Mark spent a whirlwind two weeks in Austin, Texas before heading back on Tuesday to Thailand and Bumrungrad Hospital to continue his chemotherapy there. He almost delayed his leaving to stay over Thanksgiving, but in the end did not want to be too long off chemotherapy. He gained about twelve pounds and learned more about how to control his pain (Thanks to Dr. Brown and Eloise, a hospice nurse in our Sunday School Class), and from the internet he learned about foods high in iron and what to eat to elevate his low hemoglobin and hematocrit. It was interesting to learn that clams are very high in iron: much higher than spinach, grits, and steak and other things I am used to thinking are the best sources of iron. We made a huge pot of Manhattan clam chowder, ate steak, and cooked lots of shrimp (fairly high in iron) and this may have accounted for a rise in his hemoglobin and hematocrit on his last Complete Blood Count (CBC). Mark relearned that he still has some friends and other folks in Austin who care about him. He could count these things among his blessings along with the fact that he is still alive after being told in Feb. this year that he would be dead in three months.
On Being Positive
Mark, his sister, and I continue to strive to be as positive as we can be. That does not mean that we don't have times we worry about running out of money or running out of time and Mark dying way too young. He reads the obituaries and checks to see if anyone younger than he has died. One man had died at 47 and Mark said: "Maybe I can make it to 47. " I held him four mornings in a row while he cried and I cried too. It was good to cry, but then we had to move on and do what we could to deal with the problems and enjoy the day.
Return to Bangkok with gifts
Yes, he is back in Bangkok with two suitcases full of brisket, eight pounds of canned hominy for his friend John, hot sauces, a small vacuum swiffer for Jin and other gifts for friends there. He came with a very small carry on and a small check bag with only clothes. I went to the attic and got two big suitcases for him to take things back in. Alex, a good friend of Mark's from Saipan arrived in Bangkok shortly after Mark arrived and is visiting with him now. This brightens his day and is another blessing to count. We are very blessed.