Don: Thursday Karen has a doctor appointment at Shands so Ken and Madeline will be taking her down there tonight and they will all be back tomorrow afternoon. She has mixed thoughts about the outcome of the visit. She knows they will be telling her when to come back for the first consolidation treatment. It looks to me (based on the information they have overwhelmed us with) that if she starts consolidation on Monday the 16th we would have our day 21 checkup on a Sunday. That is something they try to avoid, but it would allow her to return home on Wednesday, 11-25. Thanksgiving is the next day on the 26th. If they start the treatment on Tuesday then none of our 3 checkups for the month would land on a Sunday and we could travel home on Thursday, 26th, Thanksgiving Day. Then, assuming a 2nd round of consolidation, we could start on 12-15-09 which would allow us to be home on after a morning appointment on Dec 24th.

Another option is to try to wait until December 1 to start treatment. This has us home for Thanksgiving and the week of Christmas, December 21. That sounds nice but I am kind of anxious to continue on the path of the more timely treatment and not wait. I think Karen wouldn’t mind taking it a little slower. We will see what the Doctor says and keep you all informed. Continue to pray for Karen to have the strength to endure and continue the fight. Your prayers and comments here are very, very helpful and uplifting for her. This is not something that she is facing only for herself. She presses forward because of her family and friends. Thanks, Don