Put Me in the Game Coach!

The disclaimer: Mark agrees to poke fun at himself only after the administration of the Ativan.

With the help of my dad and a good friend, I was able to get Mark an incredible Christmas present this year. Mark is the biggest BYU fan ever. His family has been season ticket holders since he was six. I was able to find an actual helmet and Bronco Mendenhall signed it for Mark. It has been the gift that keeps on giving. When Mark got it, the first thing he did was take out the safety bar the manufacturer put in it to ensure no one could wear it. He was so excited to stick it on his head. I had visions of the kid wearing it in the car, during flag football games, sleeping etc. It is a small thing that brings us joy and reminds Mark of a lot of good memories with his family.

Among Dr. Hancock's many admirable qualities, the fact he is also an avid BYU ranks supreme. That and the fact he lets Mark ask the same questions and repeats himself multiple times. Mark loves to reminisce with him about the best BYU moments of all time. He couldn't wait to show off his helmet. I convinced Mark that he should gear up for the back poke and wear the helmet. He initially wanted to sneak it in and just have it on when the doctor came in, but it is a hard thing to hide. While he was doped up, I convinced him that even though the joke was off, he should wear it anyway and I took a few pictures because honestly, it looks pretty hilarious. Mostly because of the background decor.

The helmet matches that princess background and pink pillow pretty well don't you think? I also like the hanging bag of chemo. Interesting mix.

Mark assuming the correct back poke position

Mark and our favorite, fearless doctor. I think they should both be at spring camp.

One size fits most. Sorry about the eyes Dallin! He didn't know I was snapping shots. This might sound strange, but Mark and I look forward to chemo days. The entire office is full of amazing people who make our day. We love the staff and we love the patients. We have met so many people who are fighting their own battles and they never cease to amaze us. Mark and I have it pretty easy. In fact, yesterday marked a half way point. He has now had four of eight treatments. His first scan is this coming Tuesday, and we expect there to be a remarkable difference, even nothing! It will be great to visually see the progress Mark knows he is having. He feels better now than he has in months. After a fun-filled morning and a slick, quick back poke, Mark spent the rest of the afternoon like this:

Sorry Mark! In my defense, I haven't posted a sleeping picture for a really long time. I would be slightly concerned about sleeping in a room full of people. As you can see, it doesn't seem to bother Mark at all. I look pretty silly when I sleep and I have been known to drool. In fact, my mom has albums of me sleeping, drooling all over and I usually have my hands on my face. Mark used to look through them and laugh so this really is only pay back. At least he has a good excuse.