Last day of radiation!

NikiMo
NikiMo Member Posts: 342
Hi gang,

My husband Jeff will be moving up to sophmore status at 5pm today. He is very excited to complete this first round of treatments and begin working out in prep for surgery. He has been lifting weights during treatment, and he has a job where he is active. For all of those folks who are just starting treatment and have been prepped with the possible side effects, just know that no two people are a like. Jeff has had very minimal nausea, no vomiting, no bowel problems, no hair loss, no pain in his esophagus, and he has been eatting on his own the whole time. He is battling fatigue now, and he does have loss of appetite but he is able to get in his 2600 calories a day. I feel that he has been very blessed, and that God has been answering my prayer to give him strength through all of this. I just say this to let other newbies out there know that treatment might not be as bad as the docs say it could be. For those of you who are having a tougher go I pray that you are given strength, and have faith that it will get better!!

Any tips for preparing ourselves for surgery? Our goal will be to work up to walking 2-3 miles a day before the surgery. And I am praying every day that surgery is still in our future of course :)

Niki

Comments

  • BMGky
    BMGky Member Posts: 621
    Go for it!
    Great news! Glad it has gone well. Wish it could go this way for everyone dealing with EC. It can help the mindset of those just entering the treatment to hope for less problems. This positive frame of mind just might lessen what they do feel. So, let's everyone hope for less side effects (Yay!) but for those that encounter problems, know that they're beatable.

    May you have continued success in your treatment.
  • TerryV
    TerryV Member Posts: 887
    4 more rads for us
    Niki,

    Nick & I can't wait to join you as Sophomores! He's got 33 hours of chemo left and just 4 more radiations, including today! Whoopie!

    He also has been blessed with minimal nausea, an ability to eat *most of the time*, limited hair shedding - no real loss, no pain other than when the J-tube was placed, and a WONDERUL attitude.

    I wish our husbands' experience during treatment to all going through treatment. Just watching the nausea he did have (4 or 5 days worth) and his frustration over being hungry, but not wanting foods he loved, was pain enough for us. I couldn't imagine more, but I know it exists.

    Like you - strength & courage to those on the EC journey with us. Prayers to you all.

    Looking forward to being a Sophomore and heading toward surgical graduation! Thanks to all that can offer tips.

    Terry
  • jthomas233
    jthomas233 Member Posts: 85
    Wonderful!
    Niki-

    Congratulations on completion of the chemo/rad! I was absolutely thrilled to get that out of the way. I'm two weeks out of chemo and 9 days our of radiation. Like your Jeff, I had minimal side effects. (Fatigue toward the end, slight nausea and bowel issues). I am eating normally with very little, if any, resistance in the esophahus or the tumor site. Last night, I had four lamb chops with rice and spinach with cake.

    I had been regarding the chemo/rad as a step in the process and I was very focused on doing the right things to complete the process. Since then, I have more time on my hands. I have been riding a stationary bike and doing some light work with weights as well.

    The fearfulness has dissipated into an acceptance of my situation and I have resolved to combine my pre surgical training with quality family time. My 15 year old son, Owen, and I make a point of staying up late together to watch Turner Classic Movies. I know he hates them, but he loves me, so he does it. When he thinks I'm asleep, he kisses me, turns off the TV, and goes upstairs for the night. (I don't start crying until I hear his bedroom door close.)

    WE ALL HAVE VERY IMPORTANT REASONS TO GRADUATE! Let's keep up the good work! Still sending prayers out for everyone on this site!

    As for your two mile walks...I imagine the conversation on those walks is every bit as important and beneficial for BOTH of you as the walks themselves.

    As a contributing member of the Sophmore class, and because I was a Fraternity member in College, I recommend that our Class Credo be-

    sine timore progredi..
    propositum in potestate!

    Progress without fear..
    Power in our purpose!

    Jeff
  • TerryV
    TerryV Member Posts: 887

    Wonderful!
    Niki-

    Congratulations on completion of the chemo/rad! I was absolutely thrilled to get that out of the way. I'm two weeks out of chemo and 9 days our of radiation. Like your Jeff, I had minimal side effects. (Fatigue toward the end, slight nausea and bowel issues). I am eating normally with very little, if any, resistance in the esophahus or the tumor site. Last night, I had four lamb chops with rice and spinach with cake.

    I had been regarding the chemo/rad as a step in the process and I was very focused on doing the right things to complete the process. Since then, I have more time on my hands. I have been riding a stationary bike and doing some light work with weights as well.

    The fearfulness has dissipated into an acceptance of my situation and I have resolved to combine my pre surgical training with quality family time. My 15 year old son, Owen, and I make a point of staying up late together to watch Turner Classic Movies. I know he hates them, but he loves me, so he does it. When he thinks I'm asleep, he kisses me, turns off the TV, and goes upstairs for the night. (I don't start crying until I hear his bedroom door close.)

    WE ALL HAVE VERY IMPORTANT REASONS TO GRADUATE! Let's keep up the good work! Still sending prayers out for everyone on this site!

    As for your two mile walks...I imagine the conversation on those walks is every bit as important and beneficial for BOTH of you as the walks themselves.

    As a contributing member of the Sophmore class, and because I was a Fraternity member in College, I recommend that our Class Credo be-

    sine timore progredi..
    propositum in potestate!

    Progress without fear..
    Power in our purpose!

    Jeff

    I 2nd the Class Credo
    Brilliant, Jeff. Love the credo :)

    Thanks for being a returning Classman and telling us how you're doing. It's so good to hear encouraging words from one in the same place as us.

    Terry & Nick
  • Laura23
    Laura23 Member Posts: 81
    TerryV said:

    I 2nd the Class Credo
    Brilliant, Jeff. Love the credo :)

    Thanks for being a returning Classman and telling us how you're doing. It's so good to hear encouraging words from one in the same place as us.

    Terry & Nick

    Congrats Niki and Jeff!
    It's an awesome milestone to reach. Glad to hear that he is doing so well.

    Luis finished radiation 3 weeks ago tomorrow. The first week after radiation was the worst in terms of pain and difficulty eating. He also didn't start to lose any hair until after treatment was over. Fatigue was the worst problem. But every day now, he is getting better and better. He is back to work full time and eating without any pain meds. He still has problems with fatigue and we are working on walking every day. He is slowly building up his strength. We are also getting ready for the restaging process.

    Good luck and I pray for continued improvement and strength and peace for you both.

    Laura
    Wife to Luis
    Diagnosed 4/11/2011 T3N1M0
  • jthomas233
    jthomas233 Member Posts: 85
    Laura23 said:

    Congrats Niki and Jeff!
    It's an awesome milestone to reach. Glad to hear that he is doing so well.

    Luis finished radiation 3 weeks ago tomorrow. The first week after radiation was the worst in terms of pain and difficulty eating. He also didn't start to lose any hair until after treatment was over. Fatigue was the worst problem. But every day now, he is getting better and better. He is back to work full time and eating without any pain meds. He still has problems with fatigue and we are working on walking every day. He is slowly building up his strength. We are also getting ready for the restaging process.

    Good luck and I pray for continued improvement and strength and peace for you both.

    Laura
    Wife to Luis
    Diagnosed 4/11/2011 T3N1M0

    Congratulations!
    Laura and Luis-

    It's great to hear Luis is getting stronger! The first week after treatment was the worst for me as well... It sounds like I am about 10 days behind you with the CAT/PET scan process. I'm hoping for good news for all of us.

    Jeff
  • NikiMo
    NikiMo Member Posts: 342
    Thanks for the positive energy!
    I was so happy to see the well wishes from all of our new friends, I will share your comments with Jeff.

    To check out a video of Jeff bringing Thor's Hammer down on the radiation bell at the University of Pennsylvania click the below link, it is a youtube page I made with the footage.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV-agK3wQ5w
  • NikiMo
    NikiMo Member Posts: 342

    Wonderful!
    Niki-

    Congratulations on completion of the chemo/rad! I was absolutely thrilled to get that out of the way. I'm two weeks out of chemo and 9 days our of radiation. Like your Jeff, I had minimal side effects. (Fatigue toward the end, slight nausea and bowel issues). I am eating normally with very little, if any, resistance in the esophahus or the tumor site. Last night, I had four lamb chops with rice and spinach with cake.

    I had been regarding the chemo/rad as a step in the process and I was very focused on doing the right things to complete the process. Since then, I have more time on my hands. I have been riding a stationary bike and doing some light work with weights as well.

    The fearfulness has dissipated into an acceptance of my situation and I have resolved to combine my pre surgical training with quality family time. My 15 year old son, Owen, and I make a point of staying up late together to watch Turner Classic Movies. I know he hates them, but he loves me, so he does it. When he thinks I'm asleep, he kisses me, turns off the TV, and goes upstairs for the night. (I don't start crying until I hear his bedroom door close.)

    WE ALL HAVE VERY IMPORTANT REASONS TO GRADUATE! Let's keep up the good work! Still sending prayers out for everyone on this site!

    As for your two mile walks...I imagine the conversation on those walks is every bit as important and beneficial for BOTH of you as the walks themselves.

    As a contributing member of the Sophmore class, and because I was a Fraternity member in College, I recommend that our Class Credo be-

    sine timore progredi..
    propositum in potestate!

    Progress without fear..
    Power in our purpose!

    Jeff

    Aye aye to the credo!
    Hi Jeff,

    Thanks for the congrats I will pass it on to my Jeff, as he is the one who did all of the heavy lifting, I just watched and cheered (okay and pestered the hell out of him to eat and take his meds!). I was so proud of him today, he not only finished radiation but got to get disconnected from his continuous 5-fu pump, I don't think you had the pleasure (eye roll) of the handy little chemo buddy. He carried it around with him the entire time, getting continuous chemo VERY slowly, but as long as it did it's job it was a small price to pay.

    Glad to hear you are getting some workouts in as I hear being very fit helps with recovery and lowers the risk of pneumonia from the surgery.You are absolutely right that the time spent together during our walks are just as important as the actual exercise. I feel a little uncertain as we move into this next phase, like the doctor said today we are removing the security blanket of seeing medical professionals everyday. I know that the chemo and rads is still doing it's magic, but it feels a little anti-productive to not be doing something to kill the cancer before the surgery. And of course we both have anxiety about the PET/CT scan. I am praying for good results for ALL of us.

    Please keep us informed of your progress, we are all pulling for you :)

    Signed,

    The wife of (the newest member of the sophmore class) Jeff T2N1M0
  • NikiMo
    NikiMo Member Posts: 342
    TerryV said:

    4 more rads for us
    Niki,

    Nick & I can't wait to join you as Sophomores! He's got 33 hours of chemo left and just 4 more radiations, including today! Whoopie!

    He also has been blessed with minimal nausea, an ability to eat *most of the time*, limited hair shedding - no real loss, no pain other than when the J-tube was placed, and a WONDERUL attitude.

    I wish our husbands' experience during treatment to all going through treatment. Just watching the nausea he did have (4 or 5 days worth) and his frustration over being hungry, but not wanting foods he loved, was pain enough for us. I couldn't imagine more, but I know it exists.

    Like you - strength & courage to those on the EC journey with us. Prayers to you all.

    Looking forward to being a Sophomore and heading toward surgical graduation! Thanks to all that can offer tips.

    Terry

    3 more now!!
    Terry,

    I believe Nick should be down to 3 rads now, correct! We were so excited when we got down to 3, and completing treatment was AWESOME!! I am so proud of Jeff, he has been so brave and strong through all of this. Now we begin to prepare for the surgery that god-willing will be in early September.

    I hope that Nick is fairing well with his last chemo treatment. I am sure you have shared this before but if you wouldn't mid one more time, which chemo drugs is he taking? Jeff did 5 rounds of oxaliplatin and 5 and 1/2 weeks of continuos 5FU.

    Jeff is starting to get more fatigued and the nausea is getting a bit worse, but nothing that the meds can't handle. Docs said it will get a little worse over the next 1-2 weeks then will get better.

    My best to you and Nick as you get through this final hurdle :)

    Niki
  • NikiMo
    NikiMo Member Posts: 342
    Laura23 said:

    Congrats Niki and Jeff!
    It's an awesome milestone to reach. Glad to hear that he is doing so well.

    Luis finished radiation 3 weeks ago tomorrow. The first week after radiation was the worst in terms of pain and difficulty eating. He also didn't start to lose any hair until after treatment was over. Fatigue was the worst problem. But every day now, he is getting better and better. He is back to work full time and eating without any pain meds. He still has problems with fatigue and we are working on walking every day. He is slowly building up his strength. We are also getting ready for the restaging process.

    Good luck and I pray for continued improvement and strength and peace for you both.

    Laura
    Wife to Luis
    Diagnosed 4/11/2011 T3N1M0

    Good report
    Laura,

    Thanks for the congrats, you are right it was an AWESOME feeling to reach this mile stone. Jeff is getting a little more fatigued now and the nausea is a bit worse, but he know that it will be temporary. I have started saying 'this to shall pass' a lot! We were warned about the first week after rads, hopefully that week will pass quickly.

    Very glad to hear that Luis is back to work and is gaining strength everyday, also it is good to hear he is eating without the pain meds. It is very hard to watch our loved ones go through pain, so I can only imagine your relief as he is starting to get control over the effects of treatment.

    Please keep us informed of the restaging, I am praying for both of you :)

    Niki
    Wife to Jeff
    T2N1M0
  • NikiMo said:

    Thanks for the positive energy!
    I was so happy to see the well wishes from all of our new friends, I will share your comments with Jeff.

    To check out a video of Jeff bringing Thor's Hammer down on the radiation bell at the University of Pennsylvania click the below link, it is a youtube page I made with the footage.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV-agK3wQ5w

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • Wonderful!
    Niki-

    Congratulations on completion of the chemo/rad! I was absolutely thrilled to get that out of the way. I'm two weeks out of chemo and 9 days our of radiation. Like your Jeff, I had minimal side effects. (Fatigue toward the end, slight nausea and bowel issues). I am eating normally with very little, if any, resistance in the esophahus or the tumor site. Last night, I had four lamb chops with rice and spinach with cake.

    I had been regarding the chemo/rad as a step in the process and I was very focused on doing the right things to complete the process. Since then, I have more time on my hands. I have been riding a stationary bike and doing some light work with weights as well.

    The fearfulness has dissipated into an acceptance of my situation and I have resolved to combine my pre surgical training with quality family time. My 15 year old son, Owen, and I make a point of staying up late together to watch Turner Classic Movies. I know he hates them, but he loves me, so he does it. When he thinks I'm asleep, he kisses me, turns off the TV, and goes upstairs for the night. (I don't start crying until I hear his bedroom door close.)

    WE ALL HAVE VERY IMPORTANT REASONS TO GRADUATE! Let's keep up the good work! Still sending prayers out for everyone on this site!

    As for your two mile walks...I imagine the conversation on those walks is every bit as important and beneficial for BOTH of you as the walks themselves.

    As a contributing member of the Sophmore class, and because I was a Fraternity member in College, I recommend that our Class Credo be-

    sine timore progredi..
    propositum in potestate!

    Progress without fear..
    Power in our purpose!

    Jeff

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • TerryV
    TerryV Member Posts: 887
    NikiMo said:

    3 more now!!
    Terry,

    I believe Nick should be down to 3 rads now, correct! We were so excited when we got down to 3, and completing treatment was AWESOME!! I am so proud of Jeff, he has been so brave and strong through all of this. Now we begin to prepare for the surgery that god-willing will be in early September.

    I hope that Nick is fairing well with his last chemo treatment. I am sure you have shared this before but if you wouldn't mid one more time, which chemo drugs is he taking? Jeff did 5 rounds of oxaliplatin and 5 and 1/2 weeks of continuos 5FU.

    Jeff is starting to get more fatigued and the nausea is getting a bit worse, but nothing that the meds can't handle. Docs said it will get a little worse over the next 1-2 weeks then will get better.

    My best to you and Nick as you get through this final hurdle :)

    Niki

    Chemo Meds
    Hi Niki!

    Yes, yes - only 3 rads remain counting today!!! and approximately 12 hours of chemo!!!

    Starting with Treatment Day 1 :)

    Nick began the 1st of 28 radiations on June 20th. We met with the chemo doc that afternoon and he said well, we've changed our mind. We were going to put you on an IV pack for continuous infusion, but have decided to go with two aggressive in-patient chemo sessions. They wanted to admit him the next morning. We weren't able to do that so they amended the in-patient to weeks 2 & 6 rather than 1 & 5. His chemos have been cisplatin followed by 96 hours of 5FU. Very similar I think to Jeff's chemo program.

    I'm grateful for the in-patient chemo. The hospital was able to provide meds so much better than what we would have at home and so much faster via IV that his nausea was pretty limited. He had 1 really bad day after the cisplatin - that happened both times in.

    The chemo has zapped his taste for food. He wants to eat, he's hungry, but he says that once the food is in his mouth he just can't swallow it.

    Nick just called. The PET/CT is scheduled for 08/29 and we will meet with the doc on 08/30 to get the restaging information. Surgery, if he's still a candidate, would be in September. I realize that he needs the month long mental and physical break, but that seems oh so far away....

    Had to call doc as I realized our Insurance changes 10/01. I need this done for MY mental comfort before then. I don't want to go through 2 Insurance companies with surgery. So... we have a tentative surgery date of 09/08. Whew....
  • jthomas233
    jthomas233 Member Posts: 85
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    Cake and Spinach
    William and Loretta—

    First off, thanks for all you do for everyone on this site! Your posts are uplifting and informative, and I don’t know what we’d do without the two of you!

    Having said that, I need to make some clarifications to my last post.

    1. I do not now, nor have I ever, eaten “cake with spinach”. I have had the two during the course of the same meal, but I have never eaten the two of them together. I don’t recommend it to anyone!

    2. I stayed away from the huge meals during the course of my chemo and radiation. I did not introduce the lamb chops until just last week.

    Tonight I had a bowl of Haddock soup (more like a stew), with a salad, followed by some sort of flank steak, potatoes and…hate to say this…spinach. I waited a reasonable amount of time and then had a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream.

    I never, ever lived to eat. I always regarded food as something you had to ingest so you could keep on doing the things you liked to do. I am sure there may be some foods I will miss, but they pale in comparison to the time I might be able to spend with my family and friends. (and, God willing, others who might benefit from my experience).

    By the way, before my son left for his semester in Australia, I showed him the e-mail you two sent me when I initially joined the site. I said that he could go out and make all the money he wants when he graduates, but that if he didn’t end up with the same sense of compassion for people that you have, I will have failed as a parent.

    Thanks again,
    Jeff
  • NikiMo
    NikiMo Member Posts: 342
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    You made me smile
    Hi Bill and Loretta,

    I must admit that my first shot at cinematic history is a bit short, I think I tried to clap and shut off the camera, rookie mistake! I will work on my timing going forward. Thanks for taking the time to watch. I told Jeff about your Liberty bell comments, we are proud of our Philly heritage and that 'cracked' us up! To answer your questions, the gentleman in brown was Jeff's radiation tech, and the lady in blue was one of the rad onc clinic nurses.

    I hope I will be doing a little jig on the 18th, that is when we will find out the results for Jeff's PET/CT on the 17th. Right now we are focusing on enjoying time together, eating, walking, and swimming.

    Congrats on your 9th year, next year you should have a BIG party!! Also congrats on your new grand daughter :)

    Niki
  • Ericalynn
    Ericalynn Member Posts: 200
    One more member of Sophomore Class
    Another member of the sophomore class is my husband John. He finished is last day of Radiation/Chemo July 11, 2011. He too had 28 radiation treatments, 2 rounds of cistplatin and 5fu continuous infusion Mon-Sat for 5 weeks. Unfortunately he is still having pain (we are told it is from the radiation “burns” to his esophagus). He struggles with eating it is painful to watch him eat. I try to gently encourage him to eat without being too much of a nagging wife. Cold is very painful so smoothies etc are out. I purchased a product called bena-calorie (on line) that has 350 calories in 1.5 oz; he is adding it to his coffee in the morning. It is tasteless but has a milky/oily texture and that is bothering him but he is getting it down. For some reason coffee does not bother him but he drinks it black (ZERO Calories). We have gone out to eat a couple of times and he did order pasta with Alfredo sauce both times (really fattening lol) & dessert. John is just like you Jeff he was never one that was concerned with eating he ate because he had to for fuel not that much just for the pleasure of it. I for one could never understand that concept I am always dieting. He is 6ft. tall and always weighed 160-165lbs. Last time he was at Dr. he weighted 144lbs. He is scheduled to have a CT scan (Chest, Abd, Pelvis) & Pet/CT mid August, before we go back to see Dr. Meredith on August 17. I am hoping that he continues to feel less pain and can eat more in the next few weeks. Before his diagnosis he went to the gym 7 days per week. He had a stroke 5 years ago which caused him to have left side weakness. He started the gym regimen and re-gained nearly 100% of his left arm & leg use. He continued going to the gym every day until towards that end of his treatment. He was just to fatigue to go he has gone back a couple of days here and there but not the regimen he was on. Probably a good thing for now sense he is not eating enough does not need to burn more calories. I am so glad you are all here posting and encouraging each other. It helps to hear all the good news and to know we there are others out here that understand.
    I too LOVE the class credo & agree that William and Loretta are special people! Love you all
    Erica
    Wife of John
    Diagnosed 5-17-2011
    T-3, N-1, M-0
  • NikiMo
    NikiMo Member Posts: 342
    Ericalynn said:

    One more member of Sophomore Class
    Another member of the sophomore class is my husband John. He finished is last day of Radiation/Chemo July 11, 2011. He too had 28 radiation treatments, 2 rounds of cistplatin and 5fu continuous infusion Mon-Sat for 5 weeks. Unfortunately he is still having pain (we are told it is from the radiation “burns” to his esophagus). He struggles with eating it is painful to watch him eat. I try to gently encourage him to eat without being too much of a nagging wife. Cold is very painful so smoothies etc are out. I purchased a product called bena-calorie (on line) that has 350 calories in 1.5 oz; he is adding it to his coffee in the morning. It is tasteless but has a milky/oily texture and that is bothering him but he is getting it down. For some reason coffee does not bother him but he drinks it black (ZERO Calories). We have gone out to eat a couple of times and he did order pasta with Alfredo sauce both times (really fattening lol) & dessert. John is just like you Jeff he was never one that was concerned with eating he ate because he had to for fuel not that much just for the pleasure of it. I for one could never understand that concept I am always dieting. He is 6ft. tall and always weighed 160-165lbs. Last time he was at Dr. he weighted 144lbs. He is scheduled to have a CT scan (Chest, Abd, Pelvis) & Pet/CT mid August, before we go back to see Dr. Meredith on August 17. I am hoping that he continues to feel less pain and can eat more in the next few weeks. Before his diagnosis he went to the gym 7 days per week. He had a stroke 5 years ago which caused him to have left side weakness. He started the gym regimen and re-gained nearly 100% of his left arm & leg use. He continued going to the gym every day until towards that end of his treatment. He was just to fatigue to go he has gone back a couple of days here and there but not the regimen he was on. Probably a good thing for now sense he is not eating enough does not need to burn more calories. I am so glad you are all here posting and encouraging each other. It helps to hear all the good news and to know we there are others out here that understand.
    I too LOVE the class credo & agree that William and Loretta are special people! Love you all
    Erica
    Wife of John
    Diagnosed 5-17-2011
    T-3, N-1, M-0

    This class keeps getting bigger
    Hi Erica,

    While I am sorry you and your husband have to deal with EC, I am glad to hear he is in the sophmore class. This means we are one step closer to beating this horrible disease. Sorry to hear he is struggling with eating, my husband is battling with a lack of appetite, he knows he should eat but he is just really tired. I am hoping it will pass soon and he can start trying to pack on pounds before the surgery that we hope he will have. Here is to hoping both of our husbands can start eating again VERY soon. Jeff also has his PET/CT in mid-august. I pray for positive results for the entire sophmore class! As well as prayers for everyone else battling EC and in remission of EC!!!!

    sine timore progredi..
    propositum in potestate!

    Niki
    Wife of Jeff T2N1M0
  • sammy123
    sammy123 Member Posts: 65

    Cake and Spinach
    William and Loretta—

    First off, thanks for all you do for everyone on this site! Your posts are uplifting and informative, and I don’t know what we’d do without the two of you!

    Having said that, I need to make some clarifications to my last post.

    1. I do not now, nor have I ever, eaten “cake with spinach”. I have had the two during the course of the same meal, but I have never eaten the two of them together. I don’t recommend it to anyone!

    2. I stayed away from the huge meals during the course of my chemo and radiation. I did not introduce the lamb chops until just last week.

    Tonight I had a bowl of Haddock soup (more like a stew), with a salad, followed by some sort of flank steak, potatoes and…hate to say this…spinach. I waited a reasonable amount of time and then had a chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream.

    I never, ever lived to eat. I always regarded food as something you had to ingest so you could keep on doing the things you liked to do. I am sure there may be some foods I will miss, but they pale in comparison to the time I might be able to spend with my family and friends. (and, God willing, others who might benefit from my experience).

    By the way, before my son left for his semester in Australia, I showed him the e-mail you two sent me when I initially joined the site. I said that he could go out and make all the money he wants when he graduates, but that if he didn’t end up with the same sense of compassion for people that you have, I will have failed as a parent.

    Thanks again,
    Jeff

    That is beautifully said.
    That is beautifully said. Good luck and continue the wonderful recovery from radiation/chemo.