A much-anticipated update

• John, Priscilla & Isaac met with a kidney cancer specialist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (university med school) this past Wednesday to see about different treatment options. Because John is so weak, and because both his kidneys are not functioning well, he has no good options for strong and/or invasive treatment. This rules out high-doseages of chemo and any sort of operation or transplant.

• He is a great candidate for at-home chemo, which is a prescribed pill that you take on a set schedule. Sort of like an "on again/off again" doseage. Side effects include nasea/ vomitting, diarhea, etc... and hair loss. So big changes for John there!! The pill has been ordered from their local pharmacy and should arrive within 10 days or so (I think). When they delivered the script from the doctor, they learned that the co-pay would be about $25/month. Without insurance, this Rx can be as much as $7,500/month!! Can you only imagine...

• John continues this up-hill battle with all the grace & humor for which he is known, but his body is not regenerating itself at all. He continues to be on standby at the local hospital if his levels indicate a need for new, fresh blood. He is weak, fragile-looking, and battles coughing if he engages in conversation. This is most likely due to fluid build-up around the heart, a common problem with cancer.

• Priscilla is holding up well, taking time in the morning to get out of the house & put in a few hours at the boys' home accross the street. Most of the boys and staff know John & Priscilla very well and it is a great relationship that Priscilla can maintain, combatting the feelings of helplessness. Her mantra remains the same, "God is in control." At this point, it is the only thing that keeps her going.

• Isaac is back from Alaska, returning to main land culture, and keeping busy in the afternoons when Priscilla returns home from the Beckett House. We haven't spoken too much, but he remains hopeful, knowing that God has it all under control.

• Matt & I are planning another trip for an extended Mother's Day weekend. Bernie & Martha (Priscilla's sister & brother-in-law) have made plans to visit, so we will carpool and help out with the driving. Matt has had to work through some low emotions recently, so this will be incredibly good for him. It's a rare opportunity for me, because I won't be able to break away from work all summer with any ease.

There is a website I found helpful:

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/kidney/page1