Me & My Man - Part 10

I awoke two mornings before Christmas, and I felt terribly ill. I had a slight fever and felt like I was coming down with the flu. Crap! Crap! Crap! There goes our Christmas plans! There was no way I could be around Mr. Wonderful and his non-existent immune system now...

Part 10: Life Goes On

I was able to get in to see a doctor that same day, and indeed I had a terrible sinus infection. I explained my situation with Mr. Wonderful to the doctor and begged her to please do everything in her power to help me kick this infection by Christmas. She was very sympathetic and gave me some powerful meds. I took it easy and asked God for healing so that I could spend Christmas with Mr. Wonderful.

Christmas morning I woke up and my fever was gone. And I felt remarkably better! HALLELUJAH! I was able to see Mr. Wonderful later that day, and it appeared that the Christmas spirit was doing remarkable things for him as well. He was much more alert and had more energy than he had shown in days! We had a wonderful Christmas celebration!

The treatment road that lie ahead for Mr. Wonderful was arduous. With each chemo cycle he became weaker and weaker. There were several days when I would sit in the corner of his dark bedroom reading by the light of a small book lamp while he rested. He didn't want to talk or to be touched. But I knew by the look in his eyes that me just being there meant the world to him. He was so sick, and his nauseousness was out of control. He would often throw up with little forewarning. One time he even leaned over the side of his bed in a sudden onslaught of nausea and proceeded to inadvertently get sick all over my feet! Oh, the things we do for love!

Mr. Wonderful's check-ups with the oncologist were overall positive. The tumors in his abdomen were responding to the chemo treatments and were reducing in size. However, there was one tumor that was still big enough to cause the doctor concern. The doctor was very upfront about his concern that the chemo would not completely eliminate this tumor. He prepared us that Mr. Wonderful would likely need a major surgery where they would cut him open from his breastbone down to just past his belly button. They would move his organs aside so that they could cut out the cancerous tumor. The recovery time from this surgery was six months! We all hit our knees, as did so many other amazing prayer warriors, and asked God to spare Mr. Wonderful this surgery.

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As I've mentioned before, what I love about Mr. Wonderful is that he didn't allow his cancer to steal his life. He did everything in his power to live and enjoy things despite his illness. The second semester of school was quickly approaching. He was not strong enough for a semester of classes, plus he still had classes from the fall to complete, so Mr. Wonderful worked with some amazing people in the A&M student affairs department to work things out. He enrolled in a special kinesiology class available to student with physical limitations. By taking this one class Mr. Wonderful could maintain his active student status (the alternative was to drop out and reapply when he was better) and it gave him "capacity" to finish his fall classes.

When the Spring semester began we both headed back to Aggieland! Mr. Wonderful's doctor coordinated to have some of the short, day-long chemo treatments done with an oncologist in Bryan. Being in Aggieland part-time was a huge spirit booster for Mr. Wonderful. He enjoyed living with his roommates again and seeing his friends. I attended his special kinesiology class with him once a week, and we would walk on the treadmills together or sometimes just stretch, whatever Mr. Wonderful had the strength to do that week. Mr. Wonderful slowly started to make some progress on completing his fall classes too. He did all this while still undergoing chemotherapy. He was a true inspiration to all of us! He was amazing!

We did our best to enjoy the other perks of college too. In early February, Mr. Wonderful escorted me to my sorority's annual formal event. We had a wonderful time socializing and dancing (as much as energy levels would permit!). It was a great evening with little incident. Well, except when one girl asked Mr. Wonderful if he was "going for the Casper look" that evening (referring to his pale skin and bald head). What?! Are you serious?! People, come on! Use some common sense before you open your mouth! (Now, we look back and laugh at that!)


Mr. Wonderful's last scheduled chemo treatment before the big surgery was in mid-February. The final 24-hour drip was to be administered in Bryan on Tuesday, February 13th. Mr. Wonderful had some unexpected complications that required his pick line (that big tube in his arm I mentioned before) to be removed a few days before this last drip. Because of this, his last chemo treatment had to be administered via IV under close doctor supervision at the hospital. Mr. Wonderful had to be very careful not to disturb the IV line. The doctor said the chemo would burn a hole through Mr. Wonderful skin if the IV became dislodged - yikes! I took pizza and a movie up to his hospital room in Bryan, and we tried to make the best of the situation.

On Valentine's Day, February 14, 2001, Mr. Wonderful was released from St. Joseph's hospital. He and I had a quiet evening at his house. We celebrated the Day of Love and also the milestone of finishing the chemo cycle with a nice picnic on the floor of Mr. Wonderful's house. His roommate helped me set everything up.



One week later, on Wednesday, February 21, 2001, Mr. Wonderful had another check-up with his oncologist in Houston. This appointment was big - the first phase of treatments were complete and based on the results the doctor would determine the next steps. I skipped classes that day and came to Houston for the appointment. Mr. Wonderful, me, and his parents awoke early that morning and headed to the medical center. Mr. Wonderful had a series of tests that morning including CT scans, chest x-rays, and a slew of blood work. His appointment with Dr. Amato was scheduled for 1pm. We arrived to the doctor's office on time, and the receptionist informed us that the doctor was running behind. We found a group of seats in the spacious waiting room and tried to get comfortable. Inside we were all a nervous wreck. This appointment was huge. Mr. Wonderful was scared. I could see it in his face. He was fearful of the big surgery that lay ahead of him. He was fearful of the possibility of more chemo treatments. We were all scared.

We anxiously sat in the waiting room and watched the hours slowly tick by. One o'clock came and went. As did the two o'clock, three o'clock, four o'clock and five o'clock hours. As the hours passed, our nervous grew more and more tense. Finally, at around 6:30 we were called back into an exam room and told the doctor would see us shortly. Mr. Wonderful hoisted himself up onto the patient table, and the rest of us sat in chairs along the wall. No one said a word. We could hear the doctor in the next room through the paper-thin walls. He was telling that patient and their family that the news was not good - kidney cancer. It made me sick to my stomach. I knew too-well what they were likely feeling...the way your airway constricts, your stomach curdles and your heart aches. I looked up at Mr. Wonderful, our eyes met, and without a word we knew what the other was feeling - desperate fear...