Round 3 started

After nine days off, Cheryl started her third 21 day chemo round today. She received her first dose of Gemcitabine today. Her second dose is scheduled for next Thursday and then she gets a week off before starting round 4. We met with the nurse practitioner yesterday and she reviewed the possible side effects. We continue to be told that they should be mild, especially compared to the drugs she had in rounds 1 and 2. However, there is still a long list so we continue to pray that Cheryl will tolerate the drug well.

Cheryl has been getting stronger each day. Her appetite seems almost back to normal and she is doing more walking within the apartment, sometimes even without the walker. We hope to do some traveling again soon. Ron

Chemo treatment scheduled

We just learned of the treatment schedule for the third round of chemo. Cheryl goes in for lab work Wednesday at 12:15 PM and her first dose of the chemo drug Gemcitabine is scheduled for Thursday at 10:30 AM. We were hoping to get started sooner but the timing was out of our hands. Maybe it will work out for the best as Cheryl continues to improve each day. She has begun to walk short distances using a walker and is really enjoying more freedom in getting around the apartment. Ron

Weekend Update

Cheryl's appetite is coming back and it is so good to see her eating solid food again. She ate several small meals on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday morning she got to do one of her favorite things, she went to Jaden's 10 AM softball tournament game (Jaden is our 14 year old granddaughter). We skipped the 4 PM game to eat and take a nap and avoid the heat, but went back for the 8:30 PM game. Jaden played great and Cheryl really enjoyed being at the games and was warmly greeted by many parents, grandparents and girls on the team.

On Sunday, we drove to Soldier for the Smith Family Reunion at the City Community Center. My mom and all four of her kids were there and many other relatives including my Aunt Bernice, age 94. After the reunion, Cheryl visited with her mom June and husband Chuck, her brother Kent and wife Jayne, and her brother Daryl and wife Joy. Cheryl had a great visit with everyone and is so glad to be back in Kansas. Cheryl slept most of the way home and is looking forward to another great night of sleep in her own bed.

We are still waiting to hear exactly when her chemo treatment will start. We are expecting it to be early this week. With this drug it will only take a few hours one day a week as an outpatient. We are hoping that Cheryl can continue to be active and travel even after the treatment begins, but we will have to wait and see. Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers. We hope we will be able to see many of you in the coming weeks and thank you in person. Ron