New Normal

Derek made it through Round 2 of chemotherapy with greater ease than his first round. Thankfully, his nausea was better controlled, allowing him to continue eating throughout his treatment. In fact, Derek not only completed his second round of chemo this week...he also completed the Holy Trinity tour of fast food restaurants. Having lost nine pounds in under a week during his first round, his doctors urged him to find ways to put weight back on. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I am happy to report that Derek regained almost all of his weight after indulging in McDonald's cheeseburgers, Wendy's singles, and the Burger King Whopper! 

This past month, we have begun to adapt to our new normal. Certainly, there has been an abundance of doctors' appointments, medication doses and side effects to navigate, but there have also been treasured moments for us to embrace. Derek has had many days at home allowing him to see our kids off to school and even share lunch a few times with our three-year-old daughter. I believe that all of the moments he is collecting at home with our children provide him with the motivation he needs to fight and beat this dreadful disease.

While I would be lying if I said that this is not a frightening experience, at the same time, it has been incredible. To be surrounded by our family and so many friends who will do whatever it takes to support us during this time is amazing. We are still blown away by the support at the Michael's event last week and continue laughing at the many Wax Off Pancreatic Cancer videos created by Derek's friends, especially this creative twist:

We have also been overwhelmed by the donations generated by Team BigDFaust and all of the supporters who will be walking and running in the Rolfe Foundation Dash for Detection on April 17th. Our team organizers are still looking for more participants in the 5k run/walk and will be coordinating transportation to the event. You can access our team link here and "Early Bird" registration at a reduced fee ends on February 12th. Even if you are not able to make the event, please consider making a donation in support of Derek on the team page. Questions about the Dash for Detection can be sent to Matt (mfield75@gmail.com), Stephanie (stephaniefick@gmail.com), or Michael (michaelspector@yahoo.com).

Thank you again and again for all of the love and positive vibes being sent our way. We welcome anyone to join our text group by texting @bigdfaust to 81010 on your mobile device. This is a great way to stay informed about how Derek is doing, while giving everyone an opportunity to send personal messages of love and support directly to Derek. 

Our fingers are crossed that Derek is not hit too hard with side effects this weekend. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and wishing us a nice, "normal" week ahead.