An homage to UCDavis

I have so many things to tell you all! I could start with an awesome birthday party, or an amazing camping trip, but I think they both deserve there own post, and the only thing on my mind is that Jeremy has completed chemotherapy!!! It seemed like it was going to take forever to make it six months, but alas the day has come. We still have 4-6 weeks of radiation, but 4-6 weeks seems like so little compared to the last six months.

One of the main reasons I believe the last six months has been bearable is the staff at the cancer center. They have truly become part of our family, and they have welcomed us into there family. When Jeremy and I pull up to the valet (which is an amazing service they offer to those "visiting" the cancer center) they don't ask him his last name, like they do most everyone else, they say "Hey Jeremy how's it going?" or tease him about which car he's driving today. Most of the time they also leave his car out front for any easy get away, I call it the VIP treatment, he gets it a lot here. Then we either go upstairs to see his oncologist, or down the hall to the infusion center, both places are equally warm and welcoming. I realize it's their job to make us feel normal and not like we are in one of the worst places known to man :) ok dramatic I know, but I don't know anyone who wants to be there. But they do so much more than that. The nurses and schedulers know us by name, and are always beyond kind. At the infusion center Jeremy is known as "trouble", he went in once without an appointment for what should have been a five minute thing and backed them up at least an hour, and now it is even on his chart that he is trouble! The nurses made sure I knew last time I was in there...I made sure they knew that it was no surprise to me, he's been trouble since the day I met him! Don't even get me started on his oncologist, we spend more of those visits catching up on the bachelor or some other trashy TV show we are all into then talking cancer, which is a lovely distraction.

It is amazing how the human spirit is drawn to helping, nurturing, and just loving others. This building inside and out allows people the privilege of doing this day in and day out! Everyone is moved here, not just the staff. The other day we were leaving the building and there was a woman who must have just received some bad new because she was weeping into her phone, an elderly woman who had been sitting on a bench across the way stood up and came over to her, she stood there and rubbed her back while she finished taking. Then she embraced her and told her it would be ok. It was an awesome thing to witness.

Even though this period of my life I would not wish upon anyone, it has been a blessing in so many ways. It has been so humbling to see the outpouring of love and support from those around us. It has reminded us everyday for the last six months what is important and it will hopefully be a reminder of this for years to come. As much as I'd like to say we will be soon forgetting this time, the truth is we will never forget this, and it will be part of our lives forever. The haunting voice in my head saying "What if it comes back? What if they find more?" before every scan, for the rest of his life, will be a constant reminder. Yet the knowledge that we will be going back to see old friends if that happens is a little bit of a comforting thought.  They have given us back someone who had disappeared for a little while and for that Thank you, will never be enough!