Long Overdue [1 of 2]

For those who might still be following, I'm sorry for the delay in updating. Though our holidays were much more low key & "abbreviated", most of what was done was done by me so its been busy.

To update, Cathy received her chemo on 12/14, but again on 12/21 her White Blood Cell [WBC] count was too low to get chemo. During Cathy's original bout with cancer in fall of '08, Cathy received Neulasta to help her body create sufficient WBC to keep her on the schedule of chemo every other week - but using Neulasta does not allow for chemo on a weekly basis as Cathy is doing now. So on 12/21, with her WBC count at 1.1 ["normal range of 4.1 - 10.9], Dr. Bayer scheduled Cathy for daily Neupogen 12/21-12/23 . This stuff brings up the WBC but at the cost of flu-like symptoms and BONE PAIN. Tough trooper that she is, Cathy felt the pain the evening of 12/21. The evening of 12/22, however, was AGONY. Cathy lamented that she just couldn't do it again on 12/23. Although the "stand-in" Dr. ordered Cathy to have the shot, the nurses who know my wife's resilience insisted on taking blood labs first - praise God she was at 5.6, didn't need to get the shot, and had an extra day to recoup for Christmas.

We enjoyed time with family and friends for Christmas and the New Year. Cathy once again had consecutive chemo on 12/28 and 1/4 and we marched into the New Year. We hope your Christmas, like ours, was joyful and filled with the love of family and friends at the celebration of our Lord's marvelous birth.