1141: Two Years

2012-12-01T03:50:02Z

68.174.172.203: /* Transcript */ Replaced "Randall's wife" with "Megan". Added more details, plus some corrections.

{{comic
| number = 1141
| date = November 30, 2012
| title = Two Years
| image = two years.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = She won the first half of all our chemo Scrabble games, but then her IV drugs started kicking in and I *dominated*.
}}

== Explanation ==

This comic marks the second year of [[Randall Munroe]]'s wife's battle with cancer, and appears to depict actual events from those two years, though this type of progression could be common in many couples' experiences. Randall's wife's cancer has been the subject of [[:Category:Cancer|several previous comics]].

Some explanations:
* Panel 1: Randall's wife-to-be (at that point) receives a diagnosis over the phone as Randall sits by her side supportively.
* Panel 2: Undergoing {{w|chemotherapy}} through an IV. Because of the hair loss that results from chemotherapy, many patients opt to shave their heads when they undergo chemotherapy. Her hair grows back over the course of the following panels.
* Panel 3: The two of them spending time with one-another, and no one else. This is very important for couples in a situation like that. Nature is a good resort for many, as long as health permits.
* Panel 4: The couple are waiting for the results of a scan; it appears a phone is on the middle of the table that they are waiting to ring.
* Panel 5: More chemotherapy. The couple are playing {{w|Scrabble}}, as referenced in the title text, which is a very popular board game in which players use letter tiles to spell words in a cross-word style. She uses the fact that she has cancer as leverage to get Randall to ignore the fact that the word she has played (zarg) is not a real word.
* Panel 6: Someone suggests they come for a visit next year, but all they can think about are the words "next year", suggesting their fears that they won't be able to go anywhere, or that one of them might even be dead by next year.
* Panel 7: Randall and his fiancé get married.
* Panel 8: The couple watching humpback whales. See panel 3.
* Panel 9: Randall is paraphrasing a line from the song "{{w|Still Alive}}" ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_S0PGu-cH4 video]) from the video game ''{{w|Portal}}'' (''"I'm doing science and I'm still alive"'').
* Panel 11: Randall and his wife have dinner to celebrate the fact that she has made it two years since her biopsy.

==Transcript==
:[Randall and Megan sitting on a bed. She's on the phone with a nurse (shown in inset), who is looking at a clipboard.]
:Nurse: [illegible]
:Megan: Oh God

:[Randall and Megan sitting at their laptops. Megan is hooked up to an IV pump and her head is shaved.]
:IV pump: ...BEEEP...BEEEP...BEEEP...

:[Randall and Megan rowing a canoe in a lake/mountain setting. Megan is wearing a beanie.]

:[Randall and Megan sitting at a table staring at a phone. A clock is mounted behind them. Her head is stubbly.]
:Megan: How long can it take to read a scan!?

:[Randall and Megan playing scrabble. Megan is again hooked up to an IV pump. She has longer stubbles.]
:Randall: "Zarg" isn't a word.
:Megan: But ''Caaancer''.
:Randall: ...Ok, fine.

:[Randall and Megan talking to a friend. A large thought bubble is above their heads. She's wearing a beanie.]
:Friend: So next year you should come visit us up in the mountain - [cut off by thought bubble]
:Randall and Megan: "Next year"

:[Randall and Megan getting married. He's wearing a bow-tie; she a white dress. A heart is above their heads. Megan's hair is growing back a little.]

:[Randall and Megan standing on the coast, watching a whale jump out of the water. She's wearing a beanie.]

:[Randall standing behind Megan, who is sitting at a desk using a laptop. Her hair has grown back a little more.]
:Randall: Hey-
:Randall: You're doing science,
:Randall: And you're still alive.
:Megan: Yeah!

:[Randall and Megan sitting under a tree.]
:Randall: It's really only been two years?
:Megan: They were big years.

:[Randall and Megan at a fancy restaurant being served. Her hair has grown back more.]
:Waiter: Happy... Anniversary?
:Megan: Biopsy-versary!
:Waiter: ...eww.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:Cancer]]

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1141: Two Years