Weekend is upon us.

Happy Friday Y'all.

Earl did pretty good through the night. He was a little queasy last night but after some good ol ginger ale he felt better. Went to bed early and slept well. We both feel if we just make it through the weekend without getting too sick then we are over the hump and well on our way to the end of this nightmare. Saturday is the Kenny Chesney concert and I am taking Olivia. She is so excited and so and I. Just a little sad that Earl can't go. We only have seven radiation treatments left. It's all downhill from here. I really hope he can get his PEG out before the end of the month. He wants that out more than anything. No cooking for me this weekend, I will have to go out in the mornings to get my coffee. The smell of any food or coffee makes him sick, I don't mind not cooking for a few days. Thank you for thinking of us, I will update you on Sunday at our progress over the weekend. Enjoy your family. Love you all. Donna

Last Chemo Finished!

Good Morning Everyone!

We finished our last chemo yesterday and as of today we only have eight more radiation treatments. We are so glad that we are done with the chemo. It is a long process. We were at MUSC yesterday morning at 8am and got home at 4:30pm. Earl is doing well today. If we can just make it over this hump then it will be all downhill from here. Hopefully by Oct. 1 Earl will be starting to get back to normal. We can't wait to ride the motorcycle and go have a beer. The weather will be perfect for riding. This has been such an incredible journey for us and we are changed, no doubt. Through this all I have become amazed at how awesome God is and how when you need Him the most He is there. Sometimes I am just so full of awe that I feel like I could explode with joy. You learn to take joy in the small things that most of us take for granted everyday. Thank you all for being here for us. I truly don't know what we would have done without our friends and family. Love you all. Donna & Earl

Countdown!

Good Tuesday Morning Everyone.

We had a fantastic weekend. Aunt Sis and Larry came down on Sunday and spent the afternoon with us. They have been at the beach and drove down for the day. It made Earl's day. We started our sixth week today. I can't believe the end is near. He is so ready to be done. The main thing he hates is just being tired all the time. He takes a shower and that wears him out. He has started eating more, so he can get the PEG out as soon as he's done with the last treatment. We will know this afternoon if they are going to do the chemo tomorrow. We only have 10 radiation treatments left. TEN!!! I went to the pool with mom yesterday. It was so nice and relaxing. My boy came home Sunday night, stayed about three hours, long enough for me to wash his laundry and feed him. I loved every minute of it. Hated to see him leave. Olivia got home from Alabama Sunday evening. She had a good time at the Auburn game. Earl and I did some yard work on Saturday afternoon. I cut the grass and he trimmed some hedges. All in all it was a super weekend. I will keep y'all posted on the chemo. Love you.

Labor Day Weekend

Hey y'all,

We have finished week 5. I am so excited that the end is near. Earl is doing great. He is so determined that he is pushing himself really hard. He is eating soup now and that is a big deal since he hasn't eaten food in over two weeks. He is still doing the feedings for extra calories and nutrition but he is really determined to get the PEG tube out ASAP. As you know the last chemo treatment keeps getting pushed back. I have just accepted that and we will get it done when he can handle it. It is the last one so no big deal. I want him to be as strong as possible anyway before he gets it. I can tell his energy level is improving everyday. He hardly takes any pain medicine, maybe only once or twice a day. His voice has completely come back, so that is good. Except for the weight loss, he looks great. So we have a long weekend, as no treatment on Monday. Olivia went to Alabama with her Dad, so we will be home alone. We will just enjoy each other's company and get him rested up for the last chemo. Oh yeah, and I will probably have to cut grass. I guess you're suppose to cook out on Labor Day, but since we can't grill soup, I guess we will have to skip that. I am so excited about the upcoming fall and holidays. I am anxiously waiting our new life. Thank you all for keeping up with our story. Love you bunches. Donna

Quiet Day at Home

Hey Y'all,

Okay so here we are, a quiet day at home instead of getting our chemo. Yeah, that's right, postponed, AGAIN. We got up this morning at 5am, to be at MUSC by 7:30am. Went to the Lab and they said his count was not quite there. I had a small melt down in the office. This is the third time they have postponed it. No ones fault but it is frustrating. So we had the radiation treatment as scheduled and came home. We both took naps. That felt good. So we will try again on Wednesday. It is our last one so I am just ready to mark it off the list. Only 13 more radiation treatments now. Talked to the radiologist today, she said Earl is doing fantastic. She was very excited. Says she sees a lot of people getting the same treatment as him and he is doing so good. That made me feel better. I came home and opened all the windows, it feels so good outside. Back to work tomorrow. Love you all. Donna

Dancing in the Rain

Hey Y'all,

I got an email from Sunny today and one of the quotes that I really like and thought I would share with you said, "Don't wait for the storm to pass, learn to dance in the rain. I really feel like we have been doing that. Even though we are in the middle of a storm we find time to "dance" everyday. Our chemo was postponed again yesterday to Wednesday.(white cell count still too low) It is a definite go tomorrow and it is our last! He is doing quite well today. His mouth is a little sore but other than that he feels pretty good. His weight is down to 169 lbs, so he has lost 11 lbs so far. My goal is to maintain it at that number but the last three weeks will be the hardest. Please pray that this last chemo doesn't hit him too hard. I am trying to encourage him to do as many feedings a day as he can. He really needs about 2500 calories to stay nourished and hydrated but he is actually only getting about 1500 and that's why he is losing weight everyday. He is not eating any food by mouth and only drinks a small amount so thank God we had the PEG tube put in before we started. He has completed 21 rad treatments so that means only 14 left. I was so glad to turn the calender to September today! We are in our finish month. Love you all! Donna