Happy Tears

Hello Chad Lovers! Well I have GREAT news to share!! Chad’s latest MRI showed that 6 out of the 7 cancer spots on his brain are either gone completely or are shrinking the way they should after treatment. The 7th one hasn’t gotten any bigger and the best part… there are NO new ones!! Also, his latest blood work showed that his tumor markers are all very low. Measuring tumor markers in the blood is one of the ways doctors determine how much cancer is active in a persons body. Dr. May told us last week that there are 3 types of tumor markers they watch closely in Chad’s type of cancer. Of those three, two are now down to 0 and the 3rd one is down to 39!! This is HUGE. To help put this in perspective, the one that is now down to 39 started at over 1,500 when Chad was first diagnosed! At this point Chad is done with treatments and they will begin to monitor his tumor markers every 3 months for any changes. The blood test that reflects the 39 was taken right after he finished his last round of chemo so we believe it is actually even lower than that right now.

So here I am jumping for joy and praising the LORD who has made all this possible!!! I truly believe Chad’s healing is a miracle from GOD and it brings me to tears to think about it (happy ones for a change!). Chad has come so far and to have seen him go through all that he has first hand has been nothing short of amazing. Chad is definitely a messenger of faith. His strength and unwavering desire to trust in God’s will in his own life has inspired me and many others to do the same. As anyone that knows him will say, he is truly one of a kind. Chad is the most unique, interesting and genuine person I’ve ever met and I am so grateful to be able to call him my husband.

So praise the LORD with us for this happy news Chad Lovers! Thank you, thank you, and thank you some more for all of the love and never ending support you’ve given us through this journey. Friends and family are lifeboats from God and we wouldn’t have made it through without you.

Love Always,
Adrianne

Merry Christmas!

So it’s been a long time. Sorry guys, just haven’t had much to update you on. Things have been quiet, which is a good thing! Chad has continued to do really well with his chemotherapy treatments and will have another round next week. Don’t worry though, there will be no chemo on Christmas Eve! Dr. May said no way to that and instead Chad will get the 5 days worth, in 4 days. He is scheduled to have a MRI on his brain December 28th and will see Dr. Sanni after that to go over the results. We’ve enjoyed the last month or so of no news is good news and although we are nervous about the upcoming tests & results, we both have a really good feeling that there will be great news to share with you soon.

Our faith in the Lord’s will has never been stronger and we know that he’s in control. Unlike us, he see’s the big picture of our lives and the reasons behind everything good & bad that happens to us. It is a wonderful feeling to just let go and trust him and it brings us a peace that can’t be found any other way. We believe God is steering the boat and that we just have to keep paddling. He’ll lead us exactly where we are supposed to be.

I don’t mean to sound like I’m some kind of superhuman on this blog nor am I trying to paint a false picture of everything being just peachy all the time. Those of you close to us know we have our struggles. I mean, Chad is 32 and has cancer. There isn’t a minute that goes by that we forget this. It sucks in every possible way you can imagine. It sucks every minute of everyday. We get mad, we get upset….I’ve been known to do some serious crying….

But what can we do? We can roll over and wallow in it or we can choose to keep paddling, to have faith, to try to be positive, and enjoy every minute of everyday- regardless. We may have hard days, but we have days and now we appreciate all of them in a new way.

We wish all of you this same appreciation for life and the people God has placed in your life this holiday season. Go hug someone you love, or better yet someone you don’t! Merry Christmas Everyone!!

chemo shmemo

Hello Everyone, today is Sunday October 31st. Chad starts his 2nd round of chemo of this second run on Monday. We found out a couple weeks ago he will be having 4 more rounds of chemo again instead of just 2. Dr. May didn't elaborate too much as to why, and we didn't ask. Dr. May did say that Chad's tumor marker numbers are looking good and that they are on track. We've decided not too ask too many questions. We feel we have two choices, trust that Dr. May knows what he is doing, or don't. And we do. So with that said, I'm sorry I am probably not answering many of the questions you all may have. I'm not withholding any information, we just haven't been into the details lately. We believe that God is in control and that gives us peace everyday. We choose to pray, focus on the positives, and enjoy each other and everyday to its fullest extent. After nearly six months of treatments, we've learned to live around cancer. We refuse to let it take over our lives and prevent us from enjoying life. I mean sure we have good days and bad days but we really do have many more good days than bad. Chad has felt great after the last round, he hasn't felt sick at all. It was hard for him to start losing his beard again after it had just come back but he's feeling better about it now. He's been tired but not too bad. We've done lots of fun things lately including participating in the Light the Night walk last weekend. We raised $375 for cancer research and it was really cool to see so many people gathered together for the cause. Last night Liz had a Halloween party that we all went to. Justice dressed up as Eminem, Chad was a gang member, and I was a witch. We had a great time! We also recently cleaned Chad's music studio up and it looks great. Since then he's been super inspired and has been making lots of beautful beats. We've talked about creating a website so he can share them with everyone that wants to hear. I'll keep you posted on that. I hope everyone has a happy & safe Halloween and thanks again for your prayers & support!

Round 5

Hey there! Today is Friday October 15, 2010 and the last day of Chad’s 5th round of chemotherapy. Chad met with Doctor May on the 5th and he let him know he would need two more rounds of chemo since his tumor marker numbers had gone up a little bit. Dr. May said everyone’s body is different and that some people just need more than others. He will get a week or two off before the 6th round.

Chad has been feeling really good, no sickness or anything! Last weekend we went to Bryan & Erin’s wedding in Scottsville VA. It was beautiful! They got married on Sunday (10-10-10) and our 11th wedding anniversary was on Saturday the 9th. We stayed at the Scottsville Inn on Saturday night and it was so nice to get to spend time with good friends. Chad and I can’t stop talking about how much fun we had! We laughed and danced and just had a really, really good time. It was an anniversary and weekend we will always remember.

So… life is good! We see and feel God’s blessings and love everyday. Chad is feeling great and is handling everything in his one of a kind, laid back style that we all know and love him for. Thank you to everyone for the continued prayers, love & support.

Long over due update

Hello Everyone, Today is Tuesday September 28, 2010 and we have some catching up to do. Chad's been doing really well the last few weeks. Other than the Vena Cava filter not coming out when they tried a few weeks ago. Things had been quiet. They decided to leave the filter in and say that it will be just fine to do so. It can stay in there indefinitely. They never could say exactly why they couldn't get it out.

Last week Chad had a follow up MRI done on his brain. Unfortunately, we did not get good news. The MRI showed 5 or 6 new cancer spots. I know, the news took our breath away too.

Chad is actually in the head hallo again as we speak and will be getting Gamma Knife surgery any time now. I am not sure if I have mentioned what Gamma Knife surgery is in the past so I apologize if I am repeating myself. Basically, it is pin head precise radiation, kind of like laser radiation. Without this technology, the alternative would be whole brain radiation which can cause damage to the healthy brain tissue. They said they would consider doing that if Chad were an older patient but that since he is so young, it is best to do the Gamma Knife again.

Things are going smoothly so far today, we came to the hospital at 6:30am this morning and it is about 10am now. The plan is that he will go home this evening. The first time he had Gamma Knife back in June was a horrible experience because Chad's anesthesia wore off too early. The doctors and nurses seem to be doing everything they can this time to make sure he has a better experience. He is pretty out of it right now and we are all watching him closely to make sure he stays that way until they have finished. Chad's Mom is here with us and Justice is at school right now. Justice is handling everything really well and is always good at making us smile and laugh. He always tells Chad, don't worry Dad, you'll be okay!

We meet with Doctor May again next week. We don't have answers to a lot of questions but that's ok for now. We trust Doctor May & Dr. Sahni fully and even more importantly we trust the Lord. Sometimes there are never enough answers to the questions we have as humans. Sometimes, we just have to fully put our faith & trust in God and let him take care of us. This is our choice and it brings us peace.

positive thoughts

Chad had surgery on Monday to remove the vena cava filter. It didn't go as planned. Unfortunately, after two painful and awake hours of them trying they could not get it out. It was supposed to be a fairly quick & easy procedure so he was only under light local anesthesia but for some reason the doctor couldn't get a crib on the filter. The doctor said he thought there might be a blood clot in it that was blocking the little hook at the top of it he was trying to latch on to. I am not so sure if I believe that was the case since when they did the ultrasound a week earlier it was clear of clots. My personal opinion is that the doctor just couldn't get it but who really knows . We don't know what this means exactly yet. We have to wait until he sees Dr. May on the 14th to hear what his plan is. Will they try again, will they leave it in, what are the risks of both, etc. For now, they have him on both the blood thinner shot and the pill. We assume this is an extra precaution in case there was a clot in it. He has been feeling up and down since the surgery, good days and bad. I believe we are seeing small but steady improvements, he is getting stronger and less tired little by little.
Everyday we have the choice of focusing on the positives, or dwelling on the negatives. Some days are harder than others to go with the positive choice. Thank God for our faith and our love for each other and our family because without those positives, we would be lost. We know in our hearts that God is doing his thing and Chad will be feeling better than ever very soon.

filer removal & shots

Hi Everybody! Today is Sunday August 29th. Chad is scheduled to have out patient surgery tomorrow to have the vena cava filter removed. The good news is that he doesn't need it anymore! When they did an ultrasound to see it last week there were no blood clots in it. They will not put him completely to sleep to remove it but he will be pretty out of it.
In order to have the filter removed he had to go off the pill form of blood thinner for 5 days before the surgery and in it's place get shots of blood thinner in his stomach. In order for it not to be in his system during surgery and possibly make him bleed too much he had to go off the pill form. Apparently, the pill stays in your system for days after you stop taking it while the shot does not. So I have been giving him the shots the last few days. Not fun. Let's just say I am no nurse! Chad has purple bruises on his stomach from my lack of shot giving skills. Poor guy.
We think the shots must be whats causing him to not feel well too. He has been even more tired than he has been, he's had an upset stomach, a runny nose, mild headaches and his ankles are swollen so bad they hurt again. We looked it up online last night and all of these symptoms are listed as possible side effects of the shot. He will have to take the shot for another 5 days after surgery before going back on the pill form. We are not sure exactly how long he will have to be on some form of blood thinner. Doctor May hasn't said...

So it's been a while...

Hey everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to post an update. Chad has been doing really well and there hasn't been much change so not much to report. This is a GOOD thing!! He is still very tired and weak but this will be normal for a while yet. It will just take time. His hair hasn't started growing back yet and he's even lost some of his eye lashes but that will all come back in time too. He has some doctor visits coming up in the next few weeks so I'll keep you posted on any changes or new information.

A very special thank you to all of the wonderful people that made the benefit for us in Lynchburg happen last weekend. I hope you all know how much it really means to us. We have the best friends in the world and can't even explain how thankful we are to each of you. We were sad to miss it but heard it was a really fun time, like a big reunion. We love that! We have a couple of friends that hadn't talked in a couple of years that were brought together that day (you know who you are;) and it makes me smile to know that. God works in mysterious ways!

We recently had a short but wonderful visit from my big (she's actually much smaller) sister and her four kids, Adrianne, Jack, Amy & Michael. My sister, Georgette drove all the way from NY by herself with four kids in the back AND got stuck in horrible traffic just to see us!! It should have only took her about 7.5 hours to get here, it took her 12. She is amazing and she's my best friend. My whole family got together including Chad, Justice & I, my big (he is bigger;) brother Keith, my sister-in-law Melissa and their kids Carter & Walker, and our Mom & Dad & my Dad's wife Easa. It was really nice to have everyone together. Seven kids all under the age of 14! I think we created some memories for them that will last their whole lives. Thank you Keith for putting it all together, it wouldn't have happened if you hadn't.

Justice is HOME for good now and we are so happy. He had a fantastic summer and loved every minute of camp and staying with his Nanny & Papa ( Chad's parents) but it is so nice to have him home. There are a couple more weeks before school starts so it will be nice to have the down time together before the craziness starts. We are planning on enjoying every minute!

Chemo is DONE! The final stretch....

Hey Everyone! Chad finished his last round of chemo on Friday!! WOO HOO The nurses sang him a song and had him ring a bell when he was done on Friday. It was pretty funny. He tried to get them not to do it haha. He goes on Monday to get a shot that boosts his white blood cell creation. This is normal, just a precaution to keep his body making enough. After that, he has a visit with the urologist just to make sure everything has healed the way it should from his original tumor removal surgery. He also has a follow up visit on Wednesday with the doctor that put in the blood clot Vena cava filter to see if they can remove that yet. He is not scheduled to see Dr. May (the oncologist) again until the first week in September. I assume they will run more tests at that time.

Chad's parent's & Justice came up Friday night and stayed the weekend. It was nice to have them all here. We had a good time just hanging out and doing whatever. We went out to eat and did a little exploring around Richmond. Chad's not feeling very good though, seems to be fighting a cold or something. He doesn't have a fever and isn't throwing up or anything so we are just keeping an eye on it. It's hard on him to not feel well, he tries to push himself for everyone else.

Justice went back to Lynchburg with Chad's parents for another week at camp. He just loves it! It makes us happy that he has had such a wonderful summer regardless of everything going on. Chad & I are both ready to have him home again for good though and to get our lives back on track. It was hard to say good bye to him today. We are both ready to move on from this and get back to normal. We know it won't be long now, but sometimes the last stretch of anything you have been working on and waiting for, is the hardest part...

Reason to Celebrate!!

Hello everyone! Today is Monday August 2nd and I'm inviting you all to celebrate with us! Do a dance, jump up and down or have a drink in Chad's honor today!! Chad met with Dr. May today before his 4th and final round of chemo treatments started. Dr. May went over results from previous blood work that had been sent to a lab last month. Dr. May said that Chad's tumor markers have almost all returned to normal levels!! Tumor markers are found in the blood and are what doctors use to monitor the amount of active cancer cells in the body. We don't know what they all stand for and there are many but for example one of his tumor markers called HCG was 87 when he was diagnosed in April. The normal, cancer free range for this marker is between 0-3 and Chad's in now a 1!! Another example is the AFP marker, when he was diagnosed it was 2,389.7. The normal range for this one is any number less than 8.1. Chad's is currently 324.1. Look how far it's come down!! Dr. May said that this number is right on track and will continue to go down after this final round.

We learned today that the actual tumors in his lungs may take a long time to go away. Dr. May said he has seen them show up on scans for years after a patient is done with treatment. He said they don't go by the tumors themselves but rather the tumor markers in the blood to determine if there is active cancer in the body. Basically, the tumors themselves may be there a while but as long as the cancer cells are dead and not growing it doesn't matter.

So Chad Lovers please join me in a prayer to thank God for all he has done! For hearing our prayers and requests and for loving us all so much. To thank him for bringing Chad so far already and to pray for Chad's continued healing. Please pray for God's healing for all people that are dealing with illnesses or other life struggles. Thank you all so much for believing, praying and for never losing faith!

Love & Benefits

Hey Everyone, Today is Monday July 26th and things are going great! Chad had a doctor's appointment today and his blood work and everything was good. He is continuing to feel good and has been in good spirits. His feet and ankles have swollen up again and he's still very tired but nothing unbearable. His last round of chemo starts Monday. Dr. May hasn't told us what the next step after that is yet, but we assume they will scan him again and run tests to make sure the cancer is all gone. We still have unwaivering faith in God's love that it will be!

Friday night some amazing people came together for a benefit to support Chad. It was at Bogart's, a restaurant/bar here in Richmond. The owner, Nick was very generous to host the benefit. Many local artists came out to perform and support and so many friends and even people we didn't know were there! They raised a lot of money and we could never thank everyone involved enough. A special thanks to Kim James & Brian Crawford for making it happen. It was really, really wonderful. Chad & I were able to make it for an hour or so and we are both so glad we did. Chad was happy to be out and to see everyone, I know it meant the world to him just to feel all that love and positive energy. That means more to him than any amount of money ever could and I believe it was therapeutic for him. Thanks again everyone. WE LOVE YOU!

Tired of Being Tired

Hey Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We had a great weekend even though we didn't do too much. Justice got to catch up with a friend that had moved to Florida a while back and was in town visiting on Friday. They went to laser tag and had a sleep over so he really had a good time. Saturday we just kind of hung out since it was too hot to be outside too long. We took Justice to see his first R rated movie - Predators - Saturday night!! He was so excited and really liked it. We had a great time. Sunday we drove out to a flea market in Mechanicsville and took two of Justice's friends with us. We didn't stay long since the heat really takes it out of Chad (and us too) but it was nice to take a ride and look around. Chad found some records there and was excited about that.

Chad had a check up yesterday and it went well. His blood counts all looked good. They took him off the blood thinner for a few days because his blood had gotten too thin. They will start him back on a lower dosage on Friday. He has been very, very tired this week. Feeling weak and his body is just worn out. He fell asleep eating dinner the other night! Poor guy. The doctor said it's normal to feel tired from the chemo and I'm no doctor but I think part of it is also his blood being too thin. Makes sense, right? They have told us that the chemo will build up in his system so the more he gets, the worse the side effects will become. Luckily, his main side effect has been being tired. It could be much worse and we know that, we are grateful he hasn't had any nausea, no more mouth sores, he's had a good appetite and hasn't lost weight, all the swelling in his ankles and feet went away, etc. Overall, he's been blessed.
Being tired all the time is still hard on him though and he seems kind of down this week. His mind wants to do lots of things but his body is just not having it. He wants to do fun things with Justice while he's here and I think that's the hardest part. It's frustrating and who can blame him. I am hoping that it might get a little better while he's off the blood thinners for a few days.

Just a quick one

Hey Everyone! Just a quick update to say that Chad is doing great. He has been tired but other than that, he's feeling good. He still has his appetite and has been eating well so that's another plus. He hasn't lost any weight so far and we are happy about that. Justice came home last night and we are loving it. He had been in Lynchburg for what seemed like forever and we really missed having him with us. Chad and Justice stayed up late last night playing the Xbox 360 and watching TV. I tried to hang with the guys for a while but was first to fall asleep as usual ;) It was nice to fall asleep to the sounds of my two favorite guys having fun though. We are all looking forward to just spending the weekend with each other and relaxing. We hope everyone has a great weekend too!

How cancer changes things

Cancer changes lots of things, in fact it changes everything. Our lives have been turned upside down in just a matter of a couple of months. Everything we did, everything we thought, absolutely everything about us has been touched in some way by cancer. Our lives have been changed in some very negative ways that I am sure you all can imagine. What I want to talk about though is the positive ways cancer has changed us...
We have been closer to each other and God and family and friends than we ever have before. We have reconnected with people from our pasts that we may never have if it wasn't for cancer. We have met amazing people that we may never have met. We have slowed down and enjoyed the simple things in life. We tell people that we love that we love them all the time. We don't sweat the small stuff and go with the flow. We have learned that people are genuinely good and caring. We've been nicer to strangers even when they are not nice to us and stop and think about what they might be dealing with in their lives that we can't see. We have taken lots of naps. We've put more pictures that make us happy in frames around the house. We've reevaluated our future and goals. We've talked for hours about nothing and everything. We've enjoyed the moment. We hold each other tight like we may never see each other again. We've been more forgiving. We try harder to remember that things could always be worse. We want to help others and "pay it forward." We read the bible and pray on a regular basis. We are more grateful for the things we have. We express our emotions without fear. We feel full and loved and happy. Chad having cancer has certainly been life altering for us and I pray for everyone we know to never have to be touched personally by the negatives of cancer in order to be moved by the positives.

This One is For You

Hi Everyone, today is Monday July 12th and things are going great. Chad finished his third round of chemo yesterday. He did have to go to the hospital Saturday & Sunday to get it the last two days but he didn't have to stay Saturday night so it wasn't bad. He is feeling great and hasn't had any side effects so far. The pain in his knees is completely gone, the swelling in his ankles is completely gone, no mouth sores, no nausea, no nothing!! He looks great and feels great. He is in awesome spirits too. We just keep praising the Lord for all he has done and all the blessings he has given us. When I have moments of worry Chad reminds me, "Look how far God has brought me, look how far I've come already! Don't worry."
So other than some doctor's appointments and blood work, he is off for 3 weeks! His last round of chemo is scheduled for the first week in August.
Justice is coming home this weekend and we are looking forward to it. Chad, Justice and I plan on spending some much needed time together. We may go to the zoo or Maymont for a picnic or if they guys have their way we will play Xbox 360 all night hahaha - it doesn't matter what we do, I'm just looking forward to being together!

Home again & GREAT news!

Okay so let me just get right to the good stuff...The great news is that the scan showed that the tumors have shrunk more and the blood clots have all gone away!! YEAH!!! God is doing great things and he is healing Chad, it's a beautiful thing! Thank you to all of you for your positive thinking, faith, and prayers!

Today is Thursday July 8th and Chad is home. They released him from the hospital about 10:30 last night. He is feeling MUCH better and has had no more sickness. Apparently, it was some kind of stomach bug that's going around and he just got it worse than most of us would. His knee pain is also gone. They were never able to figure out exactly what caused it as nothing showed up on the Xray. Their theory was that they cramped up badly when he was dehydrated and stressed in the ER which makes sense. Doesn't really matter, good news is it was nothing serious and it's gone! I am feeling much better too...

Chad started his third round of chemo yesterday and it's going really well. He will receive it at the doctor's office again tomorrow like he did today and then will go to the hospital to get it on Saturday and Sunday since the office is closed on the weekends. We are not sure if he will actually be admitted and have to stay Saturday night or not. It's okay either way, we are just grateful that despite all of the complications he has had, he has not had to miss any of his chemo treatments and that they are working!

Back Again

Hi Everyone! I hope you had a nice fourth of July weekend! Today is Tuesday July 6th and Chad is back in the hospital. Ugh, I know that is how I feel too. But let me catch you all up by telling you how wonderful of a trip we had to Lynchburg. We all had a great time and everything was really good until yesterday morning. We went to cookouts, we went out to eat, we visited family & friends and we were almost able to forget for a few days that Chad is sick. It was great. He was feeling great...

Then yesterday morning he woke up throwing up, we were still in Lynchburg at his parents house. He has not had one bit of nausea so far so we thought ok, well maybe it's starting. He could not keep anything down though, including the nausea medicine the doctors called in for him. So about 5pm I packed him up and off to Richmond we went. Justice stayed back with Chad's parents so he could go to church camp again this week. (he is still loving every minute) Chad & I agreed that it was worth the rough 2 hour ride to be back in Richmond where his doctors are instead of risking him getting stuck in the hospital in Lynchburg. He just seemed to be getting worse and the doctors on call were concerned about him getting dehydrated. We made it home and packed a bag and off we went to the ER.

The ER is not our favorite place. In fact the ER sucks. Everything takes forever and the nurses are way overworked. I even asked the doctor on call that said to bring Chad in, if we could just go right up stairs to the cancer floor and skip the ER. Unfortunately, they can't do it that way "for legal reasons." Anyway, we were in the ER until about 2am. Chad had a temperature of 101.8 and was dehydrated. They pumped him full of fluids, anti nausea medicine and also started an IV of antibiotics. The ER doctor ordered a chest Xray and said that it looked like Chad had a spot of pneumonia in his right lung. At about this time Chad started having stabbing pains in his knees. He was in horrible pain and it was scary since it came out of no where. The ER nurse didn't seem to care much and said it was a side effect of chemo? Ok dude, but it just started since we've been in the ER and he's never had it before? AARGGHH

They decided to admit him and at that point he was sent to the cancer floor to a happy place where the nurses actually care and listen to you. I had gone up before he did to see what nurses where working and to let them know he was coming. It was so nice to see familiar faces and they were all excited to see us in a I wish you didn't have to be here but glad to see you way. As soon as Chad got to his room they immediately got him comfortable with pain medicine. The doctor on call came in and checked Chad over really well. He made us feel better by explaining all the things that the knee pain could be from and that he did not feel there was an immediate danger. He would treat his pain and then wait for doctor May to come in the morning. The medicine knocked Chad out right away and I fell asleep on the couch soon afterwards.

Chad is feeling much better today, his temperature is back to normal and the nausea is gone. Doctor May came in and ordered a spiral CT scan just to be sure there are no blood clots and to see how the cancer spots in his lungs are doing. He also had the great news that Chad's tumor markers have come down. From my understanding, the tumor markers are something in his blood they monitor to determine if the cancer is responding to treatments. So great news so far for Chad today!

I on the other hand woke up throwing up. I think I caught the bug Chad had and it's horrible! I don't have a temperature though so I am just riding it out. I took some medicine and have been able to hold down some crackers. I am hoping it will just be a 24 hour thing and be gone tomorrow.

Dr. May said they will start Chad's 3rd round of chemo tomorrow. He didn't say how long he plans to keep him in the hospital but that's ok, we've learned not to ask ;)

Good, Good, and more Good

Today is Wednesday June 30th and things are going great! Chad is still feeling really good. His blood work has come back okay the last two times and other than his blood clotting level still not being where they would like it to be, his levels are good. He still has swelling in his feet and legs and it gets worse as the day goes on but really that's the worst side effect he has right now. If he puts his feet up for a while here and there through the day and at night, the swelling goes way down. Don't get me wrong, he is not feeling 100% by any means. He gets short of breath and tired easy and is on lots of medicine including a steroid, blood thinner, and morphine which all have side effects of their own. All things considered though, and compared to his 20 day stay in the hospital... he is feeling and looking GREAT! His doctors even said it is okay for him to travel to Lynchburg for the 4th of July weekend to visit family & friends and we are all really looking forward to it.
He is scheduled to have his third round of chemotherapy next week. He is supposed to have a CT scan next week too, to check the progress of his treatment. I have a feeling the tumors in his lungs and lymph nodes will be gone or almost gone! Everyone keep those prayers up, they are working!!
Thank you again to all of you for your continued support, prayers, and encouragement. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives. People continue to amaze us with their words, cards, gifts and genuine acts of kindness. We will be forever grateful for everyone and everything.

Control Issues, who me?

Today is Wednesday June 23rd and Chad is doing really well. Having him home has been wonderful and we've been enjoying every minute. He had to get another blood transfusion yesterday because his hemoglobin level was back down to 7.4, besides taking 6 hours it went just fine. He has lots of doctors visits scheduled because they are still monitoring his blood levels very closely. It's not that bad though, we live very close to the hospital so it's not a big deal to go and we both feel better after they check everything. He had to double up on his daily blood thinning medicine because his blood is still too thick which means he is still at risk for clots. I am sure they will get it straight soon.
He still hasn't had any sign of nausea after his second round of chemo so that's a huge blessing! He's been able to keep the mouth sores under control with a prescription mouth wash so they haven't been bothering him either. The only real side effects so far have been lot's of swelling in his feet and legs and being tired. They say the swelling is normal from being pumped with so much fluid. He has to keep his feet elevated a lot but the swelling goes down when he does. Overall, he is doing really, really good! He's had a good appetite and has been in great spirits.
Justice is in Lynchburg this week, he is attending camp at Chad's parent's church and is loving it! As much as we miss him, we love that he is having a good time. We talk to him everyday and know he's in great hands. He loves being there as much as Chad's parents love having him.

I am doing better, I won't talk much about myself since this is a blog about Chad's journey but I have to admit I have been having a hard time. They say knowledge is power but it seemed the more I read and the more I researched, the more depressed I got. The Internet can be a scary place and too much information isn't always a good thing. I found that the more I read, the further I felt from that peace that God had given me early on. I found myself trying to control everything like what Chad was eating, when he was eating it, when he took his pills, when he slept and..... well you get the point. I got a little crazy. (poor Chad) I had an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach all the time and was filled with fear and doubt. It was horrible.
SO I stepped away from the Internet and the books and the statistics and put my faith and trust right back where it should be, with God, his son, his book and his spirit. From now on, the only research I'm doing will be found in the BIBLE! To some of you this probably sounds extreme or weird but I am telling you I feel a million times better and have that peace back. The peace that tells me everything will be okay because I am NOT in control of Chad's recovery! Thank GOD haha ;)

Home Sweet Home

Chad is HOME!! After 20 days in the hospital, he is home. Chad got to go to Justice's 5th grade graduation yesterday and him being there made Justice beam a smile from ear to ear. He was so proud to have his Dad there. Chad and I fought back happy tears the whole time. It was a beautiful day.

Chad went back a few hours later for his chemo treatment and then he came home for the night. The three of us just hung out last night and watched a movie. We felt "normal" for the first time in a long time. It is amazing how something as simple as watching a movie and eating popcorn with your family can mean so much. I will never take things like that for granted ever again.

Chad is receiving his last day of chemo in the second round today. Then he gets two weeks off! He will still be back and forth to the doctor's office a lot so they can keep an eye on everything but no chemo for two weeks. He is looking forward to some down time.
We plan on spending the weekend just being together and being HOME! I have a feeling this will be one of Chad's best father's days ever.