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Thank you Diane for your sweet words. It has been a tough year but we do manage to find happiness in all kinds of things. I'm so so so happy to hear that you have been stable! That is wonderful and so great to hear. I'm sure youre inspiring and giving lots of people hope. Thanks for helping out with the contest! and for the prayers especially. So good to hear from you, again.

Hello Everyone! It has been 7 months since I've posted, and the last time I posted, it was in regards to my amazing father passing away. I wanted to see how everyone is doing in their own battles and kind of update you on what my family and I have been up to. I started grad school for Speech-Language Pathology this fall, Something my father was so proud of and got to find out with us when I got into my school of choice!! It's been so great and I think of my dad all the times when it seems "too hard" and just remember that i'm doing this for him! I currently live at home with my mom, (my sister has her own house with her husband) , and so the last 7 months have been tough. I've been as strong as I can be, because when your parent needs you, thats what you do. Be strong. But we are getting through it. Times have not at all been easy. It's as if we were hit with a curse. The house sprung a leak a few weeks ago, the flooring my mom LOVES that we needed to replace the messed up floors with, can't be put in due to foundation issues, we lost several animals in the past few months, my mom's having a horrible time trying to get things put in her name, money is tight, and the list goes on and on and on. But through these horrible months, we have grown to see the importance of each other!! don't ever forget the power of family and friends and SUPPORT, through all the battles life decides to throw at you. I wish you all the VERY best in health and life and I hope to hear everyone is doing well. If you have a second, please watch this video, (and other through the link if you have some time, I promise you won't be disappointed) I'm in a contest to win tickets and a Meet and Greet to the John Mayer concert for my Mom and I! She needs to get out and end this year in a better way then it has been! Here is the Link: https://www.tunespeak.com/tl/HcPjcsZa Thank you all so much

Thank you all for your kind responses. I am so thankful for the time spent with my dad and all the beautiful memories I have with him! I'm not sure where we will go from here but I just hope to be here for my mom. I can't imagine what she's feeling, they were married 27 years and his 49th bday is the 20th of this month. Instead of a funeral, we are having a big memorial at the beach, just as he wanted. I agree, the counseling may be necessary, just to sort through the emotions. However, having so much love and support has been a big help as well as knowing the pain cannot get to my dad anymore. I hope you all stay strong along your own journeys and kick cancer's butt! Love to all of you, Erika

I spent some time contemplating if I should post this or not, but I've decided to do so. This is only my third post on here, but my father passed away on Monday the 8th. He declined pretty rapidly these last two weeks, the cancer had spread a bit further. The previous spots got better with treatment, but I guess the spreading was too much already. I am heart broken that it was such a quick thing, we went to a baseball game just March 12th and he went to a concert a week after that, but I take comfort in knowing he is not suffering. He hated being bed ridden, which is what it came down to these last 2 weeks or so. I only hope I can be strong enough to be here completely for my mom. I want to try to find some grief counseling but i'm not sure she will be open to that. I want you all to know that you gave my dad and my family HOPE. He loved reading your stories and comparing cases and found lots of hope in you all. We had hope up until the very last minute and I encourage you all that are battling this AWFUL disease to do the same. Thank you so much, Erika

Thank you everyone for the comments! I think he may have the option down the road to get another port put in, because as you've said it's much more convenient and less painful in certain ways, but the infection was such a headache I'm not sure he would do it. Either way, he'such better! Thanks for the support! And yes, now it's all about finding ways to keep him busy and not lose his mind! He's reading a lot now and has done a couple household projects when he feels up to it but hopefully will come up with more to do. He has memorized many tv shows at this point!

Rick- I like your approach! Ultra healthy diet is a great thing! I've recently began eating healthier, taking wheat grass shots in the morning, and being more active (or trying!) and I think in your situation it is one of the most active ways you can help take control of the situation! You will be in my prayers and I will be looking for updates! Mary (i'm assuming thats your name) You did give me a good laugh! thank you! very unique way to put things, and very true. I just posted a little update here :http://www.lungevity.org/l_community/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=50307 if youre interested. Thank you for the kind words also! Its hard as a family member to watch things like this happen and its easy to feel like we can't do anything about it but i'm trying to change that feeling and do what I can and learn what I can! I hope to hear from you again and will be praying for you as well! Erika

Hello everyone, hope to find all of you and loved ones well! I posted about my dad in December, the link to that is at the end of this posting if you didn't already read it. I'd like to just give an update on how things have gone so far. He is almost done with chemo, one more round will be given next week. He was only given 4 rounds for now. He had a port put in his chest to administer the chemo (is this something most people do?) and it became infected about a month after it was put in. VERY infected and painful. He had to have it removed and was in the hospital a few days to receive antibiotics. He was then sent home with about 2 weeks worth of antibiotics and a pick line to administer the meds. My mom and sister had to pack the wound every day, it was essentially a huge hole in his chest (he liked to tell people he got stabbed..) and it is much smaller now. Has anyone else gone through a similiar issue with the ports? After the setback, and his 3rd chemo being pushed back a week or 2, he almost to his forth and last (for now) chemo treatment. However she took the Avastin out of these last 2 rounds of chemo since it would compromise the wound healing even more. So we are just anxious to re scan and re test in the next month or two and see how things are looking. Since the infection, my dad has stopped working completely (until he has more energy) and is bored out of his mind at home all the time. I will have to remind him to get on here and use some of that time! Let me know if you can relate! Thanks, Erika

Thank you Katie for the information! I will make use of it, I'd love to Learn as much as I can. And thank you Eric for your encouragement!! I agree with what you said and the work you are doing is awesome! I hope to get my dad himself on here, to talk to all of you since you are all so encouraging and very helpful in understanding things. I'm sure I will have questions along the way so I will be posting lots. Thanks again!

Thank you Katie! I will be posting more I appreciate the support!

Thank you Janet for the reply! Your story does sound a lot like my dads, besides that he was a smoker at one point. I love hearing stories like yours, and I truly hope you continue to receive good news from your doctors! What a wonderful story! My sister and I are around your children's ages, i'm 21, my sister 25, and my parents have been married for going on 27 years in February. Thank you again for sharing your story, i'm going to have my dad read it as well tonight.

Clare, I can relate a lot to your story because my dad is relatively young, 48 and was otherwise healthy. So if was a scary surprise for us. I also hide the emotions because I know it's important to stay strong and hopeful. We are still early on I. His treatment, so we are full of hope, but the days that he's not feeling well and not himself are the worst and it makes me wonder if I'm doing all I can and helping him stay positive. While its tough I think it's best for us to just take as much time to focus on our parents and not on the cancer. That's what I try to do at least. I hate that he is constantly worried about it but I think we can do our part in helping that and you sound like you are doing a great job!!

I read this on facebook yesterday and it is very inspiring and hopeful! Thank you!

I am so happy to hear your story!! Thank you for sharing it..I love reading positive things like that and i'm very happy that you fought and are doing very well! I'm going to make my dad a profile on here soon and try to get him to get in touch with people like you to talk to and get encouragement and information from. Thanks again!!

Thanks Diane I appreciate it! Yeah I agree, the feeling bad and missing work part is tough on my dad. He hates sitting at home so we try to convince him that he does need the rest at times while going through chemo. Luckily he loves to read so he has found more time to do that!

Thank you Clare I appreciate it! I always wished they would have found it sooner but I know there is always hope and it truly has made all of us see things in a new light. Thanks again