Previously on Team Hedgehog:
I managed to survive complications from the first two rounds of chemo, specifically two cardiac arrests and a seizure within 24 hours. The third round of chemo with the “Ood ball” was easier on my body, as was having a port implanted for accessing my veins. My oncologist prioritized recovery before deciding if continuing chemo would be necessary. My homework was physical therapy to learn how to walk and stand up on my own again, and to gain back the 20 lbs of weight I’d lost before the cardiac arrests. 6 weeks later, we tested my blood and performed a CT scan. There was no sign of cancer. April 28th, 2021 was declared my No Evidence of Disease date.
For the last two and a half years I’ve been in “surveillance mode” with CT scans and blood tests every 3 to 6 months. I was on blood thinners for a year before getting the all-clear on my heart. I got permission from my doctor to use a gym’s pool to pick up where physical therapy had left off. I was still relying on a cane and the idea popped into my head one day. It was safer to gradually stand up on the steps with a handrail nearby and fall into the shallow end. After about a month, I was a bit weak but no longer needed my cane.
Fast forward to August 2023. I’d gotten a promotion in March that I’d been working towards since I started in 2017. I’d won four contests for the Halloween costumes I made my family which led me to build my own Dreambox. It’s functional at this point and only the cosmetic details are left. We took a trip out to Vernal with the boys. I managed to make the full hike to see the petroglyphs. I finally got my Office Space moment with that ancient bathroom scale. We immersed ourselves in Van Gogh’s art. Move #30 happened in January when I felt I was ready for it. (It was only four blocks away.) We survived the most snow I’ve seen in my life, including three Januaries.
I found a bald spot in my hair. I experimented with the pixie cut. I gained the majority of it back.
Oscar and I returned to our concert life in spectacular fashion. I’ll leave just the highlights. I caught the guitarist’s pick when we saw The Used. We took a road trip out to California and saw Rammstein, the most expensive fireworks show I’ve ever been to. I saw Alanis Morrisette and Matchbox 20 with my mom, two different shows that were both amazing. Rammstein was overthrown as the biggest concert of my life when we went to the Sick New World Festival in May. High school Stephanie was losing her mind the entire day. It was Oscar’s first time seeing Korn, and it was an honor to be in a crowd worthy of their Adidas gear. It was a dream come true for us both to see System Of A Down. After first seeing the Deftones in 2006 I finally reached my goal of seeing them seven times. I celebrated with the best merch ever and got my first tattoo on the body art bus between bands. This Sunday we’re seeing Coheed & Cambria, this time with meet-and-greet passes.
Silas the pug is still around. He’s definitely feeling like an old man at 14 years old. He’s in diapers, has prescription dog food for his kidneys, his rear legs drag, he’s lost most of his sense of smell (unless it’s popcorn), he’s for sure deaf . . . but he’s still sassy. He has a wheelchair so we can still go on walks. I still get in trouble if I leave the house for more than an hour.
In June 2021, Oscar and I brought home a sweet, playful, talkative, and extremely well-behaved black kitten named Ruger. Based on his coloring and behavior, he’s known as a Bombay cat. Also known as a parlor panther, void boi, and anime cat. He’s Oscar’s cat and will let Oscar hold him like a baby, but he only plays games with me such as fetch and creep’n’sneak.
Both critters are spoiled rotten, of course.
Things have been going well for us. I’ve been crossing things off my Still Alive List and less cautious about why we shouldn’t do something big like drive to California for a concert. The hydra has always been in the back of my mind. I just thought it would wait until I was much older before rearing its ugly heads again.
Team Hedgehog 