Happy Monday everyone, and I can guess you can already tell from the tone of those first few words that I have turned the corner on feeling the pains of chemo round 3. I am officially calling today the end of the misery. My appetite isn't fully back yet but today I was able to do some exercise, sit outside with Evey for a bit and watch a couple of movies in comfort. I won't make mention of the Angel game. All I can say is it's good to be back my friends.
So there isn't much news to report on, but I can give you all an idea of what's to come in the next month or so. As it went with the first two rounds of chemo treatment, my body is now in recovery mode. My white and red blood cell counts are at rock bottom, no surprise, and will be for a few weeks. There will not be a round 4 of treatment. The plan as of now is to go forward with the transplant roughly 4 weeks from now. This does not mean I will be chemo free though. About a week before the transplant, I will go through 3 days of intense radiation treatment and 2 days of chemotherapy. These 5 days, in addition to the treatment I just went through, will pretty much wipe my immune system clean of my body. At that point I'm ready for transplant and away we go. More details to come on all of that as we get closer to go time, but it feels good to know what the plan is and to know things are moving forward. I am very optimistic that my body will be in a perfect state of readiness when transplant time hits. It has been no small sacrifice, but well worth it none the less.
One small side note from the weekend and I'll get out of your hair. As bad as this whole situation has been, I have been able to pull some pretty cool things out for myself along the way, that would not have happened had I not gotten cancer. The most valuable one being able to see the love, strength and caring of my friends and family. You always know it's there but it is amazing to see it first hand. I have a cousin who lives in Northern California who I have not seen in nearly 6 years. No hard feelings between he and I, no drama or fighting that would keep us from being in contact, just two paths going different directions. My guess is you know where this is going, but within a few days of learning about my situation, my cousin Ryan was in his car and driving south to come and see me. I can't tell you how great of a feeling it is to see your family or friends, just drop everything and come see you when you need them most. Hopefully you will never be in a situation like I am in to experience it, but as I said, there are some real gems that shine in even the worst situations, and this was certainly one of them.
Thanks for reading everyone and have a great week. I have a good feeling I will.
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26 comments:
Kurt and Evey,
Bless you for seeing the "pot of gold" at the end of the rainbow, so many of us miss our blessings.However you are OUR "pot of gold" for you are the most inspiational person I have ever heard of, and I look forward to you having a great week. Evey, Bless You!!!
Donna and John
Mein Gott, it`s so good to hear from you Kurti! You are so back in track! Keep up your fight, du hast es fast geschafft :) Think of all the Schnitzels especially the Kreuzschenke one), Leberkaes and pork knuckles you had to get back 100% appetite! I hope you will get your box soon. Bleib am Ball und liebe Greusse an deine Familie und Evey, dein Kumpel
Andy
Kurt,
Great plan coming together. You are a star my friend. I take great strength from you and what you stand for buddy. I can atually see the day you get better in my mind and can not wait for it. You stay cool and I hope to see you Wednesday.
Your friend!
Steve
Good morning Kurt,
A little joke to start your day.
Carole L.
A man walked into a cafe, went to the bar and ordered a beer.
"Certainly Sir, that'll be one cent."
"One Cent?" the man exclaimed.
He glanced at the menu and asked: "How much for a nice juicy steak and a bottle of wine?"
"A nickel," the barman replied.
"A nickel?" exclaimed the man. "Where's the guy who owns this place?"
The bartender replied: "Upstairs, with my wife."
The man asked: "What's he doing upstairs with your wife?"
The bartender replied: "The same thing I'm doing to his business down here."
In the profound words of Col. John "Hannibal" Smith:
"I love it when a plan comes together"
I miss the A-Team.
Kurt,
Hey brotha..Haven't talked with you in a while and just wanted to drop a note and say hello. my thots and prayers are with you and in reading your update it sounds like things are coming around..! I saw that your boy Klinsman lead your team to a 2-2 tie in their opener. Hope your getting to catch a few games while your getting better. Stay strong and when you get out of there lets grab a pint.
Cheers,
J Downing
If you can find them....Kurt Thallmayer is Hannibal Smith, Sull as the Faceman, Glenn as H.M. Merdock and Scott Connelly is B.A. Baracas(I do think Mathes fits the build a little better)
Right on, Kurtis!
YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION.
Keep on staying strong.
Gary
Glad to hear you are feeling better!!!!
We keep you in our prayers everyday....Pat and Karan
Hello Kurt & Evey
It was so good to see you both this weekend. I wanted to share this little poem I came across, written by a cancer survivor:
Cancer I did not give you the right,To invade my body and take a bite. This is my body and with all my might,I will prevail with one hell of a fight. To the cancer inside, I will battle and kill.
For that is my body's God given will. To my cancer, these words I do send. Your life is short and near the end.
Stay Strong!
Paulina
Great to see you briefly Saturday. Evey and us girls had some nice time at the pool and Toni's b-day dinner.
Thanks for the update on the game plan. We are all eagerly awaiting these updates and you are in our thoughts & prayers...daily. Miss you guys!!!
-tash
ps. Us girls will be loving on Floyd Weds...so he will be happy! Hope he likes pizza....I think he likes all food.
Hi Kurt-
Glad to read that you are feeling better. Hopefully you are seeing some good movies during your stay... I've enjoyed Iron Man and the Dark Knight.
Take Care
Glad to hear it Kurt... You have such a positive attitude and it must be nice to know what the plan is moving forward. All my best to both you and Evey and looking forward to the day when you get to tell us "I'm coming home"....
Tony
Hey K-Dog! It was good seeing you briefly on Saturday. I'm so glad to hear that there is a plan in place to look forward to make some positive progress!
Can't wait to have ol' K-Dog out of that hospital and on to more adventures with Maverick & Spider Monkey! Ha ha!! Always makes me laugh thinking of that trip, so had to drop those old nicknames!
Well glad you're feeling a bit better and see you soon!
Shannon
Hi Kurt - so wonderful to hear your optimistic self! Such a wonderful cousin you have along with all your friends and family - a testament to you and what a wonderful person you are!!! I am glad there is a plan for next steps and so happy round 3 is behind you. Many hugs and positve thoughts and prayers.
Love,
The Kingston's
Kurteous Maximus:
You sound dialed in like a man with a plan. Keep that focus!
No Halo talk today but plenty more coming in the future-
You've probably seen nearly every movie out there but I thought I'd suggest a few just in case they might have slipped through the net:
- Super Troopers (terrible i know but nothing like chuggin maple syrup!)
- Beer Fest (funnier once you've seen the previous...)
- Memento (need to see it twice to appreciate it anyway..)
- Traxx ("I get the first one that cries") among the all time greatest bad movies/ starring Shadoe Stevens
- The Ref (Dennis Leary) there's a view into my family christmas's (kidding)
- Heart and Souls - now that Robert Downey Jr. is somewhat back in fashion/ this was mildly entertaining (I might have been straining on this one..)
... so likely not helpful but wth, I got nuthin else.
Thoughts/
TB
Hi Kurt
We're so glad to hear that your starting to feel better from round 3. You have surely had a hard road these last few months. Glad to hear that there is a plan in the works.
We continue to pray for you daily. The other night when I couldn't sleep I came across this and I wanted to share it with you.
Footprints in the Sand
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.
This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”
The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”
Love Mr. & Mrs. O
Hello Kurt,
Baie Lekker is what we would say over here in S.A. One of my friends has a father who treats illnesses like yours and I passed your information on to him to see what he had to say. This is what he said. "They know what they're doing and he appears to be in very good hands". I am passing this on to you to add to your own encouragement and optimism.
What a great cousin you have in Ryan and I wish that Lucy and I would be able to do what he did too. The next best thing is for you to know that you are always in our thoughts and prayers, many thousands of miles from where you are. Get well soon. It sounds as though this is just around the corner. I like very much what "Paulina" wrote, Your support group is amazing.
Once again, please give your Mom a big kiss and hug from all of us over here. I believe she has a lot on her plate with you and her boyfriend and our thoughts and prayers go out to her too. She is one of the most altruistic people we know...an amazing person whom we're very lucky to have as a member of our family.
Keep up the fight and God bless you.
Totsiens vir nou.
Michael and Lucy
Hey Kurt...
Glad to hear that you are feeling better after a challenging round 3. The SD&E team misses you tremendously and can't wait to see you. Your positive attitude and strength is an inspiration to all of us. Keep up the fight!!! You contiue to be in my thoughts and prayers.
Rich
Hi Kurt,
So glad to hear you're feeling better this week. You're in our thoughts & prayers always. We hope to come see you soon. Like you said it's good to know the plan. It sounds like a great one! Stay positive & strong.
Love,
Jill, Tim & Connor
Kurt,
Great to see you last night buddy. I like the plan and like your attitude even more. Sitting there shooting the sh@@ is very cool. Keep it going my man. Let me know if you need anything
Good morning, good morning...
Nothing to do to save his life call his wife in
Nothing to say but what a day how's your boy been
Nothing to do it's up to you
I've got nothing to say but it's O.K.
Good morning, good morning...
Going to work don't want to go feeling low down
Heading for home you start to roam then you're in town
Everybody knows there's nothing doing
Everything is closed it's like a ruin
Everyone you see is half asleep.
And you're on your own you're in the street
After a while you start to smile now you feel cool.
Then you decide to take a walk by the old school.
Nothing has changed it's still the same
I've got nothing to say but it's O.K.
Good morning, good morning...
People running round it's five o'clock.
Everywhere in town is getting dark.
Everyone you see is full of life.
It's time for tea and meet the wife.
Somebody needs to know the time, glad that I'm here.
Watching the skirts you start to flirt now you're in gear.
Go to a show you hope she goes.
I've got nothing to say but it's O.K.
Good morning, good morning...
"The Beatles"
Good morning KT!!
al
Kurt,
Can you believe this 8th inning. Lackey with two errors looks like he is working hard to lose it. And that double play was magic.
Carole
Morning Kurt,
I fell asleep ... and so of course, the Angels lost in the 12th inning!
For SD&E group news-
Alfonso's wife had the baby last Saturday night/Sunday morning. Baby & Mom are fine.
Chris is performing a wedding this weekend.
And Jerry joined the AP group.
Otherwise, SD&E is pretty much the same as always.
Have a good day, it is gloomy right now, but the sun should come out soon.
We all miss you and hope to see you soon.
Carole L
Kurt,
I'm glad to read that you are through this last round of chemo. I can't imagine what you are going though, and yet your spirit and your outlook continue to shine so bright.
I just wanted you to know that I'm thinking of you and hoping all goes well in the next few weeks.
Happy Friday Kurt and Evey!
So, tomorrow is the big fundraiser here out our home which my sister, mom and Gabby are putting on in hopes to raise lot's and lot's of money for the leukemia and lymphoma foundation! We will have a special candel burning for you both!
Much love--The Connellys
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