On February 16, 2010, our lives changed forever. We learned that John has advanced, stage 4, inoperable lung cancer. (He has never smoked a cigarette in his life.) It has spread to his spine, his pelvic bone, his adrenal glands, both eyes, and his brain. We were shocked when the oncologist gave us the prognosis: without treatment, the prognosis would be 1 month. With treatment, the median or average survival is 4 months. A really good prognosis, with treatment, is 12 months. He has seen some cases, however, where the patient has survived 3 years, and one has survived 7 years. The brain metastases are what make his prognosis so bad. We are hoping for a miracle, but we are going to accept the Lord's will in this matter. We have seen His hand in our lives, preparing us for all of this, and we are filled with gratitude for our many blessings. This is a blog to document our journey through this trial.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Another Beautiful Autumn

Our journey continues. John started conventional I.V. chemotherapy in September, and just had his third round last week. He's tolerating it remarkably well; he's had a bit of an increase in his fatigue, but virtually no nausea, for which we're very grateful. Last Thursday he had a chest CT scan, which showed that the lung tumors have decreased a bit, so that's good news. He'll have another scan in 6 weeks. He's no longer having upper back pain, even though last week's scan showed increased involvement of the thoracic spine. We feel the decreased back pain is surely due to the effects of the chemo, and we're so grateful for that, also.

John's staying physically active, eating a very healthy diet, and we're enjoying our lives. Next weekend we're going to Nauvoo, one of our favorite places, with Allison and Hilary and their families. We are always spiritually uplifted in that place.

The fall colors are breathtaking. They say they're not as brilliant this year as in other years, but we think they are glorious. How thankful we are for our many blessings.

4 comments:

  1. We keep praying for you both! We both love singing with John in choir.

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  2. A grateful heart nourishes the mind, body & spirit
    Keeping you and your family in my prayers~
    Barbara McWilliams

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  3. Thanks for keeping us updated. You continue to be an inspiration for me. Enjoy your time in Nauvoo!

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  4. I was thinking about you guys today. Lots of Love

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