David is tolerating the stem cell transplant well. His
white blood cell counts are going up, his red blood cells have held steady, and
we expect his platelets to start recovering. He gets very tired and doesn’t
move around much. He has exclusive use of the second floor bathroom and I wash
his dishes separately. He can’t have left-overs more than 24 hours old and even
his “cold cuts” have to be heated to 165ยบ! It’s a whole new level of
homemaking. I’m very grateful I am a homemaker and can provide the safe and
clean environment he needs right now.
Since his return home Tuesday, June 17th,
I have driven him to “Cox 1”, the outpatient stem cell transplant clinic at MGH,
twice a week. They draw blood from his port, to check his blood counts and
blood level of tacrolimus, an immunosuppressive drug that reduces the activity
of David’s immune system. He has been giving himself injections of neupogen, to
boost (Sam’s) stem cell production. Somehow those smart little cells knew to
migrate and take up residence in David’s vacant bone marrow structures. Now it’s
time for those stem cells to multiply and mature into blood cells.
Michelle Leonatti and her two youngest: Brigham and
Charlie, visited this evening. David lived with them, in Wayne, PA, a suburb of
Philly, when he volunteered for City Year,
before his mission. We really appreciate them coming for one last visit before
the big move to Washington State. We sat on our deck, soaking in the perfect
New England evening.
Matt and R’el are coming for the 4th of
July. R’el sold Yarito to Matt. She will be car-free; Matt is returning to car
ownership.
I’m
reading a book by Rabbi Harold Kushner, How
Good Do We Have to Be? It interprets the Adam and Eve story differently
than I’ve ever heard it; it’s deep. (I believe most scriptures can be taken at
several different levels and that each of us has a limited understanding of the
gospel and of any given scripture.) He thinks that the pronouncements of God,
after Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, are a description of what it will
be like to have a knowledge of good and evil, or in other words, to be a moral
and mortal human being. It seems so harsh and severe to “punish” Adam and Eve
for transgressing one commandment, especially when they clearly did not have a
knowledge of good and evil. God talks about work (sweat of the brow),
child-rearing (sorrow in bearing children), and marriage. Each of those areas
are distinctly human and, if approached morally, can be sanctifying. Animals
aren’t ennobled by work, don’t sacrifice and hope and dream as parents, and
aren’t capable of compassion in marriage. Rabbi Kushner imagines leaving Eden
as entering a vastly more complex and challenging moral landscape, where God
expects more of us and we are aware of both those expectations and our shortcomings.
We’re in a
challenging landscape right now. We appreciate your love, prayers, and concern,
both expressed and residing in your hearts. It’s a tremendous blessing to us.
We are also grateful to live so close to a world-class hospital and thus be
able to have David living at home with us.
Posts
And David is so much safer at home with you. As some of his complications show, hospitals are also repositories of terribly advanced microbes, despite all that can only be done in a hospital. And yes, it is wonderful that you are able and available to take care of him; I feel and know your choice having made a similar choice but in differing circumstances in 2012. As to Kushner, he has written a number of deep deep books and what you describe rings true; that may be why in LDS theology EVE is viewed as strong, in undertaking the knowledge of good and evil that progression may be possible. For that reasons, the "shall surely die" is, I think, shall surely become subject to death, be mortal as part of the reality of progression as opposed to suddenly dying upon eating the fruit which in no version of the story in any scripture or tradition is the result. I love the place in Prince Caspian where Aslan tenderly tells Eustace, as to death that everyone dies, even he [Aslan/Christ] did once. But as for you and yours, not yet, not now, and well done - so glad I can help at least some.
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to give you a hug yesterday. :)
ReplyDelete