Jerry’s Greatest Challenge
7-29-2007 through 8-5-2007
Chemo to Resume This Week

Editors Note:  This is the 22nd   week since Jerry was diagnosed with lung cancer.  Jerry has reported each week regarding the progress, treatment, feelings, events and thoughts as he goes through this challenge.  

From Jerry:  Good morning readers and today finds me feeling really great again for the third week.  It has been five weeks since my last Chemo treatment and I am still experiencing the so called “Chemo Brain” as I talked about last week and several weeks ago. This week I noticed my hair starting to grow back.  Not much but a little.  I also noticed my beard started to grow some. I like the idea that my hair is growing however I was getting accustomed to not having to shave.

Before I began I would like to congratulate Chris Conner the local musician who has just been pronounced cancer free last week. Chris credits this miracle to the thousands of prayers that were being prayed for his successful healing and his belief in the fact that he would be healed. This is the power of prayer and let’s not forget that prayer combined with a positive expectation will create miracles.  Let’s pray that his future test will continue to be positive. He has a mission and I know that mission will be fulfilled.

We are having ideas of starting a Cancer Foundation to aid the victim’s family and caregivers.  We need a  program which will help the caregivers through professional counseling to help them know the best way to cope with their loved ones situation. There are also the needs for families that travel to Columbia from other areas at great expense for lodging and travel, which need help.  Insurance does not cover these expenses.   As I have said so many times in these columns, the caregivers are really going through a battle from a great many standpoints.  What do they do?  How do they cope with the severe mood swings of the cancer victim?  How can they best help their loved ones? This is a challenge and one that needs to be addressed more professionally. I will keep you posted on the progress of the foundation. 

I will start a new series of Chemo on Tuesday 8-7-2007 with a drug called Alimta Pemetrexed.  This is a milder form of Chemo which should not have as many side effects.  The actual injection process does not take nearly as long.  About 10 minutes for the chemical and another 2 hours for the injection of fluids and steroids.  This will seem like I am on vacation considering the other Chemo treatments required 6 hours or more.  In preparation for this treatment I have been taking Folic acid pills for the past 5 days and I had to have a B-12 shot last week.

Has my attitude and faith been shaken?  Absolutely not.  I feel stronger than ever that God has a plan and this is part of a plan.  I do a great deal of speaking in real estate instructing  agents on how they can become more successful through goal setting and planning. This may open the door for me to speak to many more people about how they can cope with the burden of having cancer.  When someone can listen to another person who has and is going through the same circumstances as they are, there is considerable more appreciation than listening to a doctor, reading books or surfing the Internet  about things that may or may not happen.

I would like to remind you again to stay in touch with the cancer victim.  Most people will send a card or telephone the cancer patient once and then never again. For the first few weeks the patient gets many calls of concern and then the calls stop.  It is only after several weeks that they start feeling much worst. The chemicals are taking full effect and the patient is much weaker. Maybe the test did not come back positive and your friends need your encouragement.  Keep in touch at least once every two weeks through a card, phone call, email or visit.  I hear from many cancer patients and this is the number one problem. They have little or no support.  Many of the people I hear from spend lots of time reading again and again the cards they have received.  I talked to one past cancer patient who has been free and clear for 5 years who still goes back and reads the cards he received, quite often.  The cards were so special. This is how we can all help.
 
If you really want to help, offer to stay with the patient while the caregiver takes a day or several hours off.  This will recharge the batteries for the caregiver and will do wonders for their attitude.

Important Notice. As time permits, I am also willing to speak to your civic clubs, community clubs, garden clubs and gatherings. Cancer affects many and hopefully through these speeches I can help someone deal with the devastations most cancer patients experience.

Until next week I wish you a terrific and prosperous week and thanks to everyone for your prayers.