Chemotherapy - what's it good for

As we sit here trying to not be afraid of tomorrow's first day of Joe's chemotherapy for Stage II Lung Cancer I find myself thinking back to the first time 6 years ago when the diagnosis was Stage IV Cancer of the Throat and Neck and two people scared to breathe and totally unprepared.

This is a portion of my blog from that day:
Let The Games Begin 

We show up at Ironwood Cancer Center on Tuesday, August 22, 2006 looking like we were planning on moving in.  Joe brought his laptop, I had a bag with crosswords puzzles, books, DVD player with movies and an iPod.  The room where the treatment was administered is a very large glass walled room with around 40 recliner chairs.  Joe got weighed in at around 190 pounds, blood pressure taken and was very good.  We picked two chairs on the far side of the room against the windows and sat down to begin our day of chemo.  His nurse for the day, Cindy, inserted the IV into the portacath with some saline and Joe immediately broke out in cold sweats and all the color ran from his face.  Cindy hurriedly returned to his side and laid the chair back.  After 20 minutes of so, he was looking much better.  He slept off and on most of the morning and at lunch time announced that he would like some pizza.  Joe does not like pizza let alone ever ask for it.  Off I went to NYPD and got him2 slices and a sprite.  Not one thought of nausea.  
We either didn't know, or didn't realize, that the drip drips dripping into Joe's arm was delivering a poison whose main function was to destroy the active cells in his body - bad cells and good cells.  Tomorrow we won't take all the electronics and toys because we know that a large part of the day will be spent either sleeping or chatting with the neighboring people who are being treated for their cancer.  Some first timers, some returns in their chemo cycle and some, like Joe, back yet another time for another incidence of cancer.

Thoughts today of our friend Kim who found out that her Breast Cancer had returned and underwent a  bi-lateral mastectomy today.  Three friends all on the Relay for Life Committee are all in various stage of their cancer returned after years of being disease free.  We all celebrated Saturday at the ACS Summit where we were acknowledged for our fund raising over $200K - second largest Relay in the State and the first Mega Event (Relay over $200K) in Phoenix with 28 of our co-committee members.  We learned new techniques for hosting this event, celebrated other cities relays and honored our survivors with a luminaria ceremony.  All of us left armed and prepared to begin the fight again.  For some of us, it's just a little more personal this year.
Chemo - what's it for?  It's to give those special people who have fought and are fighting cancer more days to fight until we find the cure.  We will find a cure.  I pray it will be in my life time but I pray more that my children do not have to go through this and that their children only know cancer as an ancient disease.