WE ARE COMING HOME!!!!!! We saw Dr. Kies this morning. We were very impressed with him. We first were interviewed by his assistant who is a fellow in cancer care. She was very thorough in her examination and attentive to our needs. She briefed the doctor and when he came into the exam room, he had a plan.

He told us again that this is a very rare cancer that cannot be cured. He has experience with this cancer in transplant patients. He is suggesting an oral chemotherapy to be taken daily. While it can have some nasty side effects, he feels that they can be controlled. He indicated to us that his patients have had good results with this drug. Randy can receive his care and monitoring in Evansville and the oncologist there will conference with Dr. Kies on continuing care. The goal is to stop the spread and hopefully shrink the sites that are present at this time. We are again buying time. But that is a realistic goal. We had a conversation with Dr. Kies concerning quality of life issues on this treatment and he assured us that his experience has been a positive one.
Dr. Kies will view Randy's scans and conference with the other doctors in his group before treatment is begun. He will call us on Sunday and Monday to discuss the outcome of the meeting. Barring any complications with the scan results, Randy can begin treatment next week.

We feel so blessed to have been able to come here and receive a second opinion. We are confident that this was the right decision.

Continue to pray for us, the doctors and the other patients being treated at MD Anderson. There are many very ill people here. The saddest are the children. While we were waiting for the hotel shuttle after our visit, a young girl around 12 or 13 was waiting with her mother and sister for the Ronald McDonald House shuttle. She was so thin, having lost her hair and needed her mother's help to walk from the curb to the shuttle. I can't get her off of my mind. Pray for her. I don't know her name, but rest assured that the Lord knows.

Thank you all for your support during our time down here. It is still a long battle, but one that we are willing to wage. Hang in there with us and pray that this treatment will be successful with few side effects.

See you all soon.

Randy & Sue