Prep for Treatment

All of us get knocked down, but it's resiliency that really matters. All of us do well when things are going well, but the thing that distinguishes athletes is the ability to do well in times of great stress, urgency and pressure." ---Roger Staubach

I thought this quote was a really great description of Tim and his attitude towards everything thus far. We had a great (normal) Christmas even though he ended up with a cold and my mom had her hernia repaired the day before Christmas Eve. We were able to go to Mrs. Pittman's condo on Folly with Steven, Haley, Jay and Carolyn for New Years which made for a great time as well. We even got go to lunch with my friends, Emily and Megan, and the Callihams came over to help all of us bring in the New Year. I got to bring Tim's cold back from Charleston but otherwise everything has been great!

We went to see Dr. Edenfield this morning to get our questions answered and have blood work done for Tim's first round of chemo that starts on Wednesday. Right now he doesn't feel nearly as apprehensive about this protocol because it seems so similar to the chemo he had last time. We're still hopeful this will be the cure for him but are continuing to look into clinical trials just in case. He also asked that we both get flu shots so we got to go on a short date to Walgreens after his appointment.

In other news some of our friends, the Earls and the Groomes, have put together a group called the BrightLife Foundation for us. My company, Erwin-Penland, has also taken on a huge role and so many people have offered up their talents for all of this. Everything is still in the planning stages but we are really excited to share more information over the next few weeks as plans are finalized. Until then here is the logo a group at EP created for the foundation, I may be a little biased but I think its pretty amazing!

Getting the word out and bringing more awareness to colon cancer is a big goal of ours so we are so excited and grateful that so many people have been proactive in starting this for us. We're really hoping this foundation gains ground and that it becomes something we can continue even after we get through this stage. Our view is that if we can really get the word out there then more focus may be put towards research directly aimed at colon cancer which can do nothing but to benefit Tim and anyone else with this disease.

So chemo starts again on Wednesday and we are imagining it will be pretty similar to the last experience but will let you know what happens as we find out. Have a great week!