Last night, after two weeks of tests, insomnia and anxiety, we received the news that Joe has lymphoma. My Joe, my sweetheart of 20 years, has cancer of the lymph nodes. We don't know anything -- what kind of lymphoma, what the prognosis is, what the treatment will be. Next week Joe will have a biopsy, which will help answer all those questions, and we'll take it from there.
Joe had been having abdominal pain for a while, mostly a dull ache. He dates it back to after our return from Oaxaca in June 2008; he's been aware of it since then, off and on. Recently it got worse, more pronounced discomfort affecting his ability to sleep at night, to be comfortable in bed, to lay flat on his back. He had an ultrasound on August 24th and a CT this past Thursday.
The love of friends and family is everything we need right now, because more than ever we know the truth of the words we both sang as kids. Now more than ever, but all the time, every day, every instant -- Love Is All You Need.
I'll post more as we know more. Right now we're just floating along, trying to integrate this unexpected news into our lives. Right now, if you want to know what you can do for us, love each other, please. It's all we need, it's all there is.
Love,
Ariane
2 comments:
Sending lots of love, healthy vibes and support to you and Joe.
xoxo
Hilary
Ariane and Joe,
It's the month of Ramadan, a month of mercy, a time during which I am particularly grateful for my prayer rug and particularly grateful for all the beauty in life, especially that embodied in the lives of old friends. We don't see each other often, but I enjoy Ariane's frequent facebook updates, especially the pictures. It always seems that you are living full, beautiful, inspiring lives and it makes me happy to see. I will be praying for health, healing, wellbeing and lots of light for both of you. As we know from the fine example of Alex, cancer is a whimp. Let' go kick its ass! If there's some extra way I can lend support, don't hesitate to let me know.
Love to you both,
Hank
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