Update on Alan

So, for all those who don't know yet, Alan started treatment five days ago! He was accepted into a clinical trial in Birmingham, Alabama, 2 1/2 hours from us. The process of getting approved and beginning treatment happened very quickly. We ended up coming back early from our Spring Break trip to Florida and Georgia, in order for him to begin treatment as soon as possible. Rather than having to have injections once a week that would make him very sick, he is on an all-oral treatment (five pills in the morning, five in the evening) and is not nearly as sick as we hear everyone gets on the standard treatments available at this time. We are so thankful!

So far the side effects of the medications have been tolerable. We were told he would likely have headaches, nausea and fatigue. So far there has been no nausea, but the fatigue has been pretty strong. He has had light headaches on and off. Unfortunately, he caught a cold two days after beginning treatment, and the combination has put him decidedly under the weather. He is beginning to surface after two days of misery. We have been told that the first three weeks are when the side effects of medication are strongest, and after that he may feel nearly normal. We'll see.

Thank you all for your prayers and support! 

Those raging Hormones

As part of our children's study of the birds and the bees, we have been reading a very entertaining book about Mr. and Mrs. Hormone, complete with hilarious cartoon drawings of the mischievous hormone couple mixing toxic potions that make girls moody and boys pimply. The kids love the story line about the Hormones and how they interfere without permission in all areas of life.

Last night we were reading a story for worship about the life of Ellen White's family. Talking about her son Willie, we read, "Willie White was in charge of all the church in Australia in those years. He was very busy but very lonely without a wife. But one day, he  met a lovely young woman named Ethel May Lacey and before long, they fell in love."

"Do you know why they fell in yuv?" Skyler interrupted.

"Why?" I asked.

He burst into giggles. "Mr. and Mrs. Hormone!"