Working the Process

Sam is in that “middle time” between his first round of chemo and the start of the next. Those first few days afterward were tough—lots of achiness and low energy—but he’s perked up the last couple of days. He even helped me get my winter tires mounted this weekend. I did get a bit of a stern talking-to about how much I was going to let him help. And by the end of it, I was the one showing signs of “chemo brain,” so we got a good laugh out of that.

He has started losing his hair—really more like shedding at this point. This afternoon we’re taking him to get his head shaved, and his mom has requested a mohawk photo before it all comes off. That one should be fun to share.

He had his first in-office visit with his oncologist yesterday morning. Bloodwork still looks good, and we reviewed logistics for the upcoming treatments. It was a pretty uneventful visit, which is exactly what we hope for these days.

His next round of chemo is scheduled to begin Monday, December 1st. The only wrinkle right now is that his health insurance approvals haven’t fully come through yet. That held us back from mapping out all the future chemo dates and appointments. As someone who likes a solid schedule, that part is unnerving—but Sam and Grace handled it with so much calm, trusting that the pieces will fall into place.

We continue to be so proud of them. They’re facing everything with strength, honesty, courage, and deep faith. That doesn’t mean there aren’t hard moments, tears, and tough conversations—but they are leaning hard on their Heavenly Father and the people around them. It’s humbling and incredibly encouraging to watch, and we can see how God is answering one of their biggest prayers.

A few new prayer requests:

• That the health insurance approvals get aligned quickly and the next several months can be scheduled smoothly.
  
• Peace in the uncertainty as the next round of chemo begins.
  
• That symptoms are minimal for the next round of chemo and Sam remains physically strong.