This week has been wonderfully normal. My aunt and uncle were visiting Dallas from Washington state this week, and we had the opportunity to spend many wonderful hours with them during the week. Both Matthew and Raegann took an instant liking to Uncle Ken and Aunt Julia, and spent most of Wednesday's outing to the Dallas World Aquarium perched on Uncle Ken's shoulders or walking with Aunt Julia. Although fatigue usually came early in the afternoons for me this week, it was wonderful to again have family visiting and to have days that seemed so normal.

Matthew and Raegann are enthralled by videos on Uncle Ken's phoneThis morning I had an appointment with an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist here in Dallas for a consultation regarding my nasal cavity tumor. Looking at the latest MRI, my doctor was surprised that the tumor has not caused any symptoms thus far, as it is a fairly large (nearly tennis ball sized) tumor and is very close to both my brain and my optic nerve. He has scheduled an angiogram CT scan for next week to look at the blood flow into the tumor to determine whether a biopsy is possible. Assuming a biopsy is possible, I will likely undergo a surgical procedure to biopsy the tumor sometime in the next two weeks. We remain hopeful that this is a slow-growing, benign tumor. However, it seems to be the case now that this tumor will need to be removed at some point. 

Based on the tumor's location and size, it may be a very complex operation to remove it. The ENT shared that he had experience with similar tumors being removed successfully at MD Anderson, but that the operation sometimes lasted over two days because of the complexity of removing large sinus cavity tumors. Complicating things is my chemotherapy schedule. The operation to remove the tumor cannot be completed while I am undergoing chemotherapy for the gastric cancer. Thus, we must establish some stabilization of the gastric cancer such that a long enough break can be taken from chemotherapy to allow the surgical resection to be completed and my body to recover prior to resuming chemotherapy.

My second round of chemo will begin on Monday. The last round was very rough. This time, my oncologist has ordered a slower infusion of the Oxaliplatin, which may reduce some of the side-effects, and has also ordered more anti-nausea drugs in the pre-medications I receive before the chemotherapy. I have lost nearly 30 lbs. in the past 3 months, which puts me near a healthy weight range for the first time in years. However, I am reaching a weight where it would be best to not lose much more weight. With that in mind, reducing the nausea and fatigue during chemo weeks is critical to helping me maintain my current weight.

I feel very fortunate that my undergraduate academic advisor, professor, and friend has been calling me several times each week to check on my progress and to offer his encouragement through this time. This week he left me with something to "chew on for a bit."

"We are not responsible for the length of our life, only its depth."

As I've ruminated on this, I've been thinking a lot about what it means to live a life with depth. I've come to the conclusion that the only thing that really matters is to love God and love others. Consistently accomplish those two things, and your life will be meaningful, no matter its length. We continue to be so amazed and humbled by the number of people who are following our story, encouraging us, helping with childcare and household responsibilities, and praying for us. Here are the specific intentions you can remember this week:

• That the nasal cavity tumor would be able to be biopsied, and that the results would confirm a benign, slow-growing tumor.
• For reduced severity of the chemo side-effects, especially the fatigue that makes it difficult for me to fulfill my responsibilities at work.
• For unusual efficacy of this chemo regimen against my cancer.