Marshall and Dave Cha Cha

Odds and Ends

I, of course, am behind in updating our blog. It's amazing how much time you don't have after having a baby! As a result, this post will probably seem unorganized and filled with many unrelated things, but nonetheless, we wanted to share them so here it goes.

Dave underwent another round of chemo before Christmas. It was the first treatment I wasn't able to go with him, but somebody needed to stay home with Marshall. I think he secretly enjoyed not having me there to fire away six million questions at the doctors. You know I always go with a list. ha ha! Dave did great...he always does. He is such a trooper when it comes to these long days. He strength and courage continue to amaze me every day. He will have a new full body CT scan on January 7th to see if his lymph nodes have made any progress. I will let you all know the results as soon as we hear.

As you know, this was our first Christmas with Marshall and it's true...everything is more fun with a baby! We laugh that we aren't sure how we spent our time prior to his arrival because all we do now is watch him. Dave and I have been blessed with so many things, but Marshall is definitely at the top of the list!

Marshall and I are getting ready to spend 5 days on our own as Dave and my dad are going out to the Fiesta Bowl!!! Keep your fingers crossed that we both survive!!!

I have attached a variety of pictures and one video. None of which are related. The one of Marshall and I is my first day back to work...before the tears came :( The other is of me and all my boys. Dave, Tug, Dusty, Guy (my brothers) and Marshall. And finally, I attached a video of Dave and Marshall doing the cha-cha slide. And Dave said he couldn't dance!

Hope you each have a Happy New Year's Eve and that you kick off yet another year full of celebrations!

Dave's Treatment, The Buckeyes, and Santa?

Well, Dave has had two glorious months without treatment, but unfortunately Friday he goes back. This will be his first treatment on his own as I'll be home with Marshall. Mom won't let him go to the hospital...too many germs. :) We'll let you know if the doctor gives us any new news. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

On a much more fun note, Dave booked his flight to Arizona today. My dad and him have tickets to the Fiesta Bowl. Four days of Football, Sun, and Golf. Marshall and I are already singing the blues as we are being left behind. ;)

And finally...is that Santa? Who knew he was so cute!

MacBook Computers + Baby Pee =

So...I undressed Marshall yesterday and ran over to run his bathwater. When I returned to where he was lying, I saw that he had peed all over himself and all over my MacBook that was lying beside him. Apparently laptops don't respond well to urine, because it immediately shut itself off. Dave and I began trying to figure out how we were going to explain to the "Genius Bar" at the Apple Store that my baby peed all over my computer. Something tells me it may have been one they've never heard before. The good news is...after 24 hours of it sitting by the heater, it turned back on. So if you are computer shopping this holiday season...go buy a Mac. Apparently they are pretty durable!

You've Heard of the Boy in the Bubble?

Well...he is our boy in a pumpkin! Yes, that's right...it's Marshall dressed as an Indian in a pumpkin. Would you expect anything less from me? :) And believe it or not, he didn't mind a bit! Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving...Ours was FANTASTIC!

A time for Thanks

As we rapidly approach Thanksgiving Day 2008, I wanted to reflect on the year and give a sincere thanks to all my family and friends.  This year, unlike any other before, has truly been a year of jubilation and tribulation.  There are so many things that I am grateful for and to try to list them in an order of preference is, well, ludicris.  So in no particular order I am going to try to say THANK YOU ....

I can above all things else though state that I am truly thankful to have such a loving and supporting wife!  Without her, I am not certain I would have remained calm and kept my insanity this year.  Mandy, you are truly amazing and I hope you know how much I truly love you!  I am thankful for the birth of my son and that he is very healthy, lovable, and just plain stinking fun :).  I am very thankful for my overall health.  We laugh all the time that I am probably the most healthy cancer patient in the world!  I am thankful for the thoughts of encouragement, prayers, gifts, support and everything else that has been shown to my family during our darkest days in being diagnosed.  I am thankful for Dr. Blum and the wonderful team of people at the James Cancer center, and additionally thankful to my PCP and ENT who were resilient in diagnosing me properly (I have read many horror stories of lymphoma patients being mis-diagnosed for years).  In a sick way, I am thankful for my cancer especially that it is a favorable cancer :) .  I am thankful for the many many many friends who have shown support not only to me, but also to Mandy.  Thank you for donating your time, words and kindness and showing support for Team Hall during LTN.  And lastly, I am very thankful for my wonderful family, from my brother to all my new brothers, my Mama Bear and Damnit Dave.  Other than my wife, I have the BEST EVER support group who has to be the most loving and compassionate group on the planet.  I am not sure how to ever truly say thank you to all of them, but to know they have my back is just an amazing feeling.  

So when I awake from my triptophan induced acoma on Thanksgiving Day, know that I am still thinking about what a truly blessed man I am. Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.  

Marshall and Tug

I know Dave and I are Blog Slackers right now, but Dave is in between treatments and we have been super busy. For those of you who don't know...we bought a house. We weren't actually looking to buy a house, but I'm home on maternity leave with a little too much time on my hands. So...I found this house online, we went to take a look, made an offer that day, and moved in two weeks later! We are having a lot of fun with our new space and Dave is loving the fact that he has a "man cave" now. (a.k.a...basement)

The video I've attached is of Marshall totally screwing with one of my twin brothers. (Tug) You'll see him look at Tug, fake cry, look away, etc. You can tell from our laughter that we love this kid more than words could ever express!

Hope this finds all of you enjoying everyday!

A few updates

Sorry everyone for taking so long to post any updates.  I believe the good (for me) and the bad (for updating the blog) is follicular lymphoma is such a slow moving cancer, nothing happens very quickly.  Hope everyone had a great Halloween and got lots of candy!  

As for me -- I had a full body CT scan a few weeks back and the results came back that overall I have 40% tumor reduction YEAHHHHHH!!!  There were some nodes that were significantly down, there were other nodes that weren't down that much, so they take the collection of the results and come up with this 40% average.  Another thing to keep in mind with this is --- the node could remain larger than normal in size but have no cancerous activity.  The only way to know this is to do a PET scan and at the moment I don't know when I am scheduled for another one of those.  I had another treatment following the CT scan and do not have to have another treatment until mid December.  Like I said this is a slowwwww cancer :)

I also wanted to again say THANK YOU to all the supporters who came out to walk with us for Light the Night.  Team Hall was able to raise almost $1,200 for Lymphoma research.  Next year we plan to be better organized and hope to up our goal for the team.  Actually I hope to make our team part of the 2015 club.  (The Lymphoma Society envision that in the year 2015 the great majority of people who have been diagnosed with a blood cancer will be cured, or they will manage their illness with good quality of life.)  More on how we become a part of the 2015 club later.

Marshall is doing great, as is Mandy!  It is amazing to think that he is now 6 weeks old!  Seems like only yesterday we were getting to bring him home!!!  I do have to say it was fun dressing him for Halloween.  Yesterday we took him to vote and he was the hit at the polling place.  Had I thought about it in time I would have gotten him an outfit that read I am voting for O'bottle! 

Team Hall

Last night was the annual Light the Night walk to support blood born cancers. I don't really know how to express in words how touched Dave and I were by the support we felt from our friends and family. As we talked to each one of you last night, and saw your beautiful families, we couldn't help but think how blessed we feel to be surrounded by such amazing people. At the end of the night after everyone had left, Dave and I sat in our car, in the parking lot, feeding Marshall and talking about the night. We were both very teary eyed as we sat in the dark, just the three of us...realizing the sometimes it takes something as bad a cancer to make you realize how good life really is. So thank you...thank you for being a part of a night that meant more to us than you could possibly ever know!!!

I'm a Slacker...I know!

I know, I know, I had a baby and it's like, "Blog? What Blog?" No worries...today is a day for updates. Let's start with Marshall. Instead of telling you all about him, I'm going to post a few pictures. I think they speak for themselves. :)

A Day to Remember

I don't know how to describe what I'm feeling. It's six a.m. and the perfect cool, fall morning. The house is quiet as I sit here with my cup of coffee, snuggled up in a blanket with Marshall sleeping in my arms. The last eight days have been the happiest moments of my life. Dave and I have to laugh because every night we say, "Today is my favorite day I've lived so far!" It's amazing that this little person we created has brought such tremendous joy into our lives.

For those of you who don't know the story of Marshall's arrival, here is the condensed version. Marshall was running a little late, so Dr. Charles decided to induce me on Sunday, September 21st. Saturday night I finished packing my bag for the hospital and pretended to sleep in preparation of what the next day would be bringing. At four a.m. I decided I was tired of pretending and that it was time to get up. As I stood, it was very evident that my water had broke. I woke Dave up and excitedly explained that indeed Marshall was coming today but apparently on his own terms. Funny, I had no idea how true this would be. I took a shower, my husband slept a little longer (ask him about this next time you see him :), and we headed to the hospital.

Everything was going great until around 2 o'clock. I knew something was wrong when the nurse came in and asked Dave and I how big we were when we were born. It seemed a little strange that she was making smalltalk about our birth weights when I was hyperventilating from the pain of each contraction. Looking back I realize she was worried Marshall was too big to make it out the birth canal. Long story, short...by 5'oclock Dr. Charles was explaining to me that although I was dilated to nine, Marshall's position was going to make it impossible for me to deliver him naturally. So...plan B. Frankly at this point, I didn't care if it was plan L, K, or Z...I just wanted him out!

The csection is a bit of a blur, but I do remember Dave's face being right beside mine telling me how great I was doing. And I remember lying there waiting to hear Marshall cry because I knew it would all be okay once I could hear his voice. It only took about five minutes to get him out and then I heard this little voice screaming as he arrived into our world. Dr. Charles quickly brought Marshall around the sheet so Dave and I could see him and then he was whisked off to be checked out. I will never forget how it felt at that very moment to look at my husband and know that regardless of what our future brings, it was at this very moment that made our lives so worth living. Dave was able to run back and forth from where I was lying to where Marshall was lying and then come back to give me all the details. It takes about an hour to stitch a person up after a csection so Dave had plenty of time to describe to me what Marshall looked like...what he didn't say at the time was that Marshall is actually just a miniature version of him :)

Once they were finished with me, I was moved to recovery for an hour and was finally able to hold my son. There really aren't words to describe a moment like this. Dave and I sat there...holding onto Marshall...looking at each other...and realizing we were now not just Dave and Mandy, but a family of three.

Once our hour was up, we were moved to the postpartum room. I was pretty loopy by this point, but I do know that my entire family was in the room awaiting our arrival and that the smiles and tears were abundant. Like I said...a day to remember!

It wasn't just to many DQ blizzards!

Apparently we really are having a baby! I was getting a little worried!

We saw Dr. Charles around noon today and she gave us several options. I know I was looking at her like, "Seriously? You're going to give a pregnant woman options? I can't even decide what to eat for breakfast!" After hearing her out we decided to go home and talk about all of these choices...I'm sure Dave was just about ready to take me to her house and let the doctor help me sort through the quote unqoute options, but he let me talk aloud through each one and we came to a decision together.

So...drum roll please...
I am being induced on Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m. That is assuming he doesn't come on his own before then. I've quickly realized that I have no idea what this process entails and that searching frantically on the internet is probably not the best option. I'm about 2.5 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I have no idea what a balloon catheter is or what it will feel like to have my water broken so if you have induction stories of your own to share, please do! But only if they include blissfully painless memories!

We'll keep you posted on any updates!

Tis the (political) season

Ok still no news on the baby front, other than we are STILL anxiously awaiting the arrival of little Marshall. Mandy has been fighting off a cold, which I feel really bad about because she cannot take anything to help relieve symptoms! So if everyone can chant with me "Marshall, Marshall, Marshall" LOL.

With less than 60 days to go before the general election, we want to encourage everyone to GET OUT AND VOTE this year! Regardless of your political views, and regardless which side you are for, I think it is safe enough to say, this year your vote matters. Here in Ohio, you have until October 6th to get registered. In Franklin County you can register or check your registration by going here (http://vote.franklincountyohio.gov/voter-services/), in Delaware County - (http://www.co.delaware.oh.us/boe/voter.asp). Please check with your state or local municipality about registering to vote (if you are not already).

Also, be certain to tune into the Presidential and VP debates. They are
Presidential Debates
Jim Lehrer, Sept. 26, at Ole Miss.
Tom Brokaw, Oct. 7, in Nashville
Bob Schieffer, Oct. 15, at Hofstra.

Vice Presidential Debate
Gwen Ifill, Oct. 2, at Wash. U in St. Louis

My biggest interest in this election is more about Health care and Education. Mandy's may be different as we all have our own personal agenda's when selecting our leaders. As was mentioned on the Stand up 2 cancer program, insurance only pays for 3% of clinical trials (fortunately my clinical trial fell within that 3%). Ask any oncologist, lab tech, doctor, or nurse and they will tell you this about cancer -- a clinical trial is your best bet to be cured! For this very reason, I eagerly want to hear how each candidate will "CHANGE" the insurance industry to meet this. I am hoping since both candidates have been impacted by cancer in their lives, they are going to push through some ground breaking legislation to remedy this.

Lastly -- The big game is this weekend (OSU vs USC) and without Beanie in the line up for the first time in a long time I don't feel hopeful about our chances. But of course I will still be cheering for them like a mad man... GO BUCKS!

Stand Up

I know many of you have probably saw the advertisements about Stand Up To Cancer that is happening this Friday Night September 5th on all 3 major networks. In case you haven't :) this post is to alert you about this event. I will be posting in the next few days about the advances in treatment for my particular disease. And as you will soon see, it seems for many cancers we are very close to finding cures (including forms of lymphoma). The SU2C site http://su2c.standup2cancer.org/ has some great information about how they are seeking to raise funds for cancer research and finding cures.

If you haven't already, set your TiVo, DVR's, VCR's, or just simply tune in on Friday night.

Labor Day Lies

Dave and I were really excited yesterday because I seemed to be having contractions. They weren't crazy doubling over contractions, but they were strong enough that you could see and feel my stomach ball up tightly and then release after about 30 seconds. They also seemed to be fairly consistent. So, I went to bed thinking...well, maybe tomorrow morning I'll wake up after a good night's rest and Marshall will be well on his way. I mean it is Labor Day! It only seems appropriate to go into labor!

Unfortunately, this day was obviously misnamed because it is around 5:00 and Dave and I are getting ready to make a homemade pizza. Something I'm assuming I wouldn't be doing if I was in fact having a baby! At this point, I'm guessing they were Braxton Hicks contractions. Oh, well...perhaps tomorrow.

At our last doctor's appointment, we were told that I was still 1cm dilated and that unfortunately she couldn't feel his head. So...we are going in this Thursday to see if he is breech or just positioned a little funny. Obviously if he is breech, I'll be scheduled for a C-Section. Although I've seen this video and it looks fairly horrifying, it does have its perks. The first being that it's scheduled! That means I get to show up with my cute pink suitcase at the chosen time and hopefully there won't be too many surprises. They other perk is I don't have to naturally deliver a baby with a giant noggin! I don't know how many of you have taken a good look at my husband's head...but it's really big. Don't get me wrong, it's handsome and all...but still really, really big! Of course, there are plenty of downfalls to a C-Section as well...I'm just trying to look on the bright side.

Chances are Marshall's either as stubborn as his mother or as laid back as his father and neither of those characteristics seem to be making him in any hurry. Dave and I will keep you updated on the pregnancy progress. And...if any of you know how I can get in touch with the person who named this day...I have a bone to pick with him!

Light the Night

As many of you know, Dave is done with treatment for the month of August and has the entire month of September free from The James. In lieu of eight hour treatment days we decided we should have a baby! ha ha

You will notice the next few posts will have more to do with Marshall's arrival and less to do with cancer. We will also be giving you information regarding Light the Night. This is The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's annual walk to help fight blood born cancers. Dave and I are excited to round up family and friends in support of such a great cause.

Light the Night is Saturday, October 18th at Fred Beekman park on the OSU campus. The pre-walk festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. and the walk is at 7:45 p.m. This is the Michigan State game so no worries about missing a good game (no offense Emilie). There will be music, food, and family activities. And, of course, the grand appearance of the world's cutest new born baby!

I'm going to be honest....I hate collecting money. I don't like the idea of getting pledges or carrying around envelopes full of cash and checks. So, we're going to make this easy. We have found someone to make Team Hall t-shirts inexpensively. If you are interested in walking with us, and we hope you are, it's $15.00. ($4.00 will cover the shirt and the other $11.00 will go to the fundraiser) The night of the walk we will give you your t-shirt to wear.

All you need to do is let me know you are interested and I'll even register you. Shoot me an email at manda_cadri@yahoo.com and I'll let you know our address and what information I need from you. I need to know how many walkers we have by Friday, September 19 so I can let the t-shirt guy know.

As a side note, we understand that many of you have families that might want to walk. We understand that $15.00 times several family members is expensive. Please don't feel like you need to donate that amount per person. You can donate $1.00 per person and come walk with us...we just want your company and support.

You should know that The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society offers other items for larger donations. I don't want to make this confusing, so I'm just going to say this...if you would like to make a larger donation, an additional $25.00 will get you an illuminated balloon and an additional $100.00 will get you a Light the Night t-shirt and balloon. Certainly I'm not telling you these things because I want you to feel obligated...but I also didn't want you to wonder why you didn't get a pretty balloon. :)

Hope this finds all of you well and ready for fall. Dave is counting down the days until Ohio State kicks off and I am cleaning out drawers and sweeping behind the fridge! My doctor assures me it's called nesting and it only means Marshall is this much closer! YIPPPPEEE!

Live Blogging

Hey all -- since today is going to be my last treatment until October, thought I would sign on and put everyone in the seat with me today :) It is now 9:10 and I have been here since 7:50. The fun part of the day actually.. they start the IV access line and draw a couple tubes of blood, today however they had to draw five additional tubes to type me for the potential of a bone marrow transplant (more on that later). Since today is Mandy's first day of school, my brother is here with me today. I have not seen the doctor or anything as of yet, but will update everyone once things get moving here.

Ok... I'll save the PET scan results for Mandy to write about (she does a much better job than I do explaining everything), but it is now 10:50 and I have spoken to the doc and just got my first med started. First up Epratuzumab ... this is a very small bag that runs in in about 1/2 hour. So what else.. my brother is sitting here eating Wendys and talking on the phone at the same time. Who says that boy can't multi-task. Check back again shortly ... will let you know more.

Lots of visitors today. Had Momma Bear, Dusty, Pastor Dave and his wife Vicki. One of the nurses asked if it was my birthday, to which my brother said "nope he is just liked :)". Treatment is now over and once again seems to have went without any hitches (other than just pure grogginess from the Benadryl).

For those that can't wait for Mandy --- the PET scan results were positive. A quick back note about PET scans -- Dr. Blum had said early on a PET scan with Follicular lymphoma is not a very good indicator. PET scans show tumor activity and since FL is a very slow growing cancer it can take a while for a PET scan to show any reduction in activity. The CT scan (which is scheduled for October) will tell more about how this treatment is working. With that said, the PET scan today did show a reduction in activity. YEAAAAHHHHHH!!! A PET gives an SUV score. The report today showed almost every node had been reduced by at least 2 SUV points from the prior PET scan. She was very encouraged with the results and really didn't want to read too much into this. A key point she made about the PET scan, I can be in complete remission and still show activity in a PET scan. Dr. Blum is a very encouraging person and was more wanting to talk about Mandy and Marshall and D-Day (Delivery Day). I think she is just as excited as we are that the little guy is coming.

Uneventful=Good

As all of you know, today was Dave's weekly treatment at The James. We arrived bright and early and ready to go! I'm quickly learning to plan as though we are going on a camping trip. Today I packed a cooler (pregnant women don't leave the house without snacks:), a pillow, and enough schools projects to keep me busy throughout the day. At one point I had nurses and other staff members helping me trace, cut, and color various bulletin board decorations for Oak Creek. I love a good day of multi-tasking!

Dr. Blum started off the day with her standard exam of Dave's lymph nodes. She believes they are still shrinking, but not as quickly as after the first treatment. This is what she predicted would happen at Dave's last treatment. Dave will have a Petscan next Monday morning to evaluate the lymph node response up to this point. We should know these results next Wednesday.

Dave continues to tolerate treatment well. Other than being incredibly sleepy from the Benadryl they put in his IV, he didn't have any other symptoms. He even went to work out this evening!

All in all, today was uneventful and frankly, we are okay with that. :) Next week will be very busy for us. As I said earlier, Dave has a Petscan Monday. On Tuesday, we meet with the bone marrow transplant specialist. On Wednesday, he has treatment. On Thursday, we go to my doctor to check on Marshall and somewhere in the middle of all of that I am starting back to school! Like I said, sometimes uneventful is good!

Great doctors, Mighty Mice, and the Power of Prayer.

I shared a while back that many tears have been shed at our house, not in sadness, but because we have been so touched by everyone's encouraging words. We have received cards from churches we've never heard of and from people we've never met. People who say they know someone who told them about our current journey. That they just want us to know they are thinking and praying for us every day. On many occasions, we have received emails from friends we haven't spoken to in years wishing us strength and courage. And, of course, there are those of you we see day in and day out. Those of you who bring us food and stop to ask how Dave is doing. Those of you who have said so genuinely for me to call anytime...even if I just want to scream. :) Those of you who tell us you pray for us every night at dinner or at bedtime with your kids.

Hang in there with me, I have a point.

This is very premature, but can't go unsaid. After arriving at The James this morning, Dr. Blum examined Dave. She seems to know all the right spots to feel for lymph nodes. Go figure. :) When she was finished she said, "Well, they are all about half the size they were before we started treatment and I can't seem to find the one in his left armpit. " Now, we certainly don't want to get our hopes up, but she feels very strongly that the treatments are working exceptionally well. She believes we will continue to see the nodes shrink, maybe not as quickly from here on out, but hopefully at a steady pace. Remember, the goal of this treatment plan is to put him into remission for several years.

Dave and I had no idea we would get news like this today. We didn't expect it and even Dr. Blum said it was a faster reaction than she would expect. I suppose several key elements could be responsible for this great news. Maybe it's our great doctors or those funny little mice I wrote about last week. Some may say it's just plain old good luck...but I'm putting our money on the fact that we are surrounded by incredible people who have taken time out of their busy lives to continually pray for us. I know God has got to be busy...but it's hard to ignore so many people with the same prayer. :)

Good Mice vs. Bad Mice

Dave and I have learned more about cancer in the last two months than I ever thought possible. Sometimes we nod our heads and say, "Yeah, that makes sense." And other times it comes out more like an, "Are you kidding me?" This fun-filled fact was definitely the later.

As you know, Dave took Epratuzimab via IV on Wednesday. This is a monoclonal antibody created from human DNA. The very unscientific explanation of this drug is it's grown from human DNA. As I wrote earlier, Dave didn't have a reaction to this drug.

Yesterday, Dave spent 8 hours receiving Rituxin via IV. This, too, is a monoclonal antibody, but it isn't all human DNA. Here is the crazy part I was telling you about earlier. Rituxin is half human DNA and half mice DNA. So they literally pumped Dave full of mice DNA for several hours. He, of course, thinks this is humorous and lived much of the day in full character. He asked for cheese and nibbled on anything and everything he could...including me. ha ha!

Dave didn't have any problems with Rituxin until we got home. About 30 minutes after getting in the door, he began to have uncontrollable shivering and spiked a fever. I loaded him up with blankets and a heating pad, but then he began to vomit. He will tell you that he was just fine, I would tell you it was scary to watch. (And he calls me stubborn!) The good news is he was able to fall asleep early and was feeling good around 3 a.m. when his fever broke.

He's still in bed this morning, but I've checked on him a few times and he seems to be back to his normal self. No fever, chills, or request for cheese.

Yesterday he did so well throughout the day that I kept saying, "Those must have been some good mice they used." But after Dave's reaction last night, I wanted to change my mind and call them bad mice. However, if those little mice save his life, I don't care what kind they are....they can move in if they want!

Next week we return to The James for treatment, but this time they will combine the Rituxin and Epratuzimab into one day. Doesn't that sound fun? We are also meeting with what I've heard is one of the head transplant doctors in the country to talk about a possible bone marrow transplant down the road. More info on that later.

Hope you are all enjoying the start of the weekend! I know Dave and I are going to make the most of it!

Quick Update

As most of you know, Dave underwent his first round of treatment today. We arrived at The James this morning around 9:30 and were able to leave around 4:00. We didn't really know what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised with our own room and two very comfy reclining chairs by a big window. :) Dave tolerated the Epratuzimab very well with truly no side effects. Friday will be the real test as we were told that Rituximab causes more severe reactions. This will also be a longer day, believe it or not, as the IV drip must be stopped every time a reaction occurs. We met many lovely people today including other patients and staff. I suppose if you are going to get cancer, we are both feeling blessed to have such a great hospital right around the corner.

Dave is sleeping now and will definitely awake to pizza and chocolate chip cookies. :) His all time favorites for those of you who know him well. So I must get to it! But I wanted to thank all of you that have prayed so very hard for us and kept us in your thoughts. Not a day goes by that we don't feel grateful for the support of our friends and family.

The Verdict is in and....

we are approved! The insurance company called today and Dave's treatment is covered! You know we have been talking about small victories, but I'm putting this one down in the big victory category. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. You know what they say, It takes a village...

It's Time to Pray

Okay troops...it's time to rally together. I'm asking that you each say an extra prayer for Dave tonight. We are fighting pretty hard with the insurance company to get Dave's clinical trial paid for. I think Dave has talked to at least a dozen people today and we are definitely catching some resistance. We will know tomorrow at 2:00 if he gets to start treatment on Wednesday. Pray, cross your fingers, and rub your lucky rabbit's foot...we'll take whatever we can get.

4 hours, 5 doctors, 6,000 forms...

and I'm not exaggerating! Okay, I may have estimated the forms a little high, but we did spend four hours at The James today and saw 5 different doctors, nurses, research coordinators, pharmacists, etc.

Let me start at the beginning. Dave and I had an 11:00 appointment with Dr. Blum, but she was running behind so we waited in our little 8 x 8 room until 1:00 when she walked in. Now don't get me wrong, this is really frustrating, but it's difficult to be upset with a women who holds an extreme amount of power. She is the one person Dave and I have decided has the knowledge and skill to treat him most effectively and you know we've shopped around. The other reason it's difficult to be upset with her is that she is calm, rationale, and never makes you feel as though you need to quit asking questions. She spends as much time as needed with her patients. Obviously this is also the reason she is running two hours behind. She enters and immediately apologizes for being so backed-up and, of course, Dave and I both respond with, "Oh, gosh...no big deal we totally understand." And we do understand, but I must admit the little voice in my head is saying, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to sit in that chair for two hours when your 8 months pregnant?" But I figure this is a little counterproductive at this point and opt to keep my thoughts to myself. :)

The last time we were in, Dr. Blum didn't have all the results of Dave's testing, but this time she does so she starts there. Just like the other oncologists we have seen, she makes sure we understand Dave is a Stage 4 Follicular Lymphoma patient with 5% bone marrow involvement. She talks specifically about the size of some of Dave's lymphnodes...some of them are pretty big. The good news is that none of them are pushing on vital organs and causing any concerns, but if left untreated, they may. She explains that she still feels the best treatment, at this time, is the clinical trial combining Rituxin and Epratuzimab. We had hoped this was the case and explain that we are in...and ready to get started.

Dave is really great about thinking both short and long term. He explains to her that his long term goal is to maintain the cancer much like a diabetic maintains their sugar levels. Short term he explains that he is hoping the clinical trial will knock him into remission before we have to decide on the next form of treatment. I know he wants to make sure his doctor has the same goals as he does and I'm proud of him for being able to so effectively articulate these to her. She totally agrees and takes it one step further saying that although there isn't really a cure, a bone marrow transplant may cure it down the road. It's the only possibility. And a cure is really her long term goal. We discuss Chemo after the trial and then the possibility of a transplant. Ultimately, we decide to focus on the here and now and begin to talk about the clinical trial.

I knew we wanted to start immediately, but I didn't know how quickly that would be. Dr. Blum fires away with, "How's next Wednesday? At this point, we begin to talk about the treatment itself and it's a little more involved then Dave and I originally understood. He needs to have a Petscan on Monday and then another CT scan to mark his start point Wednesday morning. He will be hooked up to an IV drip on Wednesday to administer the Epratuzimab. This takes several hours. On Friday, he will again be hooked up to an IV, this time for 6 hours, and the Rituxin will be administered. For the next three weeks, we will go every Wednesday, all day. On these days they will combine the drugs into one 6 hour treatment. After that the treatments are much further and fewer between, but ongoing for the next 9 months. Throughout the treatments he will have CT scans to monitor if the lymphnodes are shrinking...this is the goal in case I lost you.

After making the decision to jump in with both feet we had to meet with the research coordinator to sign the 6,000 forms I told you about and then the scheduler to make what seemed like 30 appointments. It was probably more like 10...pregnant women can be a bit dramatic. And that was the end of our 4 hour appointment....I wasn't exaggerating that part.

Regardless, Dave and I have a very long journey ahead of us. So many of you have commented on Dave and I's strength and positive attitude. Honestly, overall we are doing fantastic under the circumstances. We have found strength in our family, friends, and in prayer, but we aren't superhuman. :) I spent a few moments crying on Dave's shoulder in the stairwell at The James today. I couldn't tell you why exactly, but I do know this. I don't have cancer, my husband does and yet, he holds his head high and buries mine in his chest when I can't take anymore. He really is incredible!

A Night Out on the Town

I have to share this story as it really is just too funny.  

Dave and I decided from the very beginning, that we wanted to find a support group for people living with Lymphoma.  So, Dave being my "techno-junkie" husband began his research online.  He quickly found a group at the Lymphoma-Leukemia Society close to Zangmeister Center.  Since we were going to be there to see Dr. Moore, we decided we would go check it out in hopes of picking other people's brains about their course of treatment, experiences, etc.  

I don't know how to explain to what I had expected, but it wasn't this.  Upon entering, we realize we are late for a potluck.  Keep in mind....potlucks typically require you to bring a dish to share.   That wasn't a requirement on the website, I promise.  The other prerequisite not noted in the description is that you should be eligible for a Golden Buckeye Card.  I'm certainly not judging the crowd here...I'm just letting you know we looked a little out of place.  :)  I suppose we should have expected this as Dr. Keubler told us Dave is the youngest Follicular Lymphoma patient he had ever seen.  Ooops. 

So just as Dave and I are planning our secret escape, "craft time" is introduced.  Now you all know I love anything that involves markers and glue so we decide, "Oh heck, we don't have any other plans...let's stay and see what we can learn."  

I just have to tell each of you that we actually had a great time.  My husband was apparently Martha Stewart's brother in a former life because he actually cut and sewed.  You can see his final masterpiece in the picture I attached.  We met lots of wonderful people who were more than willing to share their stories with us.  My heart goes out to each and everyone of them for, as Oprah would say, "Living their best life."  That's exactly what Dave and I are doing and they helped remind us exactly what life is all about.  We will probably look for a group a little more in our age bracket, but it was definitely not a night wasted none the less. 

Read the following post if you would like to hear about our appointment with Dr. Moore.

Mandy's Assigning Homework...you'll understand by the end.

We pull into the Zangmeister Center, located by the airport and I quickly realize it looks like a spa...very promising. (he, he) I don't know how many of you have been to The James Cancer Hospital, but it's not very warm and inviting...more like, well...a hospital.

Despite my love of the layout here, especially the waterfalls, we are here to meet Dr. Moore for what we are hoping will be our third and final opinion. We whole-heartedly expect his treatment plan to be in-line with Dr. Kuebler's very scientific "Wait and See" approach. We have heard through the grapevine that Dr. Kuebler and Dr. Moore are friends and practice medicine under similar beliefs. I still can't believe we now consider ourselves part of Lymphoma Social Network and even stranger yet that there is a "Lymphoma Grapevine". Beside the point I suppose.

Dr. Moore enters the room and begins by examining Dave. Each doctor has done this and each time I sit and patiently watch the doctor's face for some indication of what he/she feels. I don't know what I'm waiting for, a raised eyebrow or a puzzled lip...but doctor's seem to have mastered the infamous poker face. They must teach them this at med school. Dr. Moore is no exception.

He eventually sits down and begins the "What is Follicular Lymphoma?" speech. Although Dave and I have heard three doctor's give us this information, as well as, about 600 Lymphoma Websites, we sit attentively and look intrigued while longing for the part where he tells us what he would do if he were us.

When this time arrives, I notice we both sit up a little straighter in anticipation. Dr. Moore says at this point he beieves the "Wait and See" approcah is out of the question. Dave is a Stage 4 Lymhoma patient, but Dr. Moore has greater concerns with Dave's family history. I hear his point loud and clear. With a history this extensive, Dr. Moore feels Dave's Lymphoma may not be typical. It may grow differently and he doesn't want to wait around to see what kind of beast we are dealing with...fine with me, I think to myself. He goes on to suggest that we look into clinical trials. He talks about the benefits of doing these and how they truly include some of the best treatment plans available.

His suggestion is that Dave participate in a clinical trial that combines a very aggressive form of chemo with one of two drugs. I'm scared to look up at Dave at this point. Going into this, I know Dave doesn't want to do Chemo right away and I'm afraid if I look at him now, his face will look worried and I'll be unable to ask educated questions. So...I continue to stare at Dr. Moore and we fire away with our questions and concerns.

Here is the bottom line. 1. Chemo is extremely difficult on your body. It makes you susceptible to other forms of cancer, illnesses, and can make you extremely sick both during it's duration and permanently following. 2. Starting Chemo starts "The Chemo Clock" I've written about previously. 3. Starting Chemo would mean Dave would be mid-treatment when Marshall is born and most likely unable to fully enjoy his arrival. 4. Chemo can follow the clinical trial at The James if needed.

We ask Dr. Moore about The James' clinical trial compared to his and he says, " I can't say that one is better than the other. I just know Dave needs treatment." I know before Dave and I's eyes ever meet or words are ever spoken that we will be doing the clinical trial at The James.

When we get in the car, we agree, as I know we would. We meet with our now "official" doctor, Dr. Kristi Blum on Friday to tell her of our decision. For those of you who know me well, you know I'm a list maker. It drives Dave completely insane, but it's how I get things done. And, frankly, how I get him to do things too. :) My point is...I'm sending each of you a "Mandy-To-Do-List".

So many of you have been praying for Dave and I and we have truly felt the impact of your prayers. Today, I have some specific requests.
1. Pray that Dr. Blum still feels Dave is a candidate for the clinical trial after reading his full body CT scan and knowing that the lymphoma is in his bone marrow.
2. Pray that our insurance will cover the clinical trial.
3. Pray that Dave and I are making the best decision and that we continue to find courage within ourselves and one another to fight the best fight we have in us.

A Week of Decisions

Here we are...five weeks into our journey with the "C" word and it's time to make a few decisions. I couldn't be more ready to get this party started. For those of you who know me well," patient" is not a word typically used when descibing my disposition. Especially by my husband. One of my largest personal struggles throughout the last few weeks has been maintaining my composure (a.k.a...sweetness) while trying to schedule Dave doctor's appointments, get results from testing, and even sometimes talking to a real person on the other end of the line. The medical field can be very challenging, at best, on certain days. Receptionists have said to me..."We can't get him in for three weeks because he is a new patient." My mom has told me several times that I must be very nice to these people as they are going to be a large part of our lives over the next few months, and I get this...but I want to say, "Of course he is a new patient...having an oncologist isn't quite like having a dentist. We all have teeth, so we all need a dentist...we don't all have cancer...you get the idea. :) But I have learned quickly and have made many friends at these offices. :) Dave would love to fill all of you in on these stories...he finds them wildly entertaining.

So, now that we have been able to get our initial appointments scheduled we can officially call Dave a "patient" in these practices and won't have to wait as long for follow-up visits. Dave and I spend a lot of time talking about small victories...this definitely qualifies as a small victory from my stand point.

Friday we got a call from Dr. Kuebler saying that Dave has been staged. He is considered to be a stage 4 Follicular Lymphoma patient. Please keep in mind before you freak out that we suspected this would be the case. Dr. Blum had told us 95% of people diagnosed with this disease are diagnosed at stage 4. This means that he has swollen lymph nodes throughout his entire body with involvement in his bone marrow. We won't know how much bone marrow is effected until this week. Dr. Kuebler ony gets confirmation via phone of bone marrow involvement, he isn't given a percentage until he is able to read the report. The upside to this is that Dave's bloodwork came back perfect last week. The doctor confirmed that if all of his bone marrow was affected, his red and white blood cell count would be off and it isn't...small victories, right?

The other part of the equation to remember is that Stage 4 Follicular Lymphoma is not like Stage 4 Breast cancer. Treatment doesn't necessarily change based on the stage, it is based more on Dave's symptoms. And remember, he doesn't currently have any. You also must remember that treatment typically responds the same at all stages. We just need to decide what that treatment will look like.

This leads me to Our Week of Decisions. We know that Dr. Kuebler likes The Wait and See Approach. This pretty much throws what little amount of patience I have out the window, but the more we read, the more this plan does make sense. Dr. Blum likes the Clinical Trial Approach using a combination of drugs that are not very evasive and have been fairly successful in patients. The hope here is that Dave would go into remission for several years before needing a more dramatic treatment. It's only eight, one-hour sessions. Don't worry, I've reiterated that the baby is coming in 58 days...hence my sense of urgency to get this party started. :) But we musn't forget our appoinment with Dr. Moore, this Wednesday. After we meet with him, we will decide what the plan is going to be.

Dave and I have found an unbelievable amount of strength in ourselves and within each other throughout this process. We are continually overwhelmed by the support we have received from friends and family members. I don't know how he does it, but my husband wakes up every morning and loves life. He is amazing in more ways than I would ever be able to describe. We find ourselves laughing more and living more than we did a month ago...and that isn't a small victory, it's a big one!

BMB - thats not so bad

The morning started off innocently enough. My brother drove in from IN to drive me to my appointment today. Words cannot describe how much I love him, not only for driving me today, but also the support, the encouragement, and just plain being my brother. For those that have met him, you know he is defintely the comedian in the family and can turn a room to laughter in no time flat. The side that most dont get to see is the caring, concerning brother and I truly got to see that today, of course still mixed with the quick chance for some laughter. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful brother!

First up a full body CT scan. After drinking 900 ml of this YUMMY (NOT) tasting raspberry flavored "milk", I was hooked up to an IV (as with my previous scan) and shot full of concentrate. The CT machine is an interesting beast. Picture a large doughnut with you sliding back and forth between the hole. It makes all these funny whirring and grrring sounds, and never seems anything is really happening. In about 10 mins you are all done :) Yeahhhhhh. Now its on to the BMB, but first a quick check of my blood, which I am happy to report is ALL PERFECT (GOOD NEWS).

So what is a BMB you may ask ... it is the three letter acronym for Bone Marrow Biopsy. Since we are using this site to inform, I will also try to keep everyone up with our new found lingo as well :). Today, is probably the day I have been dreading most since my diagnosis. I have heard BMB's are quiet painful. I handle needles very well, but I have been extremely "anxious" about this procedure. During our first visit to Dr. Kuebler he said (and I quote), "I am the best around doing BMB. You will be in an out in 10 minutes, and unlike other doctors, I do both sides." I have to say the man was true to his word. Yes there was some pain, but nothing what I had been lead to believe. Actually as the title of this posts says "that wasn't so bad" :). During the BMB he made one of the funniest statements to the nurse. After extracting the first sample of tissue, he said, "That's a an excellent Kuebler sample right there". Yes the man is confident and I definitely like that.

So whats in store --- The two test today will stage my disease. We are leaning toward stage 3 at this point, but if it is in my marrow will make me a stage 4. If interested you can read more about grading and staging at this site.

Finally for today, I want to say many many many thanks to everyone for the birthday e-cards, the phone calls, gifts, and thoughts. It was very touching to know that I have surrounded myself (or you guys just couldn't get rid of me) with such loving, caring, and wonderful people. Mandy and I have been amazed at the outpouring of support and the unconditional generosity of everyone. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Two Doctors...Two Opinions

This afternoon Dave and I headed to The James Cancer Hospital for what would be our second opinion. We assumed that she would have a different perspective than Dr. Kuebler, but we didn't expect her theories to be quite so different.

Dr. Kristi Blum is young, aggressive, and to the point. Typically, my kinda girl. However, the variables change a bit when we are discussing the man I love. Upon entering the room, she gave Dave a thorough examination. She felt swollen lymph nodes in places the other doctors had not. Although I would like to believe that she has no idea what she's doing...she sure seemed pretty confident. I should also add that she isn't just an oncologist...she is an oncologist with a specialty in Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

She said at this point she could tell Dave was at least in Stage 3, Grade 1, Non-Hodgkins, Follicular Lymphoma. Say that three times fast! She also added that 95% of people with this diagnosis find out they are in Stage 4 with infected bone marrow as well. Of course, we won't know any of this until next week when Dave has his full body CT scan and bone marrow biopsy. She went on to tell us that the swollen nodes are fairly large in his groin...3-4 cm each. The sizes will also be verified by the CT scan.

So...here we are again. Except now we are 66 days away from the arrival of Marshall instead of 73! We begin to talk treatment. I'm expecting her to say...let's take the "Wait and See" approach as Dr. Kuebler suggested. Apparently these two doctors don't bounce ideas off each other at happy hour because their ideas for Dave's treatment are very different. Although she says she does often times take the "Wait and See" approach, she doesn't like to do it with young patients. She spoke to the fact that cancers in general, but specifically Lymphoma, tend to be more aggressive in younger patients and that therefore, we need to be more aggressive in our treatment as well. She told us that based on her gut feelings, he would need treatment in 3-6 months. Obviously very different from Dr. Kuebler's..."it could be 14 years before treatment is needed" approach.

What does this all mean? Well, she had a two options for us to think about. The first option is Chemo. If you read my previous post, you understand the drawbacks to starting Chemo. Not only does it start the remission clock, it has pretty nasty side effects. The second option is a clinical trial starting in the next few months. This trial combines two drugs that have been used very effectively alone to put Follicular Lymphoma patients into remission. There are very little side effects and it can always be followed with Chemo if it isn't successful.

I know you're thinking, "What does a Clinical Trial mean? ... Does it mean it was used on lab rats first and showed promise so now let's try it on Dave? It's okay...that's what I was thinking too. The doctor gave us the research to read, as well as, assuring us that it has been used on humans in previous phases with over 75% success. We spent a lot of time sitting and talking with the doctor about all the pros and cons of these drugs. I'm not going to go into all the details as I'm sure I've already lost you... :) I know at this point I looked over at Dave and realized we both must look like deer in headlights.

The last thing she touched on was a bone marrow transplant down the road. She said we needed to meet with a transplant specialist to discuss finding a donor for Dave at some point. She said that it almost always comes to this and and we need to be prepared.

We left the appointment knowing four things:
#1. We have to get the results of the CT scan and bone marrow biopsy before anything can be
determined. We will meet with Dr. Blum again on July 25th.
#2. We are meeting with a third oncologist on July 23rd to get our third, different opinion. :)
#3. We found ourselves laughing hysterically when we got to the car and realized we'd received
a $40.00 parking ticket while we were in our 2 hour appointment. Funny how cancer puts things into perspective.
#4. We were going out for pizza and ice cream! Decisions could be made tomorrow!

So...What is It?

We awoke yesterday morning with mixed anticipation of what the day might bring. Excited to finally be meeting with an oncologist, but with lumps in our throats as to what he may have to say. We knew nothing at this point could be definitive as Dave would first have to have the results of his full node biopsy. This too, was yesterday following our appointment with Dr. Kuebler.

I apologize if this post gets lengthy, but I want to give you all we know.

Dr. Kuebler explained to us that based upon the pathology report Dave has Follicular B-cell Lymphoma. However, this could change after the full node biopsy is analyzed. He described two types of lymphoma to us; favorable and unfavorable. As we listened to him describe these terms, we quickly realized they are a bit misleading. Follicular Lymphoma is a "favorable" cancer. Favorable basically means it is a chronic cancer that can never be cured...sounds like something you would describe as "favorable", huh? The reason it is put in this category is because it has a longer life expectancy than "unfavorable". Many people live for many, many years before they every show symptoms or even need treatment. Dave, fortunately, has no symptoms. In truth, we would have probably never gone to the doctor if he didn't have such a long family history of Lymphoma.

"Unfavorable" means it is an extremely aggressive form of Lymphoma with a much higher fatality rate if untreated. However, if treated it is curable.

So...going on the doctor's gut feeling of Follicuar Lymphoma, we began to talk about course of action. This is the most difficult part for me to wrap my mind around. There are four stages of Lymphoma. We know that Dave is at least in Stage Two as he has swollen nodes in more than one area. (neck, chest, and under his arms) Dr. Kuebler explained that by the time most patients are diagnosed with Lymphoma they are in Stage Four. However, Dave is also the youngest Follicular Lymphoma patient this doctor has ever seen and he is suppose to be "Nationally Renowned". We will not know his stage until we have a full body PetScan. (July 16th) He will also have a Bone Marrow biopsy this day.

Of course in my mind, at this point, I'm thinking...okay, let's get started. I realize it's not curable, but you need to fix my husband within the next 73 days because that's when this baby is coming! Dr. Kuebler thinks a little differently than I do apparently. He likes the "Wait and See" approach. This is a little confusing to me, but he tries to make me understand. Because this cancer is so slow-growing, he says they don't want to start chemo. Follicular Lymphoma does respond well to chemo, but always comes back. Remember it's not curable. Each remission gets shorter and shorter. So if they started chemo tomorrow, Dave may go into remission for 7 years. But in 7 years, when the cancer returns, he would have to do chemo again. This time the remission may only last 4 years. You get the idea...once you do chemo, the remission clock starts ticking.

If Dave has no symptoms and a good quality of life, there is no point in treating the cancer right now. I told you it's tough to wrap your mind around, didn't I?

Now we sit and wait for the "official" diagnosis to come back based on the full node biopsy. This should be Monday, July 7th. We are, of course, getting second opinion, next Friday with Dr. Kristi Blum at The James. We'll see what she has to say.

We know you have each been thinking and praying for us and we really do feel your love and support. Today was the first day that when I woke up Dave's cancer wasn't the first thing that popped in my mind. Maybe the second, but it's a start, right? :)

I do want to share with you the most touching part of yesterday's appointment. At one point, I asked the doctor..."Is Dave going to see this baby be born?" The doctor, very assertively looked back and both Dave and I and responded, " I whole-heartedly believe Dave is going to be around to pay Marshall's first college tuition bill." The power of words...are truly amazing!

One productive day

The day started off very busy with work and once again many phone calls to doctors. Dave will be having surgery @ 12:15 Wednesday July 2 to have the largest node on his neck removed. We are to see Dr. Kuebler at Columbus Oncology first thing in the morning as well. We have also scheduled to see Dr. Kristi Blum at the James Cancer Center for next week. Both Oncologists have said they need the largest node removed to determine type of lymphoma amongst other things.

We really appreciate the continued thoughts and prayers as we anxiously move through this process.

What Cancer cannot Do

I have pulled this from a friend of a friends blog that is very TRUE and wanted to share it here as well:

What Cancer Can't Do
Cancer is so limited...

It cannot cripple love,
It cannot shatter hope,
It cannot corrode faith,
It cannot eat away peace,
It cannot destroy confidence,
It cannot kill friendship,
It cannot shut out memories,
It cannot silence courage,
It cannot invade the soul,
It cannot reduce eternal life,
It cannot quench the Spirit.
Our greatest enemy is not disease but despair
And allowing the devil to interact in our lives
To make us feel so deprived
Of God's Love and Guidance.

God said "I will never forsake you."

God said "I will give you comfort in your time of need."

Welcome to the Hall Family Blog

We decided to create this blog in order to keep all of our family and friends up to date with Dave's progress as he battles Lymphoma. As of today, we only know that his needle biopsy has come back positive for b-cell Lymphoma. We refuse to believe anything other than that this year will be our year of miracles. The year Marshall was born, the year Dave beat cancer, and the year we learned how to live each day to the fullest!

We have spent countless evenings snuggled up on the couch with weepy eyes after reading your encouraging emails and listening to your positive phone messages. It's impossible for us to put into words how touched we have been by these messages. We ask that you continue to pray for us and the battle we are about to face head-on. Your support makes all the difference.