The Countdown is On!
- Brenda Smith
- May 13
- 5 min read
Sunday morning Wayne and Monica left Wells at 6:15 am to pick me up in Belfast at 9:15am for the hour-long drive to the Bangor Airport. For this second trip, the check-in procedure with my Zinger chair proved a breeze because I'd kept all the required Delta paperwork about the chair. TSA picked Monica's handbag to search, so I actually cleared that checkpoint first. Onboard the jet, two happy travelers settled in for the journey of a lifetime. The flight departed Bangor on time at 12:33pm.
We arrived at Laguardia at 2:10 pm expecting to spend a layover of 3.5 hours. Inside the terminal, the arrivals and departures board showed a revised departure time for our flight to Denver. Our layover had increased to 5 hours. So that Monica could get in her walking miles, we explored a large part of the three-concourse terminal, Monica walking with me Zingering along beside her. I showed her the Magnolia Bakery, where I bought their cookbook for her on my first trip to Denver.
We spent a short time in their outdoor atrium, which proved delightful on such a perfect weather day. Luckily for me, I love watching airplanes take off and land. Our departure gate, #78, was at the far end of one concourse, so I had a prime viewing spot to watch hundreds of planes landing, about one every minute. As soon as one touched down, I could see the next one lining up on its approach. Thirty minutes before departure, our gate still didn't show a flight to Denver, so I flew up the hallway to check the main flight board. Sure enough, the gate for the flight to Denver had changed to gate #77 directly across the hall from where we'd been waiting.
They were just about to start boarding, so the attendant motioned for me to come first with my Zinger. On the larger jet, there is a storage closet on the right as soon as you step onto the plane, which my folded up Zinger fit into perfectly. The Denver flight went smoothly but four hours is a long time to sit still with stiff legs. I asked a flight attendant for some tonic water. When she returned, she crouched next to me and said, "I'm going to tell you a funny story. You're famous!"
"What?" I asked, curious to know why she thought I was famous.
"You're famous! The crew was watching you driving up and down the hallways in your chair. You surprised us by how fast you could go. We've never seen anything like your chair."
Another flight attendant joined her and he added, "We wondered if you were going to get a speeding ticket. I was sure that you were late for your flight, flying up the hallway in a last ditch effort to get on."
I laughed and told them I depended on my Zinger because of my mobility issues. "I'm on my way to a medical trial in Denver. If successful, I may walk again and won't need my Zinger." I explained a bit about the trial and it amazed them. The female attendant asked me the date of my return to Maine, telling me she was going to request to work that flight. That amazed me. Just before we landed, the female attendant returned to my seat and handed me a note. When I read it, tears welled in my eyes.
The back side said she'd see me on my return flight. Note that I am not having surgery but an infusion of the new T cells. But her intention was obvious. Upon landing, we made our way through the terminal, picked up baggage and found our driver, Bereket. A very personable Ethiopian, he'd been my driver to and from the airport on my first trip. On the way to the hotel, he told me about a newly opened Ethiopian restaurant he recommended. I may just convince Monica to try a type of food she's never had before. We arrived at the hotel at 10:30 pm. I felt more exhausted than ever before. I turned off my light at 11:30 pm.
Monica went off to walk in a nearby park the next morning and joined a still very exhausted me for breakfast in the hotel's breakfast room at 8 am. We left for the hospital at 11:30 am. First up, I made a donation of two more vials of blood (cumulative #- 71) in the lab. Then we were off to a 75 minute exam and workup with Kate, a PA with the Cellular Therapy team. She deemed me healthy and ready for chemotherapy. But she made chemo side effects sound a little more scary than Dr Piquet had. The most common side effect is fatigue. Wait a minute, I thought! I'm already as fatigue as ever. How could I get even more fatigued??? She also mentioned I might lose my appetite or be nauseous. Yuck! Then we went down to an outpatient clinic to get my required Covid test.
We left the hospital starving. Monica thought because I'd remarked how much I'd enjoyed the BBQ ribs at Rolling Smoke during my first trip, we should get a late lunch there. The ribs tasted every bit as delicious as I remembered! It seemed wise to have a good meal before I might not feel like eating.
That night I got a full eight hours of sleep. I woke with a bit more energy. Today I had a designated rest day. I met Monica for breakfast in the hotel. Then I worked on my computer, called my cousin Gayle, worked on this blog and scheduled a Zoom meeting with a group of author friends about a book we are collaborating on.
We met two of Monica's friends for a Mexican lunch we ate outside on the restaurant's patio. This meal of tasty shrimp fajitas would be my last lunch before chemo starts. Monica took me on a driving tour of downtown Denver on the way back to the hotel. At 4:00 pm I enjoyed my Zoom chat with my author friends. I admitted to them that inside I felt a rising level of anxiety that didn't show on my face or in my words. Frustrated, my inner voice demanded, "Are you nuts? Are you really going to allow them to infuse toxic chemicals into your body?"
My friends appreciated my honesty. One of them told us an affirmation I should repeat tomorrow. "I am a Jedi. I feel all the feelings. I can calm my body and my mind. The FORCE is strong in me." Yes, thank-you Abbey. I'll have this with me tomorrow.
Thank all of you for the outpouring of best wishes and healing thoughts and prayers you are sending to me. I CAN feel them! Thanks for rooting for me! Keep me and Monica in your thoughts tomorrow as the hard part begins.
Love, Brenda