Much to be Thankful for….

We are nearing 4 weeks post surgery and on this Thanksgiving weekend it seems appropriate to acknowledge how extremely thankful our family feels right now. John has been recovering slowly but surely since he left the hospital, taking it one day at a time to get stronger and healthier. The surgery was the start that we had all been hoping for and it has greatly set the tone for what should turn out to be John’s best race yet. 

During the past few weeks John has had several appointments with his surgeon, radiation oncologist, medical oncologist, dietician, counsellor, dentist and opthamologist.  They are what make up his team!  Each one of them will play a vital role in ensuring that John is on pace and that he is doing what he needs to for a successful finish to this race.  So far, after another CT scan and PET scan, John shows no sign of “disease” that can be visibly detected (nothing greater than 5mm in size) throughout his body. While this is fantastic news, we are still optimistically cautious given the nature of SNUC and the aggressive tendency it is known to have.  However, the surgeon and oncologist are very happy with John’s present state, he is one of the lucky SNUC patients where surgery was not only a possibility, but where the removal of the tumor in its entirety along with the margins surrounding it, was a complete success.  This gives us all great confidence going into John’s radiation and chemotherapy treatment that will occur concurrently; 6 weeks of radiation along with 4 cycles of chemotherapy will be administered over a 12 week span. Although the start date for this has yet to be confirmed it should begin within the next few weeks.

For now John is getting back on his feet, eating well and gaining some weight for what is to come, he is also trying to enjoy being mobile, taking the time to watch the boys football games and visiting with his friends and family. His energy level is still lower than he would like it to be and not feeling like “yourself” has been extremely frustrating for John at times, but a Marathon of this nature is not going to be easy.  Each mile from here on in will be different then the last, some miles will be smooth sailing on flat road with the breeze at his back, while others will be gruelling with steep terrain and head winds pushing him down. Whatever the case may be, John has this!!  He is a fighter and will do anything it takes to finish this race! 

Today, on behalf of our family, I wanted to say thank you, which doesn’t even seem adequate for the extraordinary support so many of you have shown us whether it has been rides home for the boys, meals you have made, treats you have sent, gift cards you’ve mailed us, well wishes you’ve given, phone calls you’ve made, text messages you’ve sent or emails you have written, all of it means so much!  We know we are not in this alone, we know that there are countless people who love and support us every step of the way…and we know that whatever lays ahead, we will be able to face it with all of you cheering him on!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!