April 16, Boston

African sculpture at the Boston Museum

angela's take on it

Angela and I returned yesterday from a trip to Boston.  The snow has long since melted from our trail.  The grass in the meadow has become green again.  The leaves on the Poplars are once again rustling in the wind.  Ready or not our bear has been trying to respond to the call of spring.

The warmer temperatures and the early return of so many birds have been helpful, but Angela has been inspired as well by the most recent visits to her doctors.  The radiation oncologist was very enthusiastic about the destruction caused by his beams.  He printed before and after MRI images of Angela's spine and tumour.  Happily, he circled pertinent areas in red ink to add emphasis as he spoke.  Clearly he was impressed by the changes.  True, there remains a mass, maybe a few, but we cannot know as yet what these masses are doing.  If they are still growing the change will not be visible on MRI for several weeks.  This doctor, a true general, will apparently be surprised if the enemy survives such a direct hit by his weapon.  He will nevertheless watch closely.  We will be back for another MRI in June.  In the meantime our medical oncologist is unexcited.  He is looking in a completely different direction anyway for what he expects, at some point, will be the next assault.  Without meeting us he sent his resident in at our last appointment to tell us that Angela's blood work is basically unchanged since our previous visit.  I suppose we will be back for repeat blood work in a few months.   In the meantime I am very proud of my great bear.  Contrary to the medical oncologist's expectations, she has surely levelled deadly blows to the mischiefous dragon!

Somehow a trip seemed necessary.  Should we not be celebrating?  Somehow it seemed right to escape.    We drove to Boston.  Angela could not contemplate being on a plane as yet so we picked a place we could drive to.  We had a few days in a nice hotel.  We had a couple of long walks.  We met with our good friends Catherine, Terry, and Lou who were also there, conveniently, "on business."  We had, once again, and like old times, great laughs.  We did, certainly, a lot more than we might have done only a few weeks ago.  We are prepared to call this progress.  Great progress!

It is understood, of course, that this trip was not altogether easy.  It is understood that there is still pain suffered.  Angela, today, has done very little.  Her arms, unfortunately, are as painful and numb today as ever.  The medications, in a different way, are also numbing.  Victory, to be sure, is relative.

We did not know before we arrived to the city that the Boston Marathon was scheduled for today. On the morning that we left Boston our waiter at breakfast asked Angela if she was in town to run the race.  Although he seemed to immediately understand that this was not likely, he could not take back the question.  Angela was delighted.  "Yes," she said.  "Yes, I am here for the marathon."  She smiled brilliantly and we all had a good laugh.

Spring happily and cruelly has surely arrived.  Our bear, compelled, wills to go further still.  Evidently there will not be progress without pain.   The fight is now a marathon.  We are pacing ourselves.  In time, my friends, we will be in touch.