Round 6 and a break!

I am happy to report that I now get a 2 month break from treatment! Yahoo! I have a list of things to do and places to go!
Yesterday was chemo number 6. All went well and I had a nice send-off by the wonderful chemo nurses. They rock! I can't say enough good things about the Cancer Center of the Rockies, Dr. Kanard, and the nurses.
I will meet with Dr. Kanard in a month and in the meantime do another baseline CT scan. I also will see Dr. Brausch again about the wheezing. It did not improve after chemo.

Today I will work as long as I can. I have on my Cancer Sucks hat! I found a website that carries Cancer Sucks hats and cups, etc. They also have the cancer awareness ribbons and bracelets. Nice to find a site that has them for lung cancer. I would like to encourage you all to get a white one for lung cancer. Research for lung cancer is grossly underfunded. More Americans die each year from lung cancer than from breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers combined. Despite claiming more lives than any other cancer, lung cancer receives comparatively little research funding.
According to the National Cancer Institute, estimated spending in 2003 was approximately $1632 per lung cancer death, compared to $14,045 per breast cancer death, $10,761 per prostate cancer death, and $4,676 per colorectal cancer death.

The color for lung cancer is white or clear to represent the invisible disease. http://choosehope.com is the website.

I could not have gotten through all this without your support and love and all the kindness and cheer I received in the mail. I have been overwhelmed. Thank you all.
Hugs!
chris

Yoga-thon

Oh my gosh! What a day. Shareen put together a wonderful fund raiser that was also a very uplifting day... 108 sun salutations.
At the beginning she had everyone tell the names of those in their life affected by cancer. They each included me....and to hear my name in that room over and over was very powerful.

The money raised went to our Relay for Life team (for the American Cancer Society) and to me.

Thank you to all of you who supported this event and me. I am overwhelmed by the response and the amount raised.

Hugs,
Chris

Kermit the Frog

"It isn't easy being green!" Boy howdy, was Kermit right about that!

But things are better this morning and it looks to be a gorgeous day. I need to get out in the sun. After all these days, during all these months, I have cabin fever BAD! While I was on the couch this weekend I was plotting where I could go...I may be showing up on your doorstep this summer!

So, treatment number 5 is over and I have one more. Whew. I am looking forward to the break.

Hope to see you Sunday for the yoga-thon!

Progress

I had a new CT scan on Monday and met with Dr. Kanard today. The report from the radiologist indicated that there had been no change (no shrinking, but no growth either). I asked if there were "other guns" and she said that I would start on a new drug called Alimta. Then a call from the radiologist with information based on a comparison with the November CT scan--there was some change. Dr. Kanard calls it a mixed response. The main mass has shrunk a cm. and the fluid is gone. So, some good news! I have chemo tomorrow (Taxol and Carboplatin). I will do 2 more treatments and then I have a break.

Shareen told me this story of this glorious field of daffodils. People would come from miles away to see it. In the middle of the flowers was a little house. On the door a note: One day at a time, one bulb at a time.

Happy Spring!
Love, Chris