MRI Today Shows Good Progress

John had the third MRI on his brain today and the results were encouraging. Of the 5 tumors he started out with, only 3 remain! And those have continued to reduce in size since the beginning of this saga, Feb. 15. We were so happy to see these results...as you might imagine! He will continue on the cancer inhibitor drug, Nexavar, until early October, when a new CAT scan will let us know if the cancer remains contained in the kidney or has spread elsewhere. Until then, we plan to enjoy our summer days as much as possible and remain so appreciative of everyone's interest, support and prayers. Hopefully, this will be the last blog update for a while. And that is great news for everyone!!!

Wedding a Total Success!

Our son, Will, and his lovely bride, Lauren, were married yesterday in a beautiful ceremony - all went according to plan! John has been having a wonderful trip, filled with lots of activities and people. He even danced at the reception - something that would have been the stuff of dreams only a few short weeks ago. We now have planned some "down time" for us and will be here on Lanai for four days of napping, reading and relaxation while the happy couple wings their way to a honeymoon in Fiji.

Hawaii is beautiful!

We have so enjoyed seeing family and friends, old and new, as we vacation for a bit in Hawaii prior to Will's wedding on July 16. John's hold up very well, pacing himself with naps and snacks, and looking forward to his role as host of the rehearsal dinner on Thursday night. But his favorite occupation of all, which can take place anywhere on the planet, is to play with our grandson, Soren!

Will's wedding is fast approaching!

John's mom and sister drove down from Atlanta for a few day's visit, which was wonderful. We got to dine "out" for a breakfast and a dinner, which we figure is good practice for the "real world" of Hawaii. Having family around, talking about everything under the sun, is the best medicine of all. We were fortunate to have a lasagna meal from the Dobbins which fed us all, and last night enjoyed a yummy meal delivered by Leah Martorana from Fowler White. We really feel like we are in the final count down to departure as suitcases are coming out, notes are being written for the housesitter, and the fridge is being cleared of all our lovely leftovers. It is a miracle to be at this point, being able to say, we are going to our son's wedding! Prayers do get answered.

Awaiting the Wedding

We had a wonderful, impromptu visit with Anna, Nathan and our 14 month old grandson Soren. He's walking all over the place, keeping us and his parents busy! We got out a baby pool for splashing outside, his parents had time for jogs and bike rides and we all spent plenty of time just visiting and enjoying being together. Fowler White (Deb Brewer at the helm) brought in a big meal for all of us from Bailey's which was savored with great enthusiasm. The weekend before they arrived, we were treated to a Juneteenth meal (complete with Big Red soda, which is an acquired taste) and after Norman educated us, we were able to celebrate a completely new holiday! Thank you again, dear friends, for continuing to support us in such a meaningful and helpful way. John continues to take early morning walks, goes to physical therapy and listens to CLE cd's, which help pass the time as we await our departure for Hawaii and making precious new family memories at our son Will's wedding on July 16.

UNEXPECTED DOC APPT RESULTS IN GREAT NEWS!

John has been suffering from a swollen head (no, not a Big Head) and this condition had him in the Moffitt "Emergency Room" on Tuesday. The swelling has not involved his breathing, just his beauty. But it's been disturbing enough that Dr. Fishman decided to move the June 22 appointment up to this morning. We discovered that the swelling of his eyes, ears, nose and face is a side effect of Sutent (even though he's been off Sutent for a week) and that it will go away with massive doses of Benedryl over a few days. But the GREAT NEWS is that, while we were with Dr. Fishman this morning, we got to review the CAT scan from Monday.

The scan shows the tumor to be about 15% smaller. But, even better than that, it clearly shows that the blood flow to the tumor is greatly diminished - which is the actual result we were hoping for. Dr. Fishman said that the goal with Sutent had been reached - starving the tumor's blood supply. He really liked what he saw and said the next step is to keep John on a Sutent-type drug on an open-ended basis. Since Sutent has given him so many adverse side effects, the doctor recommended switching to Nexavar. John is to start on this new medicine after his side effects disappear and only at half-strength during our time in Hawaii. Then we will meet back with the doctor to reassess in late July. We are SO excited that our trip to Hawaii has now become a super reality! We are ready to take it easy and make some precious family memories in such a glorious location.

CT Scan Taken Today

We spent another quiet weekend, punctuated nicely with lovely Italian food provided by Deb Brewer, and another always-welcome delivery of Flip Miller's home baked breads. Thus fortified, John got through the morning's medical testing with ease. We now must wait another week to hear the results of the CT scan - and will learn just how effective Sutent has been on his kidney tumor.