Dances With Dogs . . .

So I had a thought to blog from a chemo treatment.

Blogging from chemo

And here I am (blogging) in Chemo Three  -- after a ten-day chemo vacation to give my white blood cells a chance to rebound from treatments so far.   And I just want to follow up on a promise from my last blog that I would dedicate a blog to our dancing ritual.

Dances With Wolves? Big Deal.

First of all, let me be clear: Kevin Costner's got nothing on us.  We Dance With Dogs -- Every. Single. Day!🐶

It's true, our joyful dancing includes our pups, Munro and Illy.  Munro (for anyone who doesn't already know) is our seven-year-old Pomeranian and Illy is our two-year-old Spinone Italiano.  To memorialize our joy, we videoed an evening dance session, and captured a few mirthful frames for the blog:

 

I find a joyous mindset (and a little silliness) can fuel me for most any challenge.  On a long uphill (against the wind and in the rain) on the Pennine Way, Cliff and I repeatedly sang Jim Croce's "Leroy Brown" (or what we could remember of it) to cascades of laughter that had the effect of washing away the drudgery of the climb.  Because of our joy in the moment, that memory still is among my most vibrant of our 270-mile trek along the ridge of England and into Scotland (rain, wind, elevation notwithstanding).

And yes. I still record our dance music choices.  A sample from our recent string of hits:

• Some Nights (Because we all have them (and who can resist music by a band named Fun?))
• After Midnight (Although it was well before midnight, Eric Clapton is Cliff's favorite)
• Hot and Cold (Yep, chemo can affect thermo regulation, and Katie Perry can make us laugh about it)
• Heart-to-Heart ('Cause this battle takes two and Kenny Loggins, my favorite, recorded this song in 1982 (the year TeamBoltz became official))
• Alive and Kickin' (Kenny Loggins again -- and yes I am!)
• I'm Still Standing (We all can use a little Sir Elton John inspiration)
• So What (Thanks, Pink.  We ARE still rock stars)
• I'm Alive (If you think you are detecting a trend here, it's true - and a little Michael Franti is the perfect vibe to celebrate life!)

So my intent for today -- as we joyously resumed chemo is to share a little laughter, a little silliness and a tremendous breath of gratitude for staying the chemo course.

Not at all surprising (to us) is that my superhero oncologist met us at the chemo suite this morning  before 8:00 a.m., anticipating the results of my morning blood test, WBC count being the threshold for my chemo today.  And when the results came in, he was back to deliver the good news in person with a big thumbs up and a winning smile.  Once again, we are so grateful for Dr. Rixe.

Progress: After this treatment (still a couple of hours to go) of chemo (FOLFOX) and targeted therapy (Avastin), I'll get a Neulasta injection when the Fluorouracil pump comes off on Sunday (to boost my WBC for future treatments).  And it looks like Dr. Rixe is going to redo my scans after treatment five (so we'll know progress before Christmas -- yay!).

Quote for the Day:

Find out where joy resides, and give it a voice far beyond singing.  For to miss joy is to miss all.                                                        ~Robert Louis Stevenson 

At home with Munro and Illy

VIA FRANCIGENA, 2020!