The State of Mac is serious, irreversible and only downhill from here.
First, the numbers, as of January 29, 2025:
The platelets range from 28 to 46 to 64. Normal range 140-400
White cells, 1.2, Normal 3.7-11.1
Red cells 3.3 down to 2.76 in the last week, Normal 4.1-5.7
Hemoglobin 8.9 down to 8.1 in half a week, Normal 8.1-13.7,
Below 8 Mac gets a transfusion of unit of blood, below 7, 2 or 3 units.
No hemoglobin means no oxygen distributed by blood, makes one weak and tired. Transfusions keeps him alive. His weekly pill box is amazing, has more pills than what I have consumed in my lifetime, so it's hard to figure out what is affecting what. Mac is in one chronic pain, followed by another. Chemo is brutal. He does not drink enough water, for so many poisons flowing through his body. Mac is depressed. But then, not really, as surrounded by love from all directions.
[Guapo]
He's fighting the cancer. He is not ready to die. He is his lovely usual Mac self, kind and enjoying chatting and reminiscing.
[Chanda and Mac]
Over recent months (says Chanda) or over the past year (says Amani, The Boyfriend) Mac has gone downhill, and is wobbly, especially in the mornings. He's gone from the Michigan normal man size to the California normal men size by losing 50-60 lb, which makes him handsome,
[Mac & Guapo, by Chanda]
but the muscle-tone is gone...
No white cells means that if Mac gets if an infection, any infection, he's in a very serious trouble. This being America that learned nothing from having 1/2 million Americans killed, millions crippled by pandemic and a bad government, everybody in the house except Mac navigates world outside as full, unmasked, unsanitized life.
Doctors do not know how long he will live.
Should you visit?
Chanda would love you to come and visit. Mac will firmly say no. He will say he is depressed much of the time, he has no strength to be a good host.
Ignore him. If you can just show up. Chanda is from the old country, where every guest is welcome, hosted and feasted. LisaBeth and Amani are the sweetest young folks you ever will meet. So, instead of brooding over Mac in his suspension bed, we were taken to very tasty Kampuchean, Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants, to a reggae festival, to a modern (post-)ballet performance, to a tour of Berkeley Hills.
[Guapo will love you]
Probably best to do what we did, find another place nearby to stay, to give the family space. We stayed at Hilton 10 min walk away,
[Hilton hotel room window]
[with beautiful San Francisco sunsets]
Now, there is one thing you should be aware of: out there, Guapo's arch enemy,
[The Turkey, lurking at the entrance door]
[The Turkey attacks]
is laying in wait, ready to attack Guapo's defender at any time: here he's rushing at me, nipping at my pants.
