Journal entry by Grant Gustafson —
Thank you all for your patience! We finally have another update for you all, albeit a (gratefully) non-eventful one, medically speaking.
Life post-treatment:
Kristi has been adjusting well to life post-treatment. The week after our final radiation appointment was filled with relief. We would keep asking each other, “are we really… done?”. Exiting the slog of medical appointments and entering back into somewhat normal life is surreal. While there is still follow up to be done, Kristi was elated to finally hear the words “cancer free” on a phone call with her hematologist last week. However, we have learned that term is relative, as it is challenging to know for sure whether every trace of cancer is truly eradicated. Our doctors have advised Kristi to be alert about certain sudden changes or symptoms that could indicate that a cancerous cell floating around has attached and started to grow. There is always a possibility of recurrence. But for all intents and purposes, we are living our lives as cancer free, while accepting a life of more frequent screenings and greater vigilance with regard to physical symptoms.Kristi’s radiation site is healing well, but slowly. The doctors say it can take up to a few months to fully heal and begin looking like normal healthy skin again. The good news is she has no pain, except for some discomfort and nerve pain at the surgery site under her armpit. We are hopeful this too will get better over time and some physical therapy.
What’s next?
We learned the cancer is most likely to return in the first five years after surgery, which does feel a little sobering. As such, we feel it’s important to consider all our post-treatment options seriously and not simply coast back into life now that we are done with radiation. We are currently discussing options like nutrition coaching, dietary supplements, continued IV treatments for boosting immunity post-radiation, and other new and tested methods for minimizing the chance of recurrence. Some of these treatments will need to be paid for out of pocket, which makes weighing the options a bit harder. Please pray that we come to a decision we have peace about. And of course, we will keep you updated!
Kristi being Kristi:
I cannot overstate how proud I am of my wife throughout this experience. She managed to bring a lot of heaven into a hellish ordeal. Her positive and joyful spirit infiltrated the dark spaces we entered, and she never lost faith in our Good Shepherd, even in the shadow of the valley of death. My faith grew by admiring her journey.
Just one of the many examples of this: The very week after finishing radiation, Kristi planned and coordinated a small retreat with a ministry team she’s been working with over the last few months (photo #1). I watched her prep the meals, plan discussions, and coordinate lodging and rides, all with such effortlessness and exuberance. Of course it ended up being a wonderful time and everyone was blessed. Just a little bit of shameless bragging from her husband. 😊
Thank you all for seeing my wife for the amazing woman she is and encouraging her and supporting her through this time. We both have felt blessed beyond words even through such a hard time.
We will keep the updates coming as we get more news, but just know we love you and we feel the love in return!
Photo captions:
Photo #1: Kristi with the crew from the retreat mentioned earlier.
Photo #2: Kristi and I at McMenamins a few days ago. It was this same restaurant where we stopped for lunch after her first scary biopsy results came back. It was so redemptive to have a celebratory meal there this time!
Photo #3: Together in front of a beautiful sunset (and my 3-year-old niece Cece running in the background!)
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