A story not in the book
from Jeff
Jeff read the book.
He laughed about the one piece in the book when I mentioned how great he looked after his first iron infusion.
I inquired why he was laughing.
“I almost passed out before the infusion, don’t you remember?”
I looked at him dumbfounded.
“WHAT?! I don’t remember you telling me that.”
“Oh, I almost passed out when the nurse was trying to get the IV in my arm.”
I shook my head. “What happened?”
We sat across from each other at the kitchen table and he told me the story.
Jeff was at the oncology clinic for his first iron infusion. He was losing blood because of the cancer. He was sick and weak at the time. We were hopeful this would help him feel a little better before starting chemotherapy treatments.
Jeff sat in the chair as the nurse tried to find a vein to use. She was having a tough time. As she was looking down at his arm, he felt sweaty and weak. He thought he might pass out.
He calmly said, “Could we take a brief break and would you get me a cold washcloth?”
The nurse looked up to see Jeff sweaty, white as a sheet of paper. She immediately sprang into action.
“Please don’t pass out on me.”
He answered, “I’ve never passed out before so I don’t want this to be the first time.”
She rushed to grab a cold compress and waited with him until his symptoms resolved. He didn’t pass out and all was well.
I was in tears hearing this. I had no idea he experienced this because I wasn’t allowed to be with him. Yet he’s here. He’s recovering. We are healing as a family.
I’m grateful for the book. It’s helping us process what happened and providing a way to talk about the last several years.
We are grateful.
Thank you for being here with us.
If you have read the book I would love to know what resonated or moved you. Would you be willing to leave your thoughts here?
With gratitude,
Julie, Jeff, Brindsley, and Delaney
Good morning Julie, Much of “A Real Ballbuster” stood out to me. Two in particular come to mind right now.
You wanted to keep your children, Brindsley and Delaney, in the loop. With lovingkindness you judged what they could comprehend, as well as live with, regarding their dad’s status. At the same time you kept their routines as typical as possible.
For your own well being, you continued your love and devotion to your life mate so you both would carry on. In sickness and in health. Wisely you cared for yourself, continuing your joyful runs and by making time for stretches, nerve flossing, and meditation. That you provided to your readers, at the end of every chapter, instances of your daily practice to “try on for size” was both kind and helpful.
And before I close, I admired your wisdom and efforts to maintain your community of family and friends. That kept the door open for their help as well as allowing their energy to support you and your entire family. A wise safeguard against “I can and must do everything” thinking and behavior.
With “A Real Ballbuster” successfully launched, are you considering any book tours to raise awareness of your work? With summer coming that could be a “two-fer.” Adventures for your kiddos and promotion of your book!?
All the best, always. To you and yours.
Oh gosh, Julie, this is goosepimpling. The very raw feelings in this story show what a tough journey this has been - kudos to all of you. Awesome.