Maggie knocked out round # 51 (total) of chemo yesterday afternoon and was discharged shortly after. We made it home in time for late supper and catch-up time with Phil, Molly, and, of course, Meg and Max before collapsing in our own beds. Molly has taken on a new project with the dogs – obstacle course work. She has them walking through the tunnel on command. We’ll keep you posted on how they handle phase #2 – agility poles (weaving in and out). We love family time!

Maggie encountered more upset tummy and less nausea with this round – we’re not sure if the switch in “mab” drugs had any bearing on this. We’re praying for the tummy to totally calm down to allow her to eat and keep her strength up. We’re also praying for the flu to stay clear of our house. Maggie is planning to be at the church tomorrow for planning in the college dept. She’s also volunteering for D-Now (we’re going to delay the next round of chemo from Thursday to the following Monday to allow her to take part in all D-Now weekend activities). Please pray for extra protection for her to avoid any germs lurking around as they inevitably are in large groups. We’re thankful she feels strong enough to take part and has the desire to do it. We just don’t want to see her exposed while counts are dropping. We’re also praying for Cetuximab to re-establish the assault on cancer cells in the liver. In the clinic Thursday, we did learn her scan showed an optimally functioning bile duct stent. This is good news. The flip side is that the pain she experiences 4-5 times a week is most likely caused from tumor activity (pressure) in the liver region. We have increased her patch dosage to alleviate the discomfort. Hear that, Cetuximab? Do your job!

We are beginning to reach out in an effort to find a clinical trial. As we pray and seek God’s guidance, we’ll continue regularly (every two weeks) scheduled chemo treatments at Batson. The next will be Monday, January 29th. We’ll have an idea then if the change in chemo produces a positive response when the next CEA is measured on the 29th. Until then, we’ll be staying close to home, dodging germs, and watching the amazing performing Hanberry dogs. Life is beautiful. God is good.

Thank you for your prayers.