Update

We had a conversation with the doctor today. The things we now know are as follows:

1. Treatment will continue on the every other week basis. The last day will be Friday, December 8th.
2. Art will spend his Thanksgiving day at the treatment center. (I know, breaks me up too.)
3. After December 8th, he will start another chemo regimen called Hyper CVAD. He will receive the “B” portion of the regimen.
4. It is a nasty regimen. The doctor thinks Art will only be able to handle two rounds.
5. Round 1 will be on December 18, the day after our 12 year anniversary.

The rest is guess work for now, but here are general dates:
On the week of January 22, his stem cells will be harvested.
On the week of Jan. 29th, he will get a dose of HIGH chemo therapy.
On Feb. 5th, he will have a stem cell infusion.
On Feb. 5th, Art and I will move into an apartment near the hospital for up to two weeks becuase the doctor wants us close to "help." His white cell count will be close to, if not, at zero. If I stay with him, neither of us will be able to see the kids.
In March, Art will have radiation on his testis.
In April, God, Allah, and Buddha willing, he will be cancer free.

This road looks very long and uncertain from this couch. What I know from this place is: We are half way through the first chemo regimen and Art is alive. I don’t know how many more tooth fairies or kids at school will be forgotten. I don’t know how we will make it through Thanksgiving weekend. I can’t even imagine what Christmas will look like. For the moment, I am choosing not to look at what will be, but what is. What I do know is that Art can still hold me and I him. That is truly all that matters.

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