The Results are in...

Happy Sunday All!! I went to see Mom and Dad yesterday at Austin and the first thing they said to me was "you haven't updated the Blog yet have you...we have been getting calls all day!" 😜 So I guess I better post an update!!

Friday was the day of answers. Were they the answers we wanted....yes and no! But lets back up a bit!

Since Dad's last treatment (Bell Ringing Day), he has been living his best life! One thing that I have learned about both my parents is that when faced with adversity they take it by the horns and plough through. I have so much more respect for them then I ever have had. They both are my real life heroes! They have just been enjoying every bit of life with each other and with the rest of us. With the crappy hand we were dealt this summer, I can honestly say it was one of the BEST summers I have ever spent with my parents. We just had a beautiful time with each other, reconnecting, growing and just being together. I thank the Lord for the days he has given us and the ones yet to come!

Mom and Dad came as far as my house on Wednesday so we were able to spend the evenings together Wednesday and Thursday (I had to work Thursday during the day). Wednesday night we went for a walk and ran into friends of ours. The look on Lloyds face when he saw Dad was one of complete shock. He had heard his friend had a Brain Tumour but when he saw him, he saw they same Helmut he always knew (with a little less hair on the left side of his head). We continued our walk with them, having great conversation and fellowship. Last night when I stopped at their house with the update, Lloyd said to me "I was expecting him to get winded, but he never did...he just kept going and going and going!" Yup...Dad is still extremely healthy! For this we are thankful!

So Friday morning came, I headed to work and Mom and Dad headed too Winnipeg for his day of appointments. First thing was blood work which they got done first thing in the morning. He platelets have dropped a very little bit but the levels are still very good. All the other blood levels are also in a healthy range.

Next was his appointment at 11am with the Medical Oncologist, this is the Doctor that discusses the next steps of treatment. It was decided that Dad would start a stronger Chemo Regime this coming Wednesday, a double dose to hopefully keep the tumour at bay. Chemo will be given in pill form again, he will take it for 5 days and then be off for 23 days. MRI's will also continue to be done to watch what the Monster is doing. So yes the Cancer is still there, but it has shrunk and hasn't grown any "tentacles" which is what Glioblastoma does. So the Monster is just a solid lump with no fingers. 

At 1pm they had an appointment with Dad's Oncologist which will be his Oncologist going forward. He put Dad through the paces, to check the cognitive and physical aspects which are affected with Dad's type of Brain Cancer. One of these tests was the Heal/Toe walk (that Dad has used on impaired people in the past). When he was first diagnosed, he did just that...walked like an impaired person. On Friday they did this test again and Dad passed it 100%. Got up and walked across the room without wavering at all...so that is AMAZING!! This Doctor was extremely amazed with how well Dad is doing, he isn't your typical Glioblastoma patient. One HUGE positive was how the Doctor was talking. Dad says he was talking about the future, beyond the 9-12 months he was given in the beginning, he was talking 2 years from now and further. So this of course is very positive news. He has also not ruled out surgery in the future, not saying that it will happen, but he has said it is a possibility depending on how things go from here. We were first told it was inoperable so again, another positive. There was also talk about Dad driving and the suspension of his licence. There is a possibility of him getting his licence back before the year as was stated before, he has been 4 months seizure free so if that continues it may be sooner to get his licence back.

So as you can see even though the tumour is still there, the updates are all positive. We again thank the professionals at Cancer Care for their unwavering care and support. We also thank all of you for your continued thoughts and prayers. You are all loved beyond words.

I will continue updating via this Blog as more news comes in.

**Quick update on my brother Jason. He is still in Brandon Hospital with foot issues. He has been there since July 24th, so it's been a long haul for him. He is very positive and is healing slowly but surely. Please continue to also keep him in your healing prayers.**

~ Shannon, for The Neufeld Family ~

~ Taken while having his morning coffee September 19, 2021 ~