August 27th, 2018

We’re heading back into New York City tomorrow for round three of this clinical trial. Cycle two was far easier than the first go around, and I’m hoping that trend continues. We’re planning to stay in NYC about eight days or so, which will let me receive IV hydration as long as I need it. Hopefully that helps mitigate side-effects as well, which previously have included cold symptoms such as aches, a stuffy nose, and fever, along with a handful of other weird things like itching deep within my surgical scars. There’s a theory though that immunotherapy should include a lot of side-effects, because that means your immune system is doing something. We’ll find out in a few more weeks when I have my next scans if what it’s doing includes fighting cancer or just being annoying.

The last week or so at home has been a nice break from all the time we’ve been stuck in NYC lately. Last week my dad and I went to Canada’s Wonderland theme park near Toronto. It’s owned by the same parent company as Cedar Point and, as such, is included in my season pass. I didn’t feel as well as I was hoping but it was still a fun day and I got to ride Behemoth and Leviathan, a pair of roller coasters I’ve wanted to ride for a while. Then over the weekend Christina and I led our Youth Group’s end of summer overnight event, which included games, pizza, ice cream, a movie, and surprisingly exhausting laser tag—I’m still a bit sore from all the running. It’s been nice to have some normal life in between all the treatments, but I am glad to get back into New York City too. It’s like a second home, and I enjoy being there when I’m not stuck in the inpatient floor.