Round 3 is Done! No Chemo for 2 Weeks!

Joe had his last Chemo infusion of January yesterday and it's a good thing it was the last for two weeks. He was there for 4 hours, much longer than usual and he didn't even have to see the doctor. He arrived at a little after 8am, had his blood drawn for labs by 8:30am and had enough time before his 9:15am infusion appointment to go to the food court and have sausage biscuits for breakfast. Things were going smoothly so we should have known it wouldn't last. He had a very long wait in the waiting room until almost 11:00am and when he did get back in the infusion center he finds out the blood work for the labs that was drawn earlier wasn't enough for a good reading. Therefore they had to draw more blood right there in the infusion center. Then finally they started his steroids and then the chemo. Long story short: Joe didn't get out of Duke until after 12:00pm. That makes for a very long morning.

But on a positive note, he doesn't have another treatment until February 2nd. However, he does have his CT scan on the 31st of this month.

So what are we doing this weekend you ask. (you were wondering weren't you?) Tomorrow we pick up 2 cakes at Costco and head down to Hope Mills for our neice Sara's surprise sweet sixteen birthday party. She doesn't read the blog so no fear here of spoiling anything. Joe and I just had a sweet moment remembering back in 1999 when Joe met Sara at age 3. On their 2nd meeting, Sara came up to Joe and asked in that little 3 year old voice, "can I call you Uncle Joe?". It was a moment that both of us remember very well along with so many other times we have had with Sara. She would visit for a week at a time from the time she was 5 years old. So many loving, funny, incredibly wonderful memories. Our goal was to make each visit to see us special and to make her feel just how special she is to us. Yes we spoiled her and delighted in each and every minute. Whether it was taking her shopping, riding the carousel with her (Joe did that, I was too embarrassed), taking her to the movies or just letting her snuggle up between us, our goal was just to make her happy and feel great about herself. She has grown into such a beautiful young lady and we are so proud of her and love her beyond what words can express. Happy early birthday to our little girl, Sara.

So hopefully we will have a wonderful weekend and we can enjoy some time with Sara and then next week Joe can have a nice relaxing week.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. Joe and I are truly blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people.