We achieved our goal! Brad was discharged from the University the afternoon of Dec 31st after his FINAL round of chemo. Brad showed grit and determination...mostly because he did not want to have to pay a chemo bill for the 2019 insurance year 😂 He's stubborn and I love him for it. 
It was another tough round of nearly constant chemo for the 6 days we were there. His body definitely felt it - he had to have 2 separate blood transfusions to try and help his body recover so he had enough energy to even walk to the car. But he did it. And we made it home in time to ring in the new year with our girls in our home. It was a huge triumph for us and felt so sweet as we laid our heads on our very own pillows at 8:30 that night (there was no way we were even attempting to make it to midnight). 
We had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Farooq yesterday in Iowa City. He seems very optimistic about Brad's recovery over the next few weeks. He made the comment that Brad tolerated the intensity of the chemotherapy better than most patients who have had to endure it. He will likely need another blood transfusion or two over the next week, then his body should start to rebound on its own. His first PET scan is scheduled for February 8th and we're very hopeful it will show that the chemo did its job. Brad is eager to get back to work...he's not the best at sitting still and looking pretty. 
We're so grateful for the mounds of support we received from everyone over the past 4 months...and we are so ready for this story to have a happy ending. Please keep praying that we're lucky enough to see that happen. 
Happy New Year to you and yours from the Mensen family and our recent "chemo grad." Hardest degree he's ever earned....