Hi everyone,

Just a quick update with the latest news:

Ken is bouncing back from this last round of chemo! (Thank heavens. It got pretty rough, again, with another blood pressure drop to 60/40, due to a potassium deficiency.) The last day of this last round of chemo was 10 days ago, so he's moving into really good territory, now. He had a great weekend, and actually enjoyed the heat wave, because the chemo has made him so sensitive to cold that the extreme heat felt really good to him! It was so nice for Ken to just sit with the door open, to smell the grass and the trees, and to feel the warmth. Good stuff!

Last I heard, May 28th is the date that the next set of scans will be performed. We will learn a couple of things:
1.) How much is left of the esophageal tumor
2.) How much is left of the metastases to his spine and pelvis

I called today, to check on him, and Inga was giving me a run down of all the solid foods he had just eaten. (Eating solid food is a real mark of progress for Ken.) He had eaten fish, shrimp, sloppy Joe's and ice cream. Ken then said "I hope I don't throw this up". To which I said "Well, if you do, just get a plate, because I'm sure the cat will eat it!" It made him laugh. Hearing him laugh is like music to everyone's ears.

So - I'm sure Inga will have more to tell you, as soon as she gets a chance. Meanwhile, I thought I'd put this little update out here, to keep you posted, and to say "thank you", for caring about Ken and staying interested.

We hope to see you all, later this summer!

Laura
(Ken's sister)

P.S.
Ken's son, Matthew, is graduating from Lutheran High School next weekend, (ceremony on the 30th), so we're all really proud of him! Kenny's little boy has become a man. Where does the time go??? If you look at the pic in this blog's 'About Me', it's actually a picture of Ken and Matthew, on Matthew's 12th birthday, when Ken took him for his first motorcycle ride. (Matthew looks exactly like his mom, Debbie, in this photo!) Right after this photo, Matthew started to sprout up, and he didn't stop. He's now tall and thin, with very chiseled and handsome features ...like is daddy!

Hey all! Ken's in the middle of his 3rd chemo treatment and we may have finally found a cocktail of meds that work for him!! His vomiting has been much less frequent this time than in the previous treatments. Yeah!

They will be taking a scan on the 28th of this month, then on to the next round of three. If they go as well as this one has so far, we'll be in good shape. As agonizing as it is to watch my poor guy throw up, I was comforted by his comment that no matter how much he throws up, none of it is as bad as what the radiation did to him. So, at least we don't have to do that anymore.

He is still refusing vistors. I know you all want to see him but he is very cautious about not catching a cold or the flu or any of those other yucky things that could set him back in any way. You will be happy to know though that he has kept his sense of humor throughout this entire ordeal. Always giving me and the other nurses a hard time. His spirits are pretty good and he has really enjoyed having the time to just sit and think. Life doesn't allow much time for pondering, and I am glad for him, considering how much runs through his genius head on any normal day.

My days are filled to the brim with all that has to be done around here and I apologize for all the time between postings; I'll try to post again real soon. Until then-lots of love-Inga

Hi everyone!

Ken's sister, Laura, here, for a quick update. Today was Mother's Day, and I'm down in Springfield, visiting mom and Ken and all the other family. It was so great to see Ken again, (it had been a month, or so), and he really looks great. Bald, but great!

Ken is doing really well, and is now preparing himself, mentally, for his next week of chemo, which starts tomorrow. Ken is bracing for the effects of this chemo, knowing that it will turn his brain to mush for at least a couple of weeks, not to mention all of those lovely awful physical reactions, with which he has become so familiar. This upcoming week of chemo is an important check-point treatment, because, afterward, after the two week rest that will follow, they will run additional scans/tests on him, to determine how much more of the metastases has been eliminated, (some of the originating esophageal cancer had spread to Ken's spine and pelvis, so they're working on getting rid of that), and they may then be able to 're-stage' him, as a result. That would be excellent! To move him back from a Stage IV to a Stage III, or better, would be incredible! We are all praying for it. Ken has put up such a great fight, and I am so very proud of him.

So, watch for the treatment check-point update that will be coming at the end of May.

Thank you all, so very much, for your comments, cards, letters and calls. It has meant a lot to Ken.

Love,
Laura