Simply Put, My Wife is an Amazing Woman!

Let’s compare some of my painful and traumatizing experiences in my life with those of a close friend of mine!

When I was 8 years old I remember stepping on my first nail. Good gosh that hurt – and it was a small one! I cried like a wounded rabbit. Mom took me in to the doctor and I was required to get my first tetanus shot. The needle was the size of a broom handle! Cried like another wounded rabbit…until the nurse handed me a lollipop and cured me.
Rianne has had needle after needle after needle, too numerous to now count, inserted into her arms, chest and lower back. She never gets a lollipop. She never cries.

When I was 9 years old we had a crowded but fun playground at our school. I caught a pass for my playground football team, turned to head for the goal line and rammed my head into a volleyball pole. I was flat on the ground and counted hundreds of birds circling above me. I had the worse headache from it and begged my teacher to call Mom so I could go home.
Rianne has had a headache for the past 2 weeks. The Cytarabine is an intense chemotherapy drug which attacks cancer cells in the Cerebral Spinal Fluid surrounding the brain. It also has numerous side effects, some of which she has experienced.

When I was in junior high I ripped my arm open on a nail head while playing basketball on a hoop mounted to the pump house. I made the lay-up and beat the pesky seven year old, who put up a good challenge. When the game was over he said, “nice game, you’re bleeding everywhere!” I freaked and ran into the house to show Mom. Got 4 whole stitches, another tetanus shot and, you guessed it, another lollipop!
Rianne had a painful lump on her head, slowly growing for 10 months. Her surgeon put her out partially, unzipped her scalp and extracted 4 cancerous tumors from the top of her skull. He then sewed her back up with 7 stitches.

When I was 37 I tore the tendon in my right thumb and had to have surgery to fuse the bone with screws, then sew it up with 5 stitches.
Rianne has a Port installed in her upper chest. The Port receives numerous chemotherapy drugs, has blood drawn from it and tends to be uncomfortable, especially when she sleeps. Did I mention that the Port will be removed when she is cancer-free, which will involve unzipping her skin, yanking the unit out and re-stitching her up?

In December I had lower back surgery for a herniated disc. The pain was intense, but all went away after the surgery was complete. I was miserable for a few days.
Rianne has endured a 4 ½” long, 20 gage needle being inserted into her spine 5 times. Before the huge needle is inserted between her lower back bones she receives 2 or 3 “bee stings” from a smaller needle to numb the area up. She will feel the wrath of the “pile driver” needle 4 more times in the next two weeks and will possibly feel it again during another lumbar test in September.

When I arc weld I sometimes receive an “arc burn”, which is comparable to a sunburn. This can be uncomfortable for a day or two. I usually whine to Rianne about it.
In a few weeks, Rianne will begin her Radiation Treatment. The skin on the top of her head and the tumor under her skull will be burned by the radiation 5 days a week for 4 weeks.

I guess by now I’ve made my point – I’m a wimp and she’s one tough woman who has been giving all she’s got in the fight of her life. I admire everything she does and every day that she does it. She has a ton of pride and an enormous love for life, family and friends and is willing to give it all she has to be here. Whether it’s doing the laundry, fixing us a snack, vacuuming or resting to relieve a tense headache, she amazes me! I’m absolutely humbled by her strength through all of this, as she doesn’t complain and simply keeps on fighting! Don’t get me wrong – she has her bad days, but she keeps on battling with the end in mind, which is to be cancer-free and to continue living a very good life.

Simply put, my wife is an amazing woman!

And if you know my wife, you also know that she loves hummingbirds! We shot the video of one drinking from her feeder on our deck!