This is not to say it has been easy. He went through a grueling 7-week course of concurrent chemo and radiation for which we had to make 2-hour round-trip drives five days a week. The last chemo treatment was a doozy. It messed up so many chemical balances in his body that he ended up in the hospital twice for 5 days each time (and the hospital he was in is an hour's drive for me). That was very scary. But he survived. I think it was a combination of 1) having a crack team of knowledgeable and caring doctors and nurses working to save him, 2) my hard work trying to meet his nutritional needs without relying entirely on the heavily sugar-laden feeding formulas most people use when doing this, such as Ensure or Boost (Sugar feeds cancer, right? The main ingredient in these formulas is high-fructose corn syrup. Yuck! So, we invested in a heavy-duty blender so I could supply at least SOME liquefied foods for him that were actually REAL food.), and 3) positive thinking and visualization, along with all the prayers and good thoughts from people far and wide of so many different faiths and spiritual practices. But it was all worth it. We stuck with it, didn't give up, and battled hard. So, at this point, it appears we have won, and I am ever so grateful--to all the powers-that-be, and to each and every one of you who sent good thoughts, blessings, and prayers our way. Bless all of you!
ETA: He is not without some side effects as well. He has lost a lot of saliva glands to the radiation, so eating is not easy. He needs to gain back about 30 pounds he lost (and he was skinny to begin with). That is exacerbated by having no teeth. We are trying to get them to make him some dentures, but that may take several more months to accomplish. He also has impaired kidney function from the last bout of chemo. That just means he has to take salt tablets to keep his sodium levels up, though, so it could be worse. They say that may level out and improve with time, too. All in all, these things are a small price to pay for LIFE.
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