Prayers for ChoirFriend

ChoirFriend is planning a total of eight chemotherapy treatments that will span the next four months. On Thursday, ChoirFriend had her first chemo treatment. Her mom and I escorted her. I never really understood exactly what chemo was. Now I know that it is a pink liquid that is administered into the bloodstream that kills any cells that are dividing quickly. Chemo cannot distinguish between fast-growing cancer cells and fast-growing hair cells, so you lose both. Any cell that divides quickly - such as everything associated with the process of digestion - is attacked by the chemo. It was startling to see the nurse put the empty chemo bags into another bag marked with the hazardous waste symbol.

The whole process took a little over three hours. There is pre-medicine and post-medicine along with the chemo itself. We ate lunch, and watched some Sex and the City. ChoirFriend's mom chose to put her iPod on and listen with headphones to some kind of podcast, and we giggled every time the characters engaged in "risque" behavior while mom stared out the window. At one point, she did happen to look up at the TV (while still wearing her headphones)at a particularly compromising moment and blurted "Oh my God!" a mere millisecond before another character walked in and blurted "Oh my God!" We all had a good laugh. For a moment, we weren't at the hospital treating ChoirFriend for cancer.

I stopped by to visit ChoirFriend Thursday night, and she was tired but had avoided throwing up, which was good. I called on Friday, and was happy that she had made it to school for the day. Today, I was shopping at Walmart with Husband and Daughter. I was looking at breast cancer awareness shirts as I walked along the aisle... I was thinking of ChoirFriend, and then - there she was! But she looked so tired. Choirfriend, I know you're reading this - I just wanted to pick you up and put you in my cart and wheel you around.

ChoirFriend is now back home. She has been struggling with feeling tired and sick. She hasn't thrown up, but she doesn't feel good. Her facebook status is "Tough day today... didn't feel good. Am waiting for my hair to fall out. It already feels rough... not looking forward to it. Not sure how to deal with it."

Please pray for ChoirFriend. Her spirit is so in need of peace and strength.