#1: Chad S.

For treatment #1, my friend Chad came from Rochester, NY. Chad (above, with his wife Marie at left) arrived Wednesday night, after nearly 7 hours of flight delays, thanks to that snow storm in Detroit. I was very happy to see him. I only get to see Chad about twice a year, and 2 out of the last 3 times I've seen him, it's been so that he could tend to some illness of mine. He took care of me after my colon surgery, and this time he took care of me during the aftermath of my "first" new chemo treatment.

So, for three and a half days, Chad put up with basically staring at me and the inside of my (very small) apartment. He fed me and made me drink water. Thursday we took a walk to Sevananda, the whole foods co-op near my apartment in Little 5 Points, and that was basically the only real tour he got of Atlanta for his visit. He put up with these claustrophobic conditions with absolute grace.

I guess Chad did get out a bit. He got to meet my friend Wendy, who was taking care of me when he arrived. She fed us seafood pasta (yum, even on chemo....yum, yum) while we watched LOST (my favorite TV program). He also got to meet my friend Mindy, who drove us to the hospital for me to get unhooked from my take-home bag of 5-FU (yes, they call a chemo drug "FU"). This was the visit where I almost fainted because my blood pressure dropped, probably from waiting for my incompetent nurses to finally see me. Chad went with me to pick my car up from the thieving mechanics who jipped me out of $700 (the check-engine light is still on), and he gave me a stern lecture about getting hosed. We also went to Taqueria, my favorite restuarant (so far) in Atlanta. And we spent a few hours Saturday with Jody, Andy, and Lexy before Chad had to fly back to NY. We had breakfast, and then Andy drove Chad to the airport.

I'm really grateful that Chad could be here. He's a very peaceful person and he makes those around him feel very safe. He gave me a Reike treatment. And he taught me a Sufi prayer that has given me a lot of solace. I'm also grateful to Chad's wife, Marie. Chad is getting his PhD at SUNY-Buffalo, and because he has to commute back and forth, he and Marie do not get to spend a great deal of time together, so it was a special sacrifice on her part to spare him for a few days.

Thank you Chad and Marie.