Chemo Round 3 Starts Tomorrow

Round 3 of chemo starts tomorrow. After this, dad has 1 round to go.

Dad is tired but hanging in there. He needs to gain weight to keep up his strength, and he's working hard to do just that. He's working hard to get lots of calories in and keep them in.

His smile is still there through his tiredness. The kids and I are have been here for a while visiting. Dad has enjoyed our visit, and has loved listening to the kids' laughing. And we have loved seeing dad and helping mom out for a little bit.

Mom and dad got a good report from the doctor on Friday, so we will take all good news. Dad is still seeing a marvelous acupuncturist who is helping with his vocal cords. Prayers for the acupuncturist's healing as well.

Dad also did the Glo Run with us. He was able to walk across the finish line, which was absolutely awesome to witness.

I continue to be extremely proud and amazed at both my parents for how they have dealt with all the trials and tribulations. Their faith, humor, and unwavering love and devotion are incredibly admirable.

Please keep the thoughts, prayers, and well wishes coming.

Isaiah 43:1-3        "..."Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. "For I am the LORD your God..."

Update #3 on Dad

Thank you all for all the prayers, thoughts, and well wishes. Words cannot fully express how much they mean to us. We are continually amazed by the outpouring of love and support. It is through our faith, family, and friends that we are able to get through these hard times and look ahead to the fun times yet to come.

They took dad for CT scan around 10:39 last night. Dad will be admitted to the hospital because there are two small clots in each lung. Unfortunately they had to sit in the ER all night, but dad was able to get a "real" bed which helps a little. They have given him lovenox, the medicine you give through injection. Mom will need to give him those shots twice a day in place of the Coumadin he was taking.

Mom was able to go home around 5 am and got just a little bit of sleep before going back to the hospital.

Update on Dad 8/4/14

Update on dad: No chemo today. His blood levels were too low, so he is having a blood transfusion. Mom and dad see Dr. Garg tomorrow to discuss when to do chemo; we hope later this week.

Chemo Round 2 Starts Tomorrow

Dad has round 2 of chemo starting tomorrow morning. Please keep him in your prayers.

Dad will be there for the Glo Run on Saturday, August 9 even if we have to push him in the wheelchair for part of the way. He is working hard to maintain his weight and gain some back that he lost.

Mom and dad have wonderful family and friends, and they appreciate everything that you all have done for them.



“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Update on Dad's Voice

Hello all, Mom and Dad saw the ENT doctor this morning. Dad's left vocal chord is not working so he can't talk and it affects his swallowing. The doctor says that it may not ever work. They do not know what caused it -- it may be pressure from the nearby lymph nodes or something else. They can try an operation to give a shot in the vocal cords, but not right now. They are going to wait and see how the chemo goes. In the meantime, dad will have a raspy voice so we'll have to listen carefully. But they are going to try acupuncture to see if his voice returns and hopefully when they clear the phlegm from his throat, that will be a quick fix.

Prayers Needed with More Chemo

My dad got his results from the oncologist. The small spots on his lungs that they found during surgery have grown slightly and he has some small spots on his liver. So they are going to do additional chemo. He will have 4 doses of 46 hours of chemo. He will do this for 4 weeks and then we will see where he stands. He is not starting chemo this week because they want him to get his phlegm issues worked out first. He will see an ENT doctor this week.

We believe in the power of positive thought. We also believe that God does everything for a reason. When this whole process started my Dad was supposed to have 2 rounds of chemo. He never got his 2nd round because of other issues. So the small spots of cancer stayed in his lungs. If it were not for his phlegm issues and the discovery of more cells the next round of chemo would not have happened to get rid of the cancer in his lungs. It isn't the result that we were expecting, but maybe he always needed that 2nd round of chemo to totally eradicate this terrible disease. The next few weeks won't be fun, but luckily my Dad is a fighter and one of the strongest men I know. Now he will be able to live with NO cancer in his body. WE BELIEVE.....Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers. It has helped tremendously so far.

All Went Well Today

All done and now we see if he gets better or we might need to see ENT doctor. They removed a small polyp, and they will biopsy and know the results soon. All went well; there was some dilation but his throat looked clear and maybe stomach a little swollen but according to doctor all looks ok.

We talked to dad this afternoon and he was sounding good. We could hear him a little better than in past days.