2/24/2020 (Monday) Matt started the targeted oral therapy today. 4 capsules with breakfast and 4 with dinner. His next scan could be between 6-12 weeks from now. Blood labs will be done every two weeks for a few months. I didn’t anticipate having to go to the appointment for him to be told how to take the medication, but because Matt is a hero, I got to be his chauffeur.
Last Monday (Presidents Day) we had the day off of work. It was a bright and cold morning so we bundled up and headed out in the car to go to our favorite park to walk our dog. Stopped at a large intersection, we debated the two different routes to take to get to the park. I wanted to go check out a coffee shop on the way to the park–maybe grab a to-go. That meant going straight ahead.
A loud explosion. Dirt, plants, shattered mirror and plastic trailed behind a truck that went over the median…Crash! The light turned and we did too.
Matt pulled us into a parking lot and said, “Stay with the dog.” He walked to the two vehicles that had collided and along with a couple of other people who witnessed the accident started to take action. From my vantage point I could see Matt open the passenger door of the sedan that was hit. He took a few belongings of the woman that she handed him and then he held her hands and assisted her out the passenger side.
EVEN SOMEONE WHO IS ‘SICK’ CAN BE A HERO.
Matt stayed with her and waited there as emergency services arrived. We think that a medical emergency happened to the driver of the truck–prayed that whatever caused it would be discovered and healed. We are grateful that no one is seriously injured.
On Saturday Matt decided to join his team for the winter league Championship soccer game. He hadn’t touched a ball since November, but had been encouraged by all of his doctors to do what he loves! He’d made some strong gains with Zwift, so he felt confident that he could play for a half.
About 10 minutes left in the half, Matt tried to be a hero. Pop! Severe ankle sprain. He left the field and came home (driving a clutch!) and found out later that his team won–Champions!
EVEN SOMEONE WHO IS ‘SICK’ CAN GET INJURED .
Matt was in serious pain and he was angry! Later that evening he recognized that his first reaction to pain and inconvenience was anger, but that it didn’t serve him and he wanted work on responding to difficulty differently.
EVEN SOMEONE WHO IS ‘SICK’ CAN RECOGNIZE HIS NEED FOR EMOTIONAL GROWTH–and want to have healing in every part of who he is: BODY, MIND, SPIRIT
I got him crutches for now and the swelling is going down, but the color is up. At the appointment today, all the medical staff applauded Matt for doing what he loves, but cautioned him to not be a hero in the future.
He’ll always be a hero–it’s who he was made to be.
Matt & Annie - Journey 