Last Day of Radiation

December 5:  Last day of radiation for Nanette!!!  She had her friend Shelley make delicious cupcakes to take to the Huntsman office staff, nurses, doctors, and technicians.  She has been so grateful for their kind ways and cheerful help and wanted to thank them in some small way.  After going for over six weeks, five days a week, the staff feel like family.  Each person there has been friendly, patient, and involved in her treatment plan.  In the beginning, it seemed a daunting task to go so many times for radiation but the time has passed quickly.  It was a tender mercy from the Lord that she had so many people help her through this time.  With the help of your thoughts, concerns, prayers, rides, encouragement, and love she made it.  They gave her the "mask" as a memento and she will look at it as a trophy rather than a trial.  She will now have 30 days without any chemo or radiation.  In several weeks, she will have an MRI which will give the oncologist a baseline to track further developments and progress.  They have warned her not to make too much of the results from this first MRI because it can look worse, maybe better, or the same.  They will use this MRI just as a baseline and nothing more at this point.  After the 30-day rest, she will resume taking chemo pills for five days on, 23 days off and that will continue for 6-12 months.  They will also start to wean her off the steroids a little at a time but will monitor her closely.  The next 30 days will be a time to recover, rest and recuperate.  Updates to the blog will continue, although maybe not as frequently.  Thank you again for all your calls and visits and your support.  You are the friends and family who have lifted her up and sustained her and expressed such a tremendous outpouring of love and concern for her and her family.  "A blessing is anything that moves us closer to God" and this trial and all of you have been a blessing in her life.