Romantic evening by the light of...

Bonnie and I had a romantic evening by the light of ...
the infusion machine.

We sat in the dark together.  The main feature in the dark was a fancy chrome pole on casters crowned with four hooks, each hung with different size bags of anti-biotics, anti-nausea drugs, and a succession of 3 different chemo drugs.  The pole has a computerized pair of pumps and LCD screen and status lights.  It looks like the displays in the pilot house on a small yacht.

We sat in the dark and enjoyed each other's company ...

accompanied by the gentle click, click, click of the infusion machine.  In the softly illuminated the room we read the speed of the drugs moving through the twin infusion lines into Bonnie's chest. 

It was quiet on the floor of the hospital around midnight and oddly romantic just hanging out together in the dark talking of this and that.  Remember the time you hung out with your best girl / boy friend by the light of the moon on a pier somewhere with the water lapping quietly under foot.

This is the last night of the 6 infusions of chemo drugs.

Now we enter the free fall glide slope of the trip.  Bonnie's bone marrow will again show that all of the blood cells have been wiped out.  She will have effectively zero blood counts, and possibly fevers to go along with hitting bottom. 

Then, Bonnie will slowly come back to life as her blood counts come back up, particularly her critical white blood counts.   She will be living on transfusions and anti-biotics, anti-fungals, anti-virals, prayers and human kindness.

If you are a blood donor, please do consider giving a few units of blood this month to help people like Bonnie have a chance to live when their chips are down. 

If you are a prayerful person please remember Bonnie and her white blood counts when you interface with your higher power. 

Please remember the best moments you have shared with Bonnie and send her an e-mail of your recollection when you have a chance. 

I am sure Bonnie will delight in what you recall from the life you have shared with each other.

We thank all of our friends and colleagues for their love and support.

/Daniel for BanD.

Comments

[Beanie]

Getting Slower...

The world is so much more beautiful and spectacular when we go slow and notice all the little details God planted in our lives. The first sounds of morning...The sound of the breakfast cart bringing us our morning tea...The subtle smile on a nurse's face that say she understands...The shadow on the wall in mid-afternoon that tells us we still have His Majesty's warming light...The click of the light going off as we drift to peaceful, restful sleep...

Go slow my friend, enjoy everything around you at God's pace!

[Melanie Bradford]

Thank you so much for the "inside-traders" journaling. I've never been this close to someone who has been required to endure this kind of thing. The only thing I can think is that the scriptures reflect the general idea that whom God ordains, God eqips. (Eph. 6:13or14 maybe?) "and having done all else, stand firm."
I am standing firm with you....each day. Love, Melanie