My oldest son, Donavaughn, turned 18 yesterday. It was a wonderful day. A day made even better by the fact that my mom was there. 

Mom has taken well to treatment and her tumors have shrunk significantly. They are still there but as they shrink they put less of an immediate strain on her body. She is only on Keytruda now, which is a lot easier for her body to handle. Although she is still very thin, she is back to 100lbs. Her COPD and emphysema are still a struggle for her and she still has a hard time getting around but she is still walking. She only uses the wheelchair for doctor's appointments, etc. She uses oxygen only at night, which is an improvement. Unless she is having a harder day, and then she may use it periodically. She was in the hospital for a couple of days last week because she had pneumonia but she has since recovered. As a whole, mom is doing well.

Overall, this news doesn't change the overall diagnosis... but it changes the urgency. There are people that live for years with stage 4 terminal cancer. We have hope. When we first started this journey, we thought we only had months. That is not the immediate thought anymore. We don't know how much time we have but we will take whatever we can get.

Thank you to everyone that continues to pray for, think of, and keep in contact with my mom. It helps more than you could ever know. I know that she has been able to keep her spirits up, and not lose her sense of self because of all of your love, support and outreach. This kind of diagnosis can be a killer in and of itself, but you have helped give my mom the strength and will to push on. For this, I am eternally grateful.