Just an update on me

Because many of you faithfully ask about how I am doing, and some make me promise to tell when I get an update, here is the latest news on me and the cancer. Blood work at the end of August showed a slight increase in the cancer, but blood work at the end of September showed no additional increase. To quantify this, the M-spike (measure of the cancer) is now 0.4, compared to an all-time low of 0.2 just before I discontinued chemotherapy 5 months ago (it stayed at 0.3 for several months over the summer), and an all-time high of 4.0 at diagnosis 3 years ago. Today, the doc and I discussed all of the same options, and the same pros and cons of each option, as before, and came to the same conclusion as before - we will not restart chemotherapy at this time, but will continue to closely monitor the situation to see if the cancer increases.

I am still recovering from the time on chemo (fatigue, nueropathy), and it is taking longer than I expected. It is not good that the nueropathy is still around, but I am hoping it will eventually go away. Thanks again for love, support, and prayers.

Mr. & Mrs. Ben Thompson

One of my favorite commercials show a dad talking to a little girl (maybe 6) seated at the wheel of an automobile, giving her instructions about driving - don't go too fast, don't go onto the Interstate the first time out, etc. Then the camera changes and you see the girl is really a grown-up teenager, but he just sees her as his little girl.

I can remember coming home from work years ago, often after a bad day. There would be a figurative dark cloud over my head, and I would be mumbling as I walked up the walk, muttering thoughts about a crummy job, crummy office, crummy paycheck, pointy-haired boss, lousy automobile. Then a little blond-haired girl would come bounding out the front door, yelling "Daddy!" and the dark cloud would disappear and sunshine would shine through.



Every daddy wants his little girl to grow up to be happy, fall in love with a godly young man who will love her back, lead her in paths of righteousness, protect her and provide for her. At least that's what he thinks. But there is also that part of him that wants to put the brick on her head at age 8 and keep her little forever.


Today, my greatest hopes and inner fears were both realized in the same event as Emily married her Prince Charming Ben. They will be great together, and her mother and I are thrilled. For lots more neat photos, see my albums on facebook.