The Buffalo was in full sprint into the storm last week. The needed chemo treatment is now at work in his body. We have an amazing and actively caring family surrounded by a community of friends that have kindly sent notes, emails, texts, flowers, and more. Thank you.
Believe it or not, The Buffalo and his wife are enjoying each other through this process. (Except driving to and from appointments when the Buffalo is snorting loudly at his driver!)
Review of Last Week:
Monday: Port placement ✅
Tuesday: Drainage ✅
Wednesday: Pet Scan ✅
Thursday: Full day of Chemo ✅
Saturday: Removal of Slow drip “Chemo Necklace” ✅
Things we know for sure:
Prayers are the best gift. God hears each one of them and we are grateful.
Dr. Paulson is not only a brilliant oncologist, but a growing expert in "Buffalo Training."
The names of medicines cannot be spelled correctly, not even phonetically.
Family members make tremendous comrades in the fight against cancer.
Friends are the best medicine. They make one laugh, cry, feel loved, and so much more.
The Buffalo knows the county name of every medical personnel at Baylor Sammons born in Texas.
The Buffalo stays calm and gratefully and accepts his chemo, but he tends to snort fiercely at his driver when being driven. Those bumps in the road are foe not friend!
There are many very sick people in our community, with an average of 145 patients visiting the Infusion Center at Baylor Sammons daily for treatment.
Our prayer is that within 3 weeks Loyd begins to receive relief from his pain as the fluid around his abdomen is reduced. It may be three months of chemo before any further scans will occur. We have been told the chemo will be anywhere from 3 to 6 months. Loyd has historically responded well to medication, so we are hopeful. The research will continue for the source of this cancer as the labs pursue studying his blood and fluid samples.
Over the next months, Loyd will go in every other Thursday for his outpatient chemo treatment. He will return the following Saturday to remove his “Chemo Necklace” (as we call it), which slowly drips a chemo enhancer. Each Tuesday, he will go in to have the fluid in his abdomen drained to alleviate his discomfort and cramping.
We have now begun a long journey, and we are not sure where it will take us. What we know for sure is this: God is Good, and He is sovereign. Our life is rooted firmly in the truth of the living hope that is Jesus Christ. While hardship may grieve us deeply, we can have joy in the journey by the truth of God's promises. (Hebrews 10:23-25)
"The ultimate culmination of God's purpose is good even when the specific details are difficult." - Max Lucado
In closing, we wanted to share a video that the Men of Nehemiah sent over to my dad. He found it incredibly encouraging, and we would like to share it with the rest of the herd.
Deep thanks to each one of you for your faithful and gracious support of our dad and family.
-The Powell Kids