For those looking for a TL;DR that they won’t find, my bride is alive and well and still kicking. Only kicking actually, because she sure can’t use her arms for much. She makes T-Rex look dexterous.1 The primary hardship that this has created in our home, in my opinion, is that I’ve been asked to write a Compassion Brigade update.2 This is also a tell for the positive news that yes, my bride is at home in the relative comfort of our bed.
If this doesn’t read like something that Laura wrote herself, I say kudos to you, fine reader. This missive comes from the pen of the love of her life, Franco. My mom always said I was a “keeper,”3 and I’m happy that Laura believed her and said yes to marrying me. Some years ago we wrote a book together, and when it comes up in discussion, I always say it was the last book we were writing together. Writing this is ok though—her forearms are too weak to edit my work so I am unencumbered!
Here is the most succinct update that I can give:
I met my bride in the recovery room after surgery, and her first words were “I didn’t die. That’s a good day for me.”4
I laughed and thought I better save that to tell someone. But that wasn’t the only good news. Whilst she survived surgery, it looks so far like her cancer DID NOT. When the surgeon stopped by to say how things went, he said that he found:5
Nothing in the left breast at all (benign). This was good, and expected.
Nothing in the sentinel lymph node of the left breast. Also good, also expected.
No cancer in the right breast. This was concurrent with the post-chemotherapy ultrasound, MRI, mammogram, and biopsies that were done. That’s right: 5 for 5 on no living cancer left!
There was evidence of “response to therapy” which means that he found dead cancer cells—sometimes referred to as the “bed” which seems a little too homey for me.
No cancer in the sentinel lymph node of the right breast, nor evidence of “response to therapy.”
This sentinel node was, in fact, the dubious one (my words, not the doctor’s) that aroused much suspicion in late spring of this year.
This result was hoped for, but less “expected” than the others. Good news.
While the surgeon was going through this, I stopped him and said, “This sounds like it is the best outcome from surgery that you can have, is it?” He thought (all surgeons think a lot)6 and then said, “Yes, for today, yes, it is.” The “for today” part is because they send the removed tissue to the lab to do additional testing after surgery. The lab results most frequently corroborate what was found during surgery and don’t have me wound up today.
So positive results from surgery have people that love my bride grinning. I’m one of them for sure. The next steps, for right now, are a long recovery that starts during the darkest part of the year. We’ll get through with the mantra that my bride has said, for as long as I’ve known her, whenever she flips on the lights in the winter: “The lights are free today because it’s too dark out.”
As always, we continue to be humbled by the outpouring of support from our families, friends, church and school communities, and all others who have provided encouragement and support in myriad ways over the last 8 months. We are indebted to your spiritual, material, and culinary support. You’ve lifted us up in so many ways, and it is palpable how richly blessed we are.7
Just because I’m married to her doesn’t mean I won’t make fun of her.
It turns out that on the slightly more well-known “Caring Bridge” sites that others use, it isn’t the patient that writes the updates, but someone in the periphery. A troublesome development for me, someone in the periphery.
That’s a fishing reference. We’re Minnesotans.8
She’s super observant and clever coming out of anesthesia. Always has been.
I wanted to use a table for this but in deference to my right-brained, Word-Doc-loving bride, I went with a bulleted list. Yup, I love her that much.
I don’t know if this is necessarily true but I read the kids Owl Babies for bedtime the other night, and one of the lines frequently repeated is “The baby owls thought (all owls think a lot)” and it felt right to include.
That’s right. I ended this whole thing with an adverb, and she can’t do anything about it.
8 Me anyhow. She wasn’t here for the Halloween blizzard.
Seriously the best writing in one of these updates yet.
“I didn’t die. That’s a good day for me.” 😂😭💗 Franco, I adore your writing but Laura’s words are still the best part of this.