Day 8 of treatment. I'm not sure what we expected but this definitely isn't a "walk in the park".

Tom isn't feeling well today. Not eating great. As I understand it the Chemo kills all cells good and bad then the cells need time to regenerate. If we think about what that means, it has to take a significant toll on the body. So when Tom isn't feeling well it seems to make sense. We certainly long for the day when he feels better.

We went to the physical therapist today in order to get some advice on Tom beginning some sort of activity. The PT told him to start walking at least 6 minutes a day and work up from there. For those of you who know Tom, walking 6 minutes a day, REALLY? This is a person who never sat still, at least not at home. All the books, the advice, say stay active and eat well. I wonder if people who write these things really know how hard that is to do under these conditions. For those of us on the other end of it - it isn't easy for the person trying to do it, or the person trying to make the person do it. I guess the motto would be "just keep trying".

Tom's sister, Jeanne, has offered to give Tom a Reiki session as she is a Reiki practitioner. She also offered to help him with weight traning as she is certified in weight training (as I said to her, is there anything you don't do??). We'll see if he takes her up on either of those things. With any luck he will. Thanks Jeanne.

Tom's other sister (for those of you who don't know - he has five) brought him a pie today. Thanks Pip.

I was reading a book on Cancer today and it confirmed, too, that organic is the way to go. There is a great local farm that raises meat without any hormones, etc. It is the MilesSmithFarm in Loudon. The prices are comparable to the chemical laiden stuff in the market.

For any of you interested in organic shampoos etc there are ton's of websites with organic shampoo recipes, some using herbs, some using teabags. We're going to try some. We'll let you know the results. Not only does making your own shampoos, bath gel and lotion save money but NO MORE CHEMICALS.

Ok, off my soapbox.

On another note, I have two really important messages, actually three -

If any of you smoke, PLEASE STOP. It may be hard to stop but believe me this is 100 times worse than anything you think may be too hard to do. PLEASE, if you care about people who care about you - do it - no excuses.

Thank God for friends and family. We are so appreciative of the comments, the e-mails, the phone calls. Thank you so much.

Thank God for our children and their spouses who, while they don't show it, we know this is hard for them too and we truly appreciate the strength you do show. We are so proud of you and we love you. Thank you so much Brian for checking in and taking care of the lawn, the vehicles, etc.

Nan, I love you. Thank you for giving me the strength to stay semi-sane.