Last week was another busy one. The radiation oncologist called on Monday and wanted Justin to come in on Tuesday to get fitted for the form they will use during his radiation. It's quite a site to witness.
The room is dimly lit. There are at least five people in the room; besides Trevor, Justin and myself. Justin is lying on his back on a black bag filled with some sort of pellets and people are gathered around him using their hands to push and prod it in place against his body. There is a lot of chatter as they discuss Justin's position and assess his comfort. The bag is attached to a vacuum pump and all of the air is sucked out of the bag causing the pellets to compress, taking on the shape of Justin's upper body. Several adjustments are necessary. Inflating and manipulating the bag, deflating it again, several times until they are happy with his positioning. The result is a rigid, cast-like form that is shaped exactly to the contours of his body and will keep him still and in the correct position while he is undergoing the treatments. They take a couple of CT scans to test for accuracy. While he is lying there on his back, I can see red laser markers criss-crossing his body. It almost seems as though he has been abducted by aliens and is undergoing some strange experimentation. He is given tattoos on his chest; just 2 small dots about 3 inches apart on his sternum. The tattoos are permanent and are necessary for proper alignment during each treatment. The whole process is very precise. They are essentially mapping out the exact coordinates that they will use to be sure the radiation will be directed exactly where it needs to go every time. It's like a GPS of Justin's tumour site. The whole procedure took a couple of hours and we were headed home with a start date for radiation in hand: Friday, December 6th. This is also the start date of Justin's next round of chemo.
Two days later, we get another call from the radiation oncologist telling us that after reviewing the scans, he is not satisfied that they have a good result with the positioning. So, back we go on Friday after our Cancer Care appointment and the team spends another couple of hours making adjustments to the form and giving Justin another mark on his chest. This one is a small cross, or plus sign, and is not permanent. They need to be so sure that alignment is perfect because, we were told, the machine will not even turn on if the markings are not lined up precisely. It's a little unnerving, but they are confident that they now have everything as it should be so it appears we are a go for Friday.
This week has proven to be interesting around here as well. Along with concern and anxiety about Justin starting radiation, we now have a new challenge. Ryan suffered a bad hit during a hockey game on Sunday night and has a broken collar bone. It seems that I was destined to be a nurse and the past 5 months has been my practicum!
We received the most phenomenal news regarding the pathology from Justin's tumour and rib. They found ZERO viable cancer cells under the microscope! Praise the Lord! Justin is feeling so great and has also been given a wonderful report from his surgeon, who says she is very happy with his recovery and does not need to see him again until his central line needs to come out at the end of his treatments. He is in great spirits; happy to go to school and just loving life! He is so excited about Christmas this year. We are going to buy some gifts for the kids who will be in the hospital over the Christmas season. Since Justin's cancer diagnosis, we have felt fear, anguish and heartache, but we have also been blessed with positive and encouraging results and we have to believe that he will beat this. We have so much to be thankful for and it just seems right to share some blessings with those who may not be feeling as optimistic as we are. Kids should be free to be kids and enjoy the excitement and wonder of Christmas. Our wish is to bring them some joy and make them forget how sick they are, even if only for a moment.
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