One Week Down

(Part of a letter from Danny to our families-I thought it worked for the blog too. One day I'll get him to blog directly!)

One week down! (just some thoughts)

I can't believe it has been only a week since the eve before first
chemo. What a week it has been. Honestly, it didn't hit me until
this week that I actually had cancer. Doctors can tell you, and you
can sweat at night and be fatigued, and you can even see a bump
extrude from your neck, but until I felt that medicine trying to kill
me that first day, did I realize, "oh, I guess this is for real
then." Those were a rough couple of days for sure. But, the last few
have been so much better! The Lord seems to teach in many different
ways and methods, and using the human body as one of his methods is
becoming a very interesting lesson so far. It certainly increases
that yearning for the day when our bodies will be whole and perfect
and the awe at the feat.

I feel really blessed that I didn't have to take Procarbazine this
week. I am glad that we were able to gauge how sensitive my body is
to the drugs, so that I will be much better prepared to handle the
extra chemo drug next cycle. I am very grateful for the progress
medicine has made on anti-nausea! I don't think I could of handled it
with inferior drugs. They and the chemo drugs certainly wipe me out.
It's better than feeling nauseous all the time, but it just wipes me
and my appetite goes away and I don't want to drink much. Mom and
Christy have done such an awesome job of keeping me eating though!!
They are such champs!

These last two days though, have been a completely different story.
My Chemo drugs are seeming to leave my body and I have more energy and
more appetite! It's great. Last night Christy made her famous
homemade macaroni and cheese and I made some roasted beets and
carrots. I didn't know about the divine combination of homemade
macaroni and cheese and beets until Karen showed me. Now, I don't
think I can eat macaroni with out them. And, fresh roasted beets!!
Oh, man. It's delicious. The carrots were good too.

I also took a bunch of our apples from the tree out back and pre made
an apple pie (added blackberries to it too to sweeten it up because of
our more sour apples) and it is in the fridge ready to be cooked
today. I'm excited to taste an apple/blackberry pie. I've heard of
the combo but never tried it.

I am reading Neal A. Maxwell's book, "We Will Prove Them Herewith".
It is one of the best church books I have ever read. It really is
absolutely golden. Every paragraph is filled with pure inspiration
and told like only Elder Maxwell can. I got the book from Dad's
shelves of church books. It's one of those thin old hard backs that he
bought at the BYU Bookstore forever ago. It is definitely worth
getting if you can find it.

Love. Danny.


(At the pier in Martinez for a Sunday walk)
PS. Pie was VERY good!