So.

Ok, I have written this post so many times now.  It never sounds quite right.  I think that's probably because I'm not all sorted out about what's been going on.  I've written this story from a very positive point of view, I've written it all gloom and doom and everything in between.  So, let me try and write this as objectively as I can.

Today, Mr. Jane and I celebrate four years of marriage.  As cheesy as it sounds, J is my absolute perfect match.  The yin to my yang.  The peanut butter to my jelly.  The cheese to my macaroni.  He balances me out, keeps me grounded and makes me want to be a better person.  He has a heart of gold.  I am total crap at verbalizing these things in the everyday, which is why I'm writing it here instead.  I love you more than words, J.

J was diagnosed with leukemia this summer.  It started with an unexplained mass in his abdomen that ended up being an enlarged spleen.  It was the same weekend baby Jane turned three months old.  I remember it all very vividly.  I wasn't sure I was going to write about it at all, being such a terrifying and personal experience.  But over the last month I decided I really wanted to make some mention of what is going on, even though this is just a silly old sewing blog (I don't really mean the silly part ;)  It is part of our life now, whether we like it or not, and I know it will pop up in posts and projects from time to time.  So. There it is. 

The type of leukemia that J has is probably the best case scenario.  He has a type of leukemia called chronic myelogenous leukemia.  If you have to have cancer, this is the type of cancer you want to have.  That was what his oncologist told him.  Ha.  It sounds like a crazy statement to make, but she is right.  J jokes that this was like winning some sort of terrible lottery.

The treatment for CML is pretty amazing.  J takes a pill a day.  A cancer pill.  No chemotherapy, no radiation.  If this doesn't convince you of the wonders of modern medicine, I don't know what will.  A little wonder drug called Gleevec came on the market in 2001 and was used to treat CML.  It was the first of it's kind and paved the way for similar treatments for other types of cancer.  J takes a different generation, but a wonder drug no less.  The most sobering piece of information we read during all of this was this little fact- that before this drug was available, the lifespan for people with CML was three to five years.  Now his doctor tells us that she sees no reason he can't live out his normal life.  Albeit with more doctor visits and awareness of what is going on in his blood and bone marrow, but still, a normal life.  We are so thankful.

So far, so good.  J is responding well to the medication with no major side effects.  He has hit enough milestones that I feel like I can exhale now.  When it comes to the future we know nothing is for certain, but nothing is certain for anyone.  These past few months have been a roller coaster ride.  Lots of ups and downs but we are starting to settle back in to a routine.  I am finding a lot of comfort in that normalcy.  You know, as normal as it gets with an almost eight month old baby.  We have certainly gained a lot of perspective.  We know not to take any moment for granted.  I have recently started yelling at J for leaving his shoes in the middle of den again, so I'm taking that as a good sign that things are getting back to the way things were.  Ha.  I'm only human :)

And of course this post would not be complete without a link to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  The LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research, as we have experienced firsthand.  It is an extremely worthy cause.  There are many, many ways to donate and support the LLS.