New Year, new hopes

“Hope  Smiles from the threshold of the year to come, 
Whispering 'it will be happier'...”~ Alfred Lord Tennyson

I have been told it is time for a guest blog... and I reckon the time has come that it is.  

So much has happened since Jack last blogged.  With most of it being good.

After the wonderful benefit our friends put on, Jack had a renewed resolve to beat Ms. C.  He was much better than when we first went down to Duke on December 7th.  After another round of radiation (5 days) we met with Dr. Hanks who informed us that they although his initial tumors in the spleen and liver continue to shrink, there are new ones.   Besides the new pea sized one in the brain, he has one outside of his stomach wall and another in the deep muscle tissue of his leg.  He has decided that the best course of action until Jack can get into a clinical trial for PD-1 h would put to him on a drug (tafinlar) to bridge the treatments.   The side effects from this new drug are a tad counterintuitive... headaches, fatigue, fever and Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carinoma (skin cancer)!   So Jack has added a dermatologist onto his list of doctors he will need to see on a regular basis.  He is so excited he can't hardly stand it!  Jack meets the Dermatologist this coming Tuesday.  

Jack's son Sean, Paige his wife and little Grayson came with us to Jack's appointments that day at Duke and I have to say little Grayson dressed in her elf suit was the BEST therapy for everyone in the cancer center!  After meeting with Dr. Hanks we all hopped back in our cars and made our way back home to Todd just in time to get ready for Christmas. Or so we thought.  Some Todd elves came while we were gone and had put up our tree and decorated the entire house!  It was so beautiful to see!  And such a relief that it was done!  Jack could rest easy.  

"Isn't She Lovely..."  Jack and Grayson sharing a moment 

Sarah, Evan and the girls arrived on Monday the 23rd; on the 24th we had a Christmas Eve pot luck dinner at the Mercantile that just couldn't be beat with our family and some of our friends here in Todd with no special plans.  We had a great turnout filled with delicious food and great company.   Then it was time to go home and get ready for Santa... 

Reading to the grandkids on Christmas Eve

 

"The night before Christmas and all through the house..."

One of the main side effects from radiation is fatigue and one of the main side effects from taking steroids for a long period of time can be weakness in the legs.   So Jack is now using hiking poles to help him walk and keep his balance.

Another side effect from whole head radiation is the possible loss of hair.  Jack's hair had started to come out in bunches as soon as we got home.  It had been making it hard to sleep because he would wake up covered in hair, so Christmas morning it was time take action and shave it.  I think he looks great bald.   We shaved it just in time too, becuase on the 26th he started looking burned.  On the 27th the burn turned almost purple and by the 28th he started to blister.  It was like he had 2nd degree burns on his head.  As Jack said - "if this is on the outside, can you imagine what's going on inside?!?"

Shaving Jack's head

Childhood scars revealed

Even Cody was in the Christmas spirit

Santa stops by Christmas morning!

Jack is doing well, aside from all the side effects he is having... and he is having them all.  He tires easily both physically and mentally.  Which is why I am updating the blog (for now).  Jack promises to be back soon.    

From our house to yours - Merry Christmas 2013