Last Friday marked the end of
Pop's six week chemo and radiation regiment. Although the antibiotic pump, and chemo pump, were still hooked-up to him, we asked the doctors if they could give their blessing on the family sneaking away for a few days to the cabin. Pop has been wanting to slip-away for a while now, but the doctors wanted him to stay around since they felt that he was a bit unstable to be traveling any distance (we didn't let them know about The Buck excursion). Amazingly, both the radiologist and oncologist smiled when Mom asked, and gave an affirming nod, even adding that they thought it would be good for Pop. "After the regiment that you have endured, you deserve to celebrate a little," the oncologist chided. As Pop walked out from his last radiation treatment, he stepped across the room and rang a large bell marked "Ring when Finished". With the loud sound still resonating, he got a large grin on his face. Doctors, nurses, patients, and staff, walked out from different rooms and applauded for Pop as he slowly strolled out. What many people receive in a six or eight month time-line, he had condensed down to six weeks. So, with that mark in the sand we headed off to Elk County for some family time. The weather was gorgeous, and the stream below the cabin was still cool from the spring rains. As we sat around and talked, we had the opportunity to pause for a moment. With the rush of treatments, and doctors appointments, and hospital visits, there has been little time to escape and be still. We laughed, and dreamed, and fought back tears, as we conversed about what lies ahead. It was a glimpse of near normalcy, which we would lie if we tried to deny our human yearning for. Pop was more tired than normal, but it was to be expected as the combination of drugs slowly wears off. However, he wouldn't let it slow him down from tinkering on the lawn-mower and attempting to summit Kilimanjaro (okay...really it was just the mountain the cabin is built on, but still). His spirit just can't be kicked. To occupy his necessity for staying busy, we walked down to the creek and went spotting for elk. It was a beautiful way to celebrate his journey to this point, but also to celebrate all the ways that we've seen God at work. It is hard not to be awestruck looking back at the path that's been traveled. The love and support of family, friends, neighbors, and strangers, has been overwhelming, and we stop and say "Thank You". We can't even begin to express the love and appreciation that we have for all of you. And words are far too cheap to give thanks to the Lord for all that he has blessed us with. He has been the never-ending well of hope and joy. While Pop is "bag-less" today, for the first time in six weeks (his chemo and antibiotic lines were pulled the beginning of this week), we don't know what tomorrow will hold. And we're okay with that. There will now be a 4-6 week waiting period while the chemo and radiation continue doing their job inside of Pop. After the waiting period, they will take new images of the tumor, and do a barrage of tests to determine the next step. We can honestly say that we are not worried. Our faith is not dictated by our circumstances, but rather by a relationship with One who's love we can't begin to fathom. It is in His care that we'll find rest.
