The Lahey Family

Friday, February 28th, started like most days with Genevieve knocking on our bedroom door around 7:00am and asking to lay down with us for a few minutes. These are usually sweet times that Tiffany and I enjoy and this day was no different. After a few minutes I went to Nadia's room to get her up and we ended back in our room with Tiff and Genevieve for more hugs (or a "family pile" as Genevieve called it.) It was a great start to what was going to be a long day.

example of a family pile (minus me)

While I was making breakfast, my mom called and said they would be over to pick us up in 45 minutes to head to see the oncologist, Dr. D'Silva. She wasn't sure what might happen and said there was a possibility I could be admitted, so to pack a bag. I scarfed down an omelet, kissed the girls goodbye and we were off on our short 20 minute ride to the Lahey clinic office in Derry, NH. We arrived around 9:30 and I introduced myself to the girl at the check in counter of the small waiting room. "Oh! We've been waiting for you - come right over here! Lori! He's here!" she said as I sat down to check in and Lori, the nurse director came out to greet my family. "You're going to love it here, it's like a big family," she said, "and you're going to like Dr. D'Silva, he's a genius. Seriously, he's like the smartest person I've ever met."  I looked over my shoulder as I finished filling out my paperwork and saw Lori hugging my wife and mother. Compassionate geniuses. These were people I could get used to.

Soon after we were escorted back into an exam room. I was taken to a different room to have my blood and vital signs taken. Sam, the lab guy, is also a runner ("are those the Mizuno Wave Rider 14's?! I have the same shoes!") so we had plenty to chat about and are now bonded for life based on our choice of footwear. When I came back into the exam room, the social worker was talking to my family and we heard more tales about the mysterious Dr. D'Silva. "He's like a mad scientist. But not in a bad way!"

A few minutes later the suspense was over and Dr. D'Silva entered the small, crowded exam room and introduced himself to all of us with a smile. He then sat down and stared at my recent enhanced CT scan report for about a minute while we all held our breath and waited for him to speak. He sighed deeply while still staring at the report and said one word to himself: "wow." Didn't exactly give me the warm and fuzzies. This was real. He then stood up and asked me if I knew the average life expectancy of a male in this country. I guessed high 70's and he said "the average life expectancy for a male in this country is 83. You are 34, so my biggest concern is your next 50 years of life, not just this next year." OK, that's what I'm talking about, Doc. He then explained that there are over 40 different types of lymphoma and pinpointing the exact type is critical to determining the most effective treatment. When treated correctly, lymphoma has a very high cure rate, and he mentioned examples such as current Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester and former Pittsburgh Penguins hockey player Mario Lemieux who are both survivors. Good. Just give me a fighting chance.

The doctor stepped out for a few minutes and Tiffany and I both received a Reiki treatment during that time. Reiki is a type of type of therapy that focuses on relaxation, meditation, breathing, and light physical touch. It was definitely relaxing - kind of like a massage without the massage. It is areligious and not in conflict with our faith; it's actually a nice opportunity to meditate on scripture and pray.

When we came back to the exam room, Dr. D'Silva had our next steps ready. Good, some action. Let's do this. I would be going to a nearby hospital for a PET scan, which is a type of cancer scan that uses your metabolic system to determine the stage and aggressiveness of the cancer. There is only one hospital in the state of NH that has a PET scan machine (they apparently cost alot and don't get used frequently enough here) which is 2 hours away. All of the other hospitals share a contract with a mobile unit that travels around the state like a big cancer scanning tour bus. The unit was at the hospital right in Derry that day and I was able to get the last appointment of the day at 3:00pm. Thank you God. The only problem was that you couldn't eat before it which meant that my omelet at 8:30am would be the only food I ate until after 5 (the test takes 2 hours.) Oh well. I would also be seeing a surgeon the following week to take tissue samples that would be reviewed by no less than 3 different pathologists who are world renowned experts in lymphoma in order to come up with a final diagnosis and set the game plan for treatment.

We left with some action steps and then went home to kill some time before the PET scan. Tiff stayed with the girls to relieve her mom (who is absolutely phenomenal and who I'll talk about more in a later post) and my dad picked me up to go to the appointment. He knew exactly where to go, since he's survived 2 different types of cancer himself and is familiar with the drill. This is hitting him in a unique way, having to see his son walk down this path. But he's also able to support me in a unique way, a kind of an insiders perspective, which gives me comfort. More about him in a later post also.

The day ended with dinner at Texas Roadhouse where I made up for missing lunch. We had our team, our plan, and were ready for what the next week would bring (or so we thought.)

When life hands you lemons, go to Texas Roadhouse

Song that encompasses how I feel about everything happening (tearjerker warning):