Back from Baltimore with a pain in the back

We visited Baltimore on Monday and, aside from the big needle they put in Kevin's hip, it was uneventful.  They were very efficient, drawing his blood and performing the biopsy in record time. We should have results in about 2 weeks, results that will hopefully determine our course for the immediate future. 

Kevin has one more day of intense chemotherapy tomorrow.  This is a big milestone...8 months of any number of types of cancer killing therapies delivered in various ways (through an IV, into his spine during a spinal tap, shots in his arm, shots in his belly, orally, and 12 days of radiation).  It certainly wasn't a vacation, but Kevin handled most of it with courage and grace.  He was very blessed to have few bumps in the road, only one treatment-related hospitalization, and few complications. Since we've spent the last 8 months resetting our priorities, we believe his stamina and success are gifts and for that we are very grateful.  

While we await the Hopkins test results, Kevin will have 2 weeks off from all chemotherapy. He will likely need some blood transfusions over the next week (he's getting one unit tomorrow) to help him recover from the chemo. Then, if he doesn't move to a transplant or it's delayed, he will begin the 1 1/2 years of maintenance chemo. Getting to this point is a victory!

Thanks to Kevin's niece Erica and her boyfriend Daniel for spending the day with us Monday in Baltimore and sparing us the scary dining experience we had last time we visited! And thanks to all our family and friends who share their time, talent, and resources with us. We wouldn't have gotten this far without you.