Save our Dad Update: Round 4

Den going strong starting round four of chemo

Just over 3 months ago, we decided to uproot our family to care for my "terminally ill" father-in-law (read about Den's fight against cancer and our family's move to save him). Though they didn't yet know the primary source of the cancer, they knew it had spread to his bones and he was rapidly declining.

Den, just weeks ago before we moved

We were pretty certain we were moving there to be sure he didn't die alone and to make him as comfortable as we could in his final days. He was so frail, so weak. "If the cancer doesn't kill him, the chemo probably will," was the sad reality we'd tried to accept but still prayer against. Yesterday, Den started round four of chemo for his lymphoma. We're absolutely thrilled to report that his blood count is good, and tests show that not only has the cancer not progressed further, it's actually starting to shrink!!!

We are seeing a few chemo side effects, but very minor so far like hair loss, upset stomach, intermittent hand tremors, and some fatigue. His biggest complain is the metallic taste in his mouth. "Everything tastes like lead," he says. "But I've gotta eat whether I like it or not." That has lessened his appetite (which was starting to rival Michael Phelps for a while). At his last appointment, he hadn't gained any weight but he didn't lose any either. Den is handling it all like a superstar. When he's not making everyone smile, we're yelling at him for being too active. He says he knows how much he can handle and really does do well resting when he needs it but we're really overprotective. We thought we were losing him once and don't want to risk too much. #makingcancersuckless #lymphoma

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