Playing Catch Up.

We've gotten lots of update requests- so let me catch us up! Friday was mom's last day of radiation; and while we wish she could have gotten through completely unscathed, the side-effects were minimal, so we count our blessings for that! Our HUGE thanks, and HUGE hugs, to those who taxied mom back and forth from Piedmont- she certainly enjoyed the special treatment!

Mandy covered some of this, already- but last week mom had another CT scan, to prepare her for the clinical trials. This will give us a new picture of the bone cancer, and allow us gauge how well the clinical trial medication is working. We also found out that mom was not picked for the shot and oral pill, combination. In order for the clinical trial to be accurate, patients have to be randomly picked- and mom's name was only picked for the oral medication. On Tuesday, she will go back to Kennestone to start oral treatment that she will have to take every day until this clinical trial is over. She will be followed closely by a team that charts her progress, and watches the cancer with a close eye. Since there is no sign that her organs or soft tissue have been affected, the oral medication is the only treatment plan available. Our hope is that the oral medication will be enough to keep the cancer at bay.

This Thanksgiving, we are most thankful for the gift of family. Having been faced with relapse, we are all reminded of how important it is to be surrounded by the people who love you most. We are thankful for mom's continued good health, and pray that the medication will do it's job to keep her cancer at bay. We continue to be thankful for your prayers, and the support that you have offered during such a scary time. We hope that you will count your blessings, this Thanksgiving, and surround yourself with good people and lots of yummy food!

Happy Thanksgiving!
M.

P.S. Mom's email is out of commission, right now- we're getting her set back up on Wednesday. Please know that she's not ignoring your messages, we just have to get her back up and running. Expect lots of replies when we set her loose!