Back to work after 10 long months!

Well the day has finally come, Robert is officially back to work. It has been 10 long months, there is no way we would be where we are without the love and support of our family and friends! All the prayers, love and support has carried Robert and I these months.

Robert has gained his strength back and is still getting stronger everyday. The doctors will keep a close eye on him over the next year. We are praying that the third time was the charm.

Robert leaves our tomorrow morning on his first run. I wish I was able to go with him, but he will be driving a brand new 2012 Freightliner and if you are in his path, you better have your sunglasses on, he has the chrome spit and polished.

Robert has mixed feelings today, he is happy he is able to get back to a normal life, but sorrow for his brother Larry. Larry passed away Friday 6/3/11 from a 3 year battle with cancer. The Memorial service was today and Robert said Moose will be his co pilot this first trip.

Thanks again for all the support!

Love,
Robert and Judy

Getting Stronger Everyday!

Robert is getting his strength back a little everyday. He has a 4 week break from Chemo and then will have to decide if he will stay on chemo for 3 more months, indefinitely or stop it all together and pray that all the hell he has been through has been enough to kill the cancer. Dr. Nadler said the decision is up to Robert and feels which ever decision Robert chooses is the best for him. The studies they have done are patients that have been on this type of chemo for 12 months, and some are still on it after 3 1/2 years with no sign of cancer. He can not tell us if the chemo is just suppressing the cancer or has killed it once and for all. Robert really wants to go back to work and Nadler said he could do that as soon as his strength returns and some of the side effects from the special cocktails he served Robert were subsided.

We are looking forward to this weekend, my Dad is coming up and Robert's birthday is Monday! Happy 55th honey, I love you,

Judy

Robert and his certificate!

This makes Robert's third certificate from Paris! FYI.. He does not wish to continue his education in Radiation therapy! The certificate reads:

Paris Regional Cancer Center
Radiation Oncology Therapists
Certify that Robert Goodner is a
Certified Radiation Oncology Graduate
For completion of your treatments
and the way you stuck to it.
For being here on time
and not telling us how to do it.
For lying still on tables cold
and laughing at the jokes we told

We salute you!

I also salute you Robert. You are truly an inspiration to me. All my love, Judy

No Aprils Fools! Radiation is over!

Robert finished up radiation Friday, April 1st. He was so happy to be done and he did really good. He has had to use his feeding tube for some of his meds. Ensure and Gatorade. Benny was making fun of him saying he only uses it for the stuff he can not stand. Well it is true, he can not stand Ensure, but who can blame him. He has held his weight the last couple of weeks and his blood pressure has been really low and also his blood sugar level. Not sure what is going on with that, but we will see his Oncologist Wednesday and find out if Robert will continue chemo until his next scan which will be in 6 weeks (I am saying he probably will want Robert to and Robert is saying no, he is done). Robert told the radiation staff he was going to get the feeding tube out next week, and he talked all the way over to Paris yesterday about going back to work by the first of June. He is so optimistic, me I am a little more reserved. We were wanting the radiation to be over with and now it is, I am starting to get a little anxious, it will be a long 6 weeks before we find out if all he has been through since last August has killed the cancer.

Mary, who you can see in the picture is Robert's radiation tech. She told him yesterday after his last radiation treatment as he was lying on that hard cold table that Dr. Kerley had just ordered 10 more treatments. He took it very well, and just said I don't think so. She then told him April Fools. The staff at Paris were so nice, after a total of 97 treatments in the past 4 years, Robert has developed a personal relationship with all of them. Mary,'s husband, Wendell has Thyroid cancer, by the time they caught it, it was too far gone for treatments. He and Mary need prayers. Can you imagine her helping patients all day everyday, and not being able to do anything to help her husband. She is a very strong woman and our hearts go out to her. Please put them on your prayer lists. Robert has to go back in 3 weeks for a check up with them, and we will let you know how he is doing. Marie's granddaughter was visiting her yesterday and she wanted to help Robert ring the bell. She is so precious. Thanks again for all your prayers, support and love. We will let you know what the Oncologist says Wednesday. Love to all, Robert and Judy

13 Radiation Treatments Done and Chemo in the new building!

Robert has completed 13 radiation treatments as of today and he had his first chemo treatment in the new Texas Oncology building at Baylor. The new building was opened Monday, wow is it really nice, it will have a lot to offer. A small cafe and what looked like a nice sit down restaurant, which will be opening sometime in March. I think just about everyone of Robert's Doctors at Baylor will all be in the new building. We will not be using the new parking lot though, 4 hours of parking is $12.00. My question is "isn't treatments expensive enough"? $12.00 for 4 hours, and we are never there for less than 4 hours. Anyway, Robert is doing good on radiation so far. His chest is turning red a little, but he is still able to eat and drink on his own. We pray that he will continue to do so. He lost a little more weight this week, so his nutritionist has put him on Ensure. He hates the taste so he is using his tube for that and Gatorade. He will be halfway through radiation treatments this Friday, and we pray that the last half go as good as well as the first half and it will kill the cancer once and for all.

Has it really been 2 months since our last post?

I can not believe it has been 2 months since the last post. I guess we have been hibernating, well Robert has anyway. I have been running around the house in shorts. Robert's last PET scan in January showed the tumors were the same, maybe a little smaller. Robert is still receiving weekly chemo treatments and has not started daily radiation treatments. He is to have 30 or 35 and he had his 7th treatment today. When we met with Kerley, (Robert's) radiation doctor he talked Robert into getting a feeding tube. Robert has told Dr. Nadler this whole time that he would never get another one. Well Kerley is the only one that could convince him to get one. We have a great respect for all Robert's doctors and have a really good personal relationship with all of them, in fact Dr. Nadler called us from his personal cell phone last Friday to discuss a matter that came up with his staff (we'll just leave it at that) from the airport waiting to catch a flight to San Antonio and now I have Nadler's cell # and I really don't think he would mind me saving it in my contact list. Where was I going with all that? Oh yeah, well Robert has a special bond with Kerley, and has since the first day we walked in his office scared too death in January 2007. He took Robert under his wing and has kept him there every since. We see so many doctors specialists of every kind, but Kerley knows what Robert needs without Robert telling him. I feel better knowing Robert sees Kerley everyday.

The surgery Robert had to stretch his esophagus worked a little but he did not get the results he was hoping for. He is having to use the feeding tube for medicines now, my good friend Lisa was up weekend before last and we were out sight seeing and Robert was home alone and took one of his pills, it got lodged in his throat then the capsule burst and he aspirated it in his lungs. It was a very scary moment for him, being alone, but Thank God it dislodged and he caught his breath.

Nadler's plan is for Robert to do the daily radiation and weekly chemo treatments, follow up with a few more chemo treatments and kill this Cancer once and for ALL. We trust that this will be the end result. I feel like I am rambling. I am home alone tonight. Robert is at Cassie's spending the night with her, he has to be at Baylor first thing in the morning to see Nadler, then chemo and then rush off to Paris for radiation, so I have a clean house now, had banana's that got too ripe to eat, so made Banana Nut bread, did laundry and took Oscar outside for a walk, now I am blogging and realize I am rambling. So I will end this but before I do ...

I want to say I love my family! They are the best anyone could ever ask for. Each one has such a special place in my heart. I know we would not be where we are today without each and every one of them. All the support each one offers is more than I deserve and I hope that someday I will be able to pay back a portion of what they have given me. This includes our friends also, which are like family to us! Hope everyone has a great week, and I promise I will do better on the updates. Thanks for all the prayers, cards and letters. We are so blessed to have each and everyone of you in our lives.

Love,
Robert and Judy