A little over a week ago, I
had the chance to participate in The B+ Foundation’s 7th Annual 5K.
If you know me, you know that running isn’t my thing, and I usually don’t
choose to do it in my free time. As I had quite a distance to run and I’m a
slow runner, I had a lot of time to think. This story is relevant I promise.
During a long run like
that, you get tired out. If you’re an inexperienced runner, like myself, you
might not be able to figure out how to pace yourself. You may get tempted to
slow down or even walk. In addition to that, when you’re running a 5K and you
don’t know the area, you find yourself unsure of the path ahead of you. There
are bumps and hills and twists. There are downhill slopes and curves and forks
in the path. You don’t know about any of these obstacles until you come across
them, and it is in that exact moment that you have to decide what to do about
them. All this time, you trust the people in front of you; you find comfort in
knowing that they understand what you are going through. Along the way, you
learn to pace yourself along with them and to draw from their strength. Even
though you may not know them, you’re positive that they know the right way and
that they will lead you to the finish line.
Do you see how it’s
relevant now? Mason’s journey has been like a 5K. Though he has had to fight
through much more than some steep climbs and curves, he has overcome obstacles
just the same. Like inexperienced runners with no knowledge of the area they
are running in, Mason did not know much about leukemia when that horn sounded,
signaling the beginning of his race. There are times when he got tired and
times when he was in pain, but he didn’t give up; there was never a day that my
little brother dared to stop. Like runners in a 5K, he had no choice of the
path ahead of him, but he trusted those who had done it before. He took courage
from those who were going through the same thing, and he drew strength and encouragement
from his many fans and cheerleaders on the sidelines, offering him water at all
of the checkpoints and more. He trusted the doctors who knew the path backwards
and forwards, left and right. He believed that though he might be unsure of all
of those curves and bumps and hills, the doctors would steer him in the right
direction to that finish line, which is exactly what they have done.
Though Mason had posted
saying he would be discharged on Sunday, his neutrophils were not cooperating.
His absolute neutrophil count, or ANC, is the number we needed to reach and
surpass 200 on Sunday for him to leave. These white blood cells, however, had a
different plan for him. They played little games with all of us; their numbers
were on a rollercoaster of their own, going up and down, up and down. Over the
past couple of days, they had been on an upward climb. Today is Day 21 of the
transplant, and it seems only fitting for his neutrophils to wait until today
to jump all the way from 190 to 270. Everyone knows that 21 is Mason’s baseball
number. It also happens to be the day he got diagnosed, 2/1. Kind of gives you
chills doesn’t it?
Today Mason will be
discharged from Johns Hopkins and will take up residence in a hotel nearby the
hospital. For the next few weeks, he has to live within 15 minutes of Johns
Hopkins so that he can get to all of his outpatient appointments, which are
frequent during the week, and also in case of emergency. Mason has allowed his
doctors, family and friends, and God lead him to the finish line of a race on
an unknown course when he had no idea how to pace himself or what obstacles to
expect. He didn’t slow down or stop to walk or tie his shoes, and he ran
through those cramping muscles. Mason ran his heart out and will continue to do
so until he reaches that finish line, his Emerald City.
Beautiful analogy, Mackenzie. As I read your piece, I felt like I was with you...and then in re-reading it, I felt what it must be like for Mason. Thanks so much for continuing to share Mason's journey -- and your family's collective journey -- with all of us. Reaching that finish line will feel GREAT!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Mackenzie, I agree with Stacie, what a wonderful analogy.
ReplyDeleteI have spoken to Mason since he left John Hopkins and he sounds great. Even ate 6 slices of Hawaian Pizza..ugh..Sending love and got my flag ready for the finish line!!!