With apologies to the original...

..."Happiness is M.D. Anderson in your rear-view mirror..." *grin*

Still sitting in the room, but only because (a) Lisa's @ the pharmacy, and (b) Jim's enroute, and (c) transport hasn't arrived yet. Excuse me just a moment...OK, there, I'm back. (had to look at and scoff at the IV pole that used to be attached like an anchor to me, but is no more!)

So in the very near future, we are setting our faces like flint toward H'burg and heading out. It only took 5 different people to completely cover all of my rules & medical restrictions & such....*sigh* Sadly, I s'pose I no longer have the right to barf on anyone standing near...I never actually exercised that right, but it did engender quite the power trip there for a week...*huge grin*

Weight-wise, I dang near completed a full-term pregnancy in the last 6 days. Gained and lost 25 pounds. Yeah...fairly incredible from here too! Sadly, "getting to where I started" is a long way away from "getting to where I need to be..." *sigh*

Here's the thing about the next couple of weeks that's hard for me: while my immune system is not compromised (difference between immunotherapy and chemo), I still do not need to pick up any colds or infections or diseases. Getting sick would delay my next batch of IL-2 for a week. And let me tell you...now that I know just how much, um, fun IL-2 is, I DON'T want to delay this next batch.

Therefore--the hard part--I'm going to be rather cold and distant in terms of hugs & handshakes & hanging out & the like. I hate this!!! But medical reality is what it is. For example tomorrow afternoon, I'll see a bunch of people I'd love to hug. People I need to hug. But alas...Please, oh please, do not be insulted if all you get is a wave & a smile. I definitely take rain checks on hugs & handshakes & Starbucks trips & the like. Besides, perhaps these rainchecks will allow the actual hugs to be hugs celebrating this great, hoped-for news in a couple of months: "It seems your melanoma is gone..." At that point, I may well get arrested for hugging random folks on the street! Luckily for me, I know & love this great deputy sheriff who named his K-9 after me...(not really, but I still can say Mikey's named after me...)

Now to the more important matters...

Pray for Stephanie, Anna Lea, Jon Brent, & Ally...and for Jon Mark & Peggy, Jason's parents...and for Brad & Sherry, Jason's brother...and for Scott & Ashley Shows, Stephanie's brother...and for Gary & Nancy Shows, Stephanie's parents.

This afternoon's visitation time will be TOUGH on them.
Tomorrow's funeral will also be TOUGH.

The best thing you can do for me today & tomorrow is pray for my friends as they grieve, celebrate, and say "see you later" to their loved one, Jason.

I've grieved selfishly for my loss of him (see the previous post below). But my grief is just a shadow of the grief of a wife...and a child...and parents...and a brother...and inlaws. Mine is not even close.

Thanks so much for your prayers! Hope to be waving at you soon! *smile*

Much love,
Mike