Thanksgiving 2008 has been GREAT! We had lunch today with my mom's family. All but 1 of her brothers and sisters, all of their kids, and all of their kids were there. Final count was 73. It was wonderful to see everyone, and for everyone to be able to see and spend time with Dad. He did really good, ate good, and enjoyed being there. It didn't even seem to wear him out.

This afternoon he had several friends come visit, some of them all the way from Boone, and as always, it was great seeing everyone.

Michael, Dad's grandson, brought him a Wii today, to keep him active and moving around. This will be great for him to use, and plus it's fun. :) Thanks Michael!

It's been a good day, and on this Thanksgiving, we are truly blessed and have so much to be thankful for!

Love you all~

Dad has had a pretty good weekend, he even went to church this morning. The chemo takes away his appetite, so getting him to eat anything much is a struggle sometimes, but all in all, he's doing pretty good. I know he enjoyed getting out of the house, and especially getting to see his church family.

The physical therapist was here on Saturday and said it would only take a few weeks to get Dad back to where he can move around without help. They'll come 3 times a week, and that will be so helpful. They gave him some exercises that he can do on his own to help build the strength back in his legs, and I'm sure it won't take long to get back up and at 'em!

Hi Everyone....Dad came home from the hospital today. It's hard to imagine that his body could be so dehydrated that he needed 4 days worth of iv fluids, but that's what he needed. He did get chemo today, and is fine from that, with the exception of being groggy from the benadryl they give him before each treatment. Mom said he slept most of the afternoon.

Ya'll just can't believe the change in him from Saturday to today. He looks really good, is eating everything in sight, and has his personality back. Thank you all for the continued prayers, it means so much to my family. We appreciate each and every prayer, phone call, card, etc. We're truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family.

Love to all~

What a difference a day makes....

Dad is doing soooooo much better. Yesterday he was sitting up, telling jokes and LAUGHING. Oh, how it warmed my heart to hear his laugh. I just about cried. It's so funny how you don't realize how much you miss something, until you hear it again and realize you hadn't heard it in a long time. We've just been going through each day without really thinking about the sound of his laugh, and then to hear it again, wow, it was awesome.

All they've done is pump his body full of fluids, but he looks really good, he feels so much better and stronger. Last night I took he and mom a Wendy's frosty, he ate almost 2/3 of it, and was so proud of himself. We're not sure if he'll come home today, or wait until tomorrow after his chemo. We'll keep you posted.

Thanks again for the continued prayers and support. It's so comforting to know that all of you care, and pray for our family every day.

We love you~

Well, Dad was admitted to the hospital last night. We called the nurse last night after he continued to be sick on his stomach, and she suggested taking him in to get checked out. He's severely dehydrated. Over the last several days he's barely had enough food or drink to keep a bird alive. Dad says he just cannot swallow anything. He said his throat was swollen, but last night the doctor looked and said it's not swollen, it's just completely dry, which is why nothing will go down. Even liquids just kind of get stuck going down. So, they're going to pump him full of liquids, probably for another day or so, and then hopefully he'll get to go home.

Hey everyone..... today started out pretty good, but as the day as gone by, Dad has started feeling worse. He ate a little this morning, not enough, but some. He looked good and felt stronger. You could hear the strength in his voice. We took him for a drive, which he enjoyed. But this evening he began feeling sick on his stomach, and has started throwing up. We have prayed so hard for Dad to not be sick, but I guess his body just couldn't handle it. Poor thing, he tries so hard to feel good, but he just can't.

Mom is a mess. It really scared her when Dad starting getting sick. We know you all are praying. Please continue to pray because we really need it right now.

Thanks everyone, we love you!

Dad had his chemo yesterday (Tuesday). So far so good. He's extremely tired, which is to be expected, but overall he's doing good. His appetite is hit and miss. They've given him new medicine to increase his appetite, and I think it's helping a little. He's more talkative, and seems to be in a better mood, but is still just really tired.

As for the pain in his back, the doctor said you can only have that injection every three months, so we'll have to wait a few more weeks before he can have it again. Until then, he'll just take pain meds. It's not ideal, but we'll take it.

Love you all~

Dad had a pretty good weekend. He's eating a little better, and seems to have a little more strength than he did on Friday. He's having some pain in his back, and Mom will be talking to the dr. about that on Tuesday. We're thinking that the injection he received in his back (for the bulging disk problem) may be wearing off. If so, he'll just get another one and be good as new.

He'll be getting chemo again on Tuesday, so please be in prayer that he won't have any side effects. We're so thankful that he's not been sick, but it does wear him out, so let's just all pray specifically that he won't have ANY side effects.

Thanks again for all your love and prayers. :)

WE'RE HOME!!!!!!

Dad was able to come home from the hospital this afternoon. He's very tired, and really hasn't eaten much, but we're hoping that he'll get a good night's sleep and feel better tomorrow.

Taylor was out of school early today, and she was a great help getting the house ready for Grandpa's return home. She earned $.92 sweeping the driveway (all the change in Mike's pocket). Dad's great friends Gene Anderson and Pasquale built a ramp in the garage so that Dad can get into the house easier, and we're so grateful. Thank you Judy for helping getting the house ready.

We have the most wonderful friends and family, and we appreciate you all so very much. Please continue to pray for our family.

Love you all!

Dad was able to move from the regular hospital back to the cancer center. We're so thankful that his heart rate and rhythm are normal again. The cancer center rooms are so much more comfortable for both mom and dad. Dad will get chemo again tomorrow, and depending on how he handles it, he may come home tomorrow or Saturday. He ate pretty good tonight, the best he's eaten in days. Hopefully he can continue to eat more, and regain some strength. He was very tired tonight, but he looked so much better than he has over the last couple of weeks.

So that's where we are today. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have good news that he's HOME!

My first ever blog!!!

Hi everyone..... I thought now would be a good time to jump on the blog bandwagon. It seems like several of my friends do it, so why not? LOL

Actually, this site will be used to update our friends and family on how my dad is doing. It's so hard to try and call or email everyone, so this will be very handy for everyone.

For those of you who don't know, Dad was moved from the Cancer Center building into the regular hospital on Monday. His heart rate jumped up to around 150 or so, which is double what normal is for him, and it had an irregular rhythm. I guess because he has a history of heart issues (quadruple bypass in 2003) they moved him to put him on the monitors and try to correct it with meds. His heart rate is coming down, but slowly, which is necessary to keep his blood pressure in line. His rhythm still isn't steady, but I dont' think they're as concerned about that as they are the rate. We're expecting another day or two in the regular hospital, then back over to the cancer center for another day or so, then hopefully home.

They had originally said no chemo this week, but now Dr. Sanders is saying that he will get chemo, probably on Friday. I'm really glad to hear that, because I was worried about him not having it for 2 straight weeks.

We're still praising God for the good news of NO CANCER on the brain anymore, as well as the news that the liver and kidney are looking better also. All of your prayers (and the treatments too) are working, so please, keep them coming.

Dad has fallen into a depression. He wants to be positive and strong, but Satan is really attacking him right now. Please pray for strength and positive thinking for both Mom and Dad. We need to continue rallying around him with prayer so that Satan will just back off and realize he's not gonna win! Praise God!!!!

Mom is hanging in there. Bless her heart, she rarely leaves Dad's side. Only one night, in the combined 4 weeks that Dad has been in the hospital, has she gone home to spend the night. She just curls up on the sofa, or an uncomfortable chair right there beside Dad. She's stronger than she realizes though. I know she's exhausted, but like the Energizer Bunny, she's keeps going and going and going.... I tell ya, I really admire her. I pray that I can be half of the lady she is.

So, that's all for now. I hope everyone will send replies so that I can print them and show them to Mom and Dad. I know it will cheer them up to know everyone is thinking of and praying for them.

Love you all~
Amy