Happily Ever After

So this is it, my last blog entry. Our life was nothing more than absolutely beautiful. From our first date at Olive Garden to our final kiss goodbye at Hospice of Charleston. It was truly a love story created by God and the most beautiful thing I have ever been a part of. The wound is fresh but I find comfort in the great memories we shared in such a short time together. Time will heal the hurt and all that will be left is love. I have so many friends and family to be thankful for and I am glad you were with me on this journey. Make each day count and hug the ones you love a little tighter. You never know where the road of life may take you and there just isn't enough time for anger or cross words. I really feel so lucky and blessed to have been part of the journey with Earl. Death really can be as beautiful as birth, if you can accept that we are all leaving here at some point. He is with our God now and free. We really did live Happily Ever after and I will always keep Earl Riffle, Jr. in my heart. Love you all! Donna

The End!

Sun is still shining

The Sun is out today, as beautiful as ever! Earl is at MUSC Hospital for what seems like the 100th time. He is stable and comfortable and not in any pain. The cancer has progressed more that we really thought and now we are just holding on to each day. He has elected to be transferred to Hospice of Charleston rather than go home. He is still afraid and wants to have more constant care that being at home. We are waiting for the Doctors to get everything in order and get the transfer. Our goal is that maybe he will be there a few days and then come home for the Holidays. That is our goal and we just have to wait and see what God's plan is and accept what tomorrow brings. I will let you know when he gets there. You are welcome to come visit as I know he would love to see anyone. He is weak and tired but his spirit is strong and he still orders the nurses around here. He is in the MUSC ART tower. What a beautiful place to be in times like these. Life is precious y'all. Drink it up. Thank you all to everyone who has kept us in their prayers. I will never forget you! Peace be with you! Donna

Everyday is a gift

Every morning I wake up and before I let the worries of the day get me down, I thank God for the gift of each new day. I am thankful for my beautiful family and for another day with my wonderful husband. We had lots of company over the past week and it has truly been a blessing to both of us. Earl had a good visit at the DR yesterday and felt pretty good. He slept most of the afternoon and that is good for him. He is mostly off the oxygen now and only uses it a few times a day. He is not taking much pain medicine either. We will not be doing anymore chemo for a while, if ever. He is improving each day and that is our goal, to have some good quality of life for now, without any treatment. He is happy about that. We are looking forward to Thanksgiving and having Drew home from School. I am ready to be off from work and do some cooking. We will spend some time enjoying the things that matter most, our love for each other and our family. We sit for hours watching some mindless TV and hold hands. When we go to sleep at night we spend most of the night with our hands clutched tightly together. I love him so much. And YES this cancer sucks but there is a plan in it all and I know in the end we will both have Victory in life. We are blessed in the good times and the bad. Donna

Smile!

Yesterday we met with Dr. Shirai and had a very nice visit until the fire alarm went off and the entire Holling's Cancer Centers had to be evacuated. Funny! It was sad to see all those chemo patients sitting on the sidewalk with their IVs. Anyway, Earl is feeling much better. All his labs came back good and he has decided to take a break from chemo for a while, maybe permanently. He is gaining some strength back and isn't quite ready to feel bad so soon with more chemo. We will let God work his plan and hope for the best. We had a nice day together and stopped for lunch on the way home. I think just knowing he doesn't have chemo in his near future made him feel so much better. His is greatly improving and recovering from that nasty pneumonia. I am thankful for the little improvements. We spent the evening watching the first game of the World Series, until I fell asleep~

Smile, though your heart is aching. Smile, even though it's breaking. When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by if you smile, through your fear and sorrow, Smile and maybe tomorrow, You'll see the sun come shining through...for you!

A little song I was listening to by Nat King Cole~

Donna

What if?

The past few weeks I have spent a lot of time in prayer. I have spent a lot of time remember all the good times we have had and it has been hard to see Earl so sick. He has slept a lot and I just sit and watch him. Sometimes I feel so hopeless, not knowing the fate of all this. And now I tell myself that I can't give up hope. God loves us so much and I know He wants the best for us. Hope is a beautiful thing, I can't let go of it. Not now, not ever. So, this led me to thinking, What if? What if Earl does improve? What if Earl does get that miracle that everyone is praying for? It could happen. We could look back on all this and tell everyone how he was near death and God saved him. It could happen, but it can't happen if we don't believe it can happen. So I cannot stop believing. Faith is believing without seeing.

Like David said..."Surly goodness and mercy will following me all the days of my life"

Keeping the Faith, Donna

Home Sweet Home

Earl is home from the hospital and doing better. He had a bout of pneumonia and is recovering. Doctors sent him home with oxygen and that is helping a lot. I was so afraid this time, he was so ill. We kept our faith and kept praying and God answered us. Earl has cancer, but that is not who he is. He is my wonderful Husband and Gift from God. I am so blessed to have experienced such a complete love. He makes me laugh and loves me like no one ever has. We are both stronger and better than we have ever been. Even though his body is weak and cancer is there, he is strong and full of life. I don't know what the future holds for us, but no one does. So for now, we will enjoy the beauty of today and be thankful for everything we have. People tell me all that time "Earl is so lucky to have you" but the truth is I am the Lucky one. Donna

Thrive in Peace

Hello All,

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phil 4:6

Earl is resting at home. We have had a turbulent week. Friday he had his colonoscopy and even though we did not get home from the hospital until 11pm, (long story) the results came back good. We had our CT scan Monday and did discover that he has fluid in this lung and the cancer is now showing up in the liver. However, the liver is still functioning fine. Not quite what we were hoping but we are not broken. He is having the fluid removed tomorrow, a simple procedure-we were told. And then we will have to change to a different chemo to see if that will slow down this cancer. Still not sure when we will start the new treatment. The "spots" of cancer that show up in the chest and liver are VERY small and that's how we hope the keep them. Our Doctors words were" you are young and healthy and you still have many more options to fight this." We hope at some point to take a break from chemo as it wears on Earl and really makes him so tired. I have to believe that the day will come. So besides this little cancer thing, we are in love, happy and enjoy each and everyday to the fullest. Hope you are too! Donna

Hope

Earl finished chemo yesterday and hopefully that will be all for at least a few weeks. His hemoglobin is very low so he will go back to Hollings this afternoon to receive two units for blood. That is one of the reasons he is so tired. He seemed to be in better spirits this morning, I think it's because he knows he doesn't have chemo next week. We don't know how many more sessions he will have. We are just hoping that this chemo is working and we can beat this nasty monster. We are hopeful, and that's really all you can do. Hope and Pray!

Journey of Love

Fall is so close and hopefully some good news along with it. Earl had a pretty rough week and a long weekend. He is very tired and weak. Chemotherapy really takes its toll on the body and mind. All he could really manage to do is watch TV in between naps. He barely ate at all on Saturday but was eating better Sunday. I'm sure he is a little dehydrated so hopefully today along with the chemo he will get lots of fluids. He is sick and tired of being sick and tired. I am sure he is a little depressed too. I do all I can to keep his spirits up, including watching hours and hours of his favorite TV shows, something on the BBC about cars. He is looking forward to his Uncle visiting him at the end of October and is hoping for a little break in treatment so he will feel good when he is here. I cannot see too far in the future and just try to enjoy each day. I know we will have out CT scan next Monday and I am scared to hear the results. Either way, it is what it is and we cannot change that. All we can do is accept our news and appreciate all life gives us. Love to all of you who pray for us. Donna & Earl

September

The month is speeding by along with our treatments. Earl had chemo today along with a unit of blood because his hemoglobin was low, thus causing the fatigue. Hopefully this will help him have a little more energy. Still no hair loss, and we're not complaining one bit. That's a little gift from God and we appreciate that very much. Amazing the little things you can learn to embrace. One more treatment and then He will have another scan to see our progress, and we hope it is just that. PROGRESS! I relish the thought of life after cancer, or just life without chemo. Earl did manage to take a little time out for himself on Saturday and spend a little time with his brothers in Columbia. They are making progress on his car, and hopefully will start to paint it soon. He is looking forward to cruising around in his car with the top off and so am I. We continue to receive many prayers from friends, family, and complete strangers. It means so much to me and I will find a way to be a blessing to someone else. That's really what life is about anyway. Too bad it takes something like this to make us realize it. Lots of Love to everyone. Donna

standup2cancer

I was watching Larry King Live last night and they were talking about standup2cancer.org. It's a new donation program that is raising awareness and research for cancer. They are having a program on TV sometime this month. I was amazed at the statistics they talked about. 1 in every 2 men will have some sort of cancer in there lifetime. 1 in 3 women. Since cure is still so hard, the biggest thing you can do is prevention. That means, no smoking, moderate alcohol consumption, a healthy diet, low in read meat and processed foods and lots of fresh organic veggies and fruits. Excercise and low stress. Regular check-ups. Make sure all your daughters and sons are vaccinated with Gardisil. Earl's cancer was caused by a combination of the HPV virus and smoking. I know I'm preaching, but trust me, you do not want to go through this hell if you can prevent it. Do what you can to standup2cancer. Michael Douglas has the same type of cancer as Earl and he is HPV positive and was a heavy smoker and drinker. His journey is just beginning and it will be a long road. Do what you can for yourself and your family to stay healthy. Love you all. Donna

Sweethearts!

Me & my sweetheart attended my 25 year high school reunion last weekend. I was so happy that he was able to come with me. It was so funny because all my friends have been following his progress on facebook, so when we got there, everyone said "Earl, we're so glad you doing good" He was like "how do you know me?" So, funny, but everyone made him feel so good and we had a nice evening. He had his third chemo Wednesday, so we are halfway done with this session. He is doing quite well, just tired. He gets lots of rest and I feed him well. We are just hoping that after he finishes this session he will be able to take a nice long break from treatment and enjoy the fall and the holidays. He looks really thin but he has actually gained a few pounds since his stay in the hospital. I love this man more than words can say. I wish I could kiss all the cancer away. We are looking forward to a nice long Labor Day weekend! I may try to drag him out to a movie or a walk on the beach. Remember y'all...Live, Laugh, Love!!! Donna

Gaining Strength

Hello All,

Today is a good day! Earl is gaining some strength back and has probably gained about 10lbs, since his stay in the hospital. Thank goodness, he was really skinny. He looks and feels pretty healthy. He is eating very well, and often. Monday he received an infusion for medicine to help with the bone cancer. He did well with the infusion and was only a little achy Tuesday. This morning he was feeling much better. This is suppose to help rid the small spots of cancer in his bones. He will probably start his next chemo on Monday. He is very optimistic, since the doctor showed us the scan and said the "spots" in the chest are very small and stable (which means not growing). So that is good news. I celebrate life with him each day and am thankful for the little things, mostly just "time". Life is what you make of it and we both decide every day to make it joyful. We laugh often and joke a lot. Love you all, Donna

My Sweetheart

We took this picture last weekend before we went down to Beaufort. He was feeling good that day, so we drove down to look at our house that we are selling. We had dinner at Barbara Jean's before we headed home and it was a nice time. We met with our team of Doctors Monday, and they said he looks very healthy considering what he has been through. We will meet with them again on Friday after another CT scan and then set up our next round of chemo. This is our third time! Ugh...It is so hard to have to watch someone you love so much go through this. I am still hopeful that he will beat this. Hope is all we have. Earl is getting stronger everyday and gaining some weight and strength back. He will need that before he starts his next treatment. Chemo really takes its toll on your body. Keep us in your prayers! Love you all. Donna

July 22, 2010

Hello Everyone! Three weeks ago Earl was recovering from surgery and today you can hardly even know he had surgery. He is resilient. He looks so good. His appetite is fantastic and that is really good to see. After not being able to eat any food at all for over three weeks, I love watching him eat what he wants. Aside from a little fatigue, he is up and around and is even shaving regularly. Haha...We just feel so lucky to have a little break from treatment and hospitals. I keep praying for a miracle that the Doctors will tell me he is cured and maybe that will come, but I know even if that doesn't happen, I have already received my miracle because I have been fortunate enough to call myself his wife. We are never guaranteed forever, even though we think we deserve it. This past year has taught me never to count on tomorrow, enjoy today to it's fullest and be thankful for it. Earl is a blessing to me and to my children. He is doing so well and I thank everyone for thinking of us, and who knows, we may just get that miracle. God Bless you All! Lot of Love from the "Riffles" Donna

Quiet time at home

Earl is home recovering from the surgery and gaining strength everyday. He is eating well now and getting some energy back. We went yesterday to get the staples removed, which was quite painless. It looked like it would hurt but it didn't so that was good. We picked up some sushi on our way home and I made some pasta for dinner. His appetite is improving and he is starting to get some of his old cravings back. Our next appt is with Dr. Shairi on July 26th and we will weigh our options for more treatment at that time. For now we will just enjoy each day and work on getting Earl healthier. We are really in need of a miracle now and since I believe in miracles, I don't think I'm asking for too much. If anyone in this world deserves a miracle it is my husband. So we are all taking it one day at a time and trusting that God will take care of us. Thank you all for the phone calls, texts, and emails while Earl was in the hospital. My friends and family are really what keep me going each day. Love you all! Donna & Earl

Everyday is a gift!

Okay, so needless to say we didn't get the news from our scan that we had hoped for and now Earl is in the hospital awaiting surgery to remove a small blockage in his small intestines which is preventing him from eating. That's enough right there to get you down, but we ain't down. Maybe we were for few days but we are over that now. After three days I crying I pulled myself together and reminded myself, Oh, yeah, right, God is still in control of this, not us. So each day I spend in awe of being married to the most beautiful person I have ever met and how lucky I am that God chose me to be on this journey with Earl. So, we hope to get this "procedure" done and get him home before the 4th of July and maybe he can eat a hot dog and some watermelon. His spirits are good and he is not in any pain. They are giving him liquid nutrition so he should actually gain some weight. And that is all we can process for now. The rest of the story remains to be told, so stay tuned and thank you, thank you, thank you, for all the prayers. Love you all sooooo much. Donna & Earl

75 MAN

Hello Everyone! We are rapidly approaching our LAST chemo treatment. Did I say last? We are optimistic that Friday will come and go without a hitch and we can put this "beast" to rest. Forever!!! We will probably have a scan in a few weeks to see our progress. Holding my breath. Earl is amazing. I already knew that when I married him but everyday he surprises me with his positive attitude and determination. I want to be just like him when I grow up. haha I had family in town this week and he played golf Saturday and Sunday. Shot a 75 on Saturday, are you kiddin me? That's right, a 75, needless to say his buddies weren't as impressed! I guess they thought they'd finally be able to beat him but no can do. He beat the tar out them. It was a fabulous weekend and I am glad he had some fun. I'm dragging him out to the Opera Thursday night, if he is up to it. If not then mom is my backup date. Okay, we're down to the wire so I need LOTS of prayers. Thank you all so much. I will keep you posted. Love you all! Donna

Better, Better, Better

We had a nice quiet weekend at home. We all rested and enjoyed the peacefulness. Earl is feeling so much better today. He is finally getting some strength back after his five day stay in the hospital. We hope to get our last chemo Friday and be done with this cancer stuff. One of our nurses in the hospital had a pin on that said "cancer sucks". I so want one of those. We really hope to get our life back to some normalcy. Drew is back from Costa Rico without incident and Olivia is finishing up her last week of school. 8th grade graduation is June 2. then I will officially have a daughter in high school. Where have the years gone? Too fast I can tell you that. I am really looking forward to a nice summer free of hustle and bustle and hospitals. Keep us in your prayers. Love to you all. Donna

What a weekend

Earl was scheduled to have his last BIG chemo treatment on Friday, May 14th. Well to say the least that didn't happen and we had quite the scare. His blood pressure dropped to 60/30 and they did not even start chemo. We ended up spending the night in the hospital and they ran all sorts of tests on his heart. The tests all came back good and they determined that he was just really dehydrated and let us go home Saturday morning. By Saturday evening we were back at MUSC. Earl was having terrible pain. He ended up having to get two units of blood and lots of other meds. Potassium, magnesium and lots more fluids. He was running a fever and vomiting. They pumped his stomach and put him on a clear liquid diet. He was finally released yesterday about 5pm and we made it home. We are both exhausted and ready for some relief in this crazy cancer world. I can tell you that my friends are the best friends in the whole world. So many of you checked up on us and gave us so many prayers. We are gonna survive this, I do know that. We have an appt with on the 28th to find out what is gonna happen with the last treatment. We will keep you posted. Love you all. Donna

May update

Hey Y'all,

Things are coming to an end (hopefully) Earl is schedule to have his last BIG treatment on Friday and then maybe one more little one. We are scheduled to have his CT scan on the 28th, but of course all of this depends on his count. So we are trying to keep him rested and well nourished to get those cell counts up. Anyone who knows Earl knows that getting him to rest is not an easy task. His cousins from WV were in town last week and we were able to spend some time with them and his Brothers and Sunny on Thursday & Friday. I know he really enjoyed their company. Drew is home from College now and I can say that I am really enjoying having him around, even though his room is a total mess. I think Olivia likes having her big brother home too. Earl and I have a little vacation planned for June to Hilton Head and I am so looking forward to it. I am hoping he will be feeling pretty good by then and can play some golf. I plan on sitting my bum on the beach with a good book! I may play one round with him. That's our update. All is well and we are hanging in there. Life is good! Love you all, Donna & Earl

Happy Birthday Earl

We celebrated Earl's Birthday Saturday. It was such a wonderful celebration for us all! He did manage to get both large doses of chemo on Friday, so now he only has one left! Hurray. I really thought he would be sick over the weekend and had mentally prepared for that but God had other plans. Thank you. He woke up Saturday morning feeling Super. We gave him his presents and cards and lots of hugs of kisses. He got a large fruit basket from The Lorberbaums too. I said to Olivia, "I am so surprised that he is not sick from all that chemo" and she said, "Mom, you know you can't be sick on your birthday!" God, I love her. Earl and I went to dinner Saturday night and enjoyed the rest of our weekend. He is back to work this week and feeling pretty good, just tired. Hopefully, we are nearing the end of this road. We both are ready for a "new" adventure! Love you all, Donna

Waiting on Earl~

Here is out kitty cat asleep in Earl's chair. Usually he is asleep on Earl's lap but Earl was out of town so he is just waiting on him to get home. Earl is doing very well. He has had two single chemo treatments over the last two weeks but has still not had the BIG doses. They want to do at least two more of the BIG doses but they keep postponing it because his platelets are down. So we are taking it one day at a time. Life is pretty darn good. We value each day more and more. Everyday I thank God for each moment and cherish every bit of our marriage. He makes me laugh everyday! Earl played golf yesterday and actually shot a 79. Now the old Earl wouldn't have been happy with a score in the high 70's but he came home pretty happy that he beat 80. You can't keep a good man down! Love you all.

Spring is Here!

Spring is here! There is wonderful joy ahead. God has been so good to us and our family. Earl is doing better and better everyday. We had some GOOD news from our last CT Scan. The Doctor was kind of vague but anyway, here's what he said..."I think all the cancer cells are dead, and what keeps showing up on the scan is old scar tissue" In cancer terms that is good news! So last Friday he said, "Let's finish with our two scheduled treatments and then do another CT scan. Earl will have a treatment this Friday and then one more and we will see where we are from that. We are just taking it one day at a time but we really feel good days are ahead. We try hard to live each day to the fullest and love every minute of everyday. Don't you just love this picture of me and Olivia, at Seaworld. Even though she was making a funny face, we had a good time. Life is such a blessing and spring really makes us appreciate it more. Thanks again for the prayers and concerns. Today is a good day! Love you all.

Spring is coming

Hey Y'all,

It is warming up here in Charleston and I can feel spring right around the corner. With Spring comes new life and new beginnings and I know we are gonna get some of that newness. Earl is hanging in there and keeping his chin up with each treatment and each new day. We are nearing six weeks of completion of this round. I think they will do a CT scan soon to see our progress and hopefully we won't need to do another six weeks of this horrible stuff. He had a rough week last week. He had all three chemos on Monday, March 1 and came home with the four day pump of 5-fu, which is a continuous run of chemo. We got the pump off Friday. It was a rough weekend but he has bounced back. Even played 18 holes yesterday! Did I ever tell you how much he amazes me? Every time I think he is at his lowest, he just surprises me. I read yesterday, that when life gives you a setback, that gives God an opportunity to bless you with a comeback! Well we are ready for the comeback and what God will bless us with. We have so many friends and family that call and check on us and uplift us everyday. Thank you all! It just really means so much to know how much you care about us. Love you all! Donna & Earl

It snowed!

Can you believe it snowed in Charleston? We got almost 7 inches in Summerville. Earl was supervising Olivia while she was building her snowman. We celebrated our first wedding anniversary. It was a super weekend. Earl's treatment was cancelled this week and I think that was a little gift from God. We had a nice weekend of no chemo and no sickness. Earl really needed the break and feels GREAT. We had a nice quiet romantic dinner at the house Sunday night. He is really doing so well. Hopefully this Friday will be our last BIG treatment and then maybe only a couple more weeks of the little chemo treatments before they do another CT scan. I feel really good about everything and I know Earl is getting stronger everyday and I just know the cancer is going away. This is our Year! Please keep the prayers coming. Love you all. Donna

Looking Good

This is a recent picture I took on Sunday before we took Drew out to dinner for his birthday. Earl is feeling really good. Everyday I am just so amazed at how strong he is. I knew he was a strong person, just didn't know how much. He has completed three weeks of a six week cycle. Has only lost a couple of pounds and is eating very well. He has not missed any work but is pretty tired by the end of the day. Friday will be a long day as we get all three chemos that day and then come home with the pump for the weekend. He will be pretty beat by the end of the pump on Tuesday. I know the treatment is working and I can feel God's blessings raining down on us. I know today is a good day and he is getting stronger and healthier everyday. We have so much life ahead of us and this is just a small chapter in what will be a great story. Please keep praying for his healing. Lots of Love to all our friends and family who are pulling for us. Your prayers really mean so much. Donna

First Week

Well, we made it through our first week. Earl is doing pretty good. I picked him up yesterday afternoon and took him to MUSC to get his Neulasta shot. This is suppose to help him rebuild white blood cells. He felt good last night and ate dinner. He sounded good this morning and was probably just going to spend the day working from home. Tomorrow he gets his second dose of Erbitux, which is suppose to take about one hour. He has to meet with Dr. Shirai for a check up before his infusion. Earl is really a trooper and I told him that he must be made of steel because he handles this so well. He never complains, he has dug in his heels and is coping so well. Spring is right around the corner and so is our new beginning that will include good health and Earl being cancer free. I can tell you that the second time around of this battle is harder for me. I am struggling with anxiety and stress. I really thought we were through with this cancer treatment stuff. I was wrong. What I now realize is that once you are diagnosed with cancer you are really never quite done. It is something you will always deal with, in some aspect or another. That's life! Love you all, Donna

Pump off today

Today @ 4:00pm a nurse will come to the house to remove Earl's chemo pump that he has been wearing continuously for the past four days. He is over it. He will have a little break until Friday. We seem to be managing the nausea and he was able to eat dinner last night. Hopefully after the pump comes off today he might be able to get out of the house tomorrow and Thursday before his next treatment on Friday. The friday treatment is a short infusion with no take home pump. His spirits are OK. As good as you can expect when you are facing this AGAIN. Frustration is an understatment but we will make it. His arm is black and blue from the Port. He bruises easy so we were expecting that. He seemed to sleep a little better last night, except when the battery to the pump got low and started beeping. I had to change the batteries @ 2am. No biggie. It's amazing how well we can actually function while we are half asleep. Love you all! Donna & Earl

Pushing Forward

Earl received three doses of Chemo on Friday. (one is a pump that he had to bring home for continuous chemo for four days) He will get the pump off tomorrow. It's not too bad, he just has to lug it with him everywhere. It's about the size of a small hand bag. He did really well Friday and Saturday. The crash came Sunday and I knew it would. He is so drained. He slept on and off most of the day. The nausea was over bearing and he could not eat. He managed to drink three ensures and some gatorade. We are taking the anti-nausea meds around the clock but they really aren't helping much. He will probably start to feel a little better tomorrow after the pump comes off. Friday he will only have one treatment so hopefully he won't feel this bad. It is so hard to just sit back and watch the love of your life battle such a horrible disease. I just feel so helpless. Thank you all for the love and support. We couldn't make it without you. Love, Donna

Another Procedure

Tomorrow Earl is getting his Port. He is so tired of being put under. Not being able to eat or drink anything after midnight is getting old too, but I must tell you that he is really a good sport. We are scheduled for 11:30am and they said plan on being there four to five hours. Everyone we talked to said the Port was the way to go. Our new chemo plan starts Friday morning @ 9am. Hopefully he won't have too many side affects from this round. Thank you all for your prayers. We know it will get better soon and until then we will just "dance in the rain"

Love ya, Donna

Gotta have a plan

Whew, what a morning. Earl and I saw Dr. Shirai and he gave us THE PLAN. Here it is. Start chemo next Friday for six to twelve weeks. He will have Ertibux every friday, then on every third week he will have carboplatin. Also on the third week he will have a 96 hour infusion. Basically this is a continuos chemo for four days. He will have a pump that will go home with him on Friday and a nurse will come to the house on Tuesday to remove it. Earl and I both have a positive outlook about all of this and know that we will overcome this. It is 65 degrees here today and he is playing golf. The DR said this treatment won't be as bad as the last and the cells in the lymph nodes are very small. So that's it. Keep us in your prayers. Love you all. Donna & Earl

It's all how you look at life

In her diary, Anne Frank wrote, "In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death."

This is one of my favorite books, who would have thought that at 14 years old she would write words that would touch so many hearts.

Love you all! Donna

Another Day in Paradise

Hey Y'all,

Earl and I are still waiting for the Doc's at MUSC to call us with their plan of attack but in the meantime we are enjoying every single minute of everyday. We had a fantastic weekend! Went on a dinner date Friday night to Oscar's. He went to Columbia Saturday to work on the Porsche. Both kids were out for the evening on Saturday so we drank a bottle of wine and soaked in the hot tub. Sometimes I look at people (including myself) and wonder why it takes a thing like this to make us wake up and enjoy the simple things life has to offer. We all only have so many days on this earth and if you are healthy you better get to enjoying them before you ain't got many left. I just know God has great plans for me and Earl. I put my trust in him totally. Your prayers for us mean more than you will ever know. Don't stop now, we need em. Love you all. Donna & Earl

Reminiscing

Hello Everyone! Last year at this time we were planning our Wedding, who would have thought that a year later we would have been through so much in our first year of marriage. While the road has been long and at times challenging, we are both better today than we were a year ago. This journey has made us both grow so much as a couple, that years could not have accomplished. I feel so privileged to have been a part of this journey with such a wonderful husband. We are ready for all the blessings that God has for us and ready to live "happily ever after. I can only pray that God will bless you all the way he has blessed us. Love to you. Donna

Another waiting game

Happy New Year Everyone! We got our results back from the PET on Thursday and they weren't exactly what we wanted. The DR saw some spots that showed up in the scan near his lungs that need further tests. So, on Thursday morning we will head back to MUSC for a scope of his lungs and they will biopsy anything that looks suspicious. (hopefully nothing). I know that God is in control of everything and we put our trust in him. Everything will be fine! Thanks for your love and prayers. Donna