HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHAD!; and Complete This Statement:

Happy Birthday, dude!

Everyone, please complete this statement as a comment posted to Chad:

"If I could present Chad with any gift in honor of his birthday, I would surely give him (your answer here)."

Comment away!

Two Very Special Days

For those who might not know, tomorrow - Thursday April 23, 2009 - is Chad's birthday. On Thursday we'll celebrate with a birthday post, but I wanted to fire a warning shot for those who might like to send some good wishes Chad-way.

Also for those who might not know, Chad and Shannon have indeed decided to continue with their wedding plans, though the date has been postponed. They will now marry in June instead of May. In June they will be joined in holy matrimony and will forever be one. Or something similar.

More soon.

Jaime

Entering the 4th Week of Treatment

Again, sorry for the delay. The tournament recap I constructed melted the internets and made Blogger beg for mercy. I'll have to post the recap in parts.

Chad has now entered his fourth week of cancer-fighting treatment. Not all of the three parts of his treatment - chemo, radiation and Green Meds - require the full six weeks but the entire course of treatment will conclude at the end of six weeks. At least, this particular course.

After six weeks, new tests will be run and scans will be scanned and Chad's team of doctors will reassess his progress. At that time they will decide to take a break from portions of the treatment or plan a new course of treatment altogether.

Chad has done so well with all of these treatments and therapies thus far. He's continuing his studies and therapies to retain his brain, he's not too green, he's not super sick... he's getting a bit tired as all of this goes forward, but really, he's being a trooper. And he and Shannon are maintaining really positive attitudes overall.

Let's send them both all of the good vibes we can muster, now that they are more than halfway through this course. It might not be easy to stay positive without reinforcement; everyone says that the effects of cancer-fighting treatments are cumulative, meaning that a patient often feels worse, usually more and more tired, as the treatment progresses.

We have access to all kinds of good vibes, right? Let's send them in the general direction of Chad and Shannon.

Jaime

A Sneak Peek

Sorry for the delay in posting a follow-up to the poker tourney. I'm working on a kind of epic post and might not have it ready for another day or two.

In the meantime, I'll whet your appetite:

Terry, working hard, pokering.

Stefan, working hard, doing something else.


It's a breadstick, folks!

Shannon and her sister Tori, being sisterly and lovely.


More soon.

Jaime

Big Weekend

The Poker Tournament was a huge success! More details and photos throughout the week, but for now:

This weekend I met some of Chad's coworkers who hadn't seen him since the brain tumor's surprising and unwelcome appearance. These Chad fans were anxious, wondering if Chad would look or be different than before.

It occurred to me that I had not adequately described Chad's appearance on this blog, and my efforts to get Shannon to take a picture of Chad during his period of intense beardy-ness failed, so no visual evidence was posted here either.

Fear not. He looks great. He is great. Same Chad, same wickedness, same nasty sense of humor. Same generous heart.

Only now he's a few pounds lighter. A bit hairier as well.


Oh, and: no brain tumor.

Jaime

Last Chance to Poke(r)

Are you ready for some poker? The tournament is Saturday:

If you wish to register for the Chad Fights Back Poker Tournament but have not yet sent in your registration form, please contact Amber directly (contact information listed on the form). Click on the image above to view the form real-size.

All proceeds will support our friends Chad and Shannon, and Chad's ongoing post-surgery anti-tumor treatments.

The tournament will be hot. Don't miss!

Jaime

Kermit Was Right

Chad is still doing quite well with his treatment. He isn't experiencing nausea or fatigue, just an occasional headache. Probably headaches are to be expected when doctors are delivering radiation directly to your brain.

And as far as the green medication goes, Shannon was right; Chad does look as if he’s had a botched spray tan. He thinks he looks like it was the spray tanner’s first day.

Chad's already in his second week of chemo, radiation and green meds, and it is all going rather well.

Good times. Good green times.

Jaime

Update and Reminder

I’m told Chad is doing well with his first few days of chemo, radiation and green medicine.

The green medicine has a name, but I don’t know what it is, and I also don’t know if the medicine itself is green. It is administered intravenously as a part of a clinical trial, its ultimate purpose to make recipients’ bodies more receptive to chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

We’re calling it “green medicine” because it has been known to give a person a certain tint, a special hue. It is just a side effect and isn't permanent, but it can make a person’s skin look a little greenish. So we've all been anxious to discover if Chad would suddenly transform into Shrek.

Shannon says he just looks like he’s had a bit of a spray tan. She also says that so far he’s not feeling too tired or nauseous.

Yay for Chad! He is a superstar. A not-green superstar. :)

Have you registered for the Chad Fights Back Poker Tournament? It is next weekend…

Don’t miss.

Jaime