CANcer FREE!

Allen's scans show that he is still CANcer FREE!! Check out the beautiful picture:

I am sure to most of you it looks like a bunch of black and white blobs, but let me give you the lay of the land... the picture on the right is Allen's first CT scan.  Imagine if Allen had a flip top head and you flipped it back and were looking down into his chest.  The two big circles are his lungs; the black inside is where the air is, and all the white and gray is CANcer and fluid.  It is still hard to believe how big his mass was, and we didn't even know it was in there! That's what he gets for being in amazing physical shape! The picture on the left is the scan from this week.  Check out all the black inside his lungs! And, so much of the mass has shriveled up!! The Ninja said that the mass has continued to shrink after radiation, and it might get even smaller as time passes.

Take THAT CANcer! When we were looking at the scans with The Ninja, I noticed the dates in the upper corners. The scans were taken almost a year apart TO THE DAY! After we left the office, I just couldn't shake that crazy coincidence (and I don't believe in coincidences).  I thought a lot about how much easier the last year would have been if we have known as we sat, scared to death, in The Ninja's office looking at Allen's first scans that a year later we would be sitting in his office looking at CANcer free scans.  How it would have been a little more bearable for Allen to endure the endless chemo sessions and other procedures; how there might have not been as many sleepless nights; and, how together, we could have enjoyed the pregnancy more. But, then I remembered a quote that I had seen:

We met so many amazing people along this journey, leaned on people we didn't even know before Allen's diagnosis, friends became family, and our little family of five became stronger than I ever imagined.  The struggle is what made us grow.  A Hodgkin's survivor told Allen in the beginning of all of this that "CANcer would be the worst and the best thing that ever happened to him."  I had no idea how CANcer could ever be the best thing that could ever happen to my husband.  I HATED CANcer, and I still do.  But, now I understand what he meant.  

Guest Post - What a Difference a Year Makes!

Tonight I thought I would give Leah a break and take a moment to reflect on the roller coaster ride the last year has been...  in full disclosure, she is the English major, so this post will probably be much less eloquent.  ;)

I never ever expected to be writing a blog post on my battle with CANcer, much less, this early in my life... although the last year has been brutal, I have grown a lot and conquered a few fears along the way. 

First, I am less afraid of needles (but not much).  Now, you won't find me hanging out at the blood bank, but I am much more likely to actually go and get my annual flu shot and may actually get my cholesterol checked on a regular basis... neither of which happened before all of this! 

Second, my kids now think that I am "Iron Man"... how cool is that!?!  Initially, I was hesitant to tell them that I had CANcer, but they have been more encouraging than they will ever know.  I still get goose bumps when I hear Braedyn tell his friends that my daddy went through chemo to get "special powers."  While special powers may be a stretch, I have found an inner strength that is far greater than I ever knew.    

Lastly (and most importantly), my priorities are a lot clearer.  Fighting CANcer allowed me to do a lot of (overdue) "soul searching" and for that I am actually grateful.  My work/life balance is great and my triathlon training is better than ever.  Leah is (not really) loving my latest idea of signing both of us up for a Half Ironman!
   
So, what a difference a year makes... a year ago, I wasn't sure if my life was over, but now I feel more "alive" than ever!  Thank you all so much for your support, encouragement, and motivation over the last 12 months... it takes a village to beat CANcer, and together we can do this! 

I am off to brave the barium on Wednesday and then on to see The Ninja on Friday... hoping for a "clean" report!

Allen

Bye-Bye Port!

Monday Allen had his port REMOVED!  If you have followed this blog you know the port has caused Allen so many problems--everything from the tube coming out, requiring a second surgery, to making him contort into crazy positions for four hours while he received his chemo treatments.  Needless to say, we are beyond thrilled to have it GONE! Removing the port also signals the last step in returning back to normal.  No more chemo, no more radiation, no more annoying port in his chest!

Next up is Allen's first check up with both The Radiator and The CANcer Ninja.  Both are scheduled for the first week in July.  We are hoping for fabulous reports from both doctors, so we can celebrate BIG with some major fireworks on the 4th!

Relay for Life

Last Friday we had the awesome experience of attending Relay for Life! It raises money for CANcer research while celebrating survivors and their caregivers.  Of course the kids needed shirts to celebrate their Daddy:

When we arrived, the first thing we saw was this awesome message - "HOPE!" 

They had boards for survivors to sign showing the number of years they have been CANcer FREE.  It was great to see Allen sign that board.  Can't wait until he can sign the 20 years plus board!

Then, all the survivors walk a lap by themselves while we clapped and cheered for them.  It was great! Check out Allen carrying the banner!

After the first lap, the caregivers got to join in.  A BIG thanks to Uncle David and Aunt Emily for joining in on the fun! (Emily is taking the picture.)

Next up was dinner! It was a gorgeous evening, so we all enjoyed sitting outside, relaxing, and just being together.

I had to get a shot of the kiddos with their Daddy.  Check out that attitude from Brookelyn! 

Relay for Life allows you to honor people who have fought CANcer with luminaries.  Even cooler, they let you decorate them.  Here are the kids decorating a luminary for Daddy:

It turned out beautifully!

Once it is dark, everyone does a lap looking at the luminaries.  It was a time to reflect on the journey that has brought us here.  What a wild and crazy journey it has been.  

We can't wait for next year's Relay for Life.  Team ALL-EN has big plans to form a team and participate in all the overnight events!

Dancing in the Rain

With a new baby, I find myself up at all hours of the night and early morning feeding, rocking, and changing diapers.  Often, I surf the Internet on my iPhone (really, what did people do before the iPhone).  One night I came across the blog of a mommy with a chronically ill child.  She writes that the best advice someone gave her to was to remember, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain."  

Even writing that sentence, I get goosebumps.  We have lived through a nine month long storm.  A storm that neither Allen nor I ever expected to have to weather in our early thirties with two young children and one on the way. A storm that taught us so much about ourselves as individuals, as parents, and as a couple.  A storm that showed us how much we are truly loved by our friends and family.

Looking back, there were definitely times I wanted to curl up and wait "for the storm to pass," and it is those times that Allen, or the kids, or the little baby in my belly reminded me how important it was to keep "dancing" - to be thankful for each day we had together and enjoy the things I might have taken for granted before.  Because getting caught up in the thunder and lightning does nothing but make you miserable.

Dancing in the rain isn't easy.  But, I definitely had some amazing teachers.

The CANcer Ninja literally kept both Allen and I sane throughout all the chemotherapy treatments.  While we dreaded every other Friday's treatments, we always looked forward to seeing him.  He would come in the room smiling, knowing we probably had some long list of crazy questions to ask him that would take up way too much of his precious time, but he never seemed to mind.  And, that meant so much.  We always left that room feeling confident that Allen would beat this stupid CANcer. Thank you CANcer Ninja for the strength you gave me that allowed me to dance in the rain.

My CANcer friends - friends who have been through the CANcer storm themselves or with a loved one - were the most amazing role models and always knew just the perfect words to say at the perfect time.  You were there to love on our kids like they were your own while Allen had surgeries or doctors appointments or treatments, and you never even hesitated when I asked you again and again.  You were there to send me text messages every day just to check in on us and make sure we were doing ok and to send Allen encouraging notes on the days he had chemo, and you never forgot, not even once.  You were there to listen to my updates because some days just talking about something that I could wrap my mind around, like a procedure or appointment was so important, because CANcer is just something I couldn't seem to grasp.  Thank you CANcer friends for the love you gave me that allowed me to dance in the rain.

Our families went above and beyond to make life as easy as it possibly could be with two young kids, a hormonal pregnant woman, and a Daddy fighting CANcer.  Thank you for dropping everything to fly to Arkansas and take care of the kids for weeks at a time while Allen and I navigated through the early days of his diagnosis.  And for staying "on call" for nine months while we weathered the storm.  The nights you watched the kiddos so Allen and I could have some quiet time just to breathe meant more than you will ever know.  And seeing Brookelyn's and Braedyn's smiling faces as they came back home allowed me to enjoy those nights, just knowing they were being spoiled in a way that let them too to forget about washing hands and germs and their Daddy being sick. Thank you to our families for the peace you gave me that allowed me to dance in the rain.

It was a Saturday when the ER doctor on call told me my young, healthy, triathlete husband had CANcer.  Sunday was a really hard day.  Monday was tough too, waiting to see the doctors on Tuesday and start the diagnosis process. Tuesday I remember standing the in driveway waving to Brookelyn as she left for school and Allen coming out to wave too.  When we looked up we saw the most beautiful double rainbow in the sky.  I hadn't seen a rainbow in a really long time, and I told Allen that I knew that it was a sign things were going to be ok.  Throughout this storm I have often thought of that rainbow.  I am not a believer in coincidences.  A rainbow, you know comes after the rain.  But, in this case I think it was sent before, just to remind us to hold on through this, the toughest storm we had faced, to dance in the rain, even when we were scared or exhausted because the clouds really do always clear.  Allen's last treatment is tomorrow, and I have a feeling we might just see a rainbow really soon!

Radiation Begins!

Today marks Allen's 7th radiation treatment.  7 down, 10 to go...almost halfway there! Last week we met with The Radiator to discuss Allen's "plan of action."  He had consulted with MD Anderson and their knowledge combined with his experience produced a plan that will hopefully minimize the exposure to Allen's heart and lungs.

We have been so thankful for the amazing doctors and staff at Highland's Oncology and feel blessed to have a state of the art facility just a few minutes from our house!  Check out Allen's view each morning:

Once he gets to the center, Allen has to put on a robe and lay on a special body form to put him in just the right position.  The technicians line up the marks on Allen's chest (Braedyn call's Daddy's marks the "treasure map" because there are a lot of black lines and red "x's") and then x-ray him to make sure he laying perfectly.  Then, Allen receives his radiation dosage to the specified areas.  The whole process takes about 15 minutes or so.  After treatment, Allen is off to the office and his normal daily routines.  So far, he hasn't had any side effects, and he has been able to run and bike like before diagnosis.  The treatments do compromise his immune system, but it isn't nearly to the extent that chemo affected him.  

In a couple of weeks Allen will be finished with his treatments and will start the follow up process of seeing The Ninja every three months (Allen's first appointment is July 3rd) with scans every other appointment.  The risk of reoccurrence goes down after two years of clean scans, and Allen will be considered "cured" after five years of clean scans.  We can't wait to get the official "cured" stamp, but in the meantime we will just enjoy having Daddy healthy!

We've Been Busy...

A little over two weeks ago we welcomed the newest member of Team ALL-EN:

Braxtyn Eric Bates

Can you tell his big brother and big sister have enjoyed every second they have spent with Braxtyn too?!

Needless to say, we have been immersed in feedings, changing diapers, and sleepless nights.  And, it has felt so good to be focused on something other than CANcer!  

With that said, Allen has a big appointment tomorrow with The Radiator.  We will get to see the treatment plan he has put together, and Allen will begin his three week course of radiation. Allen is  ready to get started so he can officially be done with all of his treatments!  

Back in the Groove...

On Saturday Allen and Brookelyn ran a one mile fun run race together.  It has been our tradition for the last three years to run the half marathon race, but obviously neither Allen nor I were in any shape to run that distance.  So, Allen concentrated his efforts on training Brookelyn! They had so much fun!  Up next, he is training her for her first 5K.

REMISSION...That Word Sounds SO Sweet!

Yesterday Allen had his post chemo scans.  They started off early in the morning, with a "yummy" Barium shake.  (Allen compares them to drinking latex paint!)

Down the hatch! 

The scans (both PET and CT) took about an hour or so to complete, and then he was radioactive.  That is always so weird to type - to think about a person being radioactive. It isn't an issue unless you happen to be around pregnant women or young children, which obviously covers everyone else in this household, so it IS an issue for us.  He has to stay at least six feet away for 12 hours.  After scans, we had lunch while we waited for them to be read and to meet with The Cancer Ninja. And, yes, we sat on opposite sides of the waiting room while we ate.  It felt so silly!

After a quick lunch, it was time for results! The Ninja had GREAT news! Allen is still in COMPLETE REMISSION! It was just what we wanted to hear! We looked over all the scans with him and Allen's chest mass has shrunk from 14 cm to 5 cm.  A normal person has about a 2.5 cm to a 3 cm thickness in that area, so Allen is really just about 2 cm bigger than average! Wonderful news! The Ninja went over symptoms that we need to watch for over the next three months and discussed Allen's next stop on the CANcer train - radiation.  The way things sit right now, Allen will undergo simulation for radiation in two weeks and begin treatments in about three weeks.  We are looking forward to going over The Radiator's plan and fully understanding how he will go about making sure any tricky little CANcer cells that might be hiding are truly GONE FOR GOOD!  The Ninja also gave Allen the good news that he should be able to eat salads - something he has CRAVED for the last six months but been unable to eat due to his extremely low counts - in two weeks.  It just so happens to time up with the baby's birth, so we already have our celebration dinner of huge, yummy salads planned!  

Thank you to everyone for all their kind words, thoughts, and prayers! Thumbs up for COMPLETE REMISSION!

We are ALL-EN!

ALL-EN at the Office!

The Monday after Allen's last chemotherapy treatment, his coworkers had a "Purple Out" to celebrate! The whole office was ALL-EN! They wore purple and showed off their Hodgkin's Lymphoma ribbons (the kids help make)!

Jonathan and Evan are ALL-EN! 

Matt, Mike, and Kim are ALL-EN! 

Sonia, Roger, and Robert are ALL-EN! 

Nick is ALL-EN! 

Mike, Kelvin, and Tye are ALL-EN! 

Alauna, Jeff, and Annie are ALL-EN! 

Bill, Josh, Hayley, Caitlin, Mike, Jessica, Peggy, and Cortney are ALL-EN!

How cool is that?! Allen has the BEST co-workers at Sam's Club! Thank you to everyone for all the support!

Chemo #12...WE MADE IT!

Friday was Allen's TWELFTH treatment! He has had a treatment every other week over the past 24 weeks (6 months) so it was hard for us to believe that it was finally the last one. It started off with a great meeting with The Cancer Ninja.  We really just went over all the next steps in Allen's treatment, starting with an appointment with The Radiator this Thursday, scans and a follow up meeting with The Ninja to go over Allen's scans next week, simulation probably the following week, and radiation to tentatively begin the week of April 22nd. Whew - that is a lot; oh, and we can't forget that there is a baby to be arriving at some point in the midst of all of that.  

All hooked up and ready to go.  His port cooperated for the most part during treatment.

The red blob in the foreground is Baby Braxtyn cheering Daddy on as he gets treatment #12!

Ringing the bell to signify he completed all 12 of chemo treatments! We LOVED that it was a HOG bell!!!

Daddy arrived home to purple balloons and awesome signs that the kiddos had made for him!

That night we celebrated ALL-EN style with some cool purple accessories!

Saturday morning Allen felt pretty yucky, but he wasn't going to miss his long run after his LAST treatment! (He needed some helpers to hold up 12 fingers!)

Many of you know that when we told the kids about Allen having CANcer, we explained to them that Daddy got a powerport like Ironman's.  (The powerport is where Allen receives chemo in his chest, and it sits right about where Ironman's light up button is.) Throughout treatment the kids have wanted to see and touch Allen's port, and we always talk about Daddy being strong like Ironman.  Braedyn has even told many of his friends at school that his Daddy IS Ironman! So, when a couple friends gave us the heads up that Ironman was going to be in town this weekend, we knew we had to stop by and say hi!

The kids were mesmerized!

And, we had to get a family shot with Allen's namesake too! Ironman meeting Ironman was quite the event!

 Wow.  What a busy weekend! With chemo out of the way, we have cleared a huge hurdle; however, we know that there are many hurdles ahead. We will update everyone on the latest after we see The Radiator on Thursday. Thank you for all of your support and prayers throughout the last six months and in the months ahead! It has meant and continues to mean so much to our family.

Chemo #11

Last Friday Allen had his ELEVENTH chemotherapy treatment.  It feels like Allen has been going through treatment forever, yet at the same time it is hard to believe that the last one is just around the corner!

Allen's white counts were down to critical levels at our meeting with The Cancer Ninja.  Definitely lower than we expected, but in a way we were a little relieved to see that the treatment is still greatly affecting his body even after dropping one of his medications.  The Ninja was also able to talk us through a rough timeline for the next couple of months.  Allen will finish chemo treatments next Friday (March 22nd), and then in two weeks he will have another round of scans.  We are hoping these scans look as amazing as his last ones and are of course CANcer FREE; it would be amazing if his tumor showed even more shrinkage too.  After those scans, Allen will be scheduled for radiation simulation so The Radiator can formulate a plan of action, and Allen will have more blood tests to see if his white cell counts are high enough to have the surgeon remove his port.  Radiation will start four weeks from his last chemo treatment (because some of his medications can interact with radiation). So, it is looking like Allen will start radiation the same week Baby Bates is set to arrive - we do nothing the easy way in this family, apparently.

The good news is Allen felt pretty good over the weekend.  He was tired, and he had his usual headaches to contend with but no nausea.  Usually, by Wednesday afternoon (tomorrow) he is feeling pretty good again.  And, of course he managed to get in two long runs this weekend; he is DETERMINED to run after EVERY SINGLE chemo treatment! This time however, he needed a helper to hold up eleven fingers:

Thank you again for all of your support! We are hoping for an uneventful, healthy rest of the week and weekend leading up to Allen's LAST TREATMENT next week!

Back in Arkansas!

Last Monday (two days after chemo) Allen left for a week long business trip in Orlando.  We had been prepping for this trip for a couple of weeks - remember the picture of Allen with the big yellow bag on his head?! He was a good boy and followed The Ninja's orders of wearing his mask on the plane.  Check out his super cool mustache courtesy of his co-workers:

In Orlando Allen attended the Year Beginning Meeting for Sam's Club.  And, guess what the theme was for the meeting:

Yep! You are reading that right ALL-EN - they just spelled it wrong! There was a powerful speaker, Gian Paul Gonzalez, (he came up with the All-In slogan for the New York Giants the year they one the Super Bowl) who came and spoke to the entire company about being All-In. He said, "being All-In is SCARY because you have to count on other people, you will be TESTED, and you have NO OPTION but to win."  Well, that about sums it up.  Don't think we could have put it any better, and Allen is definitely on the road to a WIN!

Allen arrived home to some AWESOME cards! Thank you to everyone who has been sending him notes of encouragement! If you would like to send him one email me at leahbates1212@yahoo.com and I'll send you our address.  Check out this one from The Austins:

This week brings treatment #11 on Friday. We are getting so close to that last chemotherapy treatment! This weekend we started planning a trip for later in the year, and Allen was saying how for the first time since he started this process he feels like he can look beyond the next treatment to life after CANcer.  We can't wait to start that chapter!

Celebrity ALL-EN and Chemo #10

We are huge fans of the show Flipping Out (where Jeff Lewis and his partner Gage renovate and redesign homes), so you can imagine our excitement when we saw that Jeff and Gage are ALL-EN!  Check them out:

Last Friday marked Allen's TENTH chemotherapy treatment.  We had a good meeting with The Cancer Ninja and everything seems to be on track for Allen's next treatments, scans, and radiation simulation.  Props to Allen's port for cooperating better than it ever has before, making treatment a whole lot less stressful this go around! 

Saturday and Sunday Allen had great long runs, running farther than he has since he started treatment!

We are hoping for a healthy, quiet two weeks until Allen's next treatment.  Thanks for all of your support! We are ALL-EN!!

Radiation Update!

We had a great conference call last week with Allen's Radiation Oncologist at MD Anderson in Houston.  She was amazingly accommodating to talk on the phone with us rather than make us drive all the way to Texas! (Leah can't fly this late in her pregnancy, and we didn't want Allen exposed to germs on a plane anyway.)  Not surprisingly, we had a long list of questions for her, and she answered each one, putting our minds at ease.  Our biggest take away was that she agreed with both The Ninja and The Radiator that we can get amazing care right here in Northwest Arkansas, and there is no need to travel to Houston for Allen's radiation.  This was great to hear, considering we had prepared ourselves to live in Houston with Aunt Barby (Leah's Aunt) for three weeks, deliver the baby at a hospital near MD Anderson, and have Leah's mom watch the kiddos in Arkansas while we were in Houston.  Now, Allen can have treatment before work each morning, we can have the baby here locally, and keep the kiddos in a normal routine. Plus, we would have really missed The Ninja if we had to go to Houston! :)

This week, Allen continues on with chemotherapy.  Friday will mark his 10th treatment! We are hoping to keep everyone healthy, so that things continue right on schedule.  Here is Allen surrounded by all the AWESOME cards you all have sent:

He really looks forward to seeing a card waiting for him when he gets home--they pump him up and keep him going during these last weeks when he is SO SICK of chemo! Thank you all for sending them! If you want to mail him one, email Leah at leahbates1212@yahoo.com and she will send you our address.

And, check out who is ALL-EN...

Minnie Mouse!! Uncle David and Aunt Emily just got back from a Disney Cruise and snapped this awesome picture! If you have ALL-EN pictures, we would love to see them! Email them to Leah at leahbates1212@yahoo.com.

Thank you again for all of your support!

Chemotherapy Treatment #9

We had such a GREAT meeting with The Ninja on Friday! Allen had been scanned on Wednesday, so we knew he would have news for us.  Waiting is SO HARD! But, it was SO worth the wait! Allen's scans looked awesome and his chest mass continues to shrink and shrivel up just like we want it to!  There is absolutely no CANcer activity! We couldn't have been more thrilled! There was a little "spot" in Allen's lung that The Ninja attributes to this time of year and a possible cold.  Therefore, just to be extra safe, we decided to drop one of Allen's chemo drugs that can cause issues with the lungs.  The drug has done it's job--eradicating the CANcer--so it isn't imperative to Allen's regimen, and we were planning on dropping that drug for Allen's last two treatments anyway (because it can have a bad interaction with radiation).  After our awesome meeting, we were off to treatment.

Chemo went well, although Allen's port gave us quite a bit of trouble to start with.  The nurse explained that since it isn't stitched down, it can move around as Allen moves.  Therefore, the same exercises don't always work to get it working.  But, we figured it out and once the port "woke up" things went smoothly!

This morning Allen went for a great long run! He has been struggling a bit with headaches, but other than that, he hasn't had very many side-effects.

Nine down, three to go! We want to thank everyone for being so supportive! Allen LOVES getting the little notes of encouragement in the mail, and the ALL-EN photos have been great too!  We honestly couldn't get through this without all of you cheering us on!

Scans This Morning!

Brookelyn and Braedyn are ALL-EN, hoping for Daddy to have GREAT, CANcer FREE scans this morning!  We are also wanting the scans to show that his chest mass is SHRINKING!! Results to follow Friday morning in our regular chemotherapy meeting with The CANcer Ninja.

Quick Update...

Allen returned home from his first business trip since being diagnosed.  Of course there was a TON of prep that went into getting everything ready for him to go - pills, cleaning supplies, special snacks, food, and drinks, etc.  But, it was all worth it when he made it home with no incidents while being away.  For this trip, he was able to drive.  But, in a couple of weeks there will be another BIG test when he has to go on a germy airplane (wearing his mask of course) for another business trip.  We are trying to just take it one day, one week, one hurdle at a time.

Next week is a BIG week for Allen.  He will have another round of scans.  We are hoping and praying that these scans will show that his chest mass has continued to SHRINK A LOT and that his ENTIRE BODY is CANcer FREE! They are scheduled for Wednesday morning at 9:00, and we should have the results from The CANcer Ninja on Friday morning at Allen's regular chemotherapy appointment.  Next Friday's treatment will mark #9, meaning he will have only THREE more to go.  Three sounds like a doable number with the end very near in sight.  In the meantime, we have to try and keep Allen healthy.  This is not an easy feat considering he literally has no immune system right now, and we have two very active, germy kiddos.  It is surprising we have any surface left on the light switches, remotes, door handles, banisters, etc with all the bleach wiping we do.  But, if it works, it is SO worth it.

Please join us in our hopes and prayers for AMAZING, CANcer FREE, SHRINKING tumor, scans next Wednesday!  Thanks so much!

Chemo #8 and an AWESOME Fashion Statement

Last Friday Allen had chemo treatment #8.  He started with blood work, and then another wonderful meeting with The Ninja.  We discussed radiation again and our great appointment with The Radiator.  Not sure where we will have radiation yet, but we are really close to making that decision.  The one thing that is for sure is that to have the best possible outcome, Allen will need to have radiation.  We also discussed Allen's upcoming travel plans for work.  Since for one of his trips he will need to travel by plane, The Ninja agreed Allen had to be fitted for a special mask to keep germs AWAY! Little did we know the crazy process involved--we should have realized that nothing is easy or "normal" these days! The nurse took Allen away to be fitted and he came back smiling and showed me this picture:

The nurse sprays a stinky spray in the bag to see if Allen can smell it.  If the mask fits properly, Allen shouldn't smell anything.  (No, he doesn't have to wear the yellow bag on the plane, just the turquoise mask.)  What a trooper! Now Allen is fitted with his very own mask that he will debut in a couple of weeks.  Luckily Uncle David (and a few other "spies" from his office) will be going on the same trip, so I can keep close tabs on Allen--and trust me, I WILL!

After the mask fitting, it was time for treatment.  The port was a little ornery, but finally cooperated.  Allen was a pro, sailing through treatment like a champ.

Saturday morning he went for his normal post-chemo long run.  Check out his shirt! The wonderful ladies at Central Rogers MOPS made us a "Chemo Care" basket and included the Ironman shirt! It's Allen's favorite now! Thank you ladies!

So, eight down and four to go.  Next week Allen will have another round of scans.  We are hoping that the mass has continued to shrink, shrink, SHRINK! And, that all the CANcer cells are still gone, gone, GONE!  We would appreciate your prayers that those two things will happen.  Also, we are hopeful that we can keep everyone healthy amidst this crazy weather and sickness going around.  Thank you again for all the amazing support! We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family!