Update From Dad

Hi all

Today was our last soccer practice for our 5 and 6 year old soccer team. Hillary and Jon decided that we should have practice at Pizza Hut instead. Thats what it's about isn't it. Let the kids really enjoy their teammates and socialize. Tomorrow is the last game. They have been playing really well. It has been a blast teaching soccer to kids at my same childish age!! I haven't grown up yet.

I haven't been sleeping well but have not found the energy to write another update. Hillary has a lot going on right now. She did have the biopsy and as she expected since January, despite what the doctors were telling her, The Cancer is back. It is still attacking the lymph nodes. The first one that was noticeable was in her neck. They have since found 1 in her back and her abdomen is loaded. She first discovered it July 9th and we can actually see the nodes growing. Dr Alyea from Dana Farber has a plan. More chemo then a T-cell infusion from the bone marrow donor. Hillary is starting the chemo on Monday at Dartmouth with her original Dr. Gaudier. Every Monday for 3 months. As i understand it she will need to get yet another Central Line. We have had plenty of issues with that procedure. This must be the 5th or sixth time. I hope than can find a spot left in her body that hasn't been used yet!

This cancer is aggressive and not responding to any traditional treatments. I keep telling myself what the very first meeting 3.1/2 years ago told us. Hodgkin's disease is 90% curable. If you are going to get cancer this is the one to get. Hillary has always been above average so it shouldn't have surprised me that she is in the top 10%!! So how bad is this reoccurance. In less than a month she has to wear maturity clothes because she looks 4 months pregnant from the growth of the nodes in her abdomen.!! The cancer has always went down quickly with chemo and radiation but it just keeps coming back. We hope it will do it again. She had to get off the steroids and a few other medications to get ready for Mondays treatment. She is in a tremendous amount of pain. She is now repeating herself a lot as her memory gets weaker from the pain meds.

So we are starting to worry even more this time. So what can we do?? Hillary decided last week that she should have a girls purse, Mary Kay, ladies night out party on Saturday. If your sick everyone knows a party will fix everything. So now the party has grown to a pre-chemo party. Saturday evening at 5:00. Everyone might as well come. What else do you do on a Saturday evening in Charlestown. Come make new friends or get aquainted with some old friends. Why not? I guess she takes after me on that one. When looking at a tough time, start out with food, friends and drinks. Then she might remember why she is going thru this hell. It's because she has so many people pulling for her to get well. She has inspired a lot of people and brought out a spirit for life that we overlook in our daily routine.

Thanks for all of your support.

Vic, Nancy, Patrick & Grace, Allen, Pierce, ( Preston soon) Heather, Jon, Xander and especially Hillary