Hi All - It's been a long time since our last update, and I guess that old adage "no news is good news" certainly applies here.

Still we thought it would be an appropriate  time for this update and to take the opportunity to wish Happy Birthday to Kent's stem cells! 

Yes, it was just over a year ago, actually Sept. 2, 2021, that Kent had his stem cell transplant.

We recently traveled to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester for his one year appointment, which included a bone scan, blood tests and various other doctor pokes, and came away with very good reports. There were no abnormal proteins found in his blood, and the lesions on his bones, which is indicative of the disease, shows no change (a good thing). He still has that original hole in his C3 area, but the rest of the vertebrae looks stable. 

Kent still has neuropathy in his legs and feet, but that doesn't stop him from riding his bike, going fishing, going to local college football games and looking forward to some travel. He did have a little freak accident on his bicycle last month, and got scratched up in the fall. Kind of frightening to say the least; but his doctor congratulated him on not breaking any bones. He does wear a helmet and gloves and (with cooler weather) a parka. 

Originally Kent was supposed to keep taking a daily dose of Revlimid - chemo in pill form - for an indeterminate length of time, but that has caused him to have fevers and rashes.  So currently he is off all chemo, and will instead have blood tests taken on a more regular basis (quarterly). Kent may eventually need to go back on Revlimid or something similar depending on his blood tests. In the meantime he was referred to an Integrative Medicine oncologist for complementary therapies that might assist with his ongoing recovery. That first appointment is in November. 

We're so thankful for all of our family,  friends, various kind souls, and the medical professionals who have helped us thus far along this journey.  Thank you from the bottoms of our hearts!

Also - it really is Kent's birthday coming up on October 17. 🎈🎂🎈

Love, 

Julie & Kent