We Will Rule This Land and We Will Call It... "This Land"

We're on day nine.  After that we need to wait until his ANC (Absolute Neutrophil Count) has dropped to zero and then rises to 250k.  This seemingly arbitrary number indicates a fairly decent idea of what his immune system is like.  Neutrophils are white cells, the base unit for ones immunity to bacteria and disease.  Jayne, as of this morning, is around 21k, so we're looking at around another two weeks in the hospital, as his ANC rises and falls at a whim.

This is the hard part.

We have to wait, with very little going on, allowing his body to leave itself entirely vulnerable and then rebuild, slowly, so that we can spend a few days outside this clean room, and end up back within these cold rooms.  It isn't easy, watching your son's body break down as the attacking cancer dies, but you wouldn't recognize the struggle just by watching him.  In nine days, he might as well just be participating in sleep research, which he is dazzling the white coats with little effort.

The difficulty is really laid at our feet.  Watching this weakening, experiencing the bone crunching seclusion, hearing prayers but seeing lackadaisical reactions.  It isn't easy, being sedentary as your baby fights for it's life.  That has been the hardest bit to come to terms with.  How do you support someone who has no idea what exactly is happening?  How do you comfort one whose pain is indefinable and inexplicable?

As carefully as you can, I think.  He is fighting, kicking cancer's ass, and we are doing everything we can to assist him in that.  Me.  Shay.  You, the person to your electronic right, the person to your digital left.  We are all gathered because of this young man and the fact that we are invested in his future, in the reality of that future.

There will be a few events in Jayne's name, not least of which is a concert.  Kristen Denbow and Jesse Valencia are key in helping to figure the logistics out.  Rylan Sturm is helping to write Jayne's theme song, a take on the "Hero of Canton", from the show Jayne's name is derived, Firefly.  This is one of a few opportunities we are trying to provide for the community, communities, to come together and help Jayne in tangible ways.  As more information becomes available, I will let you know.  Rest assured that even after Jayne is cancer free, years and years from now, I want the boy they call Jayne to help other children diagnosed with cancer.  To help their parents with the reality biology has placed in front of them.  That is my endgame, after the wee lad