After the New Years mishap, it was time to start getting back to normal. Time to heal and time to be me. It was a new year. 1996 was an absolute whirlwind of huge changes. Ups, downs, tragedy and triumph. This was life dealing with cancer. 1997 would be much better. I had two healthy baby boys, a wonderful wife, a supportive family and a lot of hope.
In February, I would start spreading my wings and venture out a bit more. A few days a week I could go into the store and take care of some business. I still had to wear a mask and had to limit my exposure to customers. A baseball cap was imperative. My bald head and the wisps of hair starting to grow back in were not my best look. But they were growing back in! WooHoo! It felt great to be back. Things were normalizing at home too. It was a new beginning for me with my boys. I was able to spend more time with them than I would normally. Before I was diagnosed with Leukemia, I was averaging seventy hours a week at the store. Mall hours are brutal. 10 am to 9 pm, six days a week and 11 to 5 on Sundays. It would be a while before I could work those hours again. My recuperation would last almost a year as long as there were no more major setbacks. Spending so much extra time with my family was wonderful. So much time to bond with my boys. These two little guys were the reason that I knew no matter how hard the fight, I was winning. Joey was five months old now and Nicky was getting ready for his big third birthday. Every day, every week, every month and every new event was a milestone. This may sound over dramatic but dealing with cancer really alters your sense of being. The World changes. Perceptions change. Life changes.
My trips to see Dr. Dave were gradually spreading out too. The weekly visits for bloodwork and examination were expanding to two week increments. My counts were improving gradually as well as my weight gain. At this point in my recovery, the most watched stat was my platelet count. We were hoping to hit 100,000 in the near future. The average normal count is from 250k to 450k. As long as my count was under 100k the risk for bleeding uncontrollablly was very high with even slight injury. Bruising was a constant issue right now. My White cells were improving very well, correlating to a stronger immune system and response. It was Cruise time. Keep eating as well as possible. Keep vigilant with my meds and my interaction with the public. Keep enjoying my new lease on life. Start getting back into the Groove.
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