time for an oil change

yup, it's that time again... white cells are high and hemoglobin is low so don had another bood transfusion last night. that means that he'll be in the hospital until at least tomorrow. mckenna and avery are a little sad because there's a chance that he'll miss their performance in a christmas carol tomorrow night... be praying he'll be able to join the live audience!

anyway, here's a photo of him getting that oil change and mckenna keeping him company :)

at least there's a smile!

God's goodness

don is still in the hospital as the docs deduced that he had pneumonia in one of his lungs. he'll be there for another day or two while they give him some antibiotics via IV and just monitor his overall health.

as far as the memory loss, they think it could have been fever spikes, as there is no tumor action happening near the brain -- thank God! he will be resuming radiation & chemo treatments next week.

God is good and prayers are being answered. will post more when more is known... thanks so much!

hospitalization for monitoring

this afternoon, dad was taken to the ER because his fever was persistent from last night and the docs all warn that fever could be the sign of infection. so with all of the happenings of yesterday, mom decided to take him in.

he had blood tests, CT scan, chest x-ray and a couple other tests to see what was causing fever. he has also contracted a cold with deep chest cough. because of these things, he will be kept in the hospital for a few days so that his fever/symptoms can be monitored, and they can be certain that there is no sign of pneumonia.

please continue to pray for him; i will make it a priority to keep posting re: his condition.

chemo, radiation and confusion...

administered. since the journal was last written, don has had 3 different and new chemos. none of them have seemed to work, as the MCC is growing and his hair is growing back -- sure signs that it isn't.

dr.p has returned and she says the only way to slow its growth is to couple chemotherapy and radiation together. so radiation started this past week. he will continue to have radiation for a total of 10 days over the next 2 weeks, focusing on his neck area. this latest version of chemo seems to be working on smaller tumors but the large one on his neck is still growing, though at a much slower rate, and new smaller ones keep appearing on his head, neck and face.

today, we had a couple of disconcerting moments where don was struck with long bouts of confusion where he seemed befuddled as to what to do, what to say or where to go. then, when the moments would pass, he would have no recollection of what happened in the time passed. mom and i are concerned and deduce that it might be due to sudden changes in temperature [from hot shower to cold house; from cold outdoor weather to toasty indoors -- each one happened after these incidents] that may cause some swelling near the brain. mom will be contacting dr. p tomorrow regarding this. he is also experiencing chills/shivering and sweats, likely side effects of the chemo.

please ask our God to guide you as you continue to pray for don, rachel, heidi and the kids as we face new challenges day by day. God's ear is not deaf to the prayers of His people!

life, cancer growth and a change in medication

most of you probably know what has gone on in our family over the last 2 months and it obviously has not been easy. heidi and the kids moved in with don and rachel after brian's passing in september. rachel's sister nancy passed away just 2 weeks after brian. so in the midst of it all, don has continued to receive chemo treatments and have doc appts with dr. wong, dr. p's temporary replacement until december.

about 2 weeks ago, at one of those appts with dr. wong, there was the realization that dad's chemo treatments were ceasing to work. his tumor had begun to grow again [really at an alarming rate, as the cancer was becoming immune to the meds and got aggressive -- one can see it growing]. at that point, dr. wong put the brakes on the treatment and set don up for MRI and CT scans and a new chemo regimen.

this past monday, don had surgery to have a chemo port put in so that infusion of his medications would be easier -- no more stickin' him with a needle in his arm! they used it thursday and it went splendidly well. he was happy and relieved -- a wise decision, indeed!

so this week, a new treatment was started. yesterday he had a 1 hour infusion of the new med. this morning he awoke visibly tired and a bit weary, though in good spirits as ian had a cuddle on his lap. nothing like a cuddle with ian! he has been going to the docs several days weekly for neupogen [white blood cell] shots and will continue on that regimen; he will not do hydration again until the doctor deems it necessary.

don will be having a consultation for radiation on november 3rd. it is not his first choice and he is quite hesitant.
please pray:

• for wisdom on all sides.
• don's peace of mind and trust in the Great Healer.
• rachel's peace of mind and trust in the Great Comforter.
• heidi and her three children.
  
• that God will lead you to pray for issues that are possibly unknown to us all.
  

the journey continues....

dad will be having chemo again this thursday and this is his 2nd consecutive week of treatment for this round. this is typically when the side effects hit hardest, so please pray that they stay away!

dad's in good spirits -- as usual :) -- and mom is holding up well. please keep them both in prayer.

i will post more later.... thank you for your continued prayers!

the irony and the hope

after dad's hospital stay in the same room with the same nurse on the same days as last year [how weird is that?], he was able to come home with relatively no more intense side effects from the chemo on 6/15, minus the intense deep itch he has on his torso, lower legs and ankles. please pray for this as it does not go away except for short periods when an anti-itch cream is applied.

the next two treatments on 6/25 and 7/1 were of a lower dosage with virtually no side effects. the large lumps on his neck have gone down significantly in size and the one on his left temple is gone completely. he has been getting neupogen shots to increase his white blood cell count so as to not have another episode of breathing difficulty, shakes, etc. as last year.

dad's doctor, dr. p, is on maternity leave for the next two to three months so his doc will be dr. wong. please pray for this transition and wisdom and insight for both parties. dad continues with chemo treatments this week [7/16 - ian's 2nd birthday!] and next. we are praying that he will be able to join the celebration of ian's 2nd year as an incredible blessing to our entire family without feeling too tired or worn down, as well as increased stamina and healing. dad has always wanted to travel to alaska, so we are praying that there will be a period of time where he will feel well enough and have the doctor's blessing to go and enjoy such a trip - really a lifelong dream.

thank you so much for your prayers. we will continue to keep you posted!

Psalm 33:21-22 (NIV)

In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you.