MDA Update, new stent, a few changes, Grandpa

Sandy's trip to Houston for updated scans went pretty well. Her bilirubin was up, and they saw a slight progression of the tumor. (We consider "slight" to be relatively good news - perhaps not what we wanted, but certainly not terrible for a type of cancer considered to be aggressive.) Starting next week, her chemo will use a different drug, and will include a port to administer the drug for 46 hours after the three hours of infusion at the cancer center.

The doctors determined she needed a new stent right away, so this morning she was at Wesley for the replacement. Everything went smoothly - in fact, she was pleased as punch to be released a mere five hours after arriving! Not having to stay overnight makes a world of difference.

While in Houston, Rod received word that his dad was not doing well. Upon arriving back home, Rod right away went to Grandpa's place. Within about an hour, Grandpa died. We are very thankful Rod was able to be there, though it was, of course, difficult.

Life is all about perspective, isn't it? Mom's life right now isn't what she had expected, anticipated, or hoped, but it sure is still full of blessings. She has some struggles physically, at times really big struggles, yet they pale in comparison to much of what she observed in Houston as she watched other patients, many of whom were in wheelchairs and in very poor health. She commented that "there are things worse than death." One thing worse than death is living in fear of death, or living in bitterness because things aren't as we wanted.

Please pray for healing, sufficient energy levels, zero side effects from the new drug, and peace surrounding the death of Rod's dad.