MArch 10th, 2018

Chapter fourteen

Long time, no blog!

It’s been a crazy two weeks. I am currently sitting in my favorite “writing” chair in my living room, happy to be feeling LOADS better than I have been for the last 12 days. After my first few treatment days of Round 2 (an updated and stronger amount of Chemo than before), I was nervous for some new side effects and the way my body was going to handle the new, “first time” infusion. When I returned home from Day 3 of treatment, I was yet again bombarded with the large amount of medication that I am responsible for taking during the first week of every round. For the last week I have continued to have non-stop stomach pains, bad acid reflux, and a constant headache. My sleeping pattern has been pretty irregular, but it is improving as the days go on. I officially have a Port, and have now gotten it accessed twice. Something exciting!! I am scheduled for my second PET Scan and CT Scan on the 20th to find out how much improvement my body has made since my diagnosis. I am both nervous and excited for this news, and I’m looking forward to sharing the success of my treatment with everyone!

A little update on some things that have made me smile since I last posted:

I haven’t talked about my boyfriend Connor Lancaster on here a lot, but he deserves a ton of praise. He has been there for many high and many low moments of this whole journey, and he continues to do so with a smile on his face and a happy heart. We’ve been out on a few little dates since my diagnosis, trying to keep things simple, and he makes any time of the day even more special than the next. Thank you for being my shoulder to cry on and my person, I love you Connor Lancaster.

To My parents…oh my beautiful wonderful parents. Not only have Jay and Heidi York been my constant rocks through all of this, but they have continued to love me when I have my “hardest to deal with” moments, and thats saying a lot because I can get pretty crabby hehe. Mom & Dad, thank you for laughing with me. Together we have learned that  some moments come where all you can do is simply laugh. Moments where there aren’t any more tears to cry, and the skies look a little brighter. Moments of love and support, moments that I will cherish forever. Jay & Heidi, I love you.

My friends have continued to be huge blessings in my life. Thank you for loving me so well.

To my community, thank you for your support and care. I wish that I could thank every single person who has had a hand in my journey, but I figure that my written words on here can do close to that.

​I have been enjoying school through the HomeBound curriculum, and my teacher, Mrs. Wren is wonderful. Due to only having school twice a week for a few hours, I have had the opportunity to support my Choir at their UIL competition, which they rocked, and cheer on my sweet Water Polo team in their first tournament of the season which they named the “RYE Spring Opener”. Needless to say, life is good, and there are few days where you won’t find me with a smile on my face.

My love for Texas Children’s continues to grow. The hospital continues to feel more and more like home as I have memorized the hallways, elevator system, and the places where I receive my infusions. I cannot say enough about the staff. Dr. Dreyer continues to be a huge light in my life and one of my new favorite people. I found out last week that one of my night nurses from when I was in-patient, Kate McMordie, will be transferring to the clinic (where I receive my out-patient infusions) sometime in the next month. Y’all! Kate is such a joy, and I know that God placed her in my life with perfect timing on nights that I needed the reminder to keep fighting. God is shining through her, and I am excited to get to see her more often for the rest of my treatment process.

Yesterday morning I sent my brother Preston, Connor, my close friends Gracie, Kylee, Amy, and the rest of my youth group at First Baptist Georgetown off on their next greatest adventure. They will be serving in different parts of London for Spring Break and I am so proud of every single one of them. Please keep them in your prayers this week. I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for their hearts, and the hearts of those who call London home.

A little something to make you giggle: I have loved being bald. To some people, that statement might sound crazy, but there’s something about being able to stand in a room full of people and confidently say, “I have no hair, and I am perfectly fine with that.” Power to no hair.
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All my love, Rye