Looking ahead

I visited with Sam this morning from 7:30 am until about 9:30 am and then again after work for a few hours. He is continuing to improve and without any Tylenol, his temperature has been hovering around 99.9. If he continues to hold this temperature he may be released either tomorrow or Saturday. His blood count was in the normal ranges and when we talked with Oncologist, Dr. Osborn, she said that there was no indication of infection. Sam even finished 1000 ml of formula today for 1500 calories, which is the most calories he has consumed in a month.

That is the good news, but as Dr. Osborn told him today, it will get much worse starting next week. He is scheduled to receive his final chemo of this course of therapy on Tuesday, Sept. 9th and on Monday he will most likely start the final 9 or 11 radiation treatments. Dr. Osborn said imagine having a bad sunburn and going out in the sun an being burned again. Add to that taking a dose of poison that will make you so sick you don't know how you will go on.

As Sam and I took a short walk tonight, we talked about bench marks.

We sat for a few minutes, holding hands and as we talked we realized that Sam will most likely be finished with his radiation and chemo treatments by Sept. 22, just in time to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary on Sept. 25th. And by Christmas we pray that he will have a clean PET/CT scan that will declare him free of cancer. What a Christmas gift that will be. Maybe he will even be able to enjoy our traditional Christmas Eve Dinner of Beef Wellington.

It's funny how cancer makes you appreciate the little joys of life (tastebuds that work) and how it forces you to get the meaning of life into perspective. Sam and I both have a peace about his cancer fight, no matter the outcome, because we know who holds the future.