DECEMBER 30

Gary saw his doctor this morning and we received bad news. The cancer has progressed further and is now in his cerebellum. There are no other options, but to do more of the Methotrexate treatments.

They admitted Gary to the hospital today and will start to give him heavy amounts of fluids and sodium bicarbonate to prepare ahead of time for the MTX. Hopefully, by doing this, we may avoid the toxic effects of the MTX on his kidneys. They also called in the Nephrologist ahead of time. The Nephrologist have started the paperwork for the rescue drug out of England that they started to use during his last treatment. They are trying to anticipate ahead of time any problems Gary may have with his kidneys.

As written in previous posts, this drug has wrecked havoc on Gary and his kidneys and we have almost lost him twice, so he is in much need of your prayers as he goes through this.

Gary asked his doctor if he was going to beat this. Dr. Johnston said he would do all he could to make sure he did. He said that if he did not think Gary had a chance, he would be calling hospice right now, but he still feels there is hope. He said he would be offering extra prayers for Gary and then later asked us to pray for him as well.

Please pray:

*For Gary's physically healing. That he will not have complications with the MTX treatment and he will get relief from the pain.

*For his emotional well being. That he will be encouraged and will be strong and not give up in this fight.

*For me, as I care for him, to stay healthy and strong, both physically and emotionally.

*For our children and other family members. Our son Brian just left to go back to work and is on the road travelling today and tonight with his wife. Gary's parents and our daughter, Becky will be travelling tonight from Oklahoma and other family members may be travelling this week, so please include them in your prayers for their safety.

*And, for Dr. Patrick Johnston and his team of doctors. That God will give them wisdom in dealing with Gary.

DECEMBER 29

Gary started the day very sick and has stayed that way. He had to go into the hospital for a MRI, so I have learned to carry around a Ziploc bag just in case. The pain in his head is back to being severe. My heart just goes out to him. We will see his doctor in the morning, so hopefully it will be good news and maybe we can discuss the pain issue further. Brian and his wife, Kristina will leave early in the morning. We have enjoyed having them here for the holidays. When you pray for Gary, please include them in your prayers as they will be driving back to Georgia. Thank you for praying and for the cards and emails that we get. We appreciate it so much!

DECEMBER 28

Gary started feeling the pain in his head early this morning and has not felt good all day. He does feel that the increased dosage of Morphine is making a difference, so hopefully the pain levels will not be as bad as they were last week.

It is hard to calm my heart knowing what the last week was like for Gary. I just pray that it will not be so bad this week. A verse that came to my mind this evening was Philippians 4:6,7 ...

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Another version says, "Do not be anxious about anything". Ok... alot easier said than done! But this will be my goal for the week. I am so thankful for the many who are joining me in "prayer and supplication" for Gary.

DECEMBER 27

Gary has felt pretty good today, at least pain wise. The day after the Rituxan treatment is always a good day for him. It sure gives him something to look forward to when he starts feeling bad later in the week. Thank you for praying for him!

DECEMBER 26

Gary finished 4 hours of treatment this morning and did well. He is beginning to look forward to this, knowing that he will be pain free for a few days. I did notice this morning while getting started with his treatment that he has some swelling on his right cheek bone. I commented to the nurse and she mentioned that she also noticed swelling above his right eye. Since this is the area where the Lymphoma has showed up, I am concerned as to what this swelling could be. The nurse said I should just watch it and if it increases, to let the doctor know. If it is still there in the morning, I will call the doctors anyway. Once again, I want to express my gratefulness for your prayers for Gary and our family. It is a great comfort to me to know that we have people praying all over the world.

DECEMBER 25

MERRY CHRISTMAS! We want to thank all of you for your prayers and words of encouragement for our family! God has truly blessed us with wonderful friends... old and new!

Gary's pain levels were manageable today and he felt alot better. He will go for another treatment in the morning and if it goes the same as before, he should be pain free for a few days after that. Thank you again for your prayers! I means alot to Gary to know that so many are praying!

DECEMBER 24

Gary has tried to put on a good front today, not wanting to spoil any of our celebrations, but I know he has been in alot of pain. Today, was our daughter-in-law, Kristina's birthday. We gave her presents and surprised her with a cake at noon to keep her birthday separate from Christmas Eve. Gary joined us for a time and then went back to bed. He came back out for us to open presents tonight, but was not able to stay up for long. I knew that he has been experiencing numbness on the side of his face along with the pain in his head, but I didn't realize the extent of his paralysis until this evening. He really struggled with getting his medicine taken.

This has been a sad Christmas for us, and tonight I was talking to the Lord about how hard it was for me to see Gary suffer and how I didn't want to share any of this on the blog because this is the season for JOY and I did not want to put a damper on everyone else's happiness. Then, I checked my email one last time before going to bed, and there was an email from a friend that said just what I needed to hear! At the same time I was voicing my fears and sadness to the Lord, she wrote:

I’m writing to let you know that on this Christmas Eve, I’m thinking of you and Gary and praying that in the midst of cancer, pain, and sickness, you both will feel the presence of God, once again rejoicing in the miracle of His birth. I pray that the medicines will work, that the pain will be alleviated, and the sickness will stand still for a few hours so Gary can have a joyful Christmas – and you can have some peace, seeing that his face isn’t grimacing with pain.

Sometimes you may feel that no one is praying at “this particular moment,” but that’s the joy of being partners with many others as we pray together for a common cause – and right now GARY IS OUR CAUSE. Just know that you are loved and are in our prayers once again this night.

Wow! God gave me a special reminder just when I needed it the most... that He is present... He knows how I feel... He spoke to someone else's heart to prompt her to write these words.... knowing that it would bring the comfort I needed tonight.

I know we have so many friends and family praying for Gary and appreciate it so much. I can't imagine what he would be going through if it wasn't for those prayers!

DECEMBER 23

Gary has continued to have severe pain and nausea today. After a restless night, I called the doctor to see what we should do. The nurse said she would give the message and get back with me. Shortly after lunch, she called to say the doctor on call wanted me to bring Gary into the emergency room so they can make sure there is nothing more going on. We spent over three hours there as they administered a higher dose of morphine, called Fentanyl. It was fast acting and took the worse of the pain away, but only stays in the system for an hour, so they administered it 3 times. Gary is home, but still not pain free. Hopefully, this stint in the emergency room will help take the edge off of the pain and he will be able to rest tonight. He does not want to be admitted in the hospital, so will try to manage the pain as much as he can. We appreciate your prayers so much!

DECEMBER 22

My heart is heavy tonight. I had hoped Gary would continue to have good days this week as we celebrate Christmas, but if today is any indication of what is in store for him this week, then it will not be good. He has been in terrible pain even with all the pain meds. In the past, he would get some relief except for 30-45 minutes of every 4 hour period. Today, he has been pretty miserable all day. He needs your prayers!

DECEMBER 21

Today Gary has felt pretty good ... compared to last week, it is like night and day. He started to have pain in his head, but the increased dosage of the Morphine was taking care of it. Please pray with us, that it will continue to do so. Gary felt well enough to get in some exercise as well. He walked up and down the hallway and even some of the stairs a few times. This may not seem like much, but it has been over a month since he felt well enough to walk up and down a hallway. Our son, Brian and his wife Kristina arrived today and will stay until the 31st. It will be good to have them here with us for awhile. Thank you for your prayers!

NEW CELL PHONE NUMBERS

We have new cell numbers:

**JEANIE - 918 606 7622

GARY - 918 606 7822

** preferred number to call, since Gary is not always able to talk

DECEMBER 20

Thank you for your prayers. Gary has been pain free today. Doing so much better. Hopefully it will continue. In the past, after a Rituxan treatment, he would be pain free for about 2 days. This time, however, he has an increased dose of Morphine, so we are praying that it will help when the pain does return! Today was a good day to just stay in and watch it snow!

A GIVING HEART

Okay, this really has nothing to do with Gary's health, but about my grandchildren and what a blessing they are to Gary and I ... AND a special surprise they are about to receive.My daughter is a single mother to our three grandkids. Tyler, 11, Brandon, almost 9, and Brianna, 7. Like most kids their ages, they have given their "wish list" for Christmas many months ago. Actually, they each only wanted one (expensive) "toy".At the same time, they have been asking Becky when she would be taking them to buy Christmas presents for their Papaw and Bamaw (Gary and I) and even asking if they would be buying a present for the Angel Tree...http://helpangeltree.org/index.jsp?gclid=CLfXwc2U0JcCFQZlswodx2T8DQ... like they have done in past years.

Well, because finances have been tight for Becky and the fact that her car finally "gave up the ghost", she wasn't sure if she would be able to buy presents for her children, let alone anyone else . The other night she sat them all down and explained how she would be needing to put a down payment on a car, and that if she bought them the gift they wanted most, there would be no money to buy presents for anyone else. All three told her that they would rather buy gifts for others, than to get the present they wanted. *Big smile*

I could end this post right here and it would still be a blessing to share. How wonderful, to see our grandchildren learning that it is much better to give, than to receive!

But it doesn't end here .... The next day, a lady who would like to remain anonymous, called to ask if Becky had already bought her kids the big items that they wanted. Becky told her that she hadn't and explained why. This lady told her that she had just sent her daughter to buy those "toys" for the kids! WOW! Both Becky and I cried over the phone when Becky related all this.

I can't wait to hear how my grandkids react, when they find out on Christmas Day, that because they first gave to others, God led someone to give them the very thing they really wanted.

"Give and it shall be given to you: good measure, pressed down, and shaken together and running over..." John 6:38

DECEMBER 19

Gary went to the hospital early this morning for blood draws and then for his weekly Rituxan treatment. They have a special section just for those receiving chemo treatments and separate rooms. Gary lays on a bed and they hook him up to an IV. First, they give a dose of Tylenol, then Benedryl to offset any side affects of the Rituxan. The next step is to infuse a bag of prednisone, then the Rituxan. They have to administer this slowly and have a system for it, but I won't go into that here. (you can google it if interested, *smile*) This takes, on average 4 hours from start to finish. During that time, Gary can watch TV or read.... but most of the time, he sleeps due to the Benedryl. *big smile* The treatment came at a good time. Because of the steroid that is given, Gary usually has a few days without pain and now that he has his Morphine dose increased as well, he should do well at least for a few days. We appreciate so much the prayers and outpouring of encouraging words. Just a simple note saying that you are praying for Gary means so much!

DECEMBER 18

Gary has continued to struggle with the fatigue and the pain today. I called his doctor to see what can be done and they are going to increase his dosage of Morphine, so hopefully he will have a restful night. The fatigue could be due to his platelets dropping and maybe even his red blood cells. They ordered a blood test for in the morning to check on that. He will go early to have that done before getting his weekly Rituxan treatment. We appreciate every one's prayers so much! I can't imagine Gary having to go through what he has without the prayer and support of everyone.

DECEMBER 17

This week, while reading articles at Insight For Living, I came across an article that was a blessing to me and I wanted to share it with you. The author, Wayne Stiles, graciously has given me permission to copy and post it on this blog.

LOSING OUR TRAINING WHEELS

The fall season often reminds me of the day when one of my daughters learned to ride her bike without training wheels. (The “fall” was an appropriate time for this event.)As she sped down a hill toward a huge ravine, I saw written all over her face the message: “I’m not in control!” So as she flew by me, I reached out and lifted her off the bike—saving her from the ravine but causing her to fall. As the bike launched into the abyss, my rescued daughter hopped up hotter than a hornet!“Why did you do that, Daddy?!” To answer, I pointed to the bottomless gorge I saved her from . . . but she still couldn’t believe that I would cause her to fall.Years later, I pondered how we can carry this attitude into our relationship with God. The words of one woman make this clear:

I was raised in a conservative church where we were taught to seek God’s guidance. But I’ve concluded that all that teaching was a crock! Where was God when I needed Him? Why didn’t He give me a better family? Why Didn’t He let me marry better men? God knew what was going to happen to me. He could have stopped it. But instead He’s letting me wallow in misery. It’s not fair.

The Christian life should bring the good things in life, right? God’s powerful love should protect us from having awful families, from miserable marriages, from losing our jobs, from losing a child, or from having accidents only “other people” have. So when reality hits, God becomes the scapegoat—because He could have stopped it all.“How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1). King David’s honest prayer reflects our own cries, doesn’t it? Nothing aches so badly as God’s apparent apathy.

Our culture points to our pain as proof that God doesn’t exist; but the devil uses our pain to convince us that God doesn’t care. (Take a moment and read that again.) And if Satan can get us to doubt God’s goodness, we stand on the edge of a life that uses our anger to justify sin.

But notice, David not only expressed his feelings of abandonment, but he affirmed his faith in God’s goodness—even though he could not see it: “But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation” (v. 5). Even within the blur of seeming betrayal, David clung to God’s good character.As parents, we can all understand why I jerked my daughter off her bike. But as a child, she lacked the capacity to understand my actions as coming from a heart of love. She couldn’t see past her pain toward the reason I allowed it—and even caused it.

As God’s children, we often lack this same insight.If we acknowledge our Father’s goodness only in the pleasant things He allows, we yield to a childish nature that misses an astounding part of God’s love. We miss the wonderful growth we can experience from praising a good God who uses even our pain for our advantage.

www.waynestiles.com

DECEMBER 16

I am at a loss for words tonight. I feel like each post lately is a "broken record" of Gary not feeling good, or Gary is in pain. At yet, I know there are many that check in daily to see how Gary is doing. All I can say is.... Gary has not felt good all day. He woke abruptly to throwing up and has spent the day either in bed or reclined in his chair. He did not complain too much of the pain in his head, so either he is getting used to it, or the pain meds are doing their job. His main complaint was severe fatigue and just an overall feeling of nausea and "not feeling good". So far, he hasn't quit eating all together, just does not eat much. Just pray for him. He told me today that he is just so tired of being sick.

DECEMBER 15

Gary had a relatively pain free weekend..... something that always happens after getting a large dose of steroids as he did on Friday. He has just been very tired and weak. It did not help that we were abruptly awaken at 3am to the fire alarms going off. We had to evacuate at least to the lower floor by the door until the firemen gave the green light. I can tell you that, at 3am, 20 below temps and the wind blowing something fierce, it would not have been pleasant to have to leave the building completely!

Today, the pain in Gary's head is back. He can get relief from the pain meds to some extent, but they usually wear off 30 to 45 min. before he could take another pill. Those minutes can be very hard to handle at times. We were hoping that after the second Rituxan treatment, he would not be in pain, but doesn't look like that will be the case. We appreciate you praying for him. I truly do not know how he would be able to handle all this, if it wasn't for all the prayers! Thank you!

DECEMBER 12

Gary had to be at the hospital bright and early this morning for blood draws. Then after lunch, he saw his primary doctor. Needless to say, the doctor was not happy with what had transpired with Gary in his absence. He walked in and said, "Hey troublemaker!" (see? He knew Gary's name! -- see previous post) *smile*

Gary asked "what happened?" and the doctor very seriously explained that there was enough time between chemo treatments, that the cancer just grew. Wow! We are only talking a week or two!

The doctor will continue with the proposed treatment plan of getting a large dose of Rituxan once a week (which he did this evening) and the Temodar once a month. They will do another MRI toward the end of the month to see if it is having an effect. If not, there are a couple other chemo drugs they can try. They will probably stay with this plan for at least one, maybe two months before considering the stem cell transplant again. We appreciate and NEED your prayers!

RANDOM THOUGHTS

Sometimes, in my dreams, I dream songs. Has this ever happened to you? I think God brings certain songs to my mind as a way to bring comfort, remind me of a promise or just to bring a smile to my face when I awake. Sometimes the songs are not familiar, as if it is a new song that I am writing . Too bad I never can remember the melody or words clearly enough to write down once I awaken.

This happened to me last night. This time, I recognized the song and knew the words, so I ended up humming the melody all day today. This song is not one that I would have thought I would be singing in my sleep, but made me ponder on it today nonetheless. See if you can recognize it ....

"Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help alot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go.... Where everybody knows your name. And they're always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same. You wanna be where everyone knows your name."-- Gary Portnoy & Judy Hart Angelo

Now, I could probably look into alot of reasons why those words would come to my mind, and some of you may frown at me, making reference to a song about a bar (TV show Cheers). The truth is, I recently have seen a new Dr. Pepper commercial that is using it, and I always laugh out loud at that. (I know... it doesn't take much.)

In spite of how the song is being used, it made me think of our life in the Philippines. Since being in the States for nearly a year now, we are very homesick for our home. One of the cultural adjustments we deal with, is always being stared at. It was very hard to get used to that when we were new missionaries, but now that we have been there 20+ years ... I kind of miss it. *sigh*

I have become used to walking into a restaurant and not only have everyone greet me, but they "know my name". When I go to a supermarket, the cashiers and bag boys will try to out do each other, calling after me in hopes that I will choose their lane. In the small provincial town we used to minister in, the policeman directing traffic near the main Plaza, would stop all the intersecting lanes to allow us to pass through .... every time. Even though I wouldn't seek out any special treatment, these acts do make me feel special.

So, I guess that is why the song came to mind... I miss being special. *embarrassed smile*

Come on, admit it.... wouldn't YOU like to go where "everyone knows your name, and they're always glad you came?" And like the Dr. Pepper commercial, everyone screamed and cheered and threw confetti? Well.... maybe not all that, but you get what I am saying. We all want to feel special and know that people are always glad we came. Just think what heaven is going to be like! The welcome crowd that we will see when we arrive! Who knows.... we might even get confetti!

WHAT $1000 LOOKS LIKE

1 dose of Gary's chemo drug, Temodar. Tonight was the last of a 5 day treatment.

DECEMBER 10

There is no real change with Gary. He is still feeling extreme pain on the side of his face and head, but so far has been able to take the edge off with the pain meds he has been given. He absolutely does not want to be in the hospital, so unless it becomes unbearable, he will deal with it. The chemo drug side effects are starting to show. Making him very weak and just an overall feeling of "blah". He does not have to get out until Friday, so is able to rest. I want to thank those of you that have called recently. It always lifts his spirit. We thank you for your prayers!

NO MORE NIGHT

I came across this video this week, and although it is not a new song, nor sung by a new singer, it still was a blessing to me. It is wonderful to be reminded that "we live in the light of the risen Lamb" and one day there will be no more night, no more pain, no more tears! What a great promise we have as believers in Christ.

DECEMBER 8

Gary once again started experiencing severe pain on the right side of his face/head. I called the hematology unit to ask if they should see him and they said yes. We went in shortly after lunch and met with one of the doctors on the team. He said that if it progressed to the point Gary could not stand it, they would once again admit him in the hospital, but it would be Gary's call. If the tingling and numbness on his face gets worse, then we would call as well. As of this writing, Gary is able to take the edge off the pain by adding Loritab to his present pain medicine routine and really does not want to go in the hospital. So please pray that he can manage it and be able to stay at home.

I asked the doctor to explain further what is going on with this new relapse, since the medicine they sent him home with says it is for brain tumors. He said the Temodar is the only drug that will get into the brain itself, even the chemo will not do that. This does not mean that there is a different development as far as a tumor in his brain, but that the main nerves that run along side his face are infected with the Lymphoma and the nerve that really lights up, goes into the brain.

This explained alot to me. I could not fathom why this new manifestation had not been taken care of with the chemo treatments as the other places in his body had. It just shows how very nasty Lymphoma is and very unpredictable it can be. Until Gary's main doctor returns later this week, the plan is still for him to take this Temodar for 5 days and then the Rituxan and steroid treatment once a week.

This new development has hit Gary hard. He really had his spirits up going into the process of the transplant, thinking that most of the cancer was gone and the transplant was just an extra insurance against it coming back. This fight will not be an easy one and will not be over any time soon. We really appreciate your prayers and I would ask that you especially pray for not only the pain tolerance, but also for Gary's emotional and mental state.

DECEMBER 7

Today has been pretty uneventful. Gary spent the day resting. The new drug they sent him home with, Temodar (Temoxolomide), caused him to throw up during the night. Hopefully, it will not be the same tonight. He had a slight headache this morning, which could be a symptom of the new drug also, and still has tingling and numbness on the right side of his face and lip. Really notices it when he eats. Tomorrow, we will be able to find out when we will be meeting with his primary doctor to find out the new strategy of treatment. Thank you for your prayers!

DECEMBER 6

Gary is out of the hospital! The Rituxan and steroid they gave him last night helped tremendously with the pain. The doctors were even surprised. They sent him home with a prescription for a chemo drug to be taken for the next five days. Almost $5000! At this point, there is no real schedule for the stem cell transplant. They have to get rid of the active Lymphoma first. He will receive the Rituxan and steroid treatment once a week and the chemo drug once a month. We will know more this next week after we talk with his doctor. I appreciate so much your prayers and words of encouragement! I have no doubt that the prayers work and gave Gary the relief from the pain that he needed.

DECEMBER 5

Today, we received confirmation that the pain in and around Gary's right eye is the Lymphoma in the nerves. There are tumors in around the nerve bundle. This is the same as it is in his brachial plexus. I just can't quite get my mind wrapped around the idea that the chemo treatments Gary was receiving seemingly took care of what was on the left side of his face and now 3 weeks later, it is manifesting itself on the right.

The doctors started Gary on a treatment of Rituxin and a steroid, which they hope will also give him relief from the pain. At this time, they are still discussing among themselves the next best course of treatment. They are hesitant to give the Methotrexate for 2 reasons... 1 being that it is so hard on Gary's kidneys and 2, there is a national shortage on the rescue drug Loucovorin. They have other options with that, but because of Gary's past experiences, they do not want to take any chances. They are leaning toward giving him a chemo drug that is in pill form which he could take at home and then come in once a week for the Rituxin.

The main issue right now is giving him relief from the pain. I can't explain to you how bad he is suffering. It is very hard to watch and not be able to do anything. The drugs they are giving him in the hospital are helping take the edge off for a few hours and then he has to suffer for about an hour and a half before the next dosage takes effect. Hopefully the steroid they gave him tonight will start working. Until he is better with the pain, they will not release him.

I appreciate so much the comments, emails and phone calls from all of you letting me know you are praying. This afternoon I met another patient who was commenting that his treatments are going very well with his leukemia. He smiled and said, "But I have an amazing prayer support that would be the envy of all and that is making the difference for me."

I thought about that as I walked back to Gary's room. My first thought was, "well, WE too have an amazing prayer support and things are not looking so good right now." *with a slight tinge of sadness*. And then almost immediately God spoke to my heart. The thought came to me... Who is to say that all the prayers are not working? Without the prayers, Gary might be worse by now or even gone on to heaven. Why do we always think that when we get the answers WE want or things go how WE think they should go... that God answered our prayers? And when WE don't get what WE want, He didn't? God's plan may be different than our plan and it is all being worked out according to His purpose. For whatever reason, God in His infinite wisdom, has chosen to give Gary a terrible disease, and for whatever reason, He has chosen to not give us a quick "fix". What God wants me to do, is to rest in His plan and trust Him in whatever the future holds.

DECEMBER 4

Today has not been a good day for Gary. He has been having pain behind his right eye for a little over a week now. During Thanksgiving weekend the pain progressively became worse and more frequent. His doctor had already scheduled him to have a MRI of his brain this morning, so Gary waited to say anything to the doctor about it getting worse.

After the MRI, he was scheduled to see a surgeon to talk about the central line that will be put in for the blood harvesting. After talking with the surgeon and the nurse assigned to him by the transplant team, they called in another Lymphoma doctor, since Gary's doctor is away. The results from the MRI had not been put in the system, but the doctor called to ask them to rush and give us an initial reading.

He explained that there is a large nerve that runs along side your face (see photo below) and the initial look at the MRI shows "something". Right now, they do not know if it is the Lymphoma showing up in this nerve or something else, so they are postponing further preparation for the blood harvesting until they can run some more test. They also have called in a neurological oncologist to see him in the morning.

Because his pain is not manageable at home, they admitted him to the hospital so they can control it better. They also did another lumbar puncture tonight. We will know more after the test are all in tomorrow.

This is a disappointed to say the least. Please pray that Gary will get relief from the pain and whatever this new development is, it will be something that can be treated.

BLOOD HARVEST

The first step in collecting cells for the transplant is to get the bone marrow to produce more blood stem cells. This process is called "priming." Before and during apheresis, Gary will get daily injections of growth factors. Growth factors cause the bone marrow to increase the production of stem cells and move them into the circulating blood so they can be collected. The most common side effects of growth factor injections include muscle and joint aches, and fever.

Stem cells are obtained from your circulating blood through a process called apheresis. Aperesis separates blood into its different parts (usually red blood cells, platelets, white blood cells), and, in this case, separates out the stem cells. Gary's stem cells will be harvested through a central line.

Blood is drawn from the vein and circulates through a machine that removes the stem cells. The remaining blood is then returned to your body through the central line. The collected stem cells will be frozen until Gary has completed the chemo treatments.

Gary will start getting the growth factor shots tomorrow if all goes as planned. These are administered to his stomach and he may have to do this twice a day. He will do this every day through Sunday. At that time, they will test to see how many cells he is making. If the number is correct, he will then start the blood harvesting on Monday. He will go to the hospital every day for 5 days and spend 5 hours on the machine. We appreciate your prayers for Gary during this time. He will also have a MRI on his brain tomorrow. Please pray that the pain in his eye is not a new development.

SLIDESHOW

As some of you may have noticed.... I have placed a slideshow on the right side of the blog. For those of you that are new to blogger, you can click on the photo and it will take you to a different page where the photos will be larger and easier to see. You can also click on album and download pictures if interested. (Although, I have posted them in a lower pixel for the slideshow and they are all in black and white to match the layout of the blog.) I have tried to delete the pictures I took of the Mayo Clinic buildings and my Picasa site says they are not in the album, but they keep showing up on the slideshow.... so if any of you are familiar with blogger and the new slidshow application... let me know. *smile* I will add new photos to the slideshow the first of each month so check back again!

DECEMBER 2

We are back in Rochester, after spending a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with all our family! I was not sure Gary should make the long trip, but he promised to rest as often as he needed to, and I am so glad we decided to go. We both needed the time away and to be with family. Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays. As missionaries, living outside of the States, we can appreciate and be grateful for the country that we were born into. It truly is a time of giving THANKS for all God has done for us!All our immediate family was present for this holiday and we had a wonderful time with them! Being with our children and grandchildren was the "shot in the arm" we both needed.

We shared the day with both sides of our family, Day and Phillips. My sister, Debi married Gary's brother Perry and since both our parents live in the same town along with another sister, we usually do our holidays together. I think sometimes, we forget who is on what side of the family. *grin* Everyone was present on both sides except for one nephew and his wife, who needed to be with her family this year. Two sets of grandparents, 8 children along with 7 spouses, 16 grandchildren with 2 spouses and 2 girlfriends, and 5 great grandchildren present. 40 in all!

Part of the tradition my sisters and mother have done every year at Thanksgiving, is head out to the stores on Friday morning. I have never been able to join in on this event, so even though getting up at 4am was totally against any common sense, I went. We had a great day just enjoying each others company!Several of the men decided they would go fishing and took my grandsons along with them. On the way home, my second grandson, Brandon said to his great-uncle Perry, "You know... my Mom, and your wife, and my Bamaw went shopping at 4:00 this morning! ... That's just stupid!" *big grin* But I wonder, who really was the smart ones? Those that went shopping, or those who braved the cold to go fishing with 4 little boys, two of which are of my blood and like to talk! *bigger grin* I love our family!

Even though Gary really enjoyed his time in Oklahoma, he was feeling bad the whole time. The pain in his right eye has been excruciating. I drove the 12 hours yesterday with him sleeping on a makeshift bed in the back of the van. It was a rough trip for him and so he is resting today. He needs your prayers. On Thursday, he will have a MRI done of his brain to see if there is something else causing the pain and will start the growth factor shots to prepare for harvesting his stem cells. My prayer is this transplant will take care of the cancer and he will not have to go through any more treatments after this!