A Permanent Return Home

After returning home, and being home for just over two weeks, I was told I will not be returning to my mission. My service of 16 months is, at least for the time being, complete. This was told to me by my stake president today, two days after receiving word from my doctor. I was told by the doctor in the Huntsman building for cancer that I do have cancer. It is a rare, childhood cancer that normally is found in children under the age of five. It is treatable, and I will be starting on either Tuesday, or Wednesday. The expected treatment time is about one year.

My family has been here for me, and it has been wonderful. Due to my a family situation, and people being gone, yesterday was the first day that all of my immediate family was together. They will be able to support me as I get care at Primary Children's Hospital. I definitely have been blessed with great parents and a great family. I will have the help of doctors here, and specialists, who deal with 99 % of the cases of this disease in the mountain West. I am certainly grateful for all the people around here and abroad who support me. It is going to be hard, but I have faith I (we) can get through it.

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A Shift in Treatment

Thanks again to all of those who read these emails and think about me. I occasionally realize, or am told, about the kind acts that someone has done for me without my knowing, even by people who I don't know very well. This is a long and hard journey, but I have many great people who go through it with me. I have been getting chemotherapy for the past 8 months, and during that time I had a 7 week period where I got radiation. There have been times where the treatment has given me pain, and sickness. I am happy to report that I am now shifting from a harder part of treatment, to an easier one. This shift in treatment is not a recent decision, but has been planned in my regiment since the beginning. Where I have previously had a five-day stay, a two day stay, and an outpatient day each month, I now only have a handful of two day stays and a lot of outpatient stays. When I first was learning about my treatment for cancer, I was told that I qualified for a c...

An Unexpected Journey

Well, I want to update you on a few of the things that have happened in the last week. I was flown back to the US on Medical leave. TThey brought me home to look at a tumor. It is pretty big, but we don't know if it is benign, cancerous, or what it is. A Biopsy will give us further information for where we are now lacking. I have had the support of many wonderful people here, and I know that that support will continue as I face this. Thanks for the concern. While we may not know, we do have hope, and the spirit has come to me in a time of great need. I thank you for anyone who has helped and supported me! This may be a hard time, but I have confidence in the Savior. Sincerely, Nathan Allen

The Race Set Before Us

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