Eating Like Kings

And have I made sure to say THANK YOU for all the great food? We have been eating great meals I could never make on my own, like Greek Chicken and Kyoto Salmon. We've had the best Asian pears ever delivered right to our doorstep. We have candy and cookies and ever so many goodies. Thanks for all the nourishment and love.

Happy Holidays

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are getting a little winter break right now. Byron's happy to be getting a little break - the holidays mean we have to wait until the 6th for our next appt with the oncologist, so he gets an extra week between treatments - yea! We are looking forward to the appointment, though, because we will have some info from the CT scans taken last week. Hopefully they will show the tumors are shrinking. If so, Byron will go back in for a couple more rounds of this chemo. If not, he probably won't get out of chemo, he'll just get to try different drugs. We are hoping for good news and of course we'll keep you posted.

We had a great time at Yoli's house for the Scary Day after Christmas. It is great to be in the company of so many creative souls. We totally lucked out in the white elephant game and got not only a piece of art from Yoli but also a beautiful collage of photos of the gang put together by Nicole. Thanks to Cy for making copies for everyone! Another very special gift was a piece made by Nik Caesar "in the style of Kathy Blackburn." Nice. My favorite part? The labels that tell you where it needs to be blue.

Byron's tired but feeling pretty good. He played with Ross at Old Soul this morning. It is so good for him to be able to play. Ross used his new X-mas video camera to record the 2nd set, so hopefully you can see it on You Tube soon. Unfortunately, it was a bit of an expensive day for the musicians, because both Ross's and our car were towed. Apparently they have decided to crack down on parking around Old Soul - beware. Luckily for us, Alecia was available to make the save. Too bad we didn't get a photo of the lovely West Sac impound yard for you. Instead, a stock photo of Ross at Old Soul for your enjoyment.

Resting

It's Thursday, and we saw Dr. Christiansen, Byron's oncologist, today. We'll soon have a CT scan which will give us empirical evidence in terms of whether the chemo is shrinking the tumors or not. Dr. C did say that due to the holidays, things may be delayed in terms of getting the CT and then making decisions based on the info, but the scan is already scheduled for tomorrow. Byron was kind of hopeful that there would be a delay, as the Huskers play on New Year's Day, and that's the next time he'd be admitted to the hospital for chemo if we stick to the 21-day schedule. Of course we are looking forward to having the information, and will let you know as soon as we know more.



The "soft signs" are good - Byron really feels that the chemo is doing positive things. The oncologist was encouraged to hear that Byron is in less pain and that the swelling is down. Byron is far less sick than last time and is taking no painkillers right now - yea! He is exhausted, though. His white cell count is OK but his red cell count is low - a bit of anemia. The dr. says he's running on about 2/3 of a tank in terms of energy, but it seems less than that to me!

We won't be out and about for a few days yet but we are thinking of all of you and sending lots of love. We have been so loved and supported from every angle. The outpouring of love and generosity has been amazing. We feel so fortunate this holiday season - we are so blessed to have you all in our lives.

It is a Wonderful Life!

Byron's doing really well with the chemo this time. We learned from last time a bit about which drugs work for him, so the nausea is greatly reduced. He's also very happy because they have decided he no longer needs one of his daily shots. As his shot giver, I too am relieved. We should have him home Sunday afternoon. He'll be tired but his pain is less so hopefully we will have a quiet week.
We are so well taken care of and loved. The generosity and love from family, friends, and coworkers has been amazing. We have been given so much. Thanks to everyone in CPL and preK - I cannot tell you how fortunate I feel to be working where I work with such special people. Words are too small to really express how we feel. Thank you!

The Haircut Continues

Time to get the clippers out for the crew cut. Byron's mustache and beard are gone as well. It's not fun to lose your hair, especially when you have such beautiful locks of spun gold. The mohawk portion was kinda fun, though. Then Laura and Dave came over. We were so happy to see them, and Byron loved his goodie basket! It is good to be loved by such wonderful and wise people.

Java Lounge article in Sac Bee!

Check it out - a great story about our beloved Java Lounge on the front page of the Sac Bee's Ticket!

http://www.sacbee.com/music/story/1447168.html

Round 2 coming up

We met with the oncologist yesterday. He gave us permission to go out last night, and of course we went to the jam at Java Lounge. Thanks to Kim for bringing such a positive, fun group of musicians to our favorite spot. We had a great time and Byron was so happy to see everyone, especially Sophia, Jaroba, and Joel. It was fun to hear Jaroba join in on the clarinet!

Byron is feeling the best he's felt in a long time. His energy is low but his spirits are high. He'll go back into the hospital next Thursday, 12/11, to start round 2 of chemo. This time should be a little easier on him, since we know more about what works for him. His energy will be low when he's done, of course. That's the side effect the oncologist warned us is cumulative, so he'll be a bit more tired each time.

Since Byron will be in the hospital next Saturday, we will be out of the 2nd Saturday scene this month. We do so love our art/music community, and there are lots of people who we know are showing or playing around town - you'll be on our minds.

Done With Round One

As you know, Byron finished his first round of chemo just before Thanksgiving. Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to visit or call. He's starting to feel much better and has had a couple of great days. We even snuck out and went to lunch today!

We see the oncologist tomorrow, and he will probably tell us Byron goes back to the hospital next week to start the next cycle. We'll keep you informed as we know more. Meanwhile, enjoy a few highlights from the first cycle:

The Gift

We were so honored to receive this incredible painting, made with love by nine top-notch local artists, in order of appearance on the painting: Nicole Fox, Jennifer Keller, Evie Turner, Krissy Sandvik, Mark Fox, Jill Allyn Stafford, Jared Konopitski, Miss Cy Wylie, and Char Hall. This is a tangible reminder of the love and support we are so lucky to have. It's a very powerful symbol and was a real inspiration to have in Byron's hospital room. Words cannot express how grateful we are.

The Hair Cut

As many of you know, Byron recently got a new haircut! Our dear friend Marla cut it in the most loving and gentle way. Thank you Marla - we love you. Imagine a warm fall day, a lovely setting, good friends, and Miles Davis Sketches of Spain in background as you view the shots of this monumental event.

Let's start with a before shot to remind you ...

The moment of decision! There's no turning back from here.

Now it's time to start the styling...

Yea! He looks handsome as ever! Thanks, Marla!

Welcome to Byron's Blog

We feel so loved and supported. We want everyone to know how much their support means to us, and we want to keep you all as informed as possible. This is our attempt to do just that. Stay tuned for updates!