SAD NEWS

I have been absent from this blog again - and actually it's been longer than you think. My December blogs were pre-written, and it turned out that was a good thing, as I would not have felt like writing Christmas posts.

Dan, my husband, was diagnosed with inoperable Stage IV esophageal cancer on December 7. Unbelievable as it may seem, there are relatively "good" cancers to have, but this is not one of them. It is in a bad place, and it has spread. Radiation is also not an option.

So it's been a rough few weeks, and I know this is only the beginning. We made the best of the Christmas season, especially after Kristen came home on December 25. I did all the usual shopping, wrapping, decorating and cleaning, even though it was sometimes difficult to proceed.

Kristen was able to stay until New Year's Eve day. On January 5, my husband began his first round of chemotherapy. What makes it so difficult is that he has to travel to the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Fargo for treatments, as the VA only has a clinic in Bismarck.

Fortunately, Dan felt well on the drive home, and over the weekend. But the nausea and flu-like symptoms have plagued him since. Hopefully he will feel better soon.

He will go back to Fargo for his second round of treatment on January 26. We are praying these sessions will put him into remission. I'm asking for your prayers and healing thoughts, and for the strength to help him deal with health, emotional and eating issues.

This is usually a pretty little blog, but now I am dealing with a big, nasty ugly thing that I may not want to write about, so I may not be blogging much in the next few months.