Ringing the Bell

On Thursday, Harry received his last radiation treatment. YEAH!!! With the end of treatment patients do a ritual that the treatment staff call, "ringing the bell." (See FaceBook post for video.)

Getting reading to ring the bell.

We wanted to share the whole experience with you. After 44 treatments which Harry endured for nine weeks, we became attached to the staff who showed us so much kindness. Hope you enjoy the photos.

What's Next

The informed us that Harry's prostate cancer is categorized as "high risk." Which means there is a potential for it to spread beyond the prostate. The only area that has been impacted is surrounding lymph nodes, so doctors targeted them first during treatment. Harry has been scheduled for scans to make sure the cancer is not anywhere else, especially in his bones.

Hormone therapy will continue for three years. Therefore, he will be 

Checking in for the last time.

enduring with the side effects of hot flashes and low energy. The hot flashes take everything out of him, so the doctor has prescribed medication that we hope will help.

We have to wait three months to learn whether the radiation has done it job on the prostate cancer. The doctor says it's too early to get an accurate PSA reading. 

The side effects of the radiation (bathroom issues, low energy) will begin to subside. But it will take around three months for him to be 50 percent well and around six months for Harry to begin to feel like himself.

The doctors are optimistic that Harry will recover fully. There's no reason for 

Harry and some of the 
VA radiation staff.

the high survival rate not to include him. Plus we know God has been with us through it all, and He promised to not leave us or forsake. He has blessed us to have His peace as we go through this.

Thank you for your love and continued support. We will reach out when we receive any kind of news.

In the photos that follow Harry is with the parking attendants who seem to brighten up when we drove up. God gave us favor with them. 

Then Harry is getting ready to order a celebratory hamburger at Gabby's restaurant. It's a place we had never visited before and Harry received a free milkshake.

And at the bottom, Talisa (daughter) and RJ (grandson) put up balloons and messages to celebrate the end of Harry's treatments. They yelled surprise when we walked through the door. It was a blessing to Harry.

Final photo. As we waited for our car to arrive, Harry and I ministered and prayed for the lady in the wheelchair and her family. She was just beginning her cancer journey after being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. She had been given 12 months to live. We shared that her story was Harry's story about 7 years ago when the doctors gave him 9 months to live. They received hope. God used us to bless this family. What a fitting ending to this part of Harry's journey.