MRI and recent updates

Hello All!

Been meaning to update all week - but the closer it gets to Christmas, the busier life seems to become, and it's hard to find the time to do all the 'extra' things I need to get done in a day! Thankfully Jared will be done school for the semester in a couple weeks and then he'll be able to help out around the house a bit more.

Anyway...Dad had his MRI on Friday. We haven't heard anything to the contrary, so I am assuming that it went well. I think we're all hoping this week goes by quickly, as we have to wait until this next Friday, Dec. 5th to get the results back. From this we will have a better idea of how Dad's tumor is doing and if it responded at all to his radiation and chemo treatments. We will also get news on a possible second round of treatment, which will most likely involve much heavier doses of chemo than the last time around. But until Friday, we don't know anything for sure.

I can tell you a few things that have been going on around Mom and Dad's house this last week, though. On Monday Mom had a hospital bed delivered for Dad. Because he has been sleeping so much, and because he is such a big guy and it's getting harder and harder for Mom to help him get up out of bed, she went ahead and ordered the hospital bed for him. It has been set up in the family room and so far, it seems to be working well, although I don't think Dad cares for being on the main floor much. But this is a lot better than having him collapse while walking up the stairs!

Mom has also had to install some other safety measures around the house, including rails on the toilet to help Dad get up. One of Mom's sisters and her husband visited earlier in the week and brought along four canes for Dad. They also have a walker and a wheelchair, so there is no shortage of ways to get him up and about when he needs it!

However, with the installation and arrival of all of these things, comes the realization that Dad is becoming increasingly ill. We were told after the first round of treatments that Dad would be almost back to his normal self for a few months, but unfortunately, that has yet to happen. While he has been feeling better the last few days than he has for the last few weeks - he's been awake and more alert than he had been - he is still not bouncing back from the first round of treatments like we thought he would. So, we continue to hope and pray for miracles of healing and of strength for Dad. And no matter what, we continue to believe that God is in control of this situation and that He continues to walk beside us down this bumpy gravel road.