Slow, but progress!!

Each day Dad is getting a little better. On paper, his blood work shows that the engrafting has taken place and all of his counts are really good. Good enough that they would let him leave the hospital but they are having a hard time getting his stomach to work properly. He has to be eating food before they will let him leave. He was doing better and after the news of Grandma passing, the doctors said that if he could get off the IV medication and keep some food down they would let him come home for a few days. So they took him off the IV meds and gave him nausea medicine and pain medicine in pill for yesterday morning and by after noon he was throwing up and couldn't keep any medicine down so they had to put him back on the IV meds. So with heavy hearts mom and dad decided it was too risky to try to come back home. It is a blessing for Grandma that she is with Grandpa and Kelly now but it will just be hard for dad not to be able to be there and say his goodbyes. We are hoping in the following week, slowly his stomach will start working properly and he will at least be able to leave the hospital. It was kinda a let down when we found out he wouldn't be able to come home but we only want what is best for dad. I hope that the news of Grandma doesn't set him back, but he has such a strong will I know he will continue to get better and will be home soon. Grandma will be missed dearly but what a great reunion she is at. I am sure she is looking down on all of us and getting caught up on all that we have accomplished in the last years when she couldn't remember any of us. What a blessing to have the knowledge of the gospel and the plan of salvation. We all know that she is happy, with Grandpa and Kelly, and that we will see her again. My thoughts and prayers are with all of our family as we mourn the lose of a great mom, grandma, and great-grandma. I am sure Grandpa and Grandma are together and looking down on all of us family and smiling about the amazing family that they have created.

Happy Christmas Eve!!!

In the 9 years that Kyle and I have been married we have spent Christmas Eve with my mom and dad. But unfortunately this year we won't be able to be with them. Even though they won't be with us I will have them on my mind all night. Things are going pretty slow with dad's progress. He still is pretty sick. Each day they just deal with any new and old symptoms of the chemo. He had a bad allergic reaction to some blood pressure medication a few days ago. And hopefully they have that under control. He still has been taking plateletes every couple of days. They hope that they won't have to continue to do that much longer. The doctors did say that his blood counts are going up so this is a sign that the stem cells are grafting back into his system. If they can just get his white cells to come up enough to start helping him gain his strength back that will help. Even though things have been really crappy the doctors say that everything is going as planned. This is what they prepared mom,dad, and all of us for but it still doesn't make it any less miserable. We hope with each day that he can just get even a little better that gets us just a little closer to having them home. I go to mom and dads house and it is so cold and empty. I miss being able to go over and say hi and just seeing dad make my kids laugh. I can't wait for the day when all of this is behind us. Mom and Dad have a Happy Christmas Eve and know that you are in all of our thoughts and prayer always but tonight even more. Miss you so much. Hang in there.

Hanging in there.

Sorry it has been so long since the last post. But it isn't fun to post things when things are crapy. Dad is hanging in there. When they said that this would be the worst week, they were right. Dad has been really sick with stomach cramps so bad that he has to take morphine. Then a few days ago he had a high fever that they couldn't control. They found that he had an infection in his port so he is on another antibotic for that. He hasn't been able to keep anything down so he is now on a supplement that gives him all the nutrients that he needs. All of his meds are now given through his port because they think he has sores all down his throat and maybe into his stomach. I could keep going but to sum it up things are just really crapy for him right now. Mom is so worried that she doesn't dare leave the hospital at nights now so she is sleeping there in the room. Or maybe I should say that she is staying there in the room cuz I am sure she isn't sleeping. But they are both so strong and if they can just get through the next couple of days I hope things will get better. I have to agree with Penny when she said "CANCER SUCKS" but to try to put some kind of good twist on it. I have never seen my parents relationship stronger. I thought before the cancer they were really close and always worked things out together but to see them now....how my mom won't leave his side. And how when we went to see them, Dad was more thankful that we were there for mom than for him. How lucky am I to have such amazing parents. And this holiday season has meant more to me than any other Christmas in the past. It just really makes you grateful for the ones that you love and for your health. I am so grateful for my family and all that we have. Dad if you are reading this I love you and just hang on, you are almost done. Wish I could be there every minute.

Happy "Rebirthday"!

I just talked to mom. Today is Dad's "rebirthday". That's what they call it at the hospital. They bring in baloons and everything. Today they start putting the new stem cells in. He has seven bags today and seven bags tomorrow. He had just ordered some vanilla pudding for breakfast and had kept a little bit of soup down yesterday, so that was good news. They have him on medicine for the nausia (sp?) and that seems to be helping. The next week will be the worst they said, but today he seems to be doing well. Lance, Scott & Kristy left this morning to see them. We had all been grounded by Dad from going, so we'll see how that goes. Mom sounded good this morning. She said that Dad loved the ornaments of the grandkids we sent them. She has been taping them to the window in the shape of a Christmas tree. His back was still bothering him. Some muscle relaxers have been helping. So far so good. Thank you so much for all the prayers and thoughts about Dad and Mom too. We sure appreciate all of it . Love you dad. penny

That is a whole lot of LOVE!!!

That is a whole lot of kids missing their Grandma and Grandpa!!!!

We hope that Grandma and Grandpa can feel all the love their Grandkids have for them and how much they are missed.

We love you Grandpa and Grandma!!

One day at a time.

I talked to Mom today and Dad is doing pretty good. He has been doing the chemo treatments since Friday. He has had pretty bad headaches and he has been really sick to his stomach. But all that is expected. They are trying to get his stomach feeling better with medicine and they have found some pain medicine that works for his headaches. So things are doing better. He has a bike in his room that he tries to ride a few times a day for exercise. I think he calls it Black Beauty. That sounds like something he would say. She said they were just taking one day at a time. And just dealing with each new symptom that the chemo creates. For something that is supposed to make him better that is sure some nasty stuff. But she sounded like she was doing fairly well too, but you know her she has to be tough as nails all the time. That is what helps them through all of this so I guess I am grateful for that. I just wish I could be there for both of them like they have been there for me all my life. I guess I can be but I will have to do it from a distance. Well that is the update thus far. I will keep posting any new info that I get. Thank you to those who have commented I send them on to Mom and Dad. They appreciate it.

Back to Utah!

Mom and Dad left on Tuesday to head back to Utah. They had appointments and tests on Wednesday and Thursday. They will admit Dad on Friday at 9am and start his first chemo treatment. They do chemo for 6 days straight and then they give him a day to rest. Then for the next 2 days is the rescue where they give him the stem cells that they collected. Then it will probably be at least 3 more weeks in the hospital and 2 weeks where he has to stay close to the hospital. So that is the plan. Our thoughts and our prayers are all with them. We wish we could be there everyday for him but with the busy lives we all live with our own families it is hard to go there as much as we would like. I have posted an address that Mom and Dad can receive mail. It is just at the hotel that mom is staying at. It is posted on the right. Thanks again for every ones thoughts and prayers. They are needed and appreciated.

Back to Idaho!

The doctors said that they thought they would have enough stem cells by the end of today. They didn't get as many as they would have hoped but they thought it would be enough. So Mom and Dad will be coming home tomorrow. They don't finish the collection until about 4:30pm and then they have to come back so Dad can get more platelets at 7:00pm so they will get a good nights rest tonight and come home tomorrow. Mom said that dad was doing good but just really tired. She said his spirits were pretty good. But I am sure that is because he knows he will be able to come home tomorrow. The doctors want them to come back next Wednesday to get the rest of the process started. This is a lot faster than the 2 weeks we thought he would have. But the sooner he gets started the sooner he will be done. So it will be nice they can have a nice relaxing weekend and then they will have to go right back. Dad our thoughts and are prayers are with you always. It is so hard not to be able to run over and see how you are doing. We are so glad that you will be home soon.

Slow Paced Collection--Bummer

I talked to mom this morning. She said that the collection was going slower than they thought. He had two shots last night to make the collection more productive, but they will have to wait until later tonight to see if that worked. He also has to get some platelets tonight. She didn't sound like they would make it home until Saturday at the earliest, but we will have to get the count tonght and see. She said dad is feeling pretty good, the side effects weren't to bad.

Started the Stem Cell collection today.

I just got off the phone with mom and she said they started the stem cell collection today. They had to be at the hospital at 7am this morning. They tested his blood and hooked him up to the machine. It took about 5 1/2 hours to complete the collection. She said it wasn't painful for dad but if his fingers and nose started to tingle they had to give him calcium cuz it was too low. She said he is feeling really good but just his joints and bones ache because on the injections. They were waiting to hear back from the doctors to see how many stem cells they ended up collecting. They thought it should take at least one more day or maybe two, to get enough stem cells. So if they get enough tomorrow they would come home on Tuesday. We just hope that is the case cuz I am sure dad is ready to come home. But things seem to being going really well and we just hope things continue to go as planned.

Happy Stinkin' Birthday!

Happy Birthday! We love you and miss you! We hope you have a great day. You are always in our prayers. Occasionally the younger ones will mix you up in the first presidency. "Please bless Pres. Monson, Pres. Uchtorf( I know it's spelled wrong), Pres. Eyering(yes I know) and Grandpa Hymas. I guess that it's good company to keep! We're off to a b-ball game in P-burg today so I only had the two little one's home. We're so proud of you and all you do! Love the Summers Gang

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday Dad. We love and miss you! We are thinking of you always. Addie, Connor, & Noah send hugs and kisses. 

Happy Birthday Dad! The big 60!

Today is dad's 60th birthady. Man you are old dad!(ha,ha) We hope that he has a great day. We wish he was here so we could really give him a hard time. But he will just have to get the teasing over the phone. Things are going good and since they started the shots a day early we hope that he will be able to make it home a day early. Happy Birthday dad. We love you.

Shots started today!

I talked to Mom today about three. Her and dad were just having dinner(apparently they have breakfast at the hotel and then have an early supper at three or four) She said Dad was doing pretty good. He has been on some pain pills , but nothing they couldn't take care of. She also said they started the stem cell trickery shots today instead of tomorrow, so that is good news. She also said that on Sunday when they get the results from the first collection of stem cells, that they would be able to tell them how long it would take to finish the collection process. If this doesn't make sense, call me. So she sounded good, but I didn't get to talk very long 'cuz they were eating. There you go Over and out penny

Surgery is over!

Dad's surgery went well today. It was only supposed to be a 20 minute surgery but it ended up being a 2 1/2 hour surgery. They wanted to use the same artery that his other port was in but when they got in there, cartilage or scar tissue had built up around that artery so they couldn't get the larger port in. So they had to stitch that area up and go into a whole different artery. So needless to say mom was freaking out cuz it was taking so much longer but he is doing fine and they were on their way to the hotel when Scott talked to her. So they will get to take it easy tomorrow and then start with the shots on Thursday. One more step down, way to many left but that means one step closer to being done. Hang in there dad.

Finally things are getting started!

I talked to mom today and they met with the doctors today and went over the schedule of what the plan is. The doctors were really impressed with dad's test results. They really didn't think that he would be cancer free. But this is how the next couple of days will go.

Tuesday: Dad will go into surgery to put a larger port in.

Wednesday: He gets a day to rest.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: He will go in the morning and get a shot that tricks the stem cells to come into the blood stream.

Monday: Hopefully the medicine will have worked and they will be able to start taking the stem cells.

The doctors did say that for some people it only takes 4 days to get all the stem cells that they need. So there is still a small chance that he will make it home for Thanksgiving. We all hope that is the case and he will make it home. Well good luck dad hope that all goes as planned and we will see you soon.

My Dad

As most of you know my dad was diagnosed with Mantel Cell Lymphoma about 7 months ago. After about 6 months of really hard chemo therapy, tests have shown that he is cancer free. Yes all of us have done the happy dance!! But his doctors say that his best chance of staying cancer free for as long as possible would be to do a stem cell transplant. This is where they take out his stem cells and freeze them. Next they have him go through some really intense chemo that basically kills everything in your body. This was a hard thing to hear and understand that this is supposed to make him better. But Dad and Mom are very confident in the doctors and know that the doctors know what is best. As his daughter it is very hard to know what is ahead of him and know that there is not much that I can do to make it any easier for him. My dad is the strongest person I know and through all of this has continually impressed me with his strength and amazing faith. So I know he can beat it but it will just be hard to have to see him go through all of it. Sorry back to the explanation. Then they put the frozen stem cells back in and hope that when they regenerate they are cancer free. This is the really simple explanation but that is what lies ahead. But I thought this would be a way to keep all his family and friends updated on how he is doing. So I will try to update this as much as possible.

On Tuesday the doctors called and said that they would like him at the hospital in Salt Lake on Friday so they can start the stem cell retraction. There is a two weeks time between when they take the stem cells and when they start the chemo. So we are hoping he can go do the stem cell retraction and be home over Thanksgiving before he has to start the chemo. But we will have to see how things go. I will keep you posted on how he is doing there as soon as we know.