Happy Thanksgiving, friends!  The updates are coming slower these days.  You know the saying “no news is good news.”  Someone recently asked if Matt was in maintenance.  I wouldn’t say he is in maintenance, but I would say he is stable, and that’s a comfort and blessing!!  Matt’s staging has not changed…yet.  He is still stage 4 but man, he is rocking it!!  We hope for the day he will be downgraded in staging.  But how amazing that he is living life and working full time!  From the outside, a stranger would never be able to tell what is going on inside his body.  He takes his chemo morning and night, and it’s simply our normal now.  Dr. Parshad did say that he can go four months for scans now, instead of every three months, because she is so happy with how the drugs are working!  That is amazing news.  

Yesterday, I attended our dear friend’s mother’s funeral.  Our friend gave an inspiring eulogy that honestly filled the room with feelings of gratitude.  Matt could not attend because of year end financial deadlines at work (and he already asks off a lot for health stuff).  When I walked in, one of our friends said, “Where is our walking miracle?”  He is right.  Matt is a walking miracle!  As I sat in the back listening to the eulogy and thinking of dear Gail, I looked around at our lifelong friends who are now grown men and women.  I was sitting near friends who supported us more than anyone during our darkest time last fall.  These are friends we don’t get to see often, but are in it for life.  I was overcome with gratitude to have friends like that.  The room was so full that the funeral director was scrambling to find chairs…what a testament to Gail’s life and something for us all to strive to! 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all of our supporters.  The loud and proud ones.  The silent ones.  The ones who donated to our GoFundMe.  The ones who made us meals.  The ones who sent cards and notes.  You carried us through our darkest days.  And we would do the same for you.  You made it possible for us to battle through different treatments until we found the right one, through Avery’s Senior year, through uncertainty and grief.  Yes, grief.   

To support us now, pray for the chemo to keep working, for tumors to continue to shrink and disappear, for our financial aid to continue with the drugs (Pfizer sponsors Matt’s 40K a month prescription currently), and for continued strength and peace as we face the isolation, anxiety, and depression that goes along with all this.  

We are more than 18 months into this journey.  We are GRATEFUL for our journey and for the people who walk it with us.  We love you all!!!  Team Terry continues to fight, fight, fight!