Bartender, give me another round.

Well, yesterday was the day for another round.  Not drinks, but chemo.  It never seems to get easier, each time I go there I hope that they will inform me that I only need a special miracle pill that will make it all go away, but that never happens.  The next few days will be spent trying to recover and making Misty do all of the house work (as if she doesn't already).  I did get to see another person graduate and ring the bell by the door, I can't wait until it is my turn.  I plan to ring that bell loud and hard on my last day.  Anyhow that is how things are going in my life, nothing has changed and I am still fighting just as hard as I have from the beginning.

Wife Is Good!!!

There are a lot of things in life that could cause more pain than cancer has for me.  I think about people that will never get to feel the warmth of having people around them that love them and I begin to cherish what I have.  one of the often unsaid victims of cancer is the spouse of the cancer patient, so much is spent in time and money on those that are diagnosed with cancer that the ones who love them seem to fall to the way side.  Since I started treatments my wife has not only had to under go the pains of her health issues, but she has had to endure the agony of mine as well.  She has had to increase the amount of things that she does around the house because of the added infectious problems that they can cause for me.  She has had to put up with me not being able to help with simple chores on the weekends after I have had treatments.  While most everybody that I come into contact with see me with a huge smile on my face, my wife has had to deal with my unusual grumpiness.  I truly think that the unsung heroes in the fight against cancer are the spouses of those who are diagnosed, they are tough.  

Dose four and a dog.

Wow, what a weekend.  Easter came so fast this year, almost as if it came without any warning.  We had a great service and gave out thousands of eggs to kids that were in attendance.  I had treatment on Thursday and suffered the usual stomach problems (constipation and nausea) as I have in the past.  My white blood cells have remained extremely well so far and I am only having a few side effects from the chemo.  On Friday I had a movie day with the children's church followed by shopping for Easter clothes.  When we got home at around 8PM we received information about a dog that needed a home, so we took an hour drive to go look at her, she is the sweetest dog.  We were a bit hesitant in getting her as we just lost our other dog from an unknown illness just three weeks ago, but we took her in regardless.  I got to spend some one on one time with her last night and within minutes I had her sitting on command, she is very smart. Her name is Julie and she is part Labrador mixed with some sort of shepherd, she is beautiful.  I know that some of you reading this are probably wondering why I would take on the adventure of a puppy while going through chemo.  Honestly, I know that without a dog I tend to not be as apt to go for nightly walks and runs as I should, cancer doesn't really help with weight loss as much as I had hoped so I still have to work at losing those unwanted pounds.  Julie will be a great companion for running and taking long walks, I hope to lose another seventy five pounds with her assistance.  The other bonus of adding a dog to the mix, is that she keeps the kids busy and forces them to pick up their toys.

Helping Others.

This week has been amazing in how at times I have felt down and then brought back to understanding why I am suffering through cancer.  My hope in all of this is that people might come to trust God more in their own lives.  Just today someone emailed me telling me about the spiritual progress of their friend due in part because of what they have been reading in this blog and the faith that God has allowed me to have.  My true hope with this blog is to help others grow in their faith.  If you or someone you know has been able to grow in their faith through reading this blog, feel free to post about it so that others can grow in faith.  I think that faith is contagious, even more so than the flu or any sickness, so feel free to share those stories.