Delay

Jeff had his blood test today and also ended up getting a chest x ray.  He has been short of breath lately and has the sensation that it hurts to breathe deeply.  Now in our minds we know that those are probably chemo related side effects but our minds are a little warped and we skip right to the worse scenerio.  The good news is Jeff's chest x ray was completely normal and his blood counts are up!  What a relief.  But when the nurse called to give us the results she said that the doctor doesn't want to start chemo on Monday as planned.  His counts are up but not really high enough.  It kind of bummed us out because we have been psyching up for Monday but we know it's the right thing to do.  We want him to be as strong and healthy as possible as he heads into Round 6 - The Final Round!!!  We hope that it doesn't ooze into Christmas but if it does we can handle it.  Our number one priority is Jeff and his health.  We can make it work.

The really good news is we get Jeff home for one more week.  His white count is up so he can go out a little and eat out! Yippee!  This is the time when he feels a little better and wants to do some things.  (Like I need him to fix some things but I don't think he wants a Honey Do List)  I hope he gets to spend some time outdoors with the kids.  That's his favorite thing to do.

We are getting more and more into the Christmas spirit.  The kids help with that part.  We are feeling the love and support from everyone. Blessed, we are!  Hope is starting to warm us up and we're waiting for enthusiasm to start flowing. I'm not going to send out Christmas cards this year but I'm not going to beat myself up about it.  I wish we could personally let everyone know how much they mean to us.  I find myself saying "I love you" more, to friends and not just family.  Life is precious and we want to live it and enjoy it as much as we can.  Christmas is so beautiful and can't be marred even by cancer and chemo.

So here is my Christmas card to you all.  Thank you for the love that you have given to us.  The greatest gift of love started in a manger and is still spreading through us all.  I hope it touches you and your family during the Christmas season.

Love,
Jeff and Leta and Luke and Gracie and Jake