Thanking God for Red Devil

Yesterday was a win, friends. First chemotherapy, fifteen to go. First round anyway. That may seem daunting, but my cancer team said, “The first chemo treatment is more like two or three combined…”

“Well okay then,” I said, “I’ll just have to bring the A game to this one.”

One of the reasons the A game is required is because of an interesting drug called Adriamycin, which is also known as Doxorubicin. But that’s for scientists. The real name is “Red Devil.” It’s the strongest chemo drug on the market and wears this unusual moniker because of its distinctive hue and fearsome toxicity.

My oncology nurse, Deb, was an absolute pro-player and a 100% brave soul.  In full hazmat gear (It took a while for me to let that one sink in too), she held up three large syringes containing red, Kool-Aid-like liquid.

Yep, you guessed it: Red Devil.

Here’s the warning label:

⚠WARNING⚠: If this medication touches your skin, immediately and completely wash the affected skin with soap and water. If this medication gets in your eye, open the eyelids and flush with plenty of water for 15 minutes. Seek immediate medical attention. Caregivers should take precautions (e.g., wear gloves) to prevent contact with the patient's body fluid for at least 5 days after treatment. Consult your pharmacist.

Yikes.

After she described the dangers, Deb manually “pushed” the red cocktail into my chemo port which accesses to the main artery of my heart. Took her 30 minutes.

And yet…as formidable as Red Devil seems, this morning I woke up, opened my eyes and thanked God for every minute of the day I was about to live. Stephan had already left for the office so I dragged myself to the kitchen for my daily IV (a cup of coffee). Turns out Stephan had already set up the coffee maker with a note:

I guess I’m winning.

And yet, I don’t want to be too hard on my opponent. Red Devil is, after all, saving my life. So, today I thanked God for Red Devil, and for the strength from all of you to help me kick cancer’s butt. Thank you for being so awesome.

PS: Just before posting this, Stephan stopped me, looking deep in to my eyes. Then he squinted and said, “Wow, your eyes are really red!”