Had severe chest pains. PET scan showed a large mass in my chest the size of a golf ball. Biopsy results were Hodgkin's Lymphoma. First was staging which meant a Bone Marrow biopsy. I have had 3 now. Then a Port installed in my chest for treatment. I had one taken out so now I have a second. Your awake while they jam a needle the size of a pencil into the center of your hip. Went through 6 months
ABVD chemotherapy followed by radiation in 2010. The cancer came back within a year so I had more chemotherapy called ICE at St. Charles in Bend Oregon then I went off to OSHU for a AUTO stem cell transplant for the recurrence. I did a harvest of my stem cells with a tube the size of a pencil going in my neck and another chemotherapy regimen BEAM before the transplant. It was a long recovery from the transplant. I finished 18 treatments of radiation in October and 2 months later I had another recurrence. I found out 12/17/2012 that my disease is back. Doctor diagnosed my disease as terminal. Doing salvage therapy on and off. Which is more chemotherapy. One called Brentuximab vedotin and another called Gemzar. Nasty stuff. Will burn your skin on the outside so imagine what it does to the veins. My plan is to check off my bucket list with my wife and kids. Everyday is a gift and I Love them everyday like its my last. Make each day count. Build a closer relationship with God. Thank you all for reading and the support! You help with your kind words, prayers, and support. I have been blessed by so many of you. God will always love me and you. Praise in Him forever.
