Today we saw the oncologist (Dr. Liao) for a follow up appointment. Jon had bloodwork to measure his white cell, red cell count,etc. Everything was normal which is an excellent sign of both Jon's state of health and the fact that all of the supplements he's taking to combat the side effects of chemo are working. It also means that his immune system is intact and he is free to celebrate the holidays with all of his friends and family. He has a second chemo on the 11th and then a follow up CT scan on the 19th. We see Dr. Liao on the 26th and at that time we will know if the chemo is doing its job. If the chemo can shrink the tumors in the liver to a reasonable size and number he can then have "radiofrequency ablation" where a surgeon burns off the rest of the tumors and he can stop chemo. He is also doing acupuncture, naturopathic medicine, and nutritional support. He will tell you that being a cancer patient is a full time job.

True to form, as we were leaving the doctors office Jon stood up and opened the door just the tiniest crack. He turned around, looked the doctor in the eye and said "I don't need you to cure me, just open the door for me this much and I will f!#%* run through it. Dr. Liao laughed and said "Jon, I believe that you will!" So do I :)

He left for Moses Lake today with Rex for an overnight duck hunt...will be back tomorrow night in time to watch Benton wrestle at Todd Beamer High.

Thank you for all of your phone calls, emails, support, and prayers!