Updates on Ryan: The Toughest Opponent

True story. When I was pregnant with Ryan, I considered naming him Rocco just so that I could call him Rocky. Thanks to all the intelligent people who love me, that didn’t happen.

My husband Steve is a New Yorker, and he has this theory about people from Philly. He says we believe Rocky is a real guy, because our sports teams can’t win titles. So we have the heavyweight champion of the world. Look, I didn’t say it. But he is real, right?

Wednesday afternoon, Ryan and I snuggled on the couch together and watched Creed, the newest movie in the Rocky franchise. Not to ruin it for you, but Rocky discovers he has Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Young Donny convinces him to fight and helps him through his chemotherapy and the side effects. Both emerge victorious, and Rocky celebrates his battle at the top of the Art Museum steps.

Ryan thought this was all very cool, especially the part about how I almost named him Rocky. So we have a new theme song around these parts.

This has been a slow week for Ryan. He had a big day of chemo on Monday. We were at the hospital all day, but we know how to prepare now. Plus, we ordered take-out from the empanadas place next to the Luxembourg Gardens. He finished his homework, and then spent the afternoon with Marine the volunteer art teacher. I guess some kids will do anything to take private art lessons in Paris from a beautiful French girl.

The good news is, Tuesday began his rest period. He doesn’t go back to the hospital for IV drips until Monday, February 29. The bad news is, Monday’s chemo brought about a slew of expected but unpleasant side effects, like excruciating bone and joint pain and painful stomach cramps. We have meds to help manage these side effects, but he did miss school the entire week (aside from a short trip to Marymount to take his French test on Tuesday).

Ryan is still giving himself a once-daily shot of Heparin, a blood thinner prescribed for a clot near his catheter. I guess he didn’t like the way I was administering the needle, despite my illustrious background as a “nurse.” He took matters into his own hands, and he’s gotten quite good at it.

Also, we take the Metro (one stop) on Mondays and Thursdays (when we’re not at Institut Curie) to a nearby lab, where Ryan gets his blood tested. His last test showed decreased white blood cells, which requires us to take his temperature a few times each day. That’s easy. The docs are looking for decreased red blood cells or decreased platelets, which will require blood transfusions. So far, so good.

I managed to return to French classes 3 mornings this week. Don’t ask me how, although we’ve had so much help and support around here, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that I can escape. The kind and generous Marymount Moms, the fabulous ladies of The American Women’s Group in Paris, Steve’s knowledgable coworkers, and our many other friends have offered us so much — hot meals, car rides, home baked sugar free goodies, cards in the mail for Ryan, visits, funny emails… It matters, and it makes a difference. Thank you for being “in his corner.”

Ryan is as positive as ever! He has now lost nearly all of his hair, and has taken to wearing a hat outside of the apartment. He hasn’t gotten into any of his baseball caps yet, although he has lots of them (maybe in warmer weather?). It seems the cool thing in the chemo world right now is the beanie cap. Despite the pain, the hair loss and the missed school, he smiles and jokes constantly, is as lovable as ever, talks to his friends daily, and has completed most of his academic assignments.

The next 2 weeks are Les Vacances in France. In other words, everyone is off from school. Ryan was scheduled for a big ski trip in the French Alps with his friends, and needless to say, we had to cancel that. He was disappointed, but again, nothing seems to devastate this kid. He just shrugs his shoulders, says “next year,” and gets back in the ring.