when nothing seems to create much comfort at all.
This second diagnosis has been a doozy. There’s a numbness, a repeat nightmare quality to it that can’t be described right now because I can’t even identify with how I’m feeling. I’m a bit of a zombie so far.
Surreal is just the beginning of the sensation, emotion and power of it all.
We’re going with the old coaching adage: “We’re managing it day to day.”
Then, there’s Kitty and my wife’s relationship with our cat. She has been Skyping regularly with her and that’s been a source of great comfort but remains a reminder that she can’t leave this hospital until she’s cured.
If there’s anything we’ve learned on this journey it’s to be appreciative of WHATEVER you have or have had or will ever have.
Hug your child. Kiss your spouse. Tell someone that you love them if you do.
Appreciate your life and your health and freedom.
One more thing:
Cancer isn’t pretty and she won’t always be smiling with her hair done and makeup on for pictures. The last time we portrayed this ride far too romantically. It’s not our style to share the pictures of her bleeding, vomiting, burning, screaming, itching, hurting, aching, etc. but rest assured all of that is happening at various points while you’re awake or asleep.
We’re just not putting it on the internet.
And we won’t be reporting about the inevitable fevers, scares and general awfulness of all of this. We’re really not looking for extra sympathy or to alarm our friends and family when there’s no need for alarm.
It’s cancer. Rest assured, all of it sucks.
Here’s one little personal pet peeve from the first time around. Please don’t send me a message saying: “Hey, Jenn doesn’t look so good today. Is she doing OK?”
She’s not OK. She has cancer. She’s very much “at risk.”
And right now, I can assure you that she probably looks and feels like shit – at least most of the time.
She’s not going to “look” so good most hours of most days between now and Christmas if this thing goes even remotely close to perfectly – and it did go “perfectly” last time except that she didn’t experience GVHD.
We’re a week into the second round of my wife vs. cancer.
Her doctors are bullish on her survival. So we are, too.
She’s tough. She beat it once. She’s #JennStrong2.
I wouldn’t bet against her this time.
