Post from Lindsey's Facebook

Saturday, February 25

We are half way through Jonathan's 8th round of treament, and he has good and bad days. Today was a good day, and we were able to go to the BBQ Cook-off at the Texas Rodeo!! It was freezing, but it was so nice to get out, eat some good food, and ride a few rides! Thanks Dennis and Lynn Augustin McMahon for a great day!!

Jonathan will have his last day of treatment for round 8 tomorrow, Wednesday.  We will not find out his new tumor marker number for about 2 weeks.  Please continue to pray for the best result of "zero." 

Love and appreciate all of you,

Lindsey

It's a Journey...

Cancer is a funny thing because no matter how many people have had it before you, each person's journey is unique to them. There are no books, no answers, and sometimes no explanations.  It's quite possibly the most frustrating thing to deal with! Now that that's out of the way...Jonathan's new tumor marker number is 38, which means it went up a little bit from 23. The frustrating part is the doctor doesn't know why. There could be a number of different reasons why, but we do not know for sure. It could be the cancer is being very stubborn, a false reading from the chemo (which has happened before but we did not share), a dead tumor leaking the traceable hormone, or an active tumor.  There are still tumors in all the original locations (smaller but still there), so it's impossible to know who the culprit could be, but it seems like Dr. Tu suspects the liver. He is talking about a few different options for moving forward, but for the immediate time, Jonathan is going in tomorrow for another round of ATP which he has had before. Its a 1 day treatment each week for 3 weeks.  He opted to have it in-patient this time (I think he likes the attention from the nurses..he's definitely a favorite!).  We can handle 1 night in the hospital..we're pros! 

We did not receive 'terrible' news today, but I would be lying if I said we aren't disappointed, frustrated, sad, etc. This is a journey, there will be bumps in the road, but we will overcome them!!  Please continue praying for Jonathan's complete healing and for 'zero'! We appreciate all your love and support!

The righteous cry, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.  Psalm 34:17   Thank you God for your promises! Tomorrow is a new day!

With love,

Lindsey

Update from Houtson

Well our two week break will be over tomorrow. We meet with Dr. Tu tomorrow afternoon to find out the new tumor marker number and what the next step will be. This last round of chemo was very hard on Jonathan. He struggled a lot with nausea, fatigue, and a new one for him..mouth sores. Thank God for 'magic mouthwash' because it was affecting his eating, drinking, and even his speech! We finally got everything under control, and we were able to enjoy the last week with friends and family who came to visit. I've been trying to take more pictures of our lives these days and I've included a few below from some recent visits. 

Yesterday Jonathan spoke with the Radiation Oncologist, who ordered his brain MRI a few weeks ago, and he confirmed that only 1 spot (5mm) remains in his brain. There were two, possibly 3! They're not sure if the spot they see is a tiny tumor still or if it's just leftover tissue, but if it shows up on the next MRI, they will have to determine the best way to treat/remove it. We are believing this spot will disappear and that no surgery will be required in his brain! 

It's amazing that Jonathan has been through 7 rounds of chemo. Prayers are truly being answered! He is not feeling 100% by any means, but his strength the last few days has been remarkable! He has been working on a few plans, getting out of the house, and even helping me around the house! I'm particularly grateful for the last one :) I just can't believe how strong he is through all of this! Please continue to keep him in your prayers! We are believing for great results tomorrow, and we just know God's hand in all of this! 

Please Pray specifically for 'zero', wisdom for Dr. Tu, and mental, emotional, and physical strength!! We love and appreciate all of you more than we could ever express! 

With love, 
Lindsey 

P.s. Winston, I'm sorry I forgot to take a picture of you two when you were here!! 
                  
                                                                   Hibachi with my family and Kevin

                             
                     Jonathan and Kevin celebrating Kevin's new job with Vietnamese coffee!

                                                  
                                                         Ila surprised us last weekend!

 Auntie Connie, Pepe's sister, came in from San Francisco!