Counting Down

Our boys have been a little run down this week.  I usually find one or both of them looking something like this...

The next few days should be at least a little bit better.  

I think we've reached that point in the game where Dad and Sam are sick of being sick.  They both seem pretty worn out from the whole thing.  The tiredness, the throwing up, the pain, the lack of appetite, the brain fog, the worry, it's all taking it's toll.  It's hard to know how to help, or even what to say sometimes.  "Hang in there, you're totally going to beat this", only works so many times, you know.  They have battle fatigue and it's hard to think of things to combat that.  But the good news is that we've reached the point where we can start counting down instead of up.  Like when your running a marathon.  Okay, I have no experience to base this off of whatsoever, but I'm guessing that for the first half, you probably count up (mile 1, mile 2, mile 3, etc.).  But eventually, it probably becomes too mentally strenuous to count up.  So you start counting down (only 8 miles to go, now 7, now 6, etc.).  Folks, we're counting down.  And for some reason it feels huge to be able to do that.

I can't tell you how instrumental you've all been in helping us...them get to this point.  I've never seen a support team quite like the one my family has had.  I've been especially touched by the people who've gone through this before.  Cancer has an interesting bonding agent, if you will.  There's something about having gone through an experience with cancer either themselves or with a loved one, that teaches them exactly what another cancer patient might need at any given time.  There are conversations that they are uniquely qualified to have.  They can relate in a way that most people can not.  They know what to say and do when the rest of us feel helpless.  I would never have thought that the cancer community  could have inspired me in such a profound way.  It's love on a completely different level.  Talk about making lemonade...