Saturday, November 8, 2008

Josh's Memorial Service

My family and I would really like to thank everyone who came to Josh's memorial service. It was so nice to see how many people really cared for my brother! Thank you all for your prayers, kind words, meals, flowers, cards, etc. If you didn't get to sign the guest book, please let me know and we can arrange a time for you to sign it.

I would like to apologize to my grandmother! I'm so sorry I forgot to put you in the obituary! It should've said survived by his grandmother Deloris Parrish of Sierra Vista and for some reason I forgot to write that! Jeff and I wrote the obituary together and we've never had to write one before so we did the best we could. Jeff would also like to apologize to everyone who donated time to Josh, Rosie, and Mom. He wanted to mention you also and forgot! We're so sorry!

I would like to let everyone know that after the service, Dennis came up to me and told me that a few people told him that they accepted Christ as their savior when he gave the invitation during the service. If you were one of those people I would love to hear from you so I can put that in the book that I'm making. You can email me at memoriesofjosh@hotmail.com When he told me this it made me happy to know that Josh and his faith had made such an impact on you! I consider that part of the "silver lining"!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Memories for Josh

Over the last several days, I've really enjoyed hearing other people's stories and thoughts about my brother. It's really nice to know how highly everybody thought of him! I created an email account- memoriesofjosh@hotmail.com I would like to ask that anybody who has comments, stories, fond memories, pics., etc and would like to share them with us to please email them to me. When things calm down I would like to take all of that and make books for his boys to have. We have lots of stories to tell them about their Daddy, but I thought it would be nice for them to hear them from other people as well.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Funeral Services for Josh

The memorial service for Josh is going to be held on Friday, Nov. 7th at 1:30pm. The service will be held at the Main Post Chapel on Ft. Huachuca.

If you do not have a sticker to get on post you will need to stop and get a visitor pass. Passes can be obtained at the visitor's center at the Main Gate; please be sure you bring your Drivers License, Registration, and proof of insurance. All adults in the vehicle will be asked to present picture ID at the gate.


Google Map to Post Chapel:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=&daddr=31.554933,-110.355735&hl=en&geocode=&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=16&sll=31.555692,-110.35672&sspn=0.007533,0.013518&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=16

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Josh isn't in pain anymore. He went to be with the Lord shortly after12 this afternoon. He was surrounded by his family and friends.

Thank you all for your prayers and support! Please continue to pray for the whole family!

I will post an update as soon as the all the arrangements are made.

I'm sorry but I just can't write anymore today!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Sorry it's taken so long to update, it's been really crazy and I was having a hard time finding the right words. I'm not very good at this!

Josh is home from the hospital. The Dr.'s are saying that right now the most important thing they can do is manage his pain. They sent him home with a pain pump and hospice is coming to the house to take care of that and anything else he needs. His blood count is still really low and his calcium levels are high. In 2 weeks they will re-assess what's going on and Josh can decide if he wants to do the next round of chemo or not. Mom has taken off from work to be with him and Dad is still home with a bad back! Please pray that God will give Josh a miracle! Please pray that we can keep him comfortable! Pleas pray for God to give our whole family strength!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

In the hospital again

Just wanted to let everyone know that Josh was admitted into the hospital last night. He had a blood clot in his colostomy and they told him to come up and get checked out. His blood count was low so they admitted him and gave him a blood transfusion. When Mom called this morning he told her they were most likely going to keep him in but he didn't say anything else. Mom is on her way up Tuscon now, so I will update this again when we find out anything more! Please keep him and our family in your prayers!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

New Chemo

Just wanted to let everyone know that Josh started a new chemo last Thursday. He went to the Cancer Center in Tucson on Thurs. and Friday last week for two treatments and then this week on Mon. Tues, and today. After this I think he waits 3 weeks and does it over again. He's been really tired! Please pray that this treatment will work and that he will get some relief from the pain!

Friday, October 10, 2008

He's out of the hospital!

Mom brought Josh home from the hospital this evening. One order said he needed to stay on a liquid diet but then they told him he could eat whatever he could tolerate! Who knows! I don't know a lot of the details but one of the new things is that he will go back to Tucson on Thursday for a new type of chemo. Thankfully he gets to do it at the Cancer Center and doesn't have to go to the hospital. As of right now he will stop the treatments in CA. Sorry this is so short and doesn't have much info. I will update it when I have more. Thank you for all your prayers while he was in the hospital. Please continue to pray that he will be able to eat, that he will get some relief from the pain, and that they will find something that will work to shrink the tumors!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

The scan has been read by the Dr. now and there is no blockage! Thank goodness! They gave him a patch for the pain and so far it's working. He's been able to eat a little bit and has had "output". They're going to keep him overnight to make sure everything is working! Please continue to pray!
Mom and Dad went to Tucson this morning to be with Josh.

Mom just called and said that they're waiting for the official reading of the scan, but the surgical team just came by and said that they don't see a blockage. They think it might be constipation from all the pain meds. They're trying to get him a patch for pain relief. Right now they're not letting him eat or drink anything just in case. Josh is hoping that while he's there they will go ahead and scope him just to make sure and that may help push stuff out. They are also talking about starting him on another type of intense chemo, but they can't really decide on that until they make sure that there isn't a blockage.

I will post more as soon as I hear anything so check back occasionally. Please continue to pray that everything will be ok.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Below is what I copied from Josh's website. He wrote this after his treatment last week. He went to Tucson today for a Dr.'s appt. and got admitted to the hospital this evening. They're afraid he's got a bowel obstruction/blockage. They were supposed to do a CAT Scan and and MRI but for some reason it didn't get done tonight. I guess he's supposed to get it tomorrow, but for now they're keeping him in the hospital. Please pray that if it is a blockage that it will be easy for them to fix it w/o surgery! Please pray for some pain relief and that he'll get to come home very soon! He hates being in the hospital! Also please pray that they'll know which treatment to do make things better and keep the tumors from growing.

They went ahead and gave me another treatment. I have to meet with my Tucson doc to see if we're going to continue with this or not. I'm thinking that I'll stop this treatment and do another high dose chemo regimen like the one I was on before. I think it's another 5 days in the hospital for each treatment and again every 3 weeks. If I can get through 1-2 of those treatments, it may get me to a better state and then I can go back to the ET743 and maintain it until we can find something else. At this point, I think we really just have to find something to reduce the mass to get me comfortable again. I'm getting worse and on top of the pain and not sleeping, it's getting really hard to eat. I've lost some more weight and can't really eat many solid foods. I've been eating a lot of soups and pudding. I'm dying for some Taco Bell Chalupas, but last time I did that I was up ALL night in pain.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Below is the latest update from Josh's trip to CA this last week.

They screwed up again so I spent 2 extra days out there. I don't understand how a doctors office can operate like they do. My scan was Monday and my treatment was supposed to be on Wednesday. I did the math and it was cheaper for me to stay in Santa Monica between the scan and treatment rather than fly in and out each day. The scan on Monday went smoothly and afterwards I went into the Sarcoma Center to get some blood work done so I could get my next round of treatment on Wednesday. They finished what they needed to do, but failed to tell me they were done and let me just sit there for about an hour before asking me why I was still sitting there.Pissed off! It's one big open room and they had passed by me I don't know how many times. Was it so hard to say "that's all for today"? I clarified that I didn't need to do anything else until Wednesday and that I could come in first thing when they opened to the start treatment. They told me that was it and that they would get me in and out Wednesday morning so I could get home to my family.

So Tuesday I went down to the 3rd St. Promenade to catch a movie (couldn't think of anything else to do). I had a bit of time to kill so I walked around and found a cool toy store that had LOTS of Star Wars toys. They had a few really cool vintage toys, but money is tight so I had to restrain myself. I went in first thing Wednesday morning (first one there), got my weight, and sat down in one of the chairs. After about 15 minutes they came around to check my vitals and accessed my port-a-cath and drew some blood. After another 20 minutes or so I heard them ask if it was OK to start me. I heard the head nurse say no and that I need to talk to the doctor. I asked, across the room, if there was a problem with my PET scan from Monday and she said "yes it wasn't good". So I figured that there had been growth since my first treatment and that they were not going to let me continue. The doctor came in and walked past me several times. I asked one of the nurses what was going on and she went to check. I heard the head nurse tell her that they wanted me to continue with the treatment and to go ahead and start me. After some time had passed (they still hadn't started me), the head nurse came over to me and said that the drug company screwed up and that my medicine wasn't there. She said I needed to stay another day and that my drugs would be there Thursday morning around 10:30. I'm a grown man but I'll admit that it took all of my strength to keep myself from crying. I re-emphasized how expensive these trips are and said that they need to make sure my drugs are there before I fly out there. They should have verified that my drugs were there on Tuesday knowing that I would be there Wednesday for treatment.

I was there for about another 2 hours before we finally got everything settled. The drug company agreed to pay for the additional night at the hotel, the additional day of the rental car, and the cost of changing my flight. The only thing I don't get back is the extra day away from my family. What else could I do, so I got out of there and went back to my hotel. Luckily I was able to get my room back and then I spent the next hour changing my flight and rental car reservations.

I went in Thursday morning a little early to make sure that they got me started on time so I could make my flight. Everything went pretty smoothly. I was hoping to get done in time to make an earlier flight (since they paid to change the ticket, my ticket became a normal ticket so it could be changed again without a fee). They finished up and said I was good to go. I still had time to make the earlier flight. I made a quick trip to the bathroom and when I came out I heard them say "oh, there he is". AARGHH!Pissed off! .... NOW WHAT? They told me that I need to stick around because they needed to do another EKG. I asked why and they said that when they examined me earlier I had an irregular heartbeat and to be safe they needed to do it. Both of the examine rooms had patients in them so I had to wait until a room was free. My chances of getting on the earlier flight were diminishing. They finally got me in and did the EKG and I got out of there as quickly as I could. I made it to the gate of the earlier flight with 20 minutes to spare.Blue Bounce Luckily the flight was pretty empty so I got a good window seat.

Hopefully the next round will go smoothly. I'll be doing day trips every other week from now on. I'll be sure to leave enough time between my flights in event of delays.

Thanks again for all the prayers, please keep on praying.

-Josh

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Below is what I copied from Josh's 4wheeling site. Sorry it's taken so long to update this. Like normal things are pretty busy around here.

After some hassles from the California Doc's office, I finally got everything taken care of to start the new treatment. To keep this short, lets just say I had to make a few trips out there to get all the paperwork, tests, and scans done. I finally got my first treatment of the new drug last week.

I've been having the side pains again and I'm back on the pain killers (3 times a day). Today I met with my Tucson doc for my monthly exam. I showed him a new lump I found on the right side of my ribs near the lump I had found a month, or so, ago. This new lump felt harder like it was bone. He examined the area and said that there are actually 2 new lumps and he said it wasn't bone, but felt like they are attached to the ribs. He feels that they are tumors based on how they physically felt. Best thing we can do is hope that this new treatment will be effective in either getting rid of them, or keep them from growing. They are getting a little painful when I lay on my right side. Every once in a while it feels like needle pokes.

Next week I'm out there for 3 days because my scan is on Monday and my treatment is on Wednesday. It was more expensive for me to fly home and come back, so I'm just going to stay the extra day. Maybe I'll actually get out of the hotel room and drive down the street to the beach. I think I'm about a mile from the beach each time I go out there and I still haven't been down there. Either that or maybe I'll find one of those go-kart tracks and get a few laps in.

Then I'll be going out for day trips every other week after that. I'll have PET scans here and there that will require extra trips, but those should be more spread out. Maybe I should just move to California. I think I could rent a loft apartment for about what I pay for my mortgage here.


He left for CA Monday morning for the next round of treatments. Please pray that things will go better this time and that he'll have a safe trip. When he went out the first time he was told that he had done everything they needed him to do and that he could go home. After he flew home they told him they still needed him to do a few other things so his next trip out lasted longer than it was supposed to.

Having to go to CA so often now is becoming physically and financially draining. He's thinking about selling his "rock crawler" (technically I think it's called an FJ40 Land Cruiser) to help pay for his trips to CA. Please pray that everything will work out. Please pray that God will give him the strength and the money he needs to make these trips. If anyone knows someone in the Santa Monica area that might be willing to let Josh stay with them or help with transportation, please let use know. Thank you again for all your prayers and support! Please continue to pray that these treatments will work and that he will get some relief from the pain.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Josh and Ethan at Disneyland


Last week Josh went to Tucson for a Dr.'s appt. They were able to go in with a needle and remove 2 1/4 liters of fluid from his abdomen. This alleviated some of his pain! He was even able to go into work for a little while last week!

He also had a CAT scan done that day. I guess the scan showed that everything was pretty much the same. At least the tumors haven't grown, especially since he hasn't had a treatment in a long time!

He decided to start the new treatment in CA. He will fly out tomorrow to fill out the paperwork and then he will have a PET scan on Thursday and then fly home after that. Below are some things I cut and pasted from his 4-Wheeling site.

Aug. 13th- I met with the TX doctor yesterday and he won't operate either. He at least took the time to explain to me why an operation is not possible at this time. Basically the 2 main arteries in my pelvis are encapsulated by the tumors so removing the tumors is not possible. If only one was encapsulated then there would be a chance, but that's not the case.

He felt that tumors are showing a lot of necrosis and said that cells will swell as they die so that may be why some of the tumors appear bigger and I have more pressure. Now I'm torn between continuing on my current treatment to see if things improve (since there is more necrosis, maybe I just need to give it more time to start shrinking), or switching to the new treatment hoping for faster results but not knowing what it will bring me. I have to make a decision in the next day or so and I just don't know what to do.

Aug. 15th-I met with my doc in Tucson yesterday. I was all prepared to discuss the 2 treatments (my current ET743, and the new one MKC1106-PP) and make a decision.


My doctor does not want me to wait for the OTHER treatment (R1507 {an IGF-1R inhibitor} combined with Everolimus {an mTor inhibitor}). He doesn't feel like I have time to wait for it (even doing one of the other treatments while I wait). He said if it was him, he would forget ET743, and MKC1106-PP and do the other IGF1R inhibitor that I can start in California right now. This is not R1507 but it is the same type of drug, just a different manufacturer.

So we have a monkey wrench. A third option that I wasn't really considering until yesterday. Both R1507 and Everolimus have shown great results as mono-therapies so combining them theoretically should be even better. There is no guarantee, however, that this new trial will start in the next month or two, or ever for that matter. Many of these trials get canned before they ever even start. If the IGF-1R treatment alone works, then I'm that much better off. This is the treatment that I've wanted to start for the past few months, the only reason I didn't start it for my last treatment is because I heard of the upcoming one. The doctor says we have good data on the IGF-1R working by itself, so why wait?

I've had MANY people praying that I make the right decision, and yesterday (when it was still just between the 2 drugs) I had no idea which way to go. I now feel strongly that my new 3rd option (IGF-1R alone) is the way to go. I'm going to call the doctor in California in the next few minutes to discuss this 3rd option, so if there is no problems with me starting it, that's the way I'm going.

Aug. 19th- Thank God, I got some relief today. They were able to drain 2 1/4 liters of fluid from my abdomen today. It wasn't really painful. I felt a little stick when they poked me for the lidicain, then a pinch when they pushed through the peritoneal lining. They had to do it 3 times before they got it to drain. First time the catheter kinked and the 2nd time it got clogged. 3rd time was the charm. My abdomen looks much better, I can actually see where my belly button should be. I have a bit of a valley across my abdomen when I lay down. Much less pressure, hopefully tomorrow the pain (that I've been having in my side) will go away. It already feels a little better tonight. I've been soaking through the bandages though. It looks like the fluid from the adema has found a route out (through the needle hole). This fluid is different than what they pulled out of my abdomen. This fluid is in the outer tissue. I guess the more it drains, the better it is.


After the paracentisis I had my CT scan. I should hear the results in the next day or two. This is the next step to begin the new treatment.

Thanks again for all the prayers. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.



Wednesday, August 13, 2008



Josh and Aiden at Disneyland.

Josh got back from TX this morning. The surgeon he went to see told him he wouldn't do the surgery either. He told him that it looks like some of the tumors have become "jelly like" and that they might be able to do paracentesis and withdraw some of it to give him some comfort.

He's going to Tucson tomorrow to see his Dr. They're going to discuss what treatment he should go with. Please pray specifically for God to lead him to the right treatment.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Info about the new trial drugs

Here is the email Josh just sent me about the trial in Tucson that he's going to start.

He flies out to Texas to see the surgeon on Monday. He has a friend named Chris (who also has DSRCT) that will pick him up and take him to the appt. He will also be staying with him while he's in TX. The surgeon that he's going to see is the same one who did Chris' surgery.

The new trial that I'm going to start is MKC1106-PP. It's a phase I trial that has already completed the "low dose" portion of the trial. I will be in the "high dose" trial. This drug targets 2 antigens found on some tumors PRAME and PSMA.
"PRAME is found in lung cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, renal cancer (kidney), pancreatic cancer, and colorectal cancer (colon and rectum) cells. PSMA was originally found in prostate cancer cells and later found also in the blood vessels which supply lung cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, renal cancer, pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, and melanoma (skin cancer)."
Basically I'll get an IV shot and 2 shots directly into the lymph nodes in my groin (guided by sonogram) 2 times a week, every other week. I'll get the plasmid dose on days 1, 4, 15 and 18, and the peptides on days 29 and 32.
Possible side effects seem minimal: Headache, fatigue, joint pain, and soreness at the injection site. This drug does not attack all fast growing cells, just the targeted cells. This should keep my blood counts up so hopefully I'll start feeling better.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

GOOD NEWS!

I'm running out of recent pics. so here are some older pics. of Josh & his family.

Here's an email I just got from Josh! We are all so excited for him! This is what we've been waiting for! Thank the Lord! Please let this be the treatment that does it and thankfully he won't have to travel too far!

My Tucson doctor called me yesterday. I told him about the problems I've had over the last 2 days and that I haven't had any output from my colostomy all day. He said that if I didn't have any output from my colostomy by morning that I needed to go up to Tucson (this morning I've had some output, so I'm not blocked). He told me that the results of the tests on my tumors were in and that they had the 2 receptors needed to qualify for the trial in Tucson. I told him that I had my appointment next week with the surgeon so depending on that, I could start the new trial as early as the following week (the 18th) if he won't operate, or after I recover if he will do the surgery. I have to be 28 days without other treatment to start the trial in Tucson, so the week after next will be past that point. So either way, I'm getting a new treatment to try until the other trial opens in San Antonio. I talked to the head nurse at the clinic in Santa Monica and she said I could stop my current treatment and try something else, then come back if the new treatment doesn't work as well. So I can always go back.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Aunt Sue, Josh, Rosie, Uncle Bill, Ethan and Aiden

Here's the latest from Josh!

No pilots had picked up my flight through Angel Flights yet, so I canceled and now I have my flight scheduled for next week to Austin. I found direct flights using ExpressJet and for the round trip it's just over $200. Everywhere else had stops in other cities and they were about $330 each way. shocked There is another DSRCT patient that lives in the Austin area (he's the one that gave me this doctors contact info, also had his surgery by him). He's offered his guest room and offered to pick me up from the airport, take me to my appointment and take me back to the airport. So this trip isn't going to be bad at all. Looks like God is opening the doors. I don't think it could have worked out better. Now we'll just have to see what the surgeon says.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Josh and Ethan at Disneyland!


Josh sent me another update this morning. Below is what he wrote! Please pray that God will lead him to make the right decisions!

The Texas surgeons office called my Tucson Oncologist and setup a surgical appointment for the 12th. Now the problem is that I'm supposed to start my next round of treatment in California that day. My thoughts right now are if Angel Flights hasn't had any pilots pickup my flights for that trip, then I may cancel and go ahead to Texas for the appointment. If Angel Flights has a pilot lined up, then I won't cancel. If the doctor agrees to operate, then not doing this next treatment will allow me to have the surgery sooner since I won't have to wait for my counts to recover. I'd kind of like to have the doctor look at my CT scans before I fly out there in case there is something obvious that would make him not want to operate, but at the same time, I'd like to see him face to face so he can see the swelling and I can explain to him in my own words how badly I want the surgery. Another wrench has been thrown into my decision on surgery though. My wife told me the other day that she doesn't want me to do the surgery. She doesn't think it's the right choice but hasn't said anything since I was so for it. I still feel deep down that this is the right thing to pursue.

As far as my new drugs go. I stopped taking the Lyrica to see if that would help with the drowsiness. I still have random bouts of drowsiness and some nausea/vomiting, but the pain is still under control, so I'll continue on without the Lyrica. I started taking the Ritalin again today so we'll see if that helps. I also started taking Milk of Magnesia twice a day. That has really got my colostomy moving. With taking just the Senokot-S I was changing my bag 2 times a day if I was lucky. Since I started the Milk of Magnesia, I seem to change it about 5 times a day. I'm having much less cramping. However my appetite has gone down. I'm still eating OK, but I don't feel like eating as much as I was.

Thursday, July 31, 2008


Hi everyone! Below is the latest on Josh. Please pray that God is leading him to the decisions he's making! Please pray that he will get some relief from the pain and the swelling.


I met with my Tucson doctor yesterday. He really doesn't want me to have surgery. He thinks it's a bad idea. He is, however, going to send a referral to a surgeon in Texas at my request. The doctor in Texas did a surgery on another DSRCT patient, that I've been talking to, that no one else would do. His colleagues called him crazy but he said he'd do the surgery again in a heart beat. We'll see what he says after seeing my records.

Tuscon doc says I look way better than he expected me to look considering everything. So I guess that's encouraging. He says there is really nothing they can do for the swelling.

I told him that I was using Perkoset every 2 hours for the pain, but I've read that it's not good for the liver. The past couple of days I switched back to the Dielodin which last for about 4-5 hours before I have to take it again. The biggest problem with the Dielodin is that it takes about 1.5 hours to kick in, so I'm in pain unless I overlap my dosage. The Dieloding also makes me puke occasionally and makes me itch as I come down. He prescribed me a slow release Oxycontin that should last me 12 hours, so I'll take that twice a day and I should stay above the pain threshold. He also said that this dosage should take care of the pain without making me feel drugged, so maybe I'll be of some use now. I just started it last night and I took it again this morning so we'll see how I feel on it. So far no pain, and just a little druggy feeling. Mostly I think it's making me drowsy. I'm also taking Lyrica, which is also a long lasting pain killer, twice a day. The combo seems to be good so far.

The clinical trial that my Tucson doc wants me to start (in Tucson) is still on hold pending the result of the tests they're running on my tumor samples. The tests should take another week. I told him about the one starting in the next 2 months that's the R1507/Everolimus and he thinks that would be a good trial to get into, however he kinda hinted that I shouldn't wait for it and I should start the other IGF-1R inhibitor that Santa Monica doc wanted me to start. I still feel like the the 2 drug combo would be worth waiting for so in the mean time I'm going to continue my current treatment (ET743).

I did the math and I'm actually spending between $446 and $500 per trip for just the flight, hotel stay, and cab fare. The difference is whether I book my flight early enough to get the "Get away" fare. I called Angel Flights (a volunteer group that arranges flights for medical patients using private pilots/planes) and got setup with them. I pushed my treatments back a week to make sure my counts would be good enough for treatment so we can avoid changes with the flights. Since these are volunteer pilots (using there planes, fuel, and time) it's best to have a firm date/time for travel. Many of these pilots take off from work to be able to fly patients. This will make my treatments every 4 weeks instead of every 3. What they do now is put my travel dates into a system and pilots can pick a flight that they are willing to do. So now I wait until a pilot or several pilots pick my request. If this works out, it will save us $246-$300 dollars each trip. Plus they'll be able to fly me into Santa Monica, so cab fare will be cheaper too.

I think that's it for now.

Sunday, July 20, 2008


Below is what Josh posted on his 4 Wheeling site. He said I could cut and paste it to the blog, so here is the latest update. Please continue to pray for him and our family! Please pray for some pain relief for Josh and that God is leading him to the right trials/studies and Dr.'s .

I had my CT scan and met with the Tucson surgeon last week. The CT scan showed that the tumors are stable (even though it doesn't feel like it). The Tucson Surgeon will not operate because he doesn't feel like he has enough experience with this kind of cancer.

I finally made it out to Santa Monica on Thursday. My doctor there wanted to stop my current treatment (even though it's keeping the tumors stable) because he wants to see the tumors shrinking. He's worried about the distention in my abdomen. The new trial he wanted me to start in another IGF-1R inhibitor. This is the same kind of drug that I wanted to get started on when I first went to Santa Monica, just by a different drug manufacturer. There is another trial that is supposed to start in San Antonio around Aug/Sept. This trial includes the IGF-1R inhibitor and a second drug which is an mTOR inhibitor. If I start another IGF-1R or mTOR inhibitor in the mean time, it will exclude me from the upcoming trial. So I've decided to stay on the current drug until the new trial opens.

The doctor in NY called me while I was in Cali. yesterday. He won't operate either. He says the tumors are too extensive. I haven't been able to talk directly with him, so I'm going to try and get a hold of him on Monday to beg, but it doesn't look good. I have 2 other doctors I can try, but I think if the doctor in NY won't do it, then no one will. We'll see.

I'm got back from Cali. yesterday so now I'm just trying to recover from the treatment. Rosie bought me some compression stockings and that has gotten rid of the swelling in my legs, but I can get the swelling in my scrotum to go away. Talk about painful!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

I just got an email from Josh that tells more about what's been going on lately. I'm just going to cut and paste it so I don't have to paraphrase it and mess it up!

June 28th-
Well, had another appointment with my Tucson Doc on Thursday and we discussed a new clinical trial he's hosting. They did a blood test at my last appointment and I have a genetic marker that is for some type of immunity. Now all they have to do is verify that my tumor has 2 specific receptors that will make me fully qualify for the trial. They are currently testing one of the tumors they removed during one of my surgeries for this.

I've been having a lot of swelling below the waist. Basically all the fluids drop down there and my circulation isn't good enough to bring it back out. The tumor in my pelvis is blocking off all the flow. I've been having a lot more pain in my pelvis, especially by bladder. I've heard really good things about a surgeon in New York and I've asked my doctor to refer me to go see him. My doc would like me to meet with another surgeon in Tucson. So I have an appointment to see him after my next CT scan in another week or so. If he's willing to do the surgery then I'll probably let him since it will keep me here locally. If not, the doc in NY is known to do the surgeries that no one else will do. I should be down for a little over a month or so if I get the surgeries. Basically I want the tumor in my pelvis removed, which will also allow them to reverse my colostomy. And if they're willing I'll have another surgery to remove as much of the tumors in my abdomen that they can.

I've also found another lump on my back that seems to be protruding from between two of my ribs. Doc said it was definitely a new lump, but didn't say if he thought it was a tumor or not.

July 1st-
Treatment got canceled for this week. My counts are still too low and they're not open on the 4th, so it should be next week now. If I can't go on Tuesday, I'll have to wait another week because I have my CT scan and my surgical appointment on Thursday. Sloan-Kettering called me today to verify insurance and personal info. They said the doctor will review my records and they'll call me back to schedule an appointment. This is the doctor in NY city. He's done many surgeries on other DSRCT patients and I feel he is most qualified to do my surgery. However, if the Tucson doc is willing to remove all the tumors possible, then I'll have the surgery here to stay close to the family. I guess we'll find out next week.
Aiden and Josh at Parker Canyon Lake-
We all went fishing together last weekend. This was the first time the boys had ever been fishing!

I know it's been a long time since I've updated this, but I didn't have a lot of info to put on. He went to CA about 3 weeks ago. The treatment went well and he was supposed to go back for another one last week. His blood count was too low and because of the holiday things got postponed. This Thursday he has a Dr.'s appt. and a scan so he won't have the treatment this week either. His Dr. in Tucson is saying that he might be able to have another surgery to take out more of the tumor(s) and alleviate some of his pain/discomfort. He's anxious to get the scan done to find out if he can have the surgery or not. Hopefully the scan will also show that the tumors have shrunk even more since the last scan! Please pray that he will get good results all around! Please pray that the Lord will tell us if he should have the surgery or not!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Good news! The results of Josh's blood count are back and it's up high enough for him to have the treatment in CA. He leaves on Thursday and will be back on Friday. Please pray for a safe trip!

Monday, June 9, 2008

Josh was supposed to leave for CA tomorrow, but his blood count is too low. He had another blood test done today to see if the count has changed. Please pray that the count will be up and that he can leave for CA on Tuesday or within the next few days.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Josh had his Dr. appt. on Wednesday. They did the ultrasound and said that he didn't have enough fluid to do the parencentesis. They guy said he would do it if Josh really wanted him to, but there was a risk that he could get an infection from it. Josh decided not to do it. He also found out he had a sinus infection so they gave him medicine for that. He will fly back to CA in 3 weeks for the next treatment. Please pray that his blood count will be high enough and not cause any delays.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Josh's treatment in California went well. He goes back in another 3 weeks, but this time he'll be flying. The trip by car was just too long and unfortunately they had horrible weather on the drive home and it made it take a lot longer. He goes to Tucson this Wednesday to see his Dr. up there. They're going to discuss doing a parencentesis, that's when they do an ultrasound to locate the extra fluid in his abdomen and then go in with a needle and take out as much as they can. Hopefully this will alleviate some of the swelling, pain, and pressure he's feeling. He's hoping they'll do it that day, but he's not counting on it! Please pray that his blood count will be right for the next treatment, that he'll have a safe trip, and that his Dr.'s appt. on Wed. goes well and that they will do the parencentesis right away.

My family and I would like to ask all of you to add another family member to your prayer lists. We just found out that our Uncle Howie (our mom's brother) has a malignant brain tumor. He starts radiation and chemotherapy this Thursday. Please pray for strength and comfort for him and his family!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

GOOD NEWS!

Thank the Lord! Josh's blood test results from yesterday are in and his count is up. It's high enough for him to have the treatment in CA so Frank (his father-in-law) and him will leave tonight. They will stop for the night in Phx. and stay with our Aunt Peggy and then leave early, early Wed. morning for CA. They should be home Thursday night. Please pray for a safe trip!

Monday, May 19, 2008

Josh called about his blood work this morning and found out that the count is too low to have the treatment in CA. They said it was low, but not low enough to give him a transfusion! He had more blood work done today and will call tomorrow morning for the results. He won't know what he's going to do until he gets those results. If the count is up high enough, he and his father-in-law will drive to CA for the treatment. If it's not up he'll have to wait and see what they tell him to do. I will post an update as soon as we hear anything! Please pray that it will all work out!

Saturday, May 17, 2008




I'm so sorry about being so far behind on this! Here are a couple of updates!

1.) Josh had a scan done on Thursday. On Friday they gave him a CD with the results but didn't discuss it with him. I guess he's just supposed to take it with him to CA and they're supposed to tell him about it. He looked at the info on the CD and from what he can get from the "DR. Language" is that there has been a decrease in the size of the tumors and an increase in necrosis. From what I understand an increase in necrosis is good because it means that the tumors are decaying. I hope I'm getting all this right. So PRAISE THE LORD, it sounds like things are working! As long as his blood count is good, he will leave Monday for CA. He's going to drive to Phx. Monday afternoon, stay at Brett's and then the two of them will drive to CA Tuesday morning and hopefully be back on Wed. Please pray that things will continue to go well and that he will have a safe trip to CA and back!
2.) Jackson Joshua Liam Crowley was born on May 8, 2008! (Three days before Mother's Day!) He was 8lbs. 2 oz and 19in long! Josh and Gilma (Josh's mother-in-law) were his first visitors. Jackson got to meet his uncle within the first hour of being born! Some people are saying I'm crazy for giving him two middle names,(especially my husband and Josh) but there is a good reason behind it! Of course the first part is after Josh, but Liam is a name that Josh had always wanted to name one of his boys and he never got to. So in honor of Josh I decided to use both names. I think it sounds like a very strong name and he can always use the initials when he has to write it! I've posted a picture of Josh with Jackson and as soon as I get more I will post them also.

3.) Our mom won the contest for Sierra Vista's Greatest Mom! We would like to thank all of you for your votes and your support!
We couldn't have done it without all of your help! She had 80 votes! The next person under her only had 37, so the contest wasn't even close! When we told her about it, she of course cried and said she didn't deserve it! Her first bouquet was delivered on Mother's Day and she's supposed to get one every month until April of 2009! When they delivered them, they also sent one to me for nominating her!

Ok well I hope this catches everybody up and I hope I've found all the mistakes! You'll have to excuse me while I'm getting used to the sleepless nights again! When I re-read this I found several mistakes so I'm sure there's more that I didn't catch! Please continue to pray for Josh and the rest of our family! We are so thankful for the good results and we're praying it continues to go well!

Monday, May 5, 2008

We Need Your Help!

Hi! I've emailed several people, but I know that I don't have the email addresses of everyone who checks this blog. I would like to ask all of you for your help to make this Mother's Day very special for our mom! One of our local florists (Bloom Country) is having a Mother's Day Contest and I have submitted Mom as one of the nominees. (SHHH! She doesn't know!) If she's the winner she will win free flowers for a year! I think that just might brighten up her year a little! All you have to do is go to the website, register, and then vote for Mom by clicking on our family picture that I submitted. (If you don't know which one it is, underneath our picture it says Submitted by Julie C. Added 05/02/2008) The website is www.bloomcountry.com I know all of you have wonderful mother's, but if you haven't entered your mom in this contest, I was wondering if you could help me and vote for our's! I entered her in another Mother's Day contest with KVOA 4 News but we haven't heard anything on that one yet and I'm afraid that one has so many entries that we have a better chance winning this one. If you could also pass this on to other friends and family members who would do this for me I would really appreciate it. The contest ends on May 10th so please get your vote in as soon as possible. Right now she's winning and I'd like to keep it that way! :)

I would like to thank all of you in advance for you help and I will let you know if/when she wins! I would also like to thank you again for all of your prayers and support over the last several months! This is such a difficult time for all of us and we couldn't make it without your prayers and your friendship! Please continue to pray for Josh and the rest of our family as we wait for God to heal Josh!

Second treatment in CA

Josh got back from his second trip to CA on Thursday. This time he had to stay an extra day. They didn't call him before he left to tell him that his labs showed that his blood count was too low. He had to get a shot to boost the count and then the next day they gave him the chemo. He's supposed to have a scan on May 14th and then go back for the next treatment on May 20th. Thankfully he gets to have the scan done in Tucson! Please pray for great results! I'll let you know as soon as we know anything.

Thursday, April 24, 2008


Here are some pictures from Josh's surprise birthday party! Jeff made the cake to look like Josh's Toyota Land Cruiser!

I'm sorry there haven't been any updates lately. Josh said there was info he needed to give me to correct somethings that he told me before. The easiest way for me to get the info correct is to just cut and paste what he wrote.

Met with the Dr. in Santa Monica yesterday. Unfortunately the R1507 trial is temporarily closed. This is the one that targets the IGF1R receptor. He hopes to have it re-opened in about 2 months. In the mean time they put me on the ET743 trial. This drug "Yondelis" is a form of chemo so the side effects will still be present. They said it won't be a fraction of how bad the AIM side effects were, but I should still have the nausea and low blood counts. This trial is every 3 weeks in Santa Monica. I start next week so I'll be flying out Tuesday morning and returning Wednesday night. When the R1507 trial gets re-opened, if this treatment isn't working, they'll move me over to it. The R1507 trial is every week so that means even more travel. This is gonna be $$$$$. At least I don't have to pay for the drugs.


His next treatment is April 29th. Please pray for a safe trip! He's still feeling good since the last treatment, please pray this will continue after this treatment!


Thursday, April 17, 2008

Sorry it's taken so long to post an update. I've been waiting on Josh to give me some info to correct. Josh had a great trip to California. The treatment went very well and since then he has been feeling very well. He's gone to work several times this week and has gotten some work done around the house that he's been wanting to do. He also got the opportunity to go to Tucson on Saturday and visit with his friends that are working on his Land Cruiser.

Just an added note: Saturday is Josh's 28th birthday! Happy Birthday Little Brother!

Monday, April 7, 2008

Just a quick update! Josh leaves tomorrow (4/8) for California. He goes to the clinic to get the treatment and then comes home Wednesday night. Please pray that he will have a safe trip and that everything will go well!

Monday, March 31, 2008


Josh,
Julie, Grandma, Mom
Parker & Aiden at Grandma's 80th Birthday Party!

Josh and Rosie met with the Dr. in CA today. Josh is able to be part of the study, but it's not the one he had researched before. That one is closed for 2 months. Next week, on Tuesday, Josh will go back out to CA and start the one that they talked about today. I'm getting all this info from Mom and Josh didn't tell her what it's called. What we know about it, is that it's not a shot like we all thought it was going to be. It's a type of chemo. When he gets there they will put the drugs in a pump and then he can go back to the hotel. The next morning he will go back to the clinic for them to remove the pump and then he will get to come home. He will have to go to CA once every 3 weeks. After 6 weeks they will do a scan to see how it's working. If it shows progress they will keep him on it, but I don't know how long they will do that. If it doesn't show progress they will let him start the other one when it opens back up. If he does that one he will have to travel to CA once every week.

Please pray that Josh and Rosie will have a safe flight home tomorrow and that everything will work out with this new treatment!


Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Results of the scan- Part 2

I still don't have all the info. but this is all Josh has also. Rosie and Josh are flying out to Santa Monica, CA on Sunday. They will meet with a Dr. on Monday morning to discuss the details of the treatment and find out if he qualifies for it. From Josh's and his Dr.s' understanding it shouldn't be a problem. The only thing that keeps people from being able to do it is if they have high blood sugar. Thankfully Josh's blood sugar is just fine! The shot he's going to get is called IGF-1R Antagonist. From what Josh knows about it, he'll have to get it once every 3 weeks. He's very excited about doing it. A lot of people that have been given this have had great results! They plan on flying home Tuesday morning, but if they need to stay longer they can change their tickets. Please pray for a safe trip, that Josh will be able to get the shot right away, and that the shot(s) work! I will let you know as soon as I find out any other info.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Results of the scan- Part 1

Mom just called and said Josh called her about the scan results. The scan shows growth so the intense chemo isn't working anymore. He has an appointment on Monday in California to try something new. I'm sorry that's all the details I have right now. When Josh gets home I'll try and get more details and I'll post it as soon as I can! Please pray that what they're going to give him in California will work! Please pray that they will have a safe trip also!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Well not much to post, but I thought I'd tell you anyways. Josh needed another blood transfusion, so mom took him up on Wednesday for it. His numbers weren't as low as they thought so he only needed one bag of blood. They also did an xray because he was having a lot of pain. They found out he was retaining a lot of fluid but nothing serious. I'll post more after the scan on the 24th! As always, please continue to pray! We really appreciate everyone's prayers and support.

Sunday, March 16, 2008


Grandma and Josh at Grandma's surprise 80th birthday party in March!

Josh's scan and next appt. with the Dr. are scheduled for March 24th. Please pray that we get good results!

Mom took him to Tucson on Thursday for a blood transfusion. His blood count and potassium levels were low again. This weekend he had some swelling, but other than that he's been ok.
Please pray for his wife Rosie! She hasn't been feeling well the last few days.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Josh finished the latest round of intense chemo on Saturday. I saw him on Sunday and he was having some pain in his side and he was very tired. While he was in Tucson they went ahead and gave him a blood transfusion. Hopefully he won't have to get another one anytime soon! He has an appt. on Wed. so we'll see what the Dr. says next. I will let you know when I find out! Please continue praying. Pray that he'll feel better and that the pain will go away! Pray that his body will recover from the chemo quickly and that he will have more energy, strength, and more of an appetite! Pray that the next scan will give us wonderful results!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

(This is the most recent pic. I have of Josh! This was at Ethan's 2nd b'day party. Josh is in the background with the camcorder and Aiden is pulling on the pinata!)

Josh started the latest round of intense chemo on Monday and has been doing really well with it! When Mom talked to him yesterday he told her he didn't even have to take any of the pain meds. and that he was feeling good. The Dr. said the pains he was having before could've been from gas. I guess the gas was causing the intestines to push on the tumors and that's what he was feeling. I talked to Rosie yesterday and she said the next scan will be 3 weeks after he finishes this round of chemo. Please continue to pray! We're very thankful that he's been able to handle the chemo so well and we hope that continues. Last night he was able to visit with his friends Dave and Angela (they live in Tucson) and this time he's staying with Christy and Paco. (Sorry if I spelled that wrong!)

Friday, February 29, 2008

OK, OK, OK! I know I haven't updated the blog lately, but there really hasn't been much to tell! :)

The week of Valentine's Day Josh wasn't feeling well! His whole family had been sick! Then on Monday he had a blood transfusion. That raised his counts and he started feeling a little better. He even went to work for a little while and did some work around his house! He's supposed to start the next round of intense chemo this coming Monday. He will do it just like he did last time -outpatient! He's going to ask if he can come home to Sierra Vista during it, but he doubts they'll say yes to that! Please pray that this round will go very well. I think this is the last round of the intense chemo that they will let him do. Shortly after this round is done they will do another scan to see the progress! We're all praying and hoping the scan will give us great news! I will let you know as soon as I know anything else!

Thank you everyone for your continued prayers and support! We all appreciate it so much!

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Josh & Aiden ( a long time ago, look how little Aiden was!)

Josh started his 3rd round of intense of chemo on Monday in Tucson. In the morning he goes to the Cancer Center for about 3 hrs. and then he gets leave and do whatever he wants the rest of the day. He leaves with a pump and still receives the chemo overnight. He's staying at his brother-in-law and sister-in-law's house and should get to come home on Saturday. When I talked to him the other night he said he was feeling fine and was just very happy that he didn't have to be in the hospital.

Please continue to pray that he does well with this round and for the next scan to show that everything is gone!

Thursday, January 31, 2008


Brett and Josh on Christmas night

Josh had his Dr. appt. and CT Scan today! They said the tumors are shrinking and degrading! YEAH!!!!! I guess they can't measure the ones in his liver but when they say they're degrading, that means they're not showing up as bright on the scan. The plan for now is for Josh to start the 3rd round of intense chemo on Monday. He will go to the Cancer Center in the morning and they will get him started and then he gets to go home (home meaning wherever he decides to stay in Tucson) and then come back again in the morning to get it changed out. He will do this for 5 days again, wait a few weeks and then do it over again. After the 4th round they will do another scan and decide where to go from there. They're still talking about the clinical trial. He does have to go to Tucson again tomorrow for a blood transfusion though. He's anemic again. Other than that he's been doing really well. He's been feeling better and has more energy to do things!

Please continue to pray that the chemo will continue to shrink the tumors, that he does well with the outpatient chemo, and that the next scan will show that the cancer is gone!

Saturday, January 19, 2008




Poppa, Omi, Amber
Brett, Josh, Kathy
on Christmas night!

Just a quick update! Josh's blood transfusion went well on Thursday! He's been having a great week! He's had more energy and seems to be eating a little more! He even let me go get him a Cinnabun on Thursday while he was having the transfusion done! He went into work on Wednesday and got in a full days work! He was pretty tired when he got home, but I think he just needed to get out of the house and do something!

I have gotten two emails with info about Relay for Life and that happens here in Sierra Vista. (Thanks for the info Janne and Malea.) It's going to be held May 9th and 10th. If you would like more info on that the website is http://relay.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeGreatWestDivision?fr_id=6229&pg=entry

Please continue to pray for his health and for excellent scan results on the 31st!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Dad and Josh on Christmas night!

Today Parker and I took Josh to his Dr.'s appt. in Tucson. All of the prayers are working! The Dr. did a physical exam and said that the tumors have definitely shrunk! Thank the Lord! He will still have a scan to determine how much they've shrunk and to see what's going on, but they're going to have him wait until Jan. 31st to give the latest round of chemo a chance to shrink them even more! Please continue to pray for great scan results! I'm praying the tumors will be completely gone when they do the scan! A friend of mine told me her dad was praying that God will wash away the tumors/cancer just like he washes away our sins! I really liked thinking about it that way, so that's how I pray all the time!

On another positive note- the Dr. said the next round of 5 day chemo can be done as an outpatient if Josh promises to go directly to wherever he's staying in Tucson (he can't go back to Sierra Vista) and stay inside the whole time that he's not having the treatment! He's so excited that he won't be stuck in the hospital! Just the thought of being in the hospital makes him cringe! Just finding out he didn't have to do the scan at the hospital made him happy! (He gets to do the scan at a place right down the street from the Cancer Center and I think the chemo will be done at the Cancer Center!)

One of things that was new info to me, was that he can only do a few more rounds of the 5 day chemo. The Dr. said he would like to keep him from doing more than 4 rounds. The drugs they're using are very dangerous to his other organs and after a certain point they've found out that the drugs don't continue to make things better. I guess the progress just plateaus.

They are trying to get him into the clinical study that he found out about right before the first round of 5 day chemo. His Dr. knows the Dr. that's doing it in L.A. and he thinks he can get him into that study after they're done with the intense chemo. I think it has something to do with giving him some kind of bacteria that liquefies the tumor. ?????? I'll give you more info about it when we find out exactly what it entails.

His blood count today was low so I'll be taking him back to Tucson on Thursday for a blood transfusion.

Today was a GREAT day! Please pray that he continues to have these kinds of days and that things just keep getting better! Please continue to pray for the scan results and his overall health! Today is proof that all of the prayers are working and that God is working on our miracle!

I don't know if everyone can read the comments or not, but our cousins daughter Brittany posted a comment under the Jan. 9th update about a cancer relay being held in Tempe, AZ in April. If you're interested click on the green letters under the post that say comments! If you can't get that to work, please email me and I will forward on the info. For some reason this program won't let me cut and paste what she wrote and I'm way too tired (had to leave my house at 6:30am to get Josh to Tucson on time) to re-type all that she wrote! Thanks Brittany for organizing this! Hopefully you'll have a huge team! Unfortunately the Crowley's won't be able to participate, because I'm not allowed to travel that far in April! It's too close to the baby's due date! But we will definitely be there in spirit. Mom thinks that they do something similar here in Sierra Vista, but she doesn't know when it is!

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers! Keep those prayers coming! Thank the Lord for all the good news we got today!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008


Jeff and Josh on Christmas night!

YYYYYEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHHH! Josh is home! They told him this morning he would be able to go home around 6:30pm tonight and he actually got released a few hours early! He looks great and he's very happy to be out of the hospital and home with his family! His next Dr.'s appt. is Jan. 15th and that's when they'll discuss when they're going to schedule the next scan. Please continue to pray for his strength and his overall health! Please pray that when they do the scan that the tumors will be gone! :)
Josh has been handling the chemo very well this time! Thank the Lord! He's feeling much better than he did with the last round! He's also been doing better about eating and keeping it down. The plan is for him to get released later this evening! Please pray that it works out that way and that they don't keep him waiting there! He's very anxious to get out of there and get home to his family!

I just received a prayer request from one of Mom's really good friends and would like to ask all of you to add them to your prayers and your prayer chains! Her sister has a good friend with a 3yr. old daughter named Kaitlin who just underwent heart surgery. Please pray for her to have a speedy recovery and for her health. Kaitlin's grandmother is also in the hospital battling aggressive ovarian cancer. Please pray for her healing and for the whole family as they are dealing with so much!

Monday, January 7, 2008

Well not much info for tonight, except that Josh found out he won't get to come home until Wednesday! Needless to say he's not real happy about that, but he kind of knew that's the way it was going to be when they didn't start the chemo until late Friday night instead of in the afternoon when they were supposed to! Please keep praying that things continue to go well!

Josh and I (and baby) on Christmas night!

Jeff, Parker, and I ( & baby) went to Tucson yesterday and we got to see Josh for a little while! He's looking really good! He looked much better than he did the last time I saw him in the hospital. So far he doesn't have any of the swelling that he normally gets when they give him the IV fluids. He was also able to eat a lot more yesterday and Mom and him did 7 laps around the floor of the hospital. Rosie brought Aiden up to see him and I'm sure that cheered him up to spend time with them. He was supposed to get out on Tues. but Josh is afraid it will be Wednesday since they started the chemo so late on Friday. I think they're supposed to talk to someone about that today, so I will post another update when I find out.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Rosie, Ethan, and Josh on Christmas night! (Aiden was too busy playing to have his picture taken!)


Josh has started the second round of 5 day chemo!

He went up yesterday and again had to play the waiting game! Late that evening they got him in a double room with a guy who had his TV so loud that Josh couldn't even hear his! Around 11pm they finally got him in a private room and shortly before that they started the chemo.

They want him to try and eat every hour so he can gain some weight. The last time I talked to Mom she said he ate everything he ordered for breakfast, but he was waiting to order anything else because they were supposed to come get him for a chest x-ray.

Yesterday, the Dr. told him his belly wasn't as hard and that could mean the tumors are shrinking and that the last round of chemo did some good! YYYYEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHH! I still haven't heard when the next scan will be to compare the sizes, but I will let you know when I find out. Please pray that we will see BIG results!

Please pray for his strength to fight this and get through the chemo! Please pray that he keeps his spirits up while he's in the hospital! It's always so hard on him to be there!