Happy Don...

This picture is of Don at Audrey's ( his granddaughter) 17th birthday party in the park.

amazing.........

GOOD NEWS !!!!!!!!!!
Just got off the phone (Wednesday Morning) with Dr Lee (Chemo doctor) on results of last PETSCAN (week ago). There is no sign of previous cancer & lung capacity has expanded to normal. In other words "we beat it". I do have a follow-up visits with Dr Lee in August and Rad Doctor in July for "benchmarks", but nothing to have concern with. Just being ProActive to keep this thing at rest.
My thanks to all who kept me in their thoughts. We Won !

***dad sent this email this morning and it is the best news I have heard!!!!!!! Thank you to everyone for their prayers and words of encouragement for dad, seems our prayers have been answered!**********

Grandson donates hair to Locks of love

Don's grandson Patrick had his hair cut on June 6th at the Hagerstown Suns baseball game for "pitching the pink". Patrick and I both work at the park and we decided it would be a good idea to do it on the night the ball team raised money for breast cancer prevention and treatment. He is giving it to "locks of love" for them to make wigs . He has grown it for over 6 years and we cut 15 inches off of his hair. The players wore their pink jerseys and signed them to be auctioned off which raised over 4 thousand dollars. Patrick has seen what cancer can do to a family and a person by watching his mother , (myself), aunt charlotte,and his grandfather go through numerous cancer surgeries and treatments. We are very proud of him for doing this.

-Elizabeth

better and better news

*** email from the Don ****
Friday 05-15-09 Chemo Doctor check-up just fine. Blood chemistry shows drop in "infection" counts, but to be expected. Follow up next is PET Scan now for mid to late June (date to follow) rather than July. Still in good spirits & feeling great !

gets better and better

***latest email update from the Don****
Met with Chemo Doctor and finished LAST round of IV stuff. All seems going without problems. Gained another three pounds, blood work is in normal range, and no side issues.
We'll do a PET Scan late July to confirm how the treatments worked. At this point all signs are quite good, but keep your fingers crossed.

A quick observation

This is the first time I have added any content to Dad's page, but I could not resist when I saw this picture. We took this picture on Easter. As you can see Dad is looking pretty good. I thought I would share it with everyone. This is a rare photo of Dad with all of his grandchildren.

almost there....

****another update from dad via email***
Just met with Chemo Doctor. All continues just fine. Blood Chemistry doing what is to be expected. Next round for me is on May7th (last & Final) IV. From there we wait 4-6weeks & do another PET-SCAN (measures cancer cells). My calculations show Mid JULY for status/confirmation/party.

*** saw dad this week, he looks great! what ever drug they are giving him this round seems to be helping .*****

round two...

For Thursday 04-16-2009

Just completed 1st round of 2nt Chemo series & met with Chemo Doctor assistant. He is more concerned with side effects than I am this time around as we've added a new drug to the mix (Taxotore), But as before I've got Meds to counter the uglyness beforehand. Good news from today is.....I've gained another 5 lbs, Blood Chemistry going in is Better that it was in January which gives me some breathing room as the counts will drop with this round.
The REALLY Good News is I have Nurse Billie doing the IV stuff. She makes it almost easy.
I'll do Blood work and meet with Chemo Doctor on the 24th (no treatment) for comfort level on both sides.
My next REAL Chemo session will be 21 days after this one (due MAY 7th 2009). I'm still in a great mindset & ready to do whatever.

CAT results

***** dad got his results from the CAT scan he just had on the 23rd**************
No "cured" as yet, but things are looking good. Output from last Friday Doctors meeting is NO surgery is going to be required. Chemo Doctor wants to do one more round of treatments starting in about a week. These will not be the BIG DEAL the first round was, and no RAD stuff required. Think of it as building on my progress so far. We remain close to putting this thing to bed, but not yet. I'm OK with his plan & remain in good spirits.

results of the CAT scan

**** Got this email from dad this morning****
It looks like GOOD NEWS, but I don't want to use terms like "remission or cured" as yet. Early results of my last CAT Scan are quite good.....big time change (for the better) from last Scan. Both my Chemo and Rad Doctors will be meeting with the entire Cancer Team this Friday to review client status. The REAL answer for me will follow that session. Cross your fingers !

Update

****Update******
Had 4 week follow-up session with RAD Doctor Friday (3-20). She continues to be pleased with my status. Next scheduled visit is in 4 months.
My next gate is the CAT Scan on Monday (3-23). This will set the base-line on where we are, and what is next. I don't expect any output till later in the week as both the Chemo and RAD Doctors need to review the results, them confer with me.
Mental health here remains good, but somewhat nervous on test results & next steps.

update...

***update from dad ***
Good session with Chemo Doctor yesterday. Blood chemistry continues to improve, gained a whole pound.
Next steps are RAD Doctor follow-up on the 20th, and a CAT Scan week of the 23rd. Results of the CAT Scan will determine where we are, and next steps. Still in good mental health.

**I wanted to post this picture because I think it is a good one of dad, Lindsey and Rich at dad's 66TH birthday .***

Birthday Boy

Today is dad's birthday! I would like to wish him a very happy birthday and many more to come! Like fine wine and cheese you get better with age, or is that you get stinky? Oh well, happy birthday 'ole man!
much love- Elizabeth

YEA!!!

*** Dad is doing fantastic! I saw him over the weekend and he looks great. He has gone through all the treatments with ease and has remained upbeat. Thank you to everyone who have been so supportive of him and the family. As usual dad sends me the doctor updates and I have found out that it is easier to just post what he sends to me in his own words. So here is the most recent update from "the Don".
-Elizabeth *************

Another Mile Stone !
Last Radiation treatment done Monday (2-16). Follow up with RAD Doctor was positive (I'm doing good). Next visit with RAD is in 4 weeks just to check side effects (if any).
Chemo Doctor remains pleased. Next check up in 2 weeks. At that point he will set the date for CAT Scan to confirm results of Chemo & RAD treatments, but could be as late as late March for report and next steps (if any).
My mental health remains fine..........side effects are darned few.

Ole Man

How True...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed..

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions – and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else – the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. Be thankful for what you have and that includes your job. Work hard, take pride in what you do and bring a positive, can do attitude every day. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers!

He made it !!!!

***Straight from dad's email***

CHEMO is DONE as of today ! Two more once a week checks with Chemo Doctors, but we made it !
This entire Chemo thing would NOT have gone as well as it did were it not for Nurse Billie (RN,BSN,OCN). I can't give her enough praise for just how cleanly treatment went.
Rad work on Friday had to be modified as they want another CAT Scan (did that today) just to be sure of exact beam alignment for next 10 blasts. Should see that series start on Wednesday.
Both Rad and Chemo docs continue to express pleasure with my progress. Gained one more pound, Blood work still within where it should be, lost a few more hairs, treatment schedules are getting easier to manage, and my mental health remains positive.
My next gates are: RAD resumes mid-week, Chemo Doc followup on the 9th & 16th. Rad should end with the 17th treatment. We'll know results 30/45 days or so after. Cross our fingers.

Ole Mann
**we have always called dad "ole man", but it said with love :)****

straight from the Don's mouth......

This entry I just copied from the email from dad, it was easier to do it that way. I did see dad last Friday and he looks fantastic! I even think he looks better then he did weeks ago. He has more color to his face and he isn't coughing as much as before. The doctors are doing a great job treating him.
This is dad's email to me:

Friday session with Chemo Dr shows everything on track. Blood chemistry remains within acceptable ranges, no barfing, we did add Ambian CR to the mix for sleep as I was starting to sleep two hours/wake up one hour & so on. I'm also starting to notice some hair loss, but not much. Round two of Chemo started Monday.....all went well.
Monday session with RAD Dr also was quite positive. She remains VERY pleased. So far I'm at 20 RAD treatments. They will re-measure/mark target this Friday getting ready for the more "fine tune" zaps starting next Monday.
My state of mind remains quite good.

**as you can see he is doing GREAT! as always I will keep everyone posted as the news comes in to me...

News Gets Better and Better.....

Dad met with his doctor yesterday and he continues to be doing well . His blood work is still within normal range and he has gained two pounds! Pam and I will continue to stock his freezer with baked goodies. He will meet with the chemo doctor on Friday to discuss his next round of treatments which start on the 26Th. He will continue the radiation till mid February. He is very happy that he has not had any bad side effects from the treatments and hopes to continue that way. ( but boy we all were hoping to buy him one of those beanie hats that have the whirly propeller on top! ) I will post more after he speaks to the chemo doc on Friday.

Update..

Dad went to the doctor yesterday and the news is very good. His blood levels are within normal range and he still has not had any side effects. They are very pleased with his progress. He will continue with the radiation for now until mid February and he will go back on chemo on the 26Th of this month. Over all he is doing well and he will have another check up in a week.
A huge thank you to Chris, Marry, Sally and Tony for the great meal you sent to dad. It was a fantastic idea! He loved it! It comes in handy due to his treatments are in the afternoon and by the time he gets home he is too tired to cook so this was perfect for him! ( plus he needed the protein and goodies!) Thank you everyone for helping Dad through this rough time, with all this support I just know he will be back bright eyed and bushy tailed in no time! ( well as much as before :) sorry dad I could not resist! )

dad and mandy..

Today I saw dad and he looks great. As you can see by the new pictures added he has a four legged nurse, miss mandy. She is at his side at all times and makes sure he behaves. I could not resist taking a couple of pictures of them together. On monday he meets with the doctor again and he promised to e mail me with an update. So far so good, no side effects. And if I haven't said before- he has quit smoking! I know how hard it is to quit and I am very happy he has. ( and he is not grouchy! ) I also want to thank everyone for their prayers and kind words of support for dad and the family, we appreciate them all. I promise to update on monday after I hear from dad.

Round one done.....

Dad completed the first round of chemo yesterday and he came through with flying colors! No side effects, as in he has not had the vomiting and hair loss. ( darn, pam and I wanted to get him a big floppy hat! ) He just has to continue the radiation treatments until mid February. He will go through another round of chemo on the 26Th of January. He mentioned that the two drugs they are giving him are Cisplatin and Etoposide. I am not familiar with them so I will dig up the info on the net.
Other than dad being tired from juggling work and treatments he is in good spirits. His dog, miss mandy, is at his side being his nurse. She keeps a very good eye on him and snuggles with him at nap time.