One more day til the beginning of the end!

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9 NLT)

In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years. (Isaiah 63:9 NLT)

My final cycle (God-willing) starts tomorrow! We can see the light at the end of the tunnel!! God has indeed carried us through the highs and lows of this journey so far and we trust in His continued care for us.

We had a couple of fun birthday parties (one intimate and very sweet, the other very energetic and beautifully decorated!!) the last few days. We also got to hang out with friends far (via Skype chat with HCAC friends I grew up with) and near (with an abundance of amazing food and great friends) yesterday. We received a great feel-good care package from Joanne complete with jojo-curated looks. Gamoon, a friend from years ago, also sent a sweet care package with yarn, needles and a useful pattern for cowl. And a very thoughtful gift from Tara (a book on how to fight cancer before it begins? Looking forward to reading it). Thank you friends for your love and helping us squeeze in some laughs before the start of the next cycle!

Makeup, makeup and more makeup - jo, how did you know about my obsession? ;)

From the medical progress side...

We had our regular appointment with Dr. Tinker on Friday. The AFP cancer marker came in at 44 from the previous blood test - down from 1100 pre-chemo, with Friday's levels still not in at the time. Normal levels should be under 7... So we're almost there!

Dr. Tinker went over the protocol post chemo with us. Recurrence is highest in the first year so they monitor quite regularly via blood tests and CT scans. The second year they monitor less frequently. If, at the end of 2 years, I am still clear, I will be considered "cured" but they will follow up with me for 5 years just in case. Our first CT scan will be the week of February 11, after which, if clear, we plan to make up for our shortened San Diego trip to celebrate the end of chemo :). Currently we're looking at Maui or San Francisco for somewhere warmer and relaxing. If there is recurrence in the first year, we will be looking at more chemo, but we'll cross that bridge if we come to it.

Side effects wise, hot flashes and chills (my aunt and I were commiserating over menopausal issues), nerve pain in fingers and toes, bruising and dark pigmentation spots popping up in odd places. I had my first prolonged bout of nausea on Boxing Day - I am quite fortunate to have escaped nausea for so long and it didn't stick around, thankfully. It was gone by late evening. :)

I can feel the multiple cycles have taken a cumulative toll on my reserves as I've had to take more naps later in the cycle than before. But all things considered, things have been so much smoother and better than we were bracing ourselves for. Thank you to all our family and friends for your continued support, prayers and kind thoughts!

Picture Min emailed this week! I love my family.

Funny sight on the way down from grouse.