We had a real good visit with Duke yesterday.  A lot of questions were answered as to what is going on with Brian.  The tumor is not growing but the side effects of radiation and chemo have some areas of the brain (near where the tumor was) which are in atrophy which is not uncommon.  Duke has decided to stop the chemo medication he's on (called Temodar) and will start a medication that helps grow healthy blood vessels to those areas (but kills blood vessels to tumor areas) in order to make the brain healthier in those areas.  Brian will be put on a medication for people who have had a brain injury to help with cognitivity.  He'll be taken off a lot of other medications that were helping with the chemo side effects.  We're hoping this will really start to turn things around for Brian so he can start feeling better and get back to the Brian we know.  Once again we want to thank everyone for all your prayers and support.  We would not be able to get through this without all of you![...]

Good morning, this is extremely hard for us but we are reaching out to all of you to please pray for Brian as we've made the decision to bring him back home until he can complete his chemotherapy sometime in January or February.  This last treatment was unexpectedly hard on him and seems to have lasting side affects that were not at all anticipated.  We will be going to Duke on Sunday with doctor appointments Monday and Tuesday.  We are hoping to get some answers as to what's going on and what we should anticipate going forward.  Your past prayers and encouragement have proven to really make a positive impact on us and we can really use them now!  Thanks much![...]

Just an update with regard to "Brian Fest."  There are only 200 tickets total so if you do not already have a ticket prior to the event, there will be no ticket sales at the door.  Last update on ticket sales is that there are only 30 tickets left.  Thank you so much![...]

We are having a "Brian Fest" on October 27, 2018!  Check out above![...]

As many of you may know, Brian recently had a reaction to a prescription medication this past week prior to starting his chemotherapy.  He's doing much better but unfortunately it seems as though the chemo is taking a bigger toll on him each time.  He decided to drop one class this semester to lighten his load a little bit.  Please continue to pray for energy and strength in order for him to reach his goal of obtaining his degree.  We know he has a long road ahead of him but with your continued support and prayers we know he'll do what he needs to do ... whatever that might be.  Thank you to everyone![...]

Classes for Brian were supposed to start Thursday but for some reason, the class was cancelled..  Friday he had 3 classes starting from 8:00 am until 1:30 pm.  He came home, had lunch and took a nap.  He begins chemotherapy on Wednesday but also begins his full week of classes since he doesn't have classes on Mondays.  Please continue to pray for him that this chemo goes well as we're very nervous with him having classes along with chemo.  On another note, Brian just completed one of the 3 classes he needs to finish in order to get credit for that semester and be able to graduate on time.  He received an "A" and we're so very proud of him.  Thanks again for all your support and prayers.  [...]

I am back from getting Brian all set up at Rensselaer and we were very busy setting up his room, and meeting with different staff members in order to get him situated with classes and any extra help he may need.  We also met with the local oncologist for his monthly blood work and anything that may come up.  He was very tired but we accomplished a lot while we were there.  Please continue to pray for his energy while he tries to manage his new daily schedule that will start on August 30th.  As hard as it was to leave Brian, I fully feel that he is in his element and he was so very happy and excited to be there.  He starts his next round of chemo on September 5th.  Thanks again for all your support and prayers.[...]

Brian started another round of chemo on Wednesday, 8/8/18 and finishes tomorrow.  So far so good on how he's feeling other than being tired.  He is pretty busy though getting ready to leave.  We're at the half-way mark now for chemotherapy so we're hopefully starting to see a small light at the end of the tunnel.  We leave for school on Tuesday, 8/14 and he's very excited about going back.  Classes start 8/30 so he'll have a little time to get settled and acclimated before the grind starts.  Please continue to pray that he stays healthy and continues to fight this cancer.  We can't thank everyone enough for all your thoughts and support.[...]

Sorry for the delay ... Bob and Brian got held up getting back due to our weather.  The little information I got was everything is continuing to improve ... the tumor is still shrinking.  We go back October 1, 2018 for an MRI late afternoon with an appointment on Tuesday, 10/2.  We're very grateful that they got back safe and sound.  More details to follow.  Thanks everyone for your thoughts and concern.  This is not our usual celebratory dinner photo but Brian said it's a celebration of finally getting home and more good news!  Praise the Lord![...]

Bob and Brian will be going to Duke tomorrow for an MRI at 6:30 pm and will see the doctor at 10:00 am Tuesday morning.  They'll return home Tuesday night.  Please continue your prayers for good results and continual shrinkage of the tumor.  Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers with Brian returning to Renesselaer next Tuesday, 8/15/18.  This time around is much different  ... although I am very happy and proud of him, I won't be with him on a daily basis and as a mom, this is one of the hardest things I've had to do.  With the help from a friend, we've found an oncologist close to school that he will see once a month.  We appreciate everyone's support and constant prayers.  You all mean the world to us.[...]