Sorry it had been so long since the last post. We are excited to say that today is the last apt. for dad at the cancer care clinic in Seattle for awhile. He will still have to go into the doctor for monitoring here in Bend. I am not sure what the maintenance program will be. The bottom line is he is feeling so much better! Still has no sense of taste, but is up for walks and boating with his grandkids. It will take awhile before he has his energy back to normal levels. Life is good, as the saying goes.

After 6.5 hours in the car with my two boy's we arrived in Seattle. I have to say I am truly amazed at the progress my dad has made. He walked from the hotel to the cancer center and back. This is the first time since I was here last and then he went into the hospital. He is eating and drinking more than he has in a long time. His blood counts are looking great. An interesting side effect of the chemo drugs is he has no taste. This is probably why he does not want to eat. The side effect can disappear at any point. Overall he is good, but very weak. We are hoping he will be released to leave Seattle this weekend and stay on Bainbridge. It also looks like they may be able to return to Bend in early July. Things are going good. Thank you for all of your support. Cheers.

The blood counts continue to go up. However, dad has a nasty rash. Nothing says feelin good like a rash. Lucky for him it is not itchey. The doctors think it is from a medication (ya think). Each day is a tiny step forward. He is not eating or drinking much. I think once he can feel good enough to eat and drink they will be allowed to move back to bainbridge. I am still amazed how well he is doing compared to where he was last week. This is a slow recovery and his body has been through so much. Such a good thing he is so healthy prior to this. Hoping for sunnier days in Seattle literally and figuratively.

How about some good news? The last three days have been huge. Dad went from 0 red blood cell (stem cells) to 400 yesterday and today he has 1000! His new cells seem very happy. He hopes to be out of the hospital tomorrow. So hard to believe. If only you could have seen him 4 days ago. He would of disowned me if I did photos. Today he was riding a spin bike in the hallway for a few minutes. Amazing! This is not say he does not have a road ahead, but feels like we have the worst behind us for along while. He is still barely eating, but that too is improving. He has an iv for fluids. Again so amazing to hear he has one bag on the old iv stand that we call Sally. Several days ago there were literally too many to count. I don't know how those nurses kept track of all of it. Dad is tired and who wouldn't be? This took a lot out of him. Thanks for the support. It is safe to say mom is wiped out too. This has also taken a huge toll on her. Olav is giving her a break today from the hospital. He leaves tomorrow. The boys and I may head up this weekend and stay on bainbridge. The folks will stay in their hotel for awhile longer. Once dad is out of the hospital he will continue daily trips to Fred Hutch for check ups and fluids. So hard to believe we may be through the worst of it. Have a beer or wine for mom and dad. Cheers.

Cancer sucks - just in case anyone was wondering. Dad is about the same. His white cells went up to 16. Mom and I take this as good news. He still has a fever and is unable to eat or drink on his own. It is like he is in a coma of sorts. Mom said he is a little bit more lucid this morning. One of the nurses said he may look better before the blood work shows improvement. This is my hope today. It can't get worse. . . Right. . ? Olav is headed up to seattle till wednesday. Mom is looking forward to this. Grethe (dads sister) has been up since I left along with grandma. Not good when a 97 year old looks way better than 68. We are hopeful dad will start improving soon. Will update the second we get more news.

Just thought you should all know that dad has hit the bottom. We hope. It was not long ago that we were walking the hall of the hospital looking in a few room at the other patients thinking: Man, that person sure looks bad. Glad that dad does not look like that well. . .He has a fever, infection that I can't remember the name of, has lost most of his hair, he is in pain, and nauseated to no end. He is well medicated so this is helpful. The only good news is that all this is expected. He is still using humor when he can. This is also the point when we can start looking for the new cells to start growing. Once his blood count goes up he will start recovering quickly. I can't say enough positive things about the care he is getting. As horrible as this all is - it is to be expected. Soon this will be over and stay tuned for a party. My mom could use your words of encouragement. She is AMAZING.

It is true we are right on schedule. Dad checked into the hospital yesterday. He was feeling weak, nausea, and had some pain in his throat and stomach. We are hopeful that the hospital is going to be able to give him better and stronger medications. After a rough first night today he seems a little more comfortable. He spends most of his time sleeping. We are hoping in two more days his cells go to zero and then the new stem cells take over. This can take upwards of 14 plus days. He is on day 6 of having his new cells put back. Almost half way. I am amazed at how well he is doing. I think this is due to his overall health, my mom's care, the cancer center, and pure Erik Hallberg stubbornness . One can also count on some humor to get you through and god knows he has plenty of that. Remember when all else fails - laugh.