Treatment starts in 2 days.

So it is Monday and I begin chemotherapy in 2 days. In some ways I am not looking forward to the treatments but most of me wants to get started right away. I definitely will not get any better just sitting here waiting, so let's get this thing started. Back in 2000, when I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma, I recieved treatments here locally. Because HL is a common and much better understood form of cancer, the treatment protocols are well established and more widely available. But this time I have been diagnosed with Non Hodgkin's Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma NOS (Not Otherwise Specified). This is a much rarer form of cancer, which is why we decided to pursue treatment at a cancer research hospital like Duke. They are on the cutting edge of cancer research and treatments worldwide. We are so fortunate to have Duke nearby. I can't imagine having to travel several hours, by car or plane, and stay there for perhaps days at a time. My Oncologist is Dr. Anne Beaven, a very impressive physician in whom we have the utmost confidence. I am taking part in a clinical trial and my progress will be monitored extremely closely. It is amazing how much detail they get into. I will only be receiving chemo, with no radiation scheduled. My chemo treatments will be in 7 week cycles. This is Week 1 and I will be receiving chemo 3 days this week. Weeks 2 and 3 are off weeks. In Weeks 4, 5 and 6 I will receive one treatment each week and Week 7 is an off week. Then the cycle is repeated. After the 2nd, 4th and 6th cycles I am closely reassessed and progress noted. The objective is to get the cancer into remission, something that is not easy with NHL. If and when remission is achieved, the treatments are discontinued. At that point other options will be considered to keep it in remission. So six 7 week cycles could mean as many as 42 weeks of treatments, potentially lasting into May of next year. That could get depressing if you thought about it but we are taking things one day at a time right now. We are focused on the goal of remission and not on the journey we have to take to get there. Holly and I certainly are thinking quite a lot about the return of cancer in our lives. But we will not allow this unwelcome intruder to push all else aside. We must, and will, go on with our lives, enjoying and loving each other, our children and grandchildren, our retirement, and everything else that makes life worth living. Our God did not create us to live in fear, but rather in His joy.