Road to Recovery

Well, the treatments are over! Russ had his last radiation on Tuesday, October 10th. He has to have a pt scan in three months to make sure the tumor is gone and all is well. Until then, he has to start the long road to recovery.

I just want to take a moment to brag on my husband. The last year has been long and difficult for him. There were many times that we didn't know if he was going to live through the night. Things were not looking good. I thought that he was ready to just move on to the next life. But something inside him just would not let him give up. It wasn't his time. So on he fought. He overcame many obstacles and defied the odds. He has amazed his doctors and his family. Russ has been through things that most would find impossible. Most of the time he did this with grace and faith and determination. There have been a few times when he would get down or just want to give up but they were short lived. A lot of times an encouraging card or text would come at just the right moment to lift him up and give him the courage to keep going. We thank you from the bottom of our heart to everyone that sent those encouraging words!

If you ever get someone on your mind, even if you don't know they are going through anything, never hesitate to send a love note to someone. You never know the impact it will have.

So that is all for now. I will be posting some other things in the near future that have been on my mind lately. Until then, don't forget to enjoy the people in your life. You never know how much time you have with them. That is not supposed to be morbid, just a reminder to enjoy every day like it's your last. Then tomorrow, do it again!

Life is a colorful adventure,
Diane

An Overdue Update on Russ

I have been wanting to write an update for a while now but the timing hasn't been right. Russ is nearing the end of his treatments. He had his last chemo treatment last Wednesday and he will have his last radiation treatment on next Tuesday, October 10th. This has been anything but an easy road. The treatments have been harsh and have made Russ feel really bad. Like I have said before, we would not wish this on our worst enemy, (if we had enemies). Yesterday, Russ started showing signs of pneumonia. Pray that this passes quickly.

The good news is the tumor has shrunk considerably and has broken apart. The tumor will continue to die several months after treatment has ended. We are still believing that in the end, Russ will be cancer free. Through all of this, the doctors continue to be amazed at how well Russ is doing and at his lab results. His body and organs and immune system have remained in great health despite the treatments. I have no doubt that it is because of the healthy supplements we have been taking throughout this ordeal. There are some things Russ will stop taking when this is over and other things we will take for the rest of our lives. We want to prevent this from happening again in our family.

The season of treatments has almost come to an end. Next comes the season of recovery. Russ has lost all of his body fat and muscle mass. He will have to build up his muscle mass and strength. He will also have to have therapy to get his throat and swallowing working again. It will not be fast or easy. But we see light at the end of the tunnel.

It is like we have been in a long, dark winter that lasted way longer than it should. It is not over yet but we are beginning to see the early signs of spring. We are looking forward to warmer, sunnier days ahead.