Update on Wes

I thought I would give an update on Wes. Last week we made the five hour journey to MD Anderson. We met with a doctor who specializes in nonseminoma germ cell testicular cancer. They did all the CT scans over again and redid his blood work. They also had their pathologist look over the slides from the tumor that was removed. The doctors at MD Anderson found that the cancer had spread to a lymph node in his chest and cancer markers were found in his blood work. They recommended he start chemo immediately. We were shocked. We had been told that his type of cancer was grew fast. It had been a little over a month since the last CT scans had been done which found no growths. At this point we didn't have a choice between watching and waiting or chemo - chemo was a must.

The doctors recommended Wes have a total of 9 weeks of chemo. He has 5 days of treatment the first week, followed by two weeks with treatment only on Tuesdays. He repeats this cycle 2 times.

He has been through 5 days of chemo and done better than we expected. He has needed extra rest, his stomach hasn't felt great, and he has been weak, but he is still managing to go into work some. His appetite has been great. We even enjoyed a good time with the Slechta family at Chic-fil-A today for lunch. Thank you all for lifting up prayers on our behalf. God is GOOD!

The girls are doing well. We told them that Daddy had cancer in his body and that he would be getting medicine to get rid of the cancer. The medicine would make him feel bad at times, as well as make him lose his hair. (We gave them some more details than this.) Wes told them that he might cut his hair real short after a while so his hair wouldn't look funny when it fell out in clumps. Avery asked, "Daddy, why do you have to cut your hair? If a little falls out on one side just shave your head on the other side to match." Ha! That made sense to her. After giving this whole preparation spill and reading them a great children's book about a mom going through chemo (they didn't have one for dad's) Abby's one comment was, "Sometimes I wish I were bobbed (bald)." Oh, Abby - you crack us up.

We have tried to keep things around here as normal as possible, for the girls sake and for sanity's sake. I am so thankful for all the support of friends and family through all of this. All the phone calls, texts, facebook messages and blog comments have really helped to lift my spirits. People have been supportive with picking up the girls, keeping them on occasion and bringing over food. We feel truly blessed.

I am doing much better. When we first found out it had spread, I have to admit, I was an emotional wreck. After getting some perspective on things, praying, and lots of encouragement I am feeling better. It also helps that Wes has such a positive outlook. Only 8 more weeks of treatment, yay!

Last night we went and got pictures taken. Yes, Wes even felt well enough to do this after a long nap following his treatment. Olan Mills will be coming in March to make a new directory for our church. We only do this every 5 years or so, so we decided it might be good to go ahead and get a picture done ahead of time. We aren't sure how Wes will feel or how sick he will look. Plus, we haven't had one done in a while of our whole family. The girls did better than they have ever done, which makes a big difference.

Our little family.

This will go in the church directory.