IndyStar is documenting Chase and Sadie Smith's lives as they settle into a new marriage and battle Chase's terminal cancer.
BARGERSVILLE — Chase Smith had an ultrasound for the tumors on his thyroid Thursday. Sadie Smith had college classes at IUPUI .
Riley Hospital for Children and the university are minutes apart in downtown Indianapolis. Sadie wasn't going to miss her husband's appointment, even if it was at the same time as one of her classes during her first week of college.
Sadie headed for her Jeep and drove to Riley.
Kelli Smith's phone rang. Sadie was at the hospital. She wanted to go to Chase's appointment and wondered if they could go, the three of them, to lunch afterward.
She sat with Kelli, Chase's mom, during his ultrasound, then they went to Noodles & Company. The pain in his throat has made it difficult to swallow and mac-and-cheese sounded good to him.
Hours later, Sadie, who commutes to college to give her more time with Chase, was home with her husband.
Sadie missed her class that day, albeit an online version. Chase's ultrasound revealed his two thyroid tumors have grown significantly. He was back at Riley on Friday for more scans to see if the cancer had grown in other spots.
The cancer has grown. And the cancer has spread.
And yet, amid the sadness and devastation that permeate their lives, the love of these two 19-year-olds only grows deeper each day. And on the bad days, they find the routine and mundane perfectly beautiful.
Because they are, after all, still together.
Their hearts are broken
Chase is on the loveseat of their Bargersville home, a navy blue blanket draped over him, Sadie by his side.
She has a blue blanket on her, too, and each has a near-empty Starbucks drink in between them. Dubs, their English bulldog, is snoring at Sadie's feet.
It's late Friday afternoon, about 4:30 the day after the ultrasound and the missed class— and it's been a long week. A long week and, depending on how you view the world, a good week.
It's been four months since Chase found out his Ewing's sarcoma is terminal. Four months since he was told he likely had three to five months to live.
Chase, an elite swimmer once ranked top in the nation, is still going to swim events his dad coaches. His wit and sense of humor still fill the house most days. The pain from the cancer and the back spasms is being held at bay.
On Friday, Chase is eating strawberries that his aunt Shelly Smith, who was visiting, cut up for him. His grandpa, Robert Smith, helping out in the backyard, peeks in the back window and waves. The laughter is loud as the family tells stories of their week.
"Yeah, I got lost yesterday. I was walking around and I didn't know where I was going for like 15 minutes," said Sadie.
Everyone's worried about her, she jokes, as she tries to keep track of her classes and navigate campus. Chase says he could draw Sadie a map but it probably wouldn't do any good. "She doesn't know where north and south is," he says, teasing his wife.
Life is chaotic at the Smith household. Chase's dad, Brad, and Kelli — both teachers —are back to school. So is his older sister Kaitlin, who teaches fifth grade. Sadie, who is studying elementary education with plans to be a kindergarten teacher, will be in and out commuting to classes and two-a-day practices for diving at IUPUI.
Chase will have his own changes, due to the spreading tumors.
This week and next week, he will be at the Cleveland Clinic for radiation — as he was in June to try to shrink tumors. The chemotherapy he was taking, which didn't stop the spread, will end. Doctors will look for a new therapy.
The families' hearts are broken by Chase's most recent results, Kelli said. But the love that surrounds all of them and the troops of people who are there for them make life just a little easier.
'Doesn't every mom'
Take the hot tub. The Smiths needed one.
Kelli and Kaitlin were talking in bed one night earlier this month about how they wished they had gotten the hot tub they'd talked about last year. Chase, this summer, has been getting in Kelli's garden tub in her bathroom; the hot water eases his pain.
Kaitlin turned to Kelli and said not to worry. She would put Aunt Shelly and family friend Stacie Olz on it.
"Don't even think about it any more, mom," she said to Kelli. "Don't think about it."
And before they knew it, the two women — thanks to a Facebook post — had found a hot tub for Chase. By Thursday night, it was ready. Chase and Sadie sat in the tub enjoying what some take for granted — those little moments.
Little moments like the wedding and Chase and Sadie's love. This story always comes back to that.
Chase and Sadie married April 29, just days after his terminal cancer prognosis. They wed on the driveway of Sadie's parents' house where they had shared their first kiss.
They were high school seniors who had fallen in love after they saw each other at a swim meet.
"You just don't see love like this," Kelli Smith said of the two at the time.
As Chase and Sadie sit on the loveseat, Kelli is telling them about Sadie walking down the aisle. The way Chase looked at her. Kelli has a video she watches a lot. She cries every time.
The video focuses on Chase as he waits for Sadie to walk out, then sees her in her wedding dress walking toward him.
Kelli plays the video on her phone. Chase is standing looking ahead. He exhales a few times. "Can't Help Falling in Love With You" is playing. Sadie appears. He puts his head down. He wipes his eyes.
"I didn't think I was going to cry, honestly," Chase said. But then he saw Sadie.
When Chase was first diagnosed with cancer at 13, Kelli started worrying about the things he might not get to experience in life. Finding true love was one of them. That's why the video gives Kelli comfort.
"Doesn't every mom want their son to love somebody that much?"
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.
"time" - Google News
September 01, 2020 at 04:31PM
https://ift.tt/3beKJ8V
Chase and Sadie: Cancer has spread and grown; their time together is precious - IndyStar
"time" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3f5iuuC
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Chase and Sadie: Cancer has spread and grown; their time together is precious - IndyStar"
Post a Comment