The love and support we have received lately has been truly inspiring. The theory behind this blog is that it will allow us to keep everyone updated on the situation in the easiest way possible. We feel so blessed to have all the phone calls and visits but are struggling to balance these with the necessary rest and some sense of normalcy.
On December 7th the doctors found cancer in Gary's bone marrow. Later tests determined that it was stage 4 metastatic lung cancer. That means that it started in his lungs and has since spread to the bones, along the spinal cord, and, most distressing, to the brain. The doctors were most concerned with the tumors along the spinal cord (these can cause paralysis) and in the brain so they started radiation right away. He has had ten sessions of radiation on the neck and head. His artificial suntan is very misleading!
We are working to maintain positive and keep up the fight. Gary is the strongest person we know and he can and will beat this. We are also looking into many alternative forms of treatment and have found some great things. Gary is scheduled at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota on January 10th. They come highly recommended and should be able to coordinate a treatment plan with our local hospital.
We’d like to extend a huge thank you to all of the people who have helped us thus far and those who will do so in the future. The meals and donations have been a godsend. If you would like to sign up to bring a meal in the future, it would still be greatly appreciated. All you have to do is go to http://www.takethemameal.com/, enter Rasmussen, and “gary” is the password. We are also getting ready to start a raffle to raise funds for the Mayo Clinic and other avenues of treatment. Watch for future posts with more information!
Gary and Sue
