Laughter Is The Best Medicine!
Sorry it’s been a while since our last entry. There have definitely been some challenging days, but we keep our eyes on Christ and the good days he has blessed us with. Rex had a CT scan this past Tuesday, along with blood work. And we met with Dr. Wolff the following morning to discuss the results. I am happy to say that it was relatively good news. The CT scan showed that his tumors have decreased slightly in size and the cancer has not spread to other areas! His marker number did increase a bit, but compared to where it once was, we were happy with it. Here is a text Rex sent to his family to share the news:
Dear Family, out of my appointment. Went pretty well. Marker up slightly from 72k to 80k. But size of tumors down a little. Our main concerns are the aggressiveness of the doses that Dr. Wolff is blasting me with right now (he said it’s needed because I have a hyper-active cancer) and the impact those doses are having on my quality of life (my good days are few and far between). Dr. Wolff actually scheduled my chemo treatment for this Saturday (18 days after my previous one) to give me a few more days to recover (my blood counts are low and need to get up before Saturday). But he is happy that it has kept the tumors in check for now. He said that a lot of the plan going forward is going to be up to me and my willingness to stay on this treatment. We have discussed shifting me to a more “user-friendly” experimental drug. However, if it proves to be ineffective, we would not be able to return to my current regimen. So, we will continue to stay the course. Thank you for your prayers! Sherry and I love you all! God is good!
So as you can see, it was good news, but we worry about how much more, as Dr. Wolff put it, “poison” Rex’s body can take. It is interesting that Dr. Wolff uses that term often. I guess it is no secret that chemo is just that, pure poison. And this new cocktail is really wiping him out. Dr. Wolff also told us that there is a cumulative effect with chemotherapy. And 9 months of consecutive chemo treatments is taking its toll on Rex’s body as well, with fatigue and nausea being a huge battle for him. He gets tired very quickly and that is a hard reality. Because, if you know Rex at all, he has always been one full of energy and not someone to sit still. So this new “normal” has been a difficult adjustment.
In the attached pictures, it is obvious we are taking full advantage of the good days! We celebrated Rex’s 52nd birthday on September 12th with the Oliver family. We had a wonderful day and the amount of birthday cards he received from everyone was incredible. It made his day so special hearing from all of you! Also, the balloons I had delivered at lunch are STILL hanging on in our apartment a month later! It’s crazy how long they have lasted! If you are in the Houston area and ever need balloons, be sure to call The Big Ass Balloon Company! They are the real deal! We were also able to go to the SEMO Football game for a bit during Rex’s birthday weekend. They were actually playing about an hour north of Houston (what are the odds???), so we drove up and saw some familiar faces from home. It was great to see friends and to support our Redhawks! It was a beautiful day and we were able to stay through to the end of the first quarter before heading home. We are learning that our new normal is all about balance and not overdoing it on the good days!
We also had a “mullet” photo shoot! As most of you know, Rex sported a lovely mullet in high school and college (photos attached). It was a beauty! He has always threatened to grow it back, so when the chemo took his hair, he decided now was the time to capture that vision via the mullet wig Jason and Alyssa Duffey sent him! We had so much fun with it. I just love his love for life! Even in the middle of the biggest storm of his life, he is filled with so much joy! For those of you not on Facebook, we posted a video of Dee Snider (from the rock group Twisted Sister) sending Rex a personal message of approval on the mullet! I have added it below for you to see. It is great!
Last weekend we traveled to Austin. We had an appointment with an artist on Monday to do a hand casting for us, so we decided to go over early. It just so happened that the Austin City Limits Music Festival was going on, so we attended on Saturday and saw Billie Eilish. But I must admit, the people watching was the real show! We returned to Houston on Monday and Rex rested up for a week of a CT scan, blood work and oncology appointments. And, as I type this update out, he is getting round 17 of chemo. It is a long 7 hour process, but we are together and that makes a huge difference for both of us!
On Tuesday when Rex was at MD Anderson for his CT scan, the nurse came out and called him back to the procedure room. Someone in the waiting room heard Rex's name and practically tackled him to the ground! It was his friend from high school, Geoff Karren, who was there supporting a family member. Geoff and Rex attended Deerfield Academy together and hadn’t seen each other since their 25th class reunion in 2013. Talk about a small world! The three of us went to dinner on Friday night and had a wonderful evening of laughter and catching up. Geoff currently lives in San Francisco, but was born and raised in Houston, so he is here often. It was great to connect and we look forward to seeing him again soon!
That is pretty much where we are at the moment. We both understand that things can turn quickly and to not take one moment for granted. Rex continues to amaze me with his attitude and spirit through this battle. We actually laugh more now than we ever have and we are so thankful for this time together. He never complains and is the most amazing patient anyone could ever ask for. People often ask me how I’m doing and my answer is always the same. As long as he’s doing good, then so am I! I struggle when he struggles, but even so… we lean on the strength of an amazing God to see us through. We miss being home and seeing so many of our friends and family. But we know that we are right where we need to be. We appreciate you all more than words can ever describe. And we thank you for your continued love and support. You have made a hard journey much more manageable. God is good! All the time! We love Him! We love you!!!
Please be sure to click on the photo gallery to see all the pictures. CaringBridge only lets us add 5 images directly to each new entry.
Proverbs 17:22 - A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
