The beginning

This is the start of what I hope will be a short blog with a very happy ending. My name is Joe Guth and my son (well technically he is my step-son but I have known him since before he was born so I consider him my son) has lymphoma. That was a hard word to say at first and to be honest it is still difficult but I am getting use to it.


I remember the first time I heard it. I was on the way home from Charlottesville after working a little late. I was in a hurry because our son, Hunter was in the hospital after small bowel surgery and I wanted to get there to spend some time with him and my wife. She has been keeping vigil since he had surgery on Saturday. Anyway we were awaiting results of a pathology test on a section of bowel the surgeon cut out that he felt looked a little odd. My wife was agonizing about the results but I had no worries. I mean, after all, bad things happen to everyone else in the world, certainly not you or you family, right? Well apparently my family is not immune to that which affects all others. Buzz-killer. My wife called to inform me in between sobbing that the results came back… " lymphoma, our son has cancer" . Gulp...

I was not able to speak, I was terrified, sad, scared, nervous, anxious, lost, mad, and a multitude of other emotions all at once. It is not every day you learn that your seven year old son has cancer. Did I mention that the next day was his eighth birthday? Anyway the rest of the trip from Charlottesville was a blur filled with memories of Hunter like a picture montage of our time together, playing in my head while I cried the whole way back to the office.

The next couple of days were a journey that seemed like something out of a nightmare. We had to meet with the pediatric oncologist, tell our family and friends, and most of all try to explain to Hunter what was wrong with him and what would be happening in the next couple months. Have you ever tried to explain to an eight year old that he has cancer? Well we have. It was surprisingly easy for him. He knows not what the word cancer means. He does not realize that cancer can kill him. He can not comprehend what death is. My wife and I can and that is what’s terrifying. Not having him around scares the hell out of me so that is simply not an option for me or my wife. We have made it our journey to get our son well again. Hunters’ journey starts now.

Thank you all for the warm wishes and prayers as we start this part of our lives. I will try to keep you all updated on all that is happening with Hunter with regards to his chemotherapy treatments, wellbeing, hospital visits, and all around progress to a full recovery. I will also try to offer some insight on my thoughts and emotions as well as those of my wife. I would suspect that my wife, Jessica may post from time to time and I hope she will.


8/15/2010

Hunter is doing fine. His bellybutton incision has become infected and he is on antibiotic. His grandparents are here visiting and we are taking it easy watching Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He knows that next week will be the beginning with a PET scan, blood work, port-a-cath insertion as well as bone marrow biopsy obtained. We will find out this week the grade and aggressiveness of the malignancy and what course of chemotherapy action will be necessary to get our little boy back to normal. Normal… I am not sure what that word means anymore.