March 23, 2004
The Halfway point (Cycles 6 & 7; the end of radiation)
Hello everyone,
Joe is happy to report that the Friday before spring break, he finished his 5 1/2 weeks of radiation. And, even better than that, he got the all clear from his orthopedic surgeon to run again; (still no organized sports, e.g. soccer or T-ball) he re-joined the recess kickball game with gusto.
Radiation was pleasantly low-key: short appointments and minimal side effects. The principal one is a slightly burned area on the underside of Joe's arm. We have also now seen the x-ray of the damaged graft - it is very clear. One end of the graft looks great and the other looks disconnected. Joe will have surgery to correct the damaged plate after all the rounds of chemo are done.
Joe is now officially half-way through the chemotherapy. Last week was Cycle 7. If there are no delays (and that is a big IF), his last cycle should happen sometime in mid-August.
While in the hospital, Joe took pictures of some of the many people who provide his good care and we created the following collage:
Joe's next round of chemo will be a 5-day one, over the Easter weekend.
We are continuing to visualize no more cancer cells or tumors. We are also continuing to be thankful for our many, many blessings.
We hope all is well with everyone reading this entry. Thank you so much.
Jenny, Tom, Seth, Joe and Happy the dog