After a very rough few days, I am happy to announce Mark finished his 35th and final radiation on Friday !! Our warrior battled back after coming out of the hospital Wednesday, and finished his last two sessions Thursday and Friday. As much as we wanted to celebrate this weekend, the fight has taken its toll on Mark, and he spent the past 3 days mostly sleeping, and still battling the treatment side effects. Today he had his first follow-up doctor appointment, and great news, his kidneys show noticeable function improvement. (Thank God !!) Doctor says they should continue to heal, as long as we can keep him hydrated and nourished, which unfortunately right now is easier said than done. He lost 5 more pounds last week, which was his biggest weekly weight loss. Doctor said although treatment is complete, the next 2 weeks will be the toughest on him. She compared it to when you cook a turkey, you take it out of the oven and it continues to cook. In Mark's case, he will continue to radiate. January and February will all be about R&R for him, and getting him stronger and healthy again. Tests to see if the treatments have been successful will be 2-3 months down the road. We will continue to post updates, and thank you for continuing to send him so many cards, texts, and comments here.
The words of encouragement and love continue to give him strength. Love, Perry