Chilling on a Saturday...

Dan and Ross fishing in downtown Celebration



Dan and his mom, Susie!


Hello to all!

I am sitting at my new computer on a chilly Saturday. (Chilly for Florida, that is.) I know my sister and brother would say we are a bunch of wimps. They live in Chicago and Indianapolis, respectively. The other day my brother told me that it was 1 degree in Indy! That's cold! It's days like today that make me appreciate the mild winters in Florida.

My new computer is a 24-inch 4 gig i-Mac that I purchased after seeing my friend Terri's computer. Terri came over the other day with her new i-Mac and I fell in love with it. One cord! That's all there is to this computer. Everything else is wireless or built into the monitor. It is truly amazing. This machine is so easy to use compared to my PC that I can't believe I didn't switch earlier. The internet is a great way to feel connected to others when you don't feel up to going out.

All is going pretty well given my situation right now. This round of chemo is a lot more aggressive than the last one. The side effects are about 3-4 times more intense than the Temodar by itself. With the Avastin thrown in I 'm getting a lot of nosebleeds which is new. The nausea is way more pronounced than before. Fortunately, as always, if I stay on top of my meds I can manage these bad feelings. It's just when I get behind that I start to feel lousy.

The house is now officially on the market and so far so good. Thank God we have an incredible agent who is working very hard for us. Jimmy Tate will truly earn his money on this house when he sells it. That means a lot coming from me who was 100% commission income for 10 years! We have already had several showings and some offers and a lot of interest. Thank you, Jimmy for taking such good care of us.

My mother is in town with us this week and we have really enjoyed her company. She arrived last Monday and will be going home tomorrow, (Sunday) Boo Hoo! She, as usual, has been a force to been reckoned with. She has been helping Leah with the cooking, laundry and cleaning. With my appetite being the way it is right now it is nice having my mother cook for me again. Moms always seem to know what we want and when we want it. We will miss her tremendously when she returns home.

Other than that, we continue to ask for your prayers and hope. We appreciate all the meals and everything y'all have done for us to date.

love,

Dan and Leah

I.V. Chemo Round 2...

Dan finding out that he is finally able to go home from chemo!


Ross turns the big 5!


Dan is resting comfortably here at the cancer center while he receives his second round of chemo-cocktail. This entire experience is a tremendous exercise in patience. We arrived at the hospital around 11 AM and we have at least 3 hours of treatment still to go (it is currently 4PM). Luckily, my mom and dad offered to take MK and Ross for the weekend, so we are able to sit back and "relax" knowing that they are having a BLAST in Vero! It is amazing how in the midst of chaos God's perfect plan unfolds to those who have eyes to see.

As I wrote in our last post, we have experienced a lot of change over the last few weeks. Our decision to opt for a total healing (as opposed to symptom treatment which would merely keep Dan relatively comfortable while the cancer was allowed free range through Dan's brain) requires Dan's full-time energy and attention. Consequently, Dan is no longer able to work with his company. Dan's new full-time job is to heal. We have been blessed with good insurance and a wonderful support team which will allow for me to remain at home to care for Dan and the children during this time.

We put the house "on the market" this week and it has been a whirlwind! Dan and I were a little confused when it seemed like roadblock after roadblock stood in the way of listing our house when we felt so strongly that we were being led to move to Vero. On Monday morning, in the midst of absolute chaos (no understatement), a friend of ours happened to drive by while Dan was outside trying to get his phone to work. This friend, Jimmy, is one of the men who worked tirelessly to finish the playground for our children. Anyway, long story-short, he is now our realtor and he is a dynamo!!! While we are here at the hospital, he is at our house filming a virtual tour (to ease the showings while Dan is home healing) and he is also showing our house to a potential buyer...what a blessing!

I took a quick snap-shot of Dan that I will try to add to this post when I get home. Please continue to hold him up in your prayers. Our lives seem so unbelievably complicated right now, but we continue to trust in God who loves us and holds us in his hands. Dan and I take great comfort in our faith. One passage that I come back to over and over again is Philippians 4:4-7:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your
gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I continue to pray for and give praise for each of you. Our journey is not isolated and apart from you. It is yours as well. We love you!

Many blessings,
Leah (and Dan)

New Year, New Chemo, New Hope, New Home!

Dan and the kids Christmas Eve

Dade City on Christmas Day




We have been a bit tardy in our posts, but our lives have been moving at warp speed while our energy reserves are somewhere between cryogenesis and hibernation. This year brings a lot of changes for our family.

Dan started his new chemo regimen this past Friday. We spent 7 hours at the cancer institute while Dan was "hooked" up to the new chemo cocktail. His new treatment will be every-other Friday for 12 weeks. It was almost like starting all over. The other patients who shared our day (2 men with brain tumors) were veterans. Both of the other men received their treatment through ports in their chests, while Dan was able to still just use an IV line. It was an oddly exhausting day. I never thought that just sitting still could wear you out, but it can.


Dan has been able to cope with the new "cocktail" without too many side effects. We knew that we were facing a more rigorous regimen, and we are prepared to deal with that. As you all know by now this is an EXTREMELY aggressive form of cancer and Dan and I are facing it with a hope of total healing. We know what the statistics say, but we refuse to give up hope by not even entering the fight. I am so proud of Dan.

As our lives continue to change direction at such a fast pace, we have decided to do some major simplification for the duration of Dan's healing and treatment. We are going to move to Vero Beach to be closer to family and we are sending the kids to a school that is right down the street from our new home. It was a tough decision, but we have surrendered the idea of controlling our own futures. We have prayerfully decided to go where God is leading us and this is the "healing sabbatical" that we need right now.

Thank you for all of your continued prayers and support. We are praying specifically for total healing, for a reduction of chemo side effects, for Dan's body to be able to continue to function healthfully, and for peace.

As this battle moves forward we become better equipped in many areas. We are incredibly blessed by you, our support network. My dear friends here in Celebration know that cooking is my "weak spot" and it is amazing how the girls just show up with meals on the days that I am overwhelmed. Thank you. Food is such a wonderful way to show nurturing love for each other. It makes us feel very loved. It is also amazing to see posts when we need encouragement and phone calls when we need support. You all are the hands and feet of Jesus to us every day. Thank you!

Love,
Leah (and Dan)