Home Sweet Home!!

So...we have all been home for over a week and there isn't much to report on. We are all doing very well. But you all want to hear about Dad! He is doing very well as well...or at least as well as can be expected.

Mom and Dad stayed in the city until last week Tuesday as Dad's platelet levels were still lower then we wanted. Cancer Care Winnipeg made arrangements for Dad to have his blood tests in Brandon and if he needed another infusion then he could also get that there. So with that news Dad called Nathan right away and made arrangements to move the camper back to Austin Tuesday Morning! Let just say they both were happy to be back "home". They stayed in Austin for a couple of days and then headed back to Shoal Lake where according to Dad "feels amazing to be"!

He has had a few blood tests and his platelets did not get low enough for another infusion which is wonderful. Since then his body has been producing its own platelets and as of today they are back up to 57,000mcl. Praise the Lord for that. But of course with good news there is also some not so good news, Dad's White Blood Cells have dropped. They are at 1.4 which is quite low, so Mom and Dad are going to stay close to home and away from crowds. With low white blood cells there is risk of infection which we don't want. So PLEASE call Mom if you want to visit with them.

A couple of days after they got home, at about 3am they got notification on their cell phone of water in their crawl space. Sure enough when they went downstairs they discovered the sump pump stopped working. Dad had an extra one so it was a quick fix. But while downstairs Dad noticed a Wasp flying around (why would there be a wasp in a crawl space with no outside access)? Upon further investigation they found a wasp nest the size of a 5 gallon pail. How did they get in...when one of the utilities did some work at their house they didn't plug the hole they drilled into the wall...creating the perfect entrance!

Today Dad got a huge parcel in the mail and inside was the most beautiful afghan made by my Cousin Deanna Hohn from Regina. The Afghan is one of the most beautiful blankets I have seen. So much love and hard work went into it and the symbol is very dear to Dad's heart. Thank you Deanna for making such a memorable gift for Dad, I know he will cherish it for years to come. It fits in quite well with bedroom decor.

A quick note on Jason. He is still in Brandon Hospital (poor guy has been in there since before August Long). His foot is healing but extremely slowly. Thank you for the prayers you have also been saying for him. We all appreciate it! Mom and Dad have been able to see him which has been great. Only Mom will be able to for the next bit with Dads White Blood Cells being low.

I have been back to work since the 17th and it has been wonderful. Getting use to working a full day has taken a bit but I missed my people while I was gone. Apparently I was missed as well but I think it was the treats I make usually on a weekly basis that they actually missed. So today I got back into the groove!

Dad will have his followup MRI on September 7th and will meet with his Oncologist on September 17th. We continue to pray for the medical teams knowledge and treatments, but mostly our prayer is for Dad's complete healing! He is such a strong man and has been fighting so valiantly....it is what he deserves. I will update once we talk to the Oncologist and see what the next steps will be. Thank you again for your continued support. We love you all!

~Shannon, for the rest of The Neufeld Family~