Mark is 5 years older than I am, and we've never been really close, but his sister and I do have a bond, we're only 4 months apart.
Anyway, Mark found out a week and a half ago when he went in for some dentist work and they found lumps. They did some blood work, discovered the cancer, and he's been in the hospital since last Thursday receiving his first chemo treatments. He has blastic Mantle-cell Lymphoma. Don't know what that means to much, but there are VERY few people in the country who has it, and it's extremely rare for anyone under the age of 50 to get it.
Right now it's hard to say what's going to happen. The cancer is advanced...its in all his lymph nodes and probably his GI Tract. He may end up needing surgery. He is getting 6 rounds of chemo (week in the hospital, two weeks out), and then he'll need a bone marrow transplant. Because of the type he needs that's going to have to come from one of his siblings. Fortunately there are 4 of them :D
The good news is that he looks like he's doing great! He said it's kinda hard for him to wrap his head around because right now he feels fine, except for being bored out if his mind, and it's all happened so fast that it's been hard for it to feel real. I think all of us feel that way right now. Trying to wrap our minds around it. Obviously its way worse for him though!
How am I doing with all this? Meh. It comes and goes. Kinda in shock and there are rough moments, but like I said I'm not super close to him so it could be a lot worse to deal with. It's still hard though, no matter how close or distant we are, he's still family ya know? It was good to get to see him today though :)
6 comments:
That's great that he's looking good! Hopefully the cancer won't be too hard on him and they can get it all out.
wishes for the best of results for him, he is young that is a plus, its never easy.
How awful. so sad. You and your family will be in my prayers.
(((HUGS))) He is so young! Sending my thoughts to you and your family!!!
Tuesday September 22, 2009
Hello! Nice to meet you!
EC put a link to your blog on my blog description as "People who liked Anna's Adornments also liked...", so I thought that I'd drop by and see what you are doing. We are both jewellery-makers.
My heart-felt sympathy to your cousin. Hope he responds well to treatment. It's hard to say what his chances are; I'm no doctor. And medical people are often notorious about not wanting to say too much. Maybe you can try to be a friend. It might be difficult, if you haven't been that close before. Or it could be that he may be grateful for the attention he gets. You two might get to know each other a little better. Ask him if you can do him any practical favours. And then do them without fail. Take it in "baby-steps".
Best wishes
Christina Wigren
P.S. I can't find your EntreCard-WIDGET! Where is it???
You're doing all the right things for him. :)
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