Being tough reminds me of a story that Dave emphatically shared with the Saline baseball team. It all started when he felt that the team needed to become more mentally tough when the competition intensified during practices and in the games. He always told his players that they had to practice at game speed if they were ever going to compete in the games at the ultimate level. So, he met with the squad with three bags full of candy and told them a story…which will be abbreviated in this blog.

The first bag of candy that Dave brought out contained Hershey’s Kisses. As he walked back and forth throughout the dugout, he handed each player one Hershey’ Kiss. He asked the players to open the candy and hang on to each piece for a second before they ate it. The chocolate began to melt in the players’ hands before it entered their mouths. Dave equated this candy to the players who melt when the pressure is put on. He gave plenty of examples of situations when players shy away from tough situations. It’s easy to play when the pressure is minimal. It’s tough to play when the heat is turned up and then players begin to melt.

The second bag of candy contained M&Ms. Dave handed players a Halloween-size bag and asked them to eat them. As they were stuffing them in their mouths, he compared that type of candy to the player who is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. He used examples like the pitcher who attends the big local baseball showcase in the summer and hits 92 on the radar. Scouts and college coaches rave about the velocity. They may even place that pitcher high on their recruiting list or their draft board. The following spring, that same pitcher throws a bullpen that is electrifying. However, as he takes the mound the next day against the No. 3 team in the state, his 92 MPH fastball starts to lose steam as pitch after pitch misses the strike zone. He walks the first three hitters who he faces on 10 pitches and is removed from the game. Tough on the outside and soft on the inside.

The third bag of candy contained Jolly Ranchers. As Dave moved throughout the dugout, he handed each player the candy that is hard as rock on the outside but tough to break down on the inside. As the players found out, the Jolly Rancher took forever to crack. Dave explained that the Jolly Rancher-type of player practices at game speed. He takes his same approach to the field the next day for his first game. He relishes the tough situation. He can’t wait for the heat to be turned up. That hitter peeks down into the opponents’ pen before the game and becomes excited to realize that the pitcher coming to the mound is really that No. 1 recruit from Oregon State. In his first at bat in the game, the hitter drives an 0-2 pitch in the left-center gap for a hustle-double. He slides into second base and wipes the dirt off of his uniform. The lead-off dirtbag is tough on the outside and tougher on the inside. A true Jolly Rancher. 

Dave only has one speed – game speed. Thursday and Friday were rough days – mentally and physically – and it was understandable that his speed was similar to a tortoise. On Friday, he ventured out of bed after two rounds of chemo and walked two laps around the tenth floor. It was shaky and slow, and his nurse and I agreed that was all that he should try for one night. On Saturday, he lapped 20 times and on Sunday, he cruised 34 laps, which is over two miles. He forced himself to move, knowing he has to “walk” himself out of Karmanos again. My take – a true Jolly Rancher.

With seven rounds of chemotherapy complete in the last four days, and intrathecal chemo tomorrow, we will attack this one day at a time. We meet with our oncologist at Karmanos on Wednesday to hear what the plan will be moving forward. In the meantime, know that we feel the love and support from so many people. We thoroughly appreciate your daily prayers and sincere concern.

If I were to have written this yesterday, it would have been in total disbelief, despair and doubt. One week after informing our deep bench of supporters that we hit a milestone, now I must give you news that we have been dealt a bitter blow. Not only are we in a rain delay, we are starting the game over with a new pitcher.

Leukemia has returned and as Dr. Uberti put it, “is very aggressive.” Our bone marrow transplant specialist is turning the new game over to a hematologist, Dr. Yang. He will begin the chemotherapy process today, and it will mirror the challenging rounds of chemo Dave endured last May through September. Dave will be in the hospital for long stays as his body is once again battered with powerful poison.

Yesterday, I’d say the news felt like the day we lost Justin Verlander to Houston. Disbelief. How could the Detroit Tigers really trade our beloved JV? Despair. How will we ever replace him? Doubt. How will we win without him?

It is 4 a.m. as I write this, and Dave is finally sleeping. The combination of pain medication and Tylenol is taking the edge off. The intense discomfort he has been experiencing since Sunday is not from overdoing it, but from the leukemia multiplying and dividing. Again, like last spring, his back, groin and hips are the source of pain.

And again, after the disbelief, despair and doubt have dissipated, we will begin this day with the faith, hope and courage needed to win this game. Continue to pray, as I know you will. Send messages filled with love and humor, as you have in the past. And keep following our game, as we step to the plate once again, to start our new hitting streak. We got this.

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It has been 100 days since his October 10 “birthday.” That fall, sunny date marked the day when Dave received his bone marrow transplant. Today, we have made it to the 100-day mark without a single readmittance to Karmanos. Despite the subjectivity of 100 days, hitting the century-day milestone is important for several reasons. It means that even though GvHD has been evident, the donor’s bone marrow still likes its new home. The GvHD (in the form of a slight rash) is responding to treatment. In addition, it means that even though Dave’s kidneys are being watched carefully (caused by the BMT rejection drug), nothing is emerging to force a return to Karmanos’ 10th floor. His blood counts have continued to hold steady, which means that the risk of infection has been mild. Finally, and most importantly, it implies that the immune suppression medication can begin being tapered, which is really good news. We have realized that every time that drugs have been pulled off of the list, the better that Dave’s mental and physical condition has been.

Dave is gaining strength and feeling quite a bit more energetic. He is taking daily hikes in the woods. He is back doing resistance band work, light weights and med ball workouts. He even jumped rope on Tuesday. Crazy – I know! He is eating better but is still under 180 pounds – mostly because he is back to exercising and burning calories. He is even regaining his facial hair – which is kinda sexy!

Dave is also driving occasionally now, which relieves me of chauffeuring him everywhere we need to go. Can you imagine not driving for over three and a half months? If nothing else, it is a strong mental boost.

After 100 days, life is good. For that, we have so much to be thankful. For now, we must still continue his weekly visits to Karmanos. We must continue to monitor the GvHD and be under careful watch as we subtract the drugs on his daily list.

The best news is we feel that we have turned a proverbial corner. That’s really good news!

Most importantly, Happy New Year! We hope that 2019 will be filled with blessings, dreams fulfilled and healthy days. Today seemed like a good day to bring the new year in with the latest news. Many of you have been asking if you have missed an update, or if I have decided not to update the blog anymore. That has not been the case, although – for good reason – I have placed the blog on the back burner for over a month. 

Spending years in the dugout with Dave and keeping score for just about every team that he coached, I fell into a pattern that most ballplayers learn at a very young age – superstition. I wore the same Ked’s baseball shoes that witnessed hundreds of wins…and a few losses. I donned  baseball earrings and had my favorite sweatshirts that I always wore. I would bring enough bubble gum to make it through five innings. I never broke out the gum until the second inning. I’d have two bags of red licorice, which were also simultaneously opened with the gum. I used the same mechanical pencil for over 10 years, and I was quite superstitious when scorekeeping switched over to an iPad. I was afraid it might do something to the “wins” column.

So, when we hit a three-week roadblock in December, I didn’t want to dampen the holiday season with news of little progress. Dave had a poor appetite and found it physically difficult to eat. He was losing weight and ended up needing a biopsy to rule out GVHD (graft vs. host disease). Sometimes, the graft (the donor) doesn’t recognize the host (Dave) as being friendly. In fact, the graft sees one’s body as a “threat.” We knew that reaching Day 100 without any complications was an important milestone. I sure didn’t want to jinx reaching Day 100 by updating the blog and sharing the possibility of GVHD.

Just before Christmas, we received news that the biopsy was negative. Dave’s blood counts were on the rise, and we were given two weeks off from our next Karmanos appointment. I certainly didn’t want to jinx all of that good news since I never shared the roadblock. By December 21,  we had all three of our kids – and their families – home for Christmas. Things turned around and Dave felt like eating again. We had a wonderful holiday filled with special moments with our family.  

On January 1, a rash began to appear on his back and stomach. Now, it has spread to most of his body, sparing his lower legs and feet. Today the doctor confirmed that it is GVHD, and he prescribed a powerful steroid. It is not uncommon at this point, but we did hope to avoid GVHD altogether. This is just one more challenge to overcome. 

Clearly, we would not have avoided this bump in the road by updating the blog in December. However, superstition got the best of me. Day 100 is just around the corner, and I will bring you the latest update on that special day. We are anxious to put a “W” in the standings.