July 27 – How it has been at home.

Fair has been doing well at home. She is so thankful to be here and has enjoyed interacting with her sister and brothers and being in familiar and happy surroundings. She has been watching a lot of her favorite movies with us and enjoying watching and participating in the fun antics of our family. She has also enjoyed her favorite things like drinking a cup of Constant Comment tea.

Overall her pain has been manageable. Today she had intense pain that lasted off and on for an hour and a half. We were on the phone with one of her Oncologists a lot of the time. With his guidance we worked through it, made sure her pain was bearable, and made sure there was nothing going on that required a trip to the emergency room. We also enlisted the prayers of many people that dropped what they were doing and prayed when we reached out to them. Thank you to all of you who have prayed for Fair during this time. We have seen God work so many wonders already. We look forward to her tumor continuing to shrink so it no longer causes so much trouble.

Fair has some bad days with nausea but has been able to keep her food and drink down. Her appetite has been good enough to where we are confident she is getting enough nutrients. We made sure she is drinking plenty of fluids, especially since she is no longer getting any through an IV. I read that it is healthy for cancer patients to eat red meat on occasion to replenish what they lose through chemo. I cooked her a sirloin steak the other day that turned out perfect. She loved it!

Fair’s spirits continue to be great and amazing. Her mom and I have reminded her that it is OK to cry and have bad days. We encourage her to be open about what she is feeling. She has genuinely continued to have a positive attitude and faith no matter what setbacks she faces. The messages that you all send have helped to keep her spirits up. She has read everyone. I know because she loves to hear me read them to her.

Fighting stage 4 cancer from home part of the time definitely grows one’s faith. Our whole family has learned so much from this experience. And the saying is definitely true, “There is no place like home!”