DAILY NANCY UPDATE #28

Greetings. 

This is the twenty-eighth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture and follow the prompts!

BREAKING NEWS

After an action packed weekend of getting Nancy home from the hospital, welcoming our out of town family and friends, our son's Bar Mitzvah, and my friend's memorial service--  me and Cosmo are now both home sick with a respiratory virus. So in addition to staying the hell away from us-- Nancy's doctors asked her to get her white blood cell count tested-- not only to make sure she's best-protected from what ails us-- but also because she starts another round of chemo tomorrow. And the good news is, her numbers all look great. Plus, I took myself and Coz to our respective doctors today as well-- so we are both now on antibiotics... not to mention wearing our old favorite yellow paper masks.

HEADLINES

Tomorrow will be another long day for Nance back at UCLA for treatments-- including intrathecal chemo, which gets delivered straight to her spine. So your continuing good thoughts and prayers will be greatly appreciated, as always.

POST SCRIPT

Yes, we have colds. Yes, it's a pain in the ass. And worst of all, it's really hard not to be able to hug her when she needs it the most. But we'll get over it soon. And in the meantime, we'll keep lathering ourselves in Purell and cheering her on through the masks, because WE LOVE NANCY, and...

ALL IS WELL!

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #27

Greetings. 

This is the twenty-seventh in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture and follow the prompts!

BREAKING NEWS

After a long morning in the UCLA outpatient oncology clinic-- we are pleased to report that Nancy's numbers all continue to look good. Her ANC (immunity levels) are still a little low-- but after being given the right meds, she should be fine, with no need to return until Wednesday.

HEADLINES

You wouldn't know it from today's clinic pic-- but one of Nancy's eyes is also a tad itchy and red-- (turns out wearing eye makeup to the Bar Mitzvah maybe wasn't a great idea)-- so we had to make a side trip across the street to the Doris Stein Eye Center. And even though all indications are that the problem should be easy to resolve, your continued good thoughts and prayers are appreciated.

POST SCRIPT

Cancer forces you to slow down. Like waaaayyyy down. And everything takes forever. At least if you're ridiculously impatient like me. So if Nancy has a routine blood draw appointment set for 8AM-- don't expect to leave before noon. And don't be surprised when a nurse or doctor then says you need to make another appointment somewhere else. Or that the place you have to go will actually be closed when you get there-- forcing you to wait-- with just enough time to get frustrated, but not enough time to get your hungry wife lunch. One of the bad things about being a TV Showrunner is that you get used to a certain rhythm-- to having a team around you all the time who know how to make things happen. But I often find those skills don't apply very well to situations like this. When I've come off the whirlwind grind of shows in the past-- Nancy has had to fairly remind me on more than one occasion that "I can't produce our lives." But right now, I'm struggling to remind myself that I can't boss around the rest of the world, either. Guess all I can really do or say is: WE LOVE NANCY, and...

ALL IS WELL!

THE SUNSHINY SUPERWARRIOR GODDESS SPEAKS AGAIN!

And now, for a post Bar Mitzvah post by none other than Nancy Neufeld Callaway:

January 28th was the best day ever!  Not only did Cosmo, under incredible pressure, do a spectacular job as he became a Bar Mitzvah — but I was with him for all of it.  Holding him. Hugging him. Smiling at him. Standing with him. Taking it all in. His composure and grace were inspiring. I couldn’t have been any happier or any prouder.

How did I pull myself together, you ask? Great question!

I wore a beautiful new navy blue dress with fabulous patterned boots lovingly purchased and delivered straight to my hospital room by a dear friend.  Not just one dress, but 8 dresses in multiple sizes. Talk about a blessing! Truth be told, I had NO dress, and no brain to even think about getting one. In my mind, if I was able to go — sweats and a baseball cap would've been just fine! But guess what? I did a little better than that.

When I realized I had no stockings, another dear friend ran out and did the worlds’-fastest-mall-run, getting them to my house hours before I needed to leave (and she also brought her mother’s jewelry for me to wear-- and knowing that her mother passed away a few years ago — it was an act of deep intimacy and true kindness).

I also wore a lush wig lovingly secured to my head by a woman who prides herself on helping cancer patients in these kinds of situations.

I did my make-up, and made the goofy mistake of using old mascara (which resulted in a bit of an infection) because I still don't know the ins and out of this disease yet.

And at the end of the day — I didn’t do too badly for a tired, pale, bald chick who just had four rounds of chemo. Cinderella would have been proud.

But I couldn’t have done ANY of it without friends, because as I have now experienced first-hand, it takes a village. And a husband. And 3 devoted children. And every day, it’s still humbling for me to bear witness too.

I also wanted to thank all of Cosmo’s friends for the love and respect they gave him during his service. Many of them had to stand the entire time as we ran out of chairs. I’ve noticed that often, in services of boys just turning 13,  there are always a few kids who get the giggles, or are antsy, or just have trouble sitting for that long, and your feel the unfocused energy. But not yesterday. Each friend of his was beyond kind, and attentive, and supportive of his words. They made him feel like a million bucks, and I can’t thank them, (or their wonderful parents) enough for instilling that kind of respect in their children. It was beautiful to feel.

And now, I’m pretty tired. More tired than I’ve been so far. But way more happy. So that’s what I’m going to dream about tonight.

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #26

Greetings. 

This is the twenty-sixth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture and follow the prompts!

BREAKING NEWS

Last night, Cosmo's Bar Mitzvah was magical. And Nancy was truly amazing. To have gotten out of a hospital bed only 24 hours earlier-- then show up dressed to the nines and looking like a million shekels was nothing short of extraordinary. Oh, and Cosmo did pretty well, too!  😉In fact, he killed it-- and so did his Mom. An unforgettable time was had by all.

HEADLINES

Nancy was admittedly pretty tired this morning, but fortunately had a previously scheduled appointment at the UCLA oncology outpatient clinic. They did a round of blood tests-- and while her hemoglobin and platelet numbers were all still high-- her ANC (immunity numbers) had slid a bit lower. We're back in the clinic again tomorrow and will be monitoring the situation closely-- hoping she won't have to be readmitted. Stay tuned the blog for further details-- and in the meantime, your continued good thoughts and prayers are appreciated.

POST SCRIPT

What a beautifully emotional weekend. Watching our son work so hard and impress so many people with both his intelligence and soulful kindness was incredibly inspiring. And we were so happy to have both sides of our family there to witness it all. Then today, I delivered a eulogy for our late, great friend Gary Glasberg at a Memorial Service at Paramount. And even though I was kind of exhausted from last night-- I still did the very best I could to speak to what has become so very important in my life in the wake of both Gary's untimely passing and Nancy's soon-to-be-eradicated illness. Balance. We are all a work in progress-- and sadly, nobody gets out alive. But now, more than ever, I'm determined to keep trying to be the best husband, father, son, brother, friend, and showrunner I can-- all while also making the necessary time and space for myself to breathe. Nancy's intense strength and focus on her fight have been more helpful on those fronts than I could have ever imagined. And watching young Cosmo (with his old soul) eloquently explore the many ways we are all connected lifted my spirits beyond belief. I love my family. I love our friends. WE ALL LOVE NANCY, and...

ALL IS WELL!

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #25

Greetings. 

This is the twenty-fifth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture and follow the prompts!

BREAKING NEWS

After a restful night at home of re-nesting, followed by blissfully uninterrupted sleep-- Nancy is now slowly getting ready for the big event. Because today... is all about this guy:

HEADLINES

That's right. Today's is our youngest son Cosmo's bar mitzvah. A true milestone that he's worked very hard to prepare for. And all Nancy-- or any of the rest of us wants-- is for the focus to be on him.

But if you happen to be at the service or the party-- and are even slightly sick with anything or have been around anyone else who is-- please stay away from his Mom. Honestly, it's borderline miraculous that Nancy is healthy enough to attend. So it's really important to Cosmo (and everyone else who loves her) that she stays that way.

POST SCRIPT

We couldn't be more proud of Cosmo. WE LOVE NANCY and... 

ALL IS WELL!

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #24

Greetings. 

This is the twenty-fourth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture and follow the prompts!

BREAKING NEWS

NANCY HAS BEEN RELEASED ONCE AGAIN FROM THE HOSPITAL AND HER DOCTORS HAVE CLEARED HER TO GO HOME THIS WEEKEND AND ATTEND COSMO'S BAR MITZVAH!!! 

So if you wanna know what happiness looks like-- THIS IS IT!

HEADLINES

They're also taking out her PICC line today-- which will not only help her feel unencumbered, but give her body an easier time of eliminating the clotting associated with it before she starts another round of chemo in two weeks. Meanwhile, we'll be taking her back to the outpatient clinic on Sunday to have blood work done and any necessary meds administered. 

POST SCRIPT

To say we're relieved would be the understatement of the year. Her doctors are extremely positive. She is over the moon. WE LOVE NANCY and... 

ALL IS WELL!

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #23

Greetings. 

This is the twenty-third in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture and follow the prompts!

BREAKING NEWS

Great news from Dr. Schiller and the rest of the amazing staff at UCLA Oncology/Hematology. Nancy's immune system numbers have made an enormous leap back up in the right direction-- and he's already talking about releasing her between now and Saturday! WOOHOO! Please think good thoughts, light the candles, chant over crystals, say your prayers-- we'll take any or all of it. Let's just get her healthy enough to come home! 

HEADLINES

Last night, Nancy's sweet friend Karen showed up with shavers in hand to clean up what little was left of her locks-- and now our girl has gone full GI JANE! 

I mean, come on... she makes it look a helluva lot better than I do, am I right?

POST SCRIPT

Nancy has leukemia. But you sure wouldn't know it from her typically cheery disposition and amazingly positive attitude. So please just keep sending along your good thoughts and prayers and I truly believe in my heart and soul that we will make it over this mountain. Because WE LOVE NANCY and... 

ALL IS WELL!

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #22

Greetings. 

This is the twenty-second in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture and follow the prompts!

BREAKING NEWS

Nancy is still in the hospital. Some of her numbers are improved. Some are down a little. Some are hanging steady. What does all that mean? It means Nancy is still in the hospital. But Dr. Schiller remains optimistic about her getting out soon... hopefully in time for our youngest son Cosmo's bar mitzvah this weekend. Regardless, at least this time her room is on the sunny side of the leukemia ward-- so the Sunshiny Superwarrior Goddess has been soaking in the Southern California rays to boost her spirits-- along with her Vitamin D!

HEADLINES

Today is our daughter Clementine's 19th birthday. We love and miss her very much and can't wait for her to fly home tomorrow so we can smother her with hugs and kisses.

TODAY'S HURDLE

Me. Today I was the hurdle. I didn't sleep well last night. Then I pretty much screwed up every organizational task imaginable-- all the stuff that Nancy normally does to keep our lives running smoothly. So I was a bit of an emotional zombie. Sorry if I trapped any of you in my dark cloud. Tomorrow will be a better day. 

Because WE LOVE NANCY and... 

ALL IS WELL!

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #21

Greetings. 

This is the twenty-first in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture!

BREAKING NEWS

Gonna keep it short (but not terribly sweet) today, because I'm afraid there's crappy news to report. Nancy has been readmitted to the hospital. After what was supposed to be a routine clinic visit yesterday morning-- her doctors, though pleased with most of her blood results, were concerned about her neutrophil levels, which indicated a significantly weakened immune system. So the decision was made to check her back into UCLA's Hematology and Oncology Center for further testing and treatment. I tried my best to hang a few family pics and some twinkly lights again last night on the fly-- if only in the hopes of making things at least a little bit cozy, like her last room. But to be honest-- we'd rather not get too comfortable there-- because we're really hoping this stay will only last a few days.  

TODAY'S HURDLE

WELL THAT SUCKS

As you can imagine, after the brief but blissful taste of freedom she enjoyed returning home this weekend-- having to move back into a hospital room was a particularly bitter pill for Nancy to swallow. And because room availability on the leukemia ward is highly limited and competitive-- she had to wait in the outpatient clinic for eight full hours before there was finally a bed available. In other words, nerves were frayed and spirits were low. 

So anything you could do to cheer her up today would be great; a good joke, a goofy phone pic, whatever you think might help her keep smiling would be genuinely appreciated by all of us. Why? Because WE LOVE NANCY, and no matter what... 

ALL IS WELL!

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #20

Greetings. 

This is the twentieth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture!

BREAKING NEWS

We've been back to UCLA three times since leaving Friday. Why? Because we've arrived at the second phase of Nancy's treatment-- where she has to return to their outpatient Oncology/Hematology Clinic for continuing blood tests, transfusions, and chemo. But the good news is, the doctors continue to be pleased with her response to treatment-- which is more than worth the hassle of driving back and forth from Woodland Hills to Westwood. And with luck, eventually, she won't have to be here everyday.

TODAY'S HURDLE

CANCER ON PARADE

So this is what the clinic looks like. And that's Nancy in her cute black beanie waiting patiently in line. The entire experience is very different from when she was in the hospital-- which was custom tailored to leukemia patients only. But now we're in a "take-a-number" world-- surrounded by people fighting all kinds of cancer. And to be honest, it's rough. Not that any kind of cancer is pleasant, mind you. And we're certainly not trying to sound unsympathetic to anyone else's pain or hardship. But when you're trying to keep a positive attitude about getting well-- and a lot of the people around you may not be-- it can be particularly challenging. So your good thoughts and prayers for Nancy's mental and emotional strength would be greatly appreciated. And if somebody could please figure out how to get rid of cancer of all kinds once and for all... that would be really freaking great, thanks.

POSTSCRIPT

I had mixed emotions about making the pro-march post I made on Facebook yesterday with a picture of Nancy at the clinic in her adorable pink pussy hat. I had intentionally avoided any mentions of her illness on social media-- in part, because we were keeping it private-- but also because I suspected we would be swiftly hit with a new wave of love and concern by all the sweet people worried about her and wondering how to help. That's not to say we don't genuinely appreciate everything that everyone has done. All the calls, texts, messages, gifts, meals, and visits... it has all been truly humbling and beautiful in more ways than we can possibly tell you. But it can also sometimes be a tad overwhelming... which is all just a very long-winded way of saying that if we haven't returned your call, replied to your message, or properly thanked you-- please know that we're trying-- and your kindness hasn't gone unnoticed. One of these days, we'll get back to each and every one of you, I promise. The love we're feeling for all of you now runs deep. Because in a million different ways, you've made it abundantly clear that you feel the exact same way we do. WE LOVE NANCY, and... 

ALL IS WELL!

THE SUNSHINY SUPERWARRIOR GODDESS SPEAKS AGAIN!

Happy Sunday, Everybody. And it's especially happy-- because today's post is by none other than the Sunshiny Superwarrior Goddess herself... 

Nancy Neufeld Callaway!

*******************************************************************************************************

I’m writing.  Even though I’ve been keeping a daily journal, posting hasn’t happened. Honestly, I’m not sure why. Every day… rather every hour… there were things to think about. And yet nearly every five minutes of every hour a doctor or nurse or caregiver or friend would enter the room, and I’d get lost all over again. Kinda like Groundhog Day… only with chemo. But to be honest, I didn’t want to share too much information anyway—because not everybody wants or needs to hear all the gory details. I also didn’t want to fake being upbeat, if it wasn’t genuine. But now that I’m home — I feel grounded again. 

I’m lucky.  I know it. Not lucky to get sick, but lucky to have love and support from every direction. And I am changed because of it. In the past, I’m not sure I’ve reached out to friends in need the way they’ve been reaching out to me at present. It’s overwhelming. My word of the day. Of the week. Probably for the rest of my life. That will always be different now.

I’m home.  I didn’t realize how much I loved the colors of my house until I walked in last night. Trey had the fires blaring, flowers everywhere, food at the ready.  The living room practically glowed of amber, burgundy, yellow and orange — and those tones mixed in with Zingo’s gorgeous Golden Retriever fur — I was in heaven. I felt calm. Centered. Renewed. We all sat on the floor of my bedroom and caught up on the day, while Zingo rolled around like he was swimming. It was as if nothing had changed. News on the small stuff, the big stuff, the stupid stuff. My heart was exploding with joy.

I’m bald. Well, basically. And you know what? It actually feels kind of awesome! Speaking as a life-long, long-haired gal, there’s something incredibly freeing about having no hair. I’ve never felt the air on my scalp. It’s not so bad.

I’m optimistic. I’m doing great, and I can’t hear that enough. I have to get through this first phase of my treatment called “induction” and then comes the next phase. When I told the doctor I was feeling great (okay, I exaggerated a little) he said, “You don’t have to feel sick to get better.”  That was key for me to hear. Although it is pretty amazing to see what a screw job all these chemicals do on your body. In only a few weeks, my body has changed drastically. Then again, least of my problems - right? Oh Vanity, now you decide to come out and play?

I’m tired. Even though I’ve been feeling well, I get exhausted very easily. That’s super strange for a run-arounder like me. But right now, by the time I walk across the house, I need to rest. Zingo keeps looking back at me with that “what the hell is going on, move it along babe,” look. 

But speaking of, I’m hitting that wall again. So that’s it for now. But don’t worry, I’ll be back. And ALL IS WELL!

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #19

Greetings. 

This is the nineteenth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture!

BREAKING NEWS

She's home. Got here last night after what felt like a marathon move-out. The boys and I were so happy to see her (Clemmy by extension)-- and you should've seen Zingo running around in circles with excitement. It's so wonderful to have her here. But also kinda scary-- just because the last time we were home and everything was "normal," was before we left for Christmas vacation in Mexico. And since then, a whole bunch of things have obviously changed. But at the same time, thankfully, even more things have remained the same. So suffice it to say, we're elated. Exhausted, but elated.

HEADLINES

Sorry this post is coming so late in the day-- but in spite of having just returned home yesterday, I had to turn around and take Nancy right back to UCLA this morning for her first visit to the outpatient oncology clinic. For the next few hours, they did some basic blood tests through her PICC line (she's particularly happy about breaking up with "Clark," the tall, cold, and steel IV stand she was "attached" to for 18 days in the hospital)-- and thankfully, the news was all still positive. Her numbers remain good, though she's still on what's known as a "neutropenic diet," which requires us to be very careful about what she eats in order to avoid harmful bacteria her body isn't currently equipped to handle. That meant we also had to do some special shopping afterward to make sure she's got what she needs to stay healthy. And we'll also be back at UCLA bright and early on Monday morning-- and pretty much every other day until further notice. What's more, in addition to whatever chemo meds they will be administering at the clinic, Nancy also has a massive daily regimen of drugs she has to take at home-- including some self-administered shots which aren't super fun. I'm telling you guys, it's enough medicine to choke a horse...

But you know what's most inspiring about her? She never complains. Okay, maybe just a little-- but nothing compared to me.

TODAY'S HURDLE

Here's the thing. Usually whenever you have the misfortune of finding yourself in the hospital-- when you finally leave-- it's because whatever was ailing you in the first place simply is no longer. YOU'RE ALL BETTER. But when it comes to leukemia, even though we definitely share our doctors' enthusiasm over how amazing she's responded to the last 18 days of intense reduction treatment-- you still eventually go home BEFORE YOU'RE ALL BETTER. So we're all kind of in this bizarre happy-one-minute-not-so-sure-the-next-zone emotionally. So your continued good thoughts and prayers for increased peace of mind as we move forward in the fight would be greatly appreciated.

POSTSCRIPT

Without going into details, I pretty much sucked as a father today. Made the extremely unfortunate mistake of taking out some of my own stress out on the boys (who are already managing more than enough of their own) and it's bugged me ever since. Yes, I apologized. And yes, we discussed it all openly afterward-- because our kids are amazing and still remarkably willing to listen to most of what we say. But I still feel bad about it. So even though they're probably avoiding this blog like acute lymphoblastic leukemia... I want the world to know how much I truly love all three of my kids. We couldn't be happier to have Nancy home-- but we still have a big fight ahead of us. So the last thing any of us needs to be doing is fighting with each other. Because WE LOVE NANCY and... 

ALL IS WELL!

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #18

Greetings. 

This is the eighteenth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture!

BREAKING NEWS

THE DOCTORS HAVE JUST RELEASED NANCY FROM UCLA HOSPITAL!!! Her numbers are so fantastic-- and her team of oncologists are so impressed with her progress-- they've decided to send her home and continue her care on an outpatient basis. So we'll spend the rest of the day (with the invaluable assistance of a couple of muscular friends) packing up her cozy hospital room and then taking her back to her much cozier real room where the Sunshiny Superwarrior Goddess will boldly continue her fight against A.L.L.

HEADLINES

WE'RE GOING HOME!

TODAY'S HURDLE

PACKING UP TO GO HOME!

POSTSCRIPT

We're excited. We're nervous. We have lots of work ahead. And to be honest, she's already scheduled to be back here at 10AM tomorrow-- then again on Monday morning. But we know it's a long game we're playing and we fully intend to win. Why? Because WE LOVE NANCY and... 

ALL IS WELL!

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #17

Greetings. 

This is the seventeenth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture!

BREAKING NEWS

Nancy's numbers continue to amaze the doctors. She's in wonderful spirits and looks ridiculously beautiful. There are massive Trump protests going on outside the window of her hospital room at UCLA (we were originally supposed to be leaving for DC today to join the march). In other words... today is a very good day.

HEADLINES

I MEAN, COME ON...

Look at her. Freshly shorn like a pixie. First time she's had a short haircut since her childhood gymnast, Dorothy Hamill days. Granted, it'll probably get a lot shorter before she's finished. But who cares? She's gorgeous.

TODAY'S HURDLE

Thanks to heavy chemo-- not to mention the 18 other drugs she's currently getting dosed with-- Nancy's experiencing some neuropathy (tingling and pain) in her hands and fingers. So your good thoughts and prayers for some swift relief from those uncomfortable side effects would be greatly appreciated.

POSTSCRIPT

Go ahead. Scroll back up and look at her photo again. Yes, she's got some wigs and adorable hats and beanies to wear as well. But hair-schmair. It's only the three mile smile that matters. Every day-- that's what reminds all of us more than anything else that WE LOVE NANCY and... 

ALL IS WELL.

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #16

Greetings. 

This is the sixteenth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture!

BREAKING NEWS

Another extremely positive report today from Nancy's lead oncologist Dr. Gary Schiller. He is blown away by her progress and said once again he believes she should probably be released from the hospital this weekend. Her chemotherapy will have continue on a weekly, outpatient basis for at least a year-- but at least she won't be stuck in her "cozy little cell" at UCLA any more. He also thinks she should attend Cosmo's bar mitzvah on January 28th. But we're just trying to take it all one day at a time. 

HEADLINES

GOOD VIBES

For reasons we're not going to question, over the past 24 hours, we've been hit from three completely different sources with the wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh-- a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist. One of Nancy's childhood friends, one of my childhood friends, and the hospital chaplain herself-- each independently shared different examples of Hanh's heartfelt philosophy-- and this one really stuck with me:

"Many people are alive, but don't touch the miracle of being alive."

Call me crazy, but that just seems like the perfect way to view the journey of Nancy's illness-- as a painful but powerful reminder of just how precious our time on this planet-- alone and together-- really and truly is.

TODAY'S HURDLE

Nancy's had some minor clotting in her right arm where the PICC line was inserted. Because of its proximity to her heart-- that's something that has to be carefully monitored. And she's currently being treated with a blood thinner to break up the clot. Your good thoughts and prayers toward a swift resolution of the problem are deeply appreciated.

POSTSCRIPT

We're changing our mantra. Because I began repeating the phrase "We Will Not Be Defeated" to my Chicago crew this season during the production of APB (any showrunner will tell you that producing a TV series often feels like some bizarre Hollywood form of combat)-- it seemed like the natural sentiment for fighting Nancy's leukemia, as well. In fact, she and I and the kids have been repeating it to each other over and over since New Year's Day. But today on her walk around the ward, Nancy began to feel like even saying the word "defeated" somehow struck a wrong chord-- and wondered if we couldn't come up with something more overtly positive. 

So even though we reserve the right to repeatedly change our minds (especially since our daughter Clemmy has been stumping hard for the entire family to get matching tattoos of the slogan as soon as Nancy's finally in remission!) - here's what we've landed on for now.  WE LOVE NANCY AND...

ALL IS WELL.

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #15

Greetings. 

This is the fifteenth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture!

BREAKING NEWS

With the initial results of yesterday's lumbar puncture looking good-- the doctors are cautiously optimistic that Nancy *may* be able to leave the hospital this weekend.  That's very good news-- but also a little scary-- because it means we'll be turning the corner into a new phase of her treatment. Looking ahead, Nancy will have to keep returning to the hospital every three days for chemo and PICC line changes, etc. And depending on bone marrow/stem cell transplant prospects-- that will continue for quite some time. But we've gotten through the past month-- so we'll keep right on doing whatever it takes to get her completely cancer-free.

HEADLINES

NO KIDDING

Aside from Nancy, this whole ordeal has been hardest on our kids. But they continue to impress both of us with their maturity, kindness, patience, and love-- EVERY SINGLE DAY. Clem is back at Bates-- tackling a challenging but amazing class schedule, surrounded by supportive friends. Crockett is back to class and tearing up the 10th grade (after tearing up the local ski slopes yesterday). And Cosmo is busy being everybody's favorite 12-year-old-- just weeks away from becoming a teenager himself, not to mention a bar mitzvah. So they've all got their hands full. But their hearts are even fuller with obvious care and concern for their beautiful Mom. And we truly couldn't be more proud of each of them. 

TODAY'S HURDLE

After only about three hours of sleep last night, Nancy could definitely use some rest. But all the drugs coursing through her veins, paired with the constant parade through her room of well-intentioned hospital staff, makes catching "z's" practically impossible. Your good thoughts and prayers for peaceful slumber are greatly appreciated.

POSTSCRIPT

I watched my wife get a spinal tap yesterday while I held her hand. Seeing Dr. Caspian Oliai remove three vials worth of cerebrospinal fluid from her body may haunt me for the rest of my life-- but Nancy barely even flinched. Instead, she just lay there quietly, eyes closed, breathing deep, the most powerful definition of grace and strength I've ever seen. All I wanted to do was figure out how to take all her pain, fear, and frustration away forever. But on more than one occasion during the procedure, she just looked at me with a sweet smile-- each time, erasing all the world's ugliness.  

And in those moments, I'm telling you, I could literally hear the Universe whispering over and over in my ear.

  

WE LOVE NANCY AND WE WILL NOT BE DEFEATED.

DAILY NANCY UPDATE #14

Greetings. 

This is the fourteenth in a series of DAILY NANCY UPDATES I will be posting until the amazing Nancy Neufeld Callaway is in full remission and we have kicked her leukemia on its ass. 

If you'd like to be automatically notified of updates to this blog-- just enter your email address in the window on the right beneath Nancy's picture!

BREAKING NEWS

Wanna hear Dr. Gary Schiller's latest assessment of Nancy's progress? Well, according to the esteemed Director of Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplantation and Professor of Hematology/Oncology at UCLA-- the Sunshiny Superwarrior Goddess is doing "GREAT, GREAT, GREAT." Why? Because her BLAST COUNT is ZERO. (Blast Cells are abnormal, immature white blood cells that cause leukemia by filling the bone marrow and spilling into the blood stream). Dr. Schiller is very happy about this. So we're quite frankly, ecstatic. 

HEADLINES

BLAST COUNT ZERO!

WE REPEAT! NANCY'S BLAST CELL COUNT IS ZERO! ZILCH! NADA! BUH-BYE BLAST CELLS-- DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU IN THE ASS ON YOUR WAY OUT OF NANCY'S BODY! ACTUALLY-- DO LET THE DOOR HIT YOU IN THE ASS-- ALONG WITH ALL OF OUR FEET! AND DON'T COME BACK YOU NASTY PURPLE BASTARDS... EVER!!! 

TODAY'S HURDLE

Because of the zero blast cell count, Dr. Schiller thinks Nancy should have a lumbar puncture (AKA spinal tap) as soon as possible today, in order to collect cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the spinal cord to detect whether blood cancer cells are present in the sample. We're told it will hurt less than the bone marrow biopsy she had a week ago-- but as the name suggests, it probably won't be terribly pleasant. Plus, she has to have some special intrathecal chemo while they're in there-- to help protect against any white blood cells that might try to sneak in. So your good thoughts and prayers for a swift and relatively painless procedure would be greatly appreciated.

POSTSCRIPT

WE ALSO GOT OUR WIFI BACK AT HOME. So thanks to everyone who volunteered to come by and help me figure it out. It's amazing how one little thing like temporarily losing the internet can throw so many other aspects of our lives into a tailspin right now. The boys weren't able to download and do their homework. We couldn't FaceTime with Nancy. I couldn't update the blog. But now we're back online and normalcy has been restored... whatever normalcy is right now.

Look, just know this, okay?

WE LOVE NANCY AND WE WILL NOT BE DEFEATED.