Chemo break!

After over two months of fighting, I am finally through with the 2nd course of chemo. This was such good news because this course really brought me down at times. It put me in the hospital, it forced me to go to Hershey 4 or 5 times a week at times, it destroyed my appetite, affected my coordination, and a whole bunch of other unpleasantness. For the last week or so, I have been in recovery mode so that my red and white blood cells can recover. Just over the last couple of days, I have started to feel a ton better so I should be ready for the next course to start very soon.....its gonna knock me down again but it is worth it to take one more step forward, one more step toward curing this beast.

The last few weeks have not been all time spent at Hershey. I was able to go to the U2 concert in DC which was unreal. It was my first time seeing them and one of those things that I have always had on my life "to-do list". Evan and I went and met some friends when we got there. Despite a fall on the way in (the drugs have caused me to lost my coordination and some motor function and people probably just assumed I had enjoyed tailgating a little too much), I was able to last for the whole concert and hung on every word Bono had to offer.

The next step as far as treatment is another meeting with Dr. Claxton on Monday. He will examine me and see how the treatment is progressing. Hopefully he will clear me for the next course so that we can get closer to the end. I won't have any "real" knowledge of how the cancer is reacting until the 3rd course is over. That is one of the hardest parts: having to wait and just question how well all this is working.

Since my loss of sensation has been pretty bad in my fingers and toes, the doctor and nurses have decided to eliminate one of the chemo drugs, vincristine, from my regimen. So hopefully I start to get that feeling back and some of those motor skills without losing much with regard to quality of treatment. I am hoping to be in good shape for my good friend, Colin's, wedding in a few weeks. We have traveled the world together and he has been there every step of the way and I can't wait to celebrate he and Kathleen's marriage with them.....dance floor: watch out, I've been working on my human worm.

I want to send lots of love to my Trinity High School class of 1999. As a part of our upcoming 10 year reunion (gosh....it makes me feel old just typing that), our class president, Kelly Fisher, and many others are planning a 5k to support me in my battle to get this cancer out of me. There will also be a bone marrow registry drive as part of it so that we can get the word out about the importance of registering. It will be November 28th (the Saturday after Thanksgiving) and all the info can be found at www.allwillbewell5k.com. Of course I would be running and winning this race if I were healthy (thank goodness I can play the cancer card!!)

I know I have said it about a billion times but I can't tell you how much everyone's support has meant to me. Hanna has been at my side, making me smile from day 1; my parents, Evan, Colin, Kathleen, my PMA coworkers, and the Gabler family have helped in so many ways. And then there are those who are not close by, but have given me strength when I have needed it and reminded me to keep talking to God, even when it is hard.

And so the journey continues and cancer does not stand a chance because ALL will be well!

Dan


All shall be well,
and all shall be well,
and all manner of thing shall be well.
(prayer written by a 14th century mystic.....I smell copyright infringement)