Nick was able to get home again after just 14 days. Now when we first started the Chemo, everyone told us that each successive treatment usually takes 1-2 days longer than the first. Nick was able to stay on plan and get home in the same amount of time as the first. We are so proud of all that he has accomplished. His positive attitude and determination is a true inspiration to all of us. Many of you have seen him over the past couple of weeks and i think you would agree that he is looking great.
Now usually at this point in the treatment, kids tend to get tired and just physically worn out. Part of it is I am sure psychological, but a lot of it is also physical. Part of the collateral damage of the chemo process is destruction of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. The reason for this is that they are all rapidly dividing cells within your body. The mechanism of the chemo drugs is to interfere with the cell division process and destroy the cells during the division process. The premise is that cancer cells are rapidly dividing cells as well, so you can destroy them without harming other normal cells. This means that during the chemo process, Nick's body is depleted of white and red blood cells as well of platelets. This puts him at a higher risk for infection, as well as an increased risk for bleeding. Because of the low RBC count, he is also considered anemic and as a result needs transfusions periodically of blood and platelets. All of this obviously takes its toll on your body and with the diminished RBC count, low energy and lethargy are common.
So how does this affect Nick.....well let's just say he powers through. On Thursday, Nick was released from CHOP in the afternoon. He and Deb came home, only for us to get dressed and turn around to go back in to CHOP for the CHOP Prom! The prom is an annual event held at CHOP for all of the patients and their caregivers. The cafeteria is closed, they decorate the dining hall and bring in a DJ with food and drink. Oh yeah and I forgot to mention that it is a formal affair! Many local clothing companies donate dresses, gowns, suits, etc for the children to wear (and keep). The nursing staff also participate and it is a big party. I spoke to some of the organizers of the event and they said that a lot of the kids that have chronic illnesses and that are hospitalized, miss their proms during this time of year, so they wanted to do something special for them. It was a great time and all of the kids had a good time.
On Saturday, our entire family participated in the Relay for Life, held at the Downingtown West High School. Both Samantha and Peter were on teams and Nick walked as a Survivor. The relay is a 24 hour walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society. There are teams of 10-15 and you walk in groups for 24 hours straight around the track. Everyone pitches tents in the fields and there are games and events going on throughout the day. In the evening, there is a candlelight ceremony to honor and commemorate those lost or battling cancer. Everything went well until the weather decided to no longer cooperate and some severe thunder/lightning storms rolled through around 11pm. We all headed for shelter in the cafeteria for a couple of hours. Now just imagine about 100 sweaty wet kids in a cafeteria with no air conditioning. Needless to say, we left and went home rather than spend the night in the cafeteria. In the end, the remainder of the walk was cancelled due to the esther, but the kids had a great time doing something worthwhile. Nick walked throughout the day with his friends and also participated in the survivor walk. All in all, a very busy few days after just getting released from the hospital. Sunday was a very quiet day with a couple of naps for all of us to re-charge for the coming week.
So now we are back to normal, waiting for the holiday weekend to arrive. We are all looking to some time off to just hang out and relax before we head back in for the FINAL ROUND. Yes, that is correct, we are now nearing the end of this crazy journey that started 6 months ago. A lot has happened during that time, and to be honest, a lot of seems like a dream, well nightmare actually. While some days seemed to last an eternity, I have to say that these 6 months seemed to have gone by so fast. We have had such tremendous support from Friends and Family. It is nice to be rounding the Clubhouse Turn and heading into the Home Stretch!
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3 comments:
Nick,
We are so happy to hear you are doing well and heading to the Final Round! You were busy with the CHOP prom and the walk and you must be excited to get the final round done. Keep strong and doing everything that you are doing. You are an amazing person!
Love,
The Duran's from Woburn, MA (Paul, Colleen, Kelly, Brett & Jen)
Wow, quite a story you are building! I have to say, when I saw your dad at Relay I never considered that your whole family was there. That is quite an accomplishment right out of the hospital. You just rock, Nick. And Sam & Peter raising money too...great family effort. I hope the rainout didn't affect you like it affected Alex's team...the kids put all their electronics in a plastic bag and left it in their tent, but it rained so hard they were all floating in the bag when they got back! The bottom of the tent was full of water. Two iPods and a cell phone didn't make it. Soooo sad. But it sure was fun before it poured! (Mental note - next year - Ziplocks!)
WTG, Nick. Homestretch!
With his junior year at Boston College over, Mark Herzlich was looking ahead to his final collegiate football season and then moving onto a professional career. The intense and sure-tackling outside linebacker was projected by many as a first round NFL draft in 2010. Then, on what was thought to be a routine visit to University of Pennsylvania Medical Center to check out pain and swelling in the left-thigh area, an MRI exam--revealed that Herzlich had Ewing's sarcoma, a malignant tumor most often found in bone or soft tissue. Herzlich, 21, started chemotherapy last Tuesday. His first treatment at Penn Medicine at Radnor lasted about five hours. The 6 foot 4, 238 pound Herzlich is scheduled to go through 8 weeks of chemotherapy. In two months, he is expected to have surgery to remove the tumor found in his femur. After a recovery period there will be more chemotherapy. "It's going to be a battle for sure but I'm strong and ready for whatever it will take to get back to normal. I strived to be the best player I could be on the football field. I'm going to take the same approach, use the same work ethic with this. I'm confident that everything will be OK at the end of it."
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