Perhaps Not Quite Out of the Woods...

If you are reading this, you are aware that Aaron went up to Michigan last Friday for his three month post-cancer treatment follow-up to make sure the cancer was gone. We all waited with baited breath that day, praying on our knees and in our hearts for good news. Well, at about noon Aaron shared what the doctors had just shared with him-- that he was cancer free!! Many tears of gratitude were shed upon hearing this news by his family (and I'm sure, friends)!

Soon afterward Aaron made a post on Facebook saying this:
"It's a good day to be cancer free!
Gratitude to everyone who reached out and lightened our load this year- words cannot express what your love and support has meant to Elizabeth Joy Sundstrom and I. I'm going fishing."

That night he went to dinner with our cousins Lisa and Adam.  Aaron looked like such a cancer-fighting-viking-stud! 

Aaron and Beth especially breathed an incredibly heavy sigh of relief that day. Aaron stayed up in
Michigan to do some relaxing and fishing and was planning on coming home in several days. Today as the kids were saying prayers, Levi thanked Heavenly Father by saying "Thank you for Daddy's cancer..." (wasn't sure how to finish it so Benjamin chimed in "that he is cancer free!") and Levi finished "Thank you for Daddy's cancer be thrown in the garbage." How cute is that?!

But today Aaron met with his ENT oncologist who told him he'd received the "transcripts" from Aaron's PET Scan, which I guess pick up more than the readings  they received on Friday. It looks like Aaron is not quite out of the woods just yet:(

The PET transcripts showed a couple spots that are cause for concern: one on his brain and one on his throat.  So on Thursday he has ordered a brain MRI and next Tuesday, July 22nd, they will be putting Aaron under to do a biopsy (same thing they did before). It could be nothing, but it could be something, so the doctor is taking extra precautions. 

On Friday Aaron and Beth had mentally and emotionally prepared and built themselves up for bad news, but when they heard the cancer was gone, Beth said "we let our guard down." They thought they could relax on this and enjoy life as Aaron officially being a cancer survivor. So this news today, after being on such a high, is quite a tough shock. 

Please continue to keep Aaron and Beth and their children in your prayers. Aaron may compete in "World's Strongest Man" competitions, but he continues to need our strength, faith, love and support. This has been a scary road for him and his family, and he and Beth cannot thank you enough for making their loads lighter through your kindness and compassion and prayers. Please let your prayers continue for everyone's favorite viking.

Entry 23: Treatments COMPLETE!!!

Friday was Aaron's final cancer treatment!!! A week ago Monday was his final chemo treatment, and Friday he finished up his radiation. No more burning (and then re-burning) my poor brother's neck!! Yeah! Here he is after he finished up in Friday: 

When He texted me this photo I cried! I'm so happy! He's done! And though I know he still feels bad and his energy is still low, he looks great! When all this started back in late January/ early February, he weighed 315 lbs. He now weighs 265 lbs. As stated previously, swallowing has been excruciating plus he just has been nauseous with no desire to eat, though he's been drinking down healthy smoothies at 2,500 calories a day to get those essential nutrients. On Monday when I talked to him he said the pain is already getting a little more manageable as his sores are in the beginning stages of healing He has been watching the Food Network to try and stimulate his appetite, but so far it hasn't quite worked. The nausea will hang around for quite a while as the chemo works its way out of his system. He still has to go in to UM three times a week for IV fluids to stay hydrated. 

Aaron will stay up in Michigan a couple weeks longer as his final appointment is Friday, April 25th. He will go in to make sure his burns are healing, and then he can come home!!!! We are going to have to have a big party! 

Entry 22: Post by Beth

Dear family and friends,
Today has been a really rough day. Aaron's not feeling well and the nausea has gone to a new level. The doctor added a new nausea medication and thanks to Aunt Joanie was able to get the insurance to approve it very quickly before the pharmacy closed. He is still at the hospital getting fluids and iv meds. Please say extra prayers for him tonight and tomorrow that these meds will do the trick so he can have a good last weekend during treatment. 
We are so thankful for all your support! The letters and cards and care packages are amazing and make my day for sure! I'm the kind of person who wants to thank everyone individually but it's just not possible you each are doing so much! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness and generosity to Aaron and I and our kids! We love each of you!
Thank you! Beth

Entry 21: The Tumor is Gone!

 Tonight I talked to Aaron and it about broke my heart. I could hear in his voice that it was painful to talk, that he didn't have much energy at all, and that he was just not comfortable. But he sure is trying to make the best of a not-fun situation.  Can you believe this sweet viking of ours is still going to the gym every day?! I am so proud of him.  He says he can't do much there as he's pretty "weak" (I never thought physically "weak" would be used in the same sentence as "Aaron"), but that he really enjoys it. He goes and does some light cardio or a ten minute session of pilates with a trainer, and then walks the length of the pool back and forth.

Yesterday Aaron had his sixth chemo treatment-- this coming Monday will be the last! I told him I couldn't believe how on Monday he'll be the guy he sat next to on his first day-- he had the same exact kind of cancer as Aaron, and he was having his last treatment while Aaron was having his first. Aaron then told me that he and his family went out bowling with that man and his family this past Saturday! How neat:) Another example of how Aaron is able to make friends easily:)  That man is now in his fifth weak of recovery and he said it's not been too easy. There have been complications, and he still goes into the hospital a few times a week for IV fluids since it his still difficult for him to swallow with the burns in his throat. So Aaron is mentally preparing himself for that hurdle...just because his treatments will soon be over doesn't mean he will be physically comfortable. But he says he's just surviving one day at a time. And he's got this.

Aaron has eight more radiation treatments. The tumor is gone!!! YAY!!! He can't feel it anymore. For perspective, Aaron told me that sometimes even when people are finishing their treatments they still have the tumor. Aaron is not done yet and it's gone-- yeah! When he told me that tonight I said "well then can't they just stop radiating your throat?" He gently laughed and said "no, but Beth and I asked the same thing." Darn. I hate that he's enduring so much pain...we all do:( And it just gets worse every day as they are reburning the burns they made the day before...every single day. :/ So it's as difficult as ever for Aaron to eat/ swallow/ talk/ breathe...gets more difficult every day. But he and Beth are working hard to get him the calories he needs. Yesterday when he went to the doctor she didn't even bring up the feeding tube. So far, so good. So far, it's not needed.

Aaron and Beth's sweet friend Carol arrived today! She will be with them for a couple weeks. Carol provided them with a place to stay up in Knoxville, TN when they started the trek up to Michigan. She is a wonderful friend and we are all so grateful for her goodness to Aaron and his family.  

The snow is really starting to melt up there in Michigan and the boys were having fun running around and playing in the yard today!

 Bowling last Saturday was a big hit!

Entry 20: Halfway Milestone!

Aaron has crossed the halfway mark for treatment!  This week he completed the fourth of seven chemotherapy treatments and 18th of 35 radiation treatments!

He's doing really well all things considered. Of course some days are better than others. Some days are brighter than others. But in his mind he knows he can do anything for three more weeks! Yeah!

Also, as a bit of clarification from the last post: Aaron is not defying his doctor's orders on nutrition:) The doctor (PA) told him that he is going to need to start thinking about letting them do the feeding tube if he does keep losing weight. But she was not saying "you need a feeding tube now" and he was not saying "no way" to that. If and when the doctor tells him he needs a feeding tube, Aaron will comply readily. He went up to the University of Michigan to get the outstanding medical care they provide at their Cancer Center, and will follow their orders. At the time she was saying "this might happen" and Aaron, being the jokester that he is, was a bit jovial and defiant about it. He likes to make people laugh, ya know? Often at the expense of himself "I'm a 300 lb man!" :) But he will get a feeding tube when they tell him he needs one. Promise:) Also he is taking his pain killers! No need to worry about that:) He just doesn't want to be in a state where he falls asleep mid-conversation due to the drugs (which he has done), and he is concerned about becoming addicted (as we know that happens all too often), so he was/ is requesting our prayers for that. :)

Entry 19: Aaron Hasn't "Eaten" in 10 Days

My poor brother. Aaron hasn't been able to eat/ chew food for ten days.  When he goes in for radiation, they are essentially burning his throat. Beth said he's getting third degree burns on his throat everyday, and then going in again the next day to get it burned all over again. Oh, Aaron. This is hard to think about, to type. :( This burning makes it not only excruciating to eat, but also to swallow, even to breathe. I never think about how many times I swallow over the course of a minute until I have some sort of sore throat. ("You don't know what you got" --health-- "'til it's gone.") But if you stop and think, we swallow all the time. And each time Aaron does, it hurts immensely...exponentially worse than any sore throat I've ever had.

For the last few years, Aaron and Beth have been so good about making whole foods for themselves and their kids.  I have visited their home often and watched as Beth makes her own coconut milk. I have watched her grind wheat to make protein pancakes. I have seen her juice lots and lots of vegetables. Maybe all of that was solid practice for what she is doing now for my brother.  Since Aaron can't chew, Beth is making him healthy foods he can drink. She is making him super creamy almond milk, not like what you get at the grocery store. She says each cup probably has about 150 calories in it. With all of Beth's wonderful concoctions, Aaron is getting about 2500 calories a day, which is good, but according to the doctors, still not enough.  Yesterday one of his doctors told him he really needs to think about letting them do a feeding tube for him. Aaron's response? "Absolutely not." She persisted in trying to get him to entertain the idea. He replied "maybe if I'm wasting away. But I am a 300-pound man. I do not need a feeding tube." Ha! This made me laugh. I can totally see this conversation taking place in my mind, complete with Aaron's facial expressions and tone of voice, and it makes me smile to myself:)

Aaron checked his fourth round of chemo off the list yesterday, and continues to do radiation everyday, Monday through Friday.

The pain, as mentioned earlier, is unbearable. But perhaps the hardest part is that it gets worse each day. So Aaron and his doctors are always trying to find the right balance/dosages of painkillers, where he can be somewhere in the middle of completely doped up and knocked out, and still feeling miserable. He wants to be able to function and be present with his family, but he doesn't want to take too much. Honestly right now he's afraid and concerned about becoming addicted to the painkillers, and for that he really would love and appreciate our prayers. 

Aaron and Beth cannot thank family and friends enough who have sent them their well-wishes. They have received cards, grocery store gift cards, and care packages, as well as the heartfelt messages received via text, email and facebook.  I could hear in Beth's voice how much your prayers and little acts of love  mean to them-- that they help keep them going.  This is definitely a hard trial, but your concern for their well-being and Aaron's health gives them strength to draw upon when they run out of it in their own wells. I was so touched when I found out that my Bishop and his wife were fasting for my brother a couple weeks ago. They have never met him, but they care for him. I love them so much.  I know so many of you have done so much. Beth said the people at church up there have been so incredibly good and charitable towards their family. Many people have watched the children. My aunt has made dinner. My cousin Adam just allowing them to stay in his home while he's away! Beth's dad has spent a lot of time with them helping them. He left last Tuesday for work after being there for a couple weeks, and flew back into Michigan yesterday. My Uncle Jeff picked him up while Beth and Aaron were at the hospital. So many blessings have come through the goodness of people. It means so much to them. People are so good.

Beth believes angels are with the her children, too. The kids go from one person's house they've never met to the next, and they are really doing well with it all.  

(Ahna loves Princess Anna from Frozen!) 

Beth was relieved to hear Benjamin say one day "Mom, when are we going home? I want to go home?" By "home" he meant my cousin's house. She was relieved in that she knows he feels like he has a "home" and a safe-place with his family.

Typing this post has made me cry.  I miss my brother and I hate that he's having to endure this pain. I want to go be with him. I don't know if I can. But I can't thank you all enough for all the love you have shown him and Beth. You are all so greatly appreciated!

Entry 18: Side Effects

We've got good news and great news and bad news. Good news is that the biopsy results came in from the polyp the doctor removed from Aaron's colon and he officially does not have colon cancer. (This is actually OUTSTANDING news!) The great news is that Aaron's doctor measured his tumor before treatments began two Mondays ago and again this past Monday (after one week of treatments) and the tumor has already shrunk a centimeter and a half! (From 7.5 cm to 6 cm.) Aaron said that's pretty incredible! 

So after the doc measured his tumor the second time he had his second round of chemo. Here is the bad news...what we knew would be coming has arrived: the onset of side effects. He woke up Tuesday morning vomiting- a side effect from the chemo:( then Wednesday morning he woke up with an extremely dry mouth and sore throat-- side effects from the radiation treatments to his neck area. Aaron is constantly drinking water, but he can't keep hydrated so he now is going in three times a week for the nurses to fill him up with two bags of IV fluids-- after which, he says he feels "like a million bucks." :) 

Aaron has lost about 25 pounds already since finding out about his cancer from changing his diet to entirely whole foods, no meat, and no soda. Also, he's been going to the gym every day.  (In fact, they all go together as a family!) He suspects that when all of this is said and done up in Michigan, he'll have lost 30 more, putting him at a weight he hasn't been at since before his mission. 

Aaron is also taking this time to really get medically checked out in every area of his health-- eye doctor, dermatologist, you name it. ("All the things I always put off" he said.) Today he went to see an acupuncturist, saying he's willing to try anything to benefit his health. 

Aaron really likes the radiation staff, and says they're super fun and cool. The radiation, on the other hand, he says is the worst-- in that it's pretty scary to be strapped to a table by your head in a Nacho Libre mask. (See previous post for pic.) 

Beth's back is doing ok-- she's not kealing over in pain and she continues to go to the chiropractor each week. The kids seem to be contracting sicknesses one rigt after the other:( but they're hanging in there and they have been having a blast with Beth's dad and stepmom. Beth's dad is still there and has been so helpful, and the kids look like they love his company! 

I'm so proud of you, Aaron and Beth. I know I speak in behalf of countless friends and family when I say we love you and you're in our prayers every single day. May The Lord continue to bless and sustain you throughout this journey!  

Thank you everyone for your love and prayers!