We've had some good news and some mixed news over the past week. Paul's one year anniversary of his bone marrow transplant (December 12) now means that all restrictions are lifted and he can stop all his cancer-related meds. Many post-transplant patients need to continue on a maintenance dose of chemo, but because Paul has responded so well to his transplant, all he has to do is have his lab numbers monitored monthly. Because the transplant doesn't get rid of all the cancer cells, it's still possible that Paul's multiple myeloma will return in the future and he'll need to go back on chemo or other treatments. Many transplant patients remain stable with good lab numbers for several years – some as long as 10-20 years or more.

Tim's latest PET scan showed mixed results. There was a slight decrease in the main tumor, but a new metastasis was discovered. At this point, our plan is for Tim to continue chemo for 2 months and then have another PET scan done.

We're glad we got to spend our 38th anniversary together.

Happy holidays to everyone, and thanks again for all your love and support.

Padre’s Shooting Star (Primula clevelandii var. gracilis)