The Fight is Real....but Dad is persevering!!

It has been quite a while since my last update, but I'm sure you all don't want to hear all the mundane stuff like what Dad ate today or how many Christmas Movies he has watched in the last couple of months. Maybe you do, but now you have an excuse to call him and ask him over the phone.

Dad finished his third round of chemo at the beginning of November and has reached the end of the 23 day rest period between treatments. Last week he went in to Minnedosa for blood work and the results showed his platelets in the toilet again at 50. So that isn't great news but it is to be expected with all the poison being pushed thru his body. Yesterday he had his MRI to see what the BEAST has been up to these last 3 months...the news...is better then we expected.

I had mentioned back in November that he had lost his balance and his short term memory was not the greatest. They started him on a steroid at that time as they thought it was do to swelling of the brain. The steroid worked and he has regained his balance and his memory seems to have gotten better (he has always been forgetful, so we just chalk it up to his normal). One of the side effects of the steroid is puffy-ness of his face. This was shocking to me as I am used to my Dad have very defined facial features and now he has puffy cheeks so the chiseled look isn't there at the moment. I told him he was cute the other day when I saw him...not sure if he appreciated that sentiment or not!

This past Monday, Mom's brother Larry and his wife Lise came for a visit from Ottawa. David and I went to Shoal Lake Tuesday afternoon and joined them for supper and spent most of Wednesday with them. It was a great visit. Mom and I whipped Uncle Larry and David's butts in Canasta...which was awesome!! They almost cried (not really but that would have been really funny)

So back to the MRI results (seeing as that is why you are all reading this). The BEAST has not grown in size and it has not sprouted any fingers/tentacles which is AWESOME!! Surgery is still something that is on the table and the BEAST is being watched closely to see when it will be viable to do so. They want to make sure the possibilities of paralysis and loss of speech are limited before they proceed with removal. The biggest concern today was that Dad's Platelets are now down to 29, so chemo has been put on hold until they go back up. The Oncologist also said that the next round of chemo will be a lower dose as it looks like the tumor has taken a shit kicking! So again good news.

Dad has been experiencing hand shaking/tremors which could be because of the steroid but its not 100% sure, so they are referring him to a neurologist to see what is causing that. It is a hope as well that they will give him the clear to be able to get his license back as he hasn't had a seizure since May. This will be a huge relief to him if they give him that back. When you are use to doing everything for yourself, having to depend on everyone cannot be easy. I pray that it goes well and he can regain some of his independence back.

Mom and Dad were able to go to the Zoo last evening and take in the Christmas lights. Some people have reached out and asked why he was in a transport chair, and it has had some worried. Dad gets tired easily so the transport chair was just a way for him to be able to enjoy the lights. He told me last night "I got to enjoy the lights, and Mom froze her toes!" so needless to say he quite enjoyed himself.

That is the update I have for now. Mom and Dad will be coming to our house to celebrate Christmas with us, which is very exciting. I am looking forward to having them in our home, loving on them and spending quality time with them.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and God's Blessing in the New Year. We pray for health and happiness for you and your families. Please continue to keep our family in your prayers especially for Dad's strength and comfort!

~ Shannon ~  for the

The Neufeld Family