Another bad day.

Well, the good news first. We are officially homeless. The settlement is complete and that part of our lives is over.

The bad news is that the esophageal cancer has spread to the liver making it incurable. No surgery, and no radiation are planned. The only plan is life-extending chemotherapy. I agreed to participate in a clinical trial in which I have a randomized 50/50 chance of getting a trial drug in addition to the chemo.

We are still trying to process this all. Without treatment I was only given 2-3 months to live. With chemo, the average life expectancy is 1 year. One year, that actually sounded like a long time after I heard 2-3 months. The oncologist, whom we both really liked, said I have many things going in my favor such as my age, my overall health, the fact that right now I am not having any symptoms, etc.

I am scheduled to have a port placed on Monday for the chemotherapy. I will get a treatment every other week, with a pump to take home for two days which will continue to pump chemo into me. The expectation is 4-5 days after chemo I will not feel well and then I will likely have some good days until we start the cycle over again. In two months, I will have repeat CT scans to check the effectiveness of the chemo.

My faith in my Heavenly Father has never been stronger. I know He is in charge regardless of the outcome.

We visited tonight with the wonderful, Godly couple that have offered us their home this winter while they are in Arizona. It’s close to where I’ll be getting my chemo. God and His people are so good. At least our living arrangements are provided for in a tangible way. God bless you, Dave and Darlene.