Saturday, March 8, 2008

Done with chemo!

So as of last night I have been done with my final round of scheduled chemo. As soon as my bag of mesna runs through me I get to go home, which is in about 4 hours. It is a great feeling knowing you may never be given chemo again. I am so excited for the summer and to be able to do stuff this summer without chemo holding me back. Im going to be a mad man this summer I tell you!
Hopefully within the next couple weeks I will have my surgery scheduled, so that they can clean up my sinus and biopsy the area to make sure no living cancer cells are still "kickin". And if all goes well after that I will have scans a few weeks after that and thats when we will know if I am really done with treatments or not. I will also get my Hickman port out if the scans look good. I am sick of the Hickman. I haven't been swimming in a year!
I am now planning on taking my final shower at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, so I will post again when I know all the details of where my surgery will be done and when. (Im thinking Boston)
Thanks again for all the love and support, I am amazed of the support that is given to me through so many people. You make the fight a lot easier!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

My fingers are crossed that you will be able to say "Bye Bye" to the Hickman. When you do I think its time for Mardi Gras again!! Till then keep getting stronger and healthier. Just want to say Nick that you have been amazing through this past year - you have managed to keep your great sense of humor going and stayed positive. You're very lucky to have such a great family and good friends. Go have some fun and stay happy. Love you lots - Jennie x

Anonymous said...

Hello Madman,
Looking back through your postings I saw Mardi Gras, Lance Armstrong, dirt bike riding, bare bottom women, hanging with Andre Kirilenko, iFly, the Incredibles, Rockefeller Center, Ice Hockey, helium balloons, Blackhawk helicopter ride, and high school graduation. There was alot more but I chose not to read all the fine print. I'd say your wish to be a mad man has already been fullfilled. Once that Hickman port is out - you can add scubadiving to your endeavors and be a Certified Mad Man. May you continue to enjoy life and live it to its fullest. Man, there's nothing mad about that. As always, I love reading your posts and I love you too! Aunt Chris

Unknown said...

Madman Raitt,

I was surfing the net for information on Lance Armstrong and came across your blog. You are a strong trooper and an inspiration to me.

I lost my grandfather to cancer a few years ago. He was the ripe-old age of 75 so he had a very fulfilling life as I know you will too. Nevertheless, I educated myself on cancer during his fight in the hope that I might improve his health while he was undergoing chemotherapy. We changed his diet significantly, but it was too late.

Ever since then I've been looking for ways to improve my own diet. I eat mostly organic fresh food--no fast food or processed food--and try to limit my intake of refined sugars.

About ten months ago, I read this article from the Oprah Winfrey website about the number one super food in the world. It was called the acai (ah-SAH’-ee) berry and had been shown to contain antioxidants that destroyed cultured human cancer cells.

Since then, I've been searching for the best way to obtain and consume this Brazilian berry since it only grows in Brazil. I finally found a drink that provides huge portions of unprocessed acai berries along with 18 other fruits rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients. It's called MonaVie and my wife and kids have been drinking it for about eight months now.

I thought you would be interested since you are determined to take life by the horns this summer. I've read a lot of testimonies about how MonaVie has given cancer patients their energy back. Here are a few links about MonaVie that I think you should check out:

The first is a video from a cancer specialist Dr. Lou Niles. He speaks about what MonaVie does at the cellular level.

The second is the article from the University of Florida on their study that showed a self-destruct response in up to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested.

The third is a website called Adelaine's Hope about a 3-year old that has cancer and has rebounded with energy after taking MonaVie.

This last link is to MonaVie's website. It will show you how to purchase the drink.

I hope this is helps you in your recovery stage and getting the most out of this summer. Feel free to contact me at jonmark98@gmail.com with any questions.

JonMark