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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 cancer treatment plan that very few people receive. In a clinical study, they found that people with my cancer, that were in the same stage (and had other similar factors) responded positively to this harder treatment plan (as opposed to other groups not showing any changes in outcomes than with the easier, more widely used plan). In finishing this harder portion of my treatment, I found from my doctor that I have fared better than average by not getting so sick as to postpone treatment. This good health is, I believe, a result of God helping my body to be strong. 

A week ago I got a CT, PET, and MRI scan. The scans showed a slight decrease in tumor size, and no new growth (or spreading). This is good. No new growth means...that nothing is growing (at least that they can see). While this is certainly good news, I an not out of the woods yet. There is still a long road a head. I probably can't start breathing easy until three years after treatment ends without any signs of recurrence. 

I believe that God is helping me heal. I want to be willing to accept God's will for me. I have faith in my savior Jesus Christ. I know that resurrection and repentance from sin are possible because of His atonement. I also have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, which above all other things, testifies of Christ. 

加油


Nathan




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