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.

I have just arrived in Seattle. Dad had his new stem cells on Wednesday. He received a heavy dose of chemo two days prior. This treatment pretty much kills all cells that divide quickly and included in that all his stem cells. As a result of this he is very sick. You know he is not well when mom gives the ok to buy a new boat and he is not up for the negotiation. The new stem cells were given in the span of 30 minutes. Seem like that should have taken longer considering all the work up to this point. Currently dad spends several hours in the clinic getting an iv for fluids and other medications given intervensly. So far this is all out patient. However, it is not uncommon for patients to end up in the hospital for infections or is unable to get enough fluids or food due to nausea. Please send prayers and good vibes this way. Mom has been a rock star keeping track of meds., getting dad to eat and drink along with a walk to the clinic and back everyday. She truly is amazing. Will try to update more often. Cheers.

The Hallbergs enjoyed a nice break in Bend for almost two weeks. Mom got to get a few good days of skiing and hiking with friends. Dad also was able to ride his super fancy bike. Today they were back at Fred Hutch to start the stem cell transplant. The plan is some chemo a break for a day and then the transplant. Looks like Monday. Will update this soon with more info from today and tomorrows meetings.

Published too soon. Darn phone. . . This process is very fluid if you have not noticed. The doctors and nurses change plans daily in response to dads blood work. So, as of yesterday the plan is to come back to Seattle May 21 and prepare for the stem cell transplant. The bad news is his cancer seems to be more active than previously thought. The good news is he hopes to be good and done by the end of June. Right now I am just looking forward to seeing them! I hope to get dad back on the blog. He is so funny and as you can imagine he handles things as only Erik can. A little humor and negotiation can go along way. Still pretty sure Fred Hutch has not seen the likes of him before. Happy cinco de mayo. Have a margarita for dad.

A quick update. The good news is the folks are getting a break from Seattle and coming back to Bend for a little r &r. The latest blood tested showed the cancer cells too high for harvesting a second round of stem cells. The doctors were hoping for lower than .02, but

My first Blog by Erik Hallberg

This note is being done by someone under the stress of drugs. Max has told me to say that because it will have unusual comments. 
Ahna does such a great job that this will surely be a dissapointment including typos. The main reason for this attempt is to thank you for the notes, cards, and phone calls. It really helps to keep the spirits up.
Currently I am taking 80 gallons of fluids a day IV as I don't like to drink water. It feels like 80 gallons....
Also taking drugs to start up another round of stem cell collection.. Looks like Friday. My other batch had some enemy cells in it.. Feeling really pretty good. Max, as Ahna has mentioned has been terrific trying to coral my less than perfect disposition. Don't know how I could be so lucky to have her....
Big meeting on Tuesday to lay out the transplant timeline so more to follow...Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers.   Erik

Oops. Published before I was done. That's what I get for doing this from my phone! Anyway, Dad is getting a pretty heavy dose this time. So far he is good. Blood platelets were down and required a blood transfustion. This is very common and probably will not be the last. As you can see in the photo he is charming the nurses. (Sorry, I tried to twist this photo.) After this round in the hospital they will harvest more stem cells. The goal is to get rid of the cancer cellsin his blood. As with last time the effects of the chemo don't hit till the end of this cycle and after his release. Mom is doing well. Staying busy and wishing this all to end soon! Victor, dad's brother, is helping out for the week. This gives mom a deserved break from the hospital and dad enjoys the company. Keep the great thoughts and messages coming. They read them all.

Day two of round two chemo. Dad is back in the good hands at UW Hospital. He will be there through monday

You know Erik is feeling well when he can car shop with the best of them. Yep, looks like a new suv for the Hallbergs.

The folks are in Bend OR for a few days. So good to see them. Their spirits are high even though dad has to go back for more chemo next Wednesday. As I was driving the boys to school this morning I recieved a phone call from dad. It turns out that during his shower he discovered handfuls of hair. His request was that I bring over my clippers and give him a buzz. The photo here is prior to the buzz. My mom and I think he looks pretty good. However, the last time his hair was this short was in high school for the state swim championships. All I can say is look out ladies! Should have an after shot up in the next few days. The stem cell harvest went good, but the pesky cancer cells are still there. For that reason he gets a heavier dose next week. His brother victor will be visiting during this hospital and will help keep boredom at bay for the 5 days he is there. Keep sending those happy thoughts and prayers this way.

This morning Dad is headed in to get his stem cells harvested. He has been getting shots everyday to encourge his bones to mass produce these little cells. As a result it leaves him with a deep bone pain that requires pain meds. He is also feeling some if the effects of the chemo. After today he and my mom will get a much deserved break for a week. Imagine that. . A week with no doctor visits. Too good to be true. To harvest the cells dad will be hooked up to a machine for 7 hours. his blood is run through and it recognizes and pulls out around 10 million of the little buggers. If you need something to do feel free to call him today. He is not going anywhere. Mom is good and looking forward to a break. Olav left Tuesday after spending time with them. They were able to do some kayaking one day on Bainbridge. We hope that dad stays healthy so they can come to Bend for a few days. His white cell count is going up and that is a good thing. Clean master Maxine is working over time to keep the germs at bay. Pretty sure they have the cleanest hotel room around!

Good News! Dad was released from universty washington hospital on Wednesday. He was feeling pretty bad due to the chemo. He was not hungry, tired, and nauseas. We are told the effects are felt 7 to 10 days after. As his platelets drop he needs to be super careful of common viruses and germs. Luckily he has the clean master Maxine at his side. They are staying at the Marriott next to Fred Hutch Hutchinson Cancer Center. The best news came today. His blood test showed the chemo worked. Only .02 amounts of myeloma cells were detected. This means the cancer team moves straight to steam cell transplant. For the next 2 weeks dad will be staying in Seattle getting shots to encourage stem cell grow. We were worried he would have to go in for more chemo. All who read this have a beer or glass of wine to celebrate. Thank you for your kind words. Don't forget my dad's number one cheerleader and the one who has to deal with him every day: Maxine! She has been truly amazing and patient with him as many can imagine not an easy job. As a wrap up it has been a week of highs and lows along with some good laughs. Pretty sure the 8 th floor nursing staff is missing him. Cheers and thanks again.

It begins. . .Headed over on the 7:05 ferry. The sunrise over the city was amazing. I take this as good sign. Dad is in a pretty good mood. He is just coming out of surgery for the Hickman. Doctors love it. The patient gets to have a cool tube inserted in the chest so they can plug medicine into their body whenever. Needless to say dad is not super excited about it. After this they will put it to good use. He will be in the hospital for 4 to 5 days for some chemo. Send happy thoughts this way.