John’s Dance with Cancer – in the middle of it?

How it all started

Ten years ago, my husband, John, was diagnosed with CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia). We didn’t log the journey of his illness when it first started. With hope and faith in our hearts we just got on with our lives, interspersed with hospital visits, treatment and periods of remission.

A bit of a crisis – 2015

Last November, however, things came to a head and John was seriously ill. He had started on a drug trial which the doctors thought would be just right for him. Unfortunately this didn’t prove to be the case, and his body started to object by refusing to make any red cells, leading to severe anaemia. So much so, that he ended up in hospital being transfused with blood every day. And the cancer was having a field day – with his bone marrow over 90% infiltrated with cancer cells.

Clearly it was a very anxious time for everyone, including John. He eagerly awaited the daily blood transfusions, knowing that they were keeping him alive. He got weaker and weaker, being bed-bound. Despite trying to stay cheerful and celebrating his 65th birthday in hospital among the family with a cake and candles, he started thinking about putting his affairs in order.

At that time, I was refusing to accept that things might be that dire, and did loads of research on the internet about the options available. But I needn’t have worried, the doctors were putting their heads together and had come up with a  plan. Instead of trying to stem the tide of ever-increasing anaemia, they put him back on chemotherapy to address the ever-increasing leukaemia.

It worked. He came back from the brink and back to the land of the living. Much to his, and everyone’s relief. He, nor I, believe his work is yet done on this earth. There is more to come – we just don’t know what yet.

And the blog…..

And I have started this blog to chart the journey. John tells me he is dancing with cancer. But what sort of dance is it? A tango? A jitterbug?

No – I think it’s a Limbo Dance. Why? Because traditionally, the Limbo Dance started with the bar at the lowest possible height before being gradually gradually raised, to signify an emergence from death into life.