Update - 11/25/15

Good Evening to all,

Last week we went to Philly to meet with Erin the Oncology Nurse Practitioner. She was wonderful. She spent about an hour helping us understand what to expect over the next few weeks. Mostly it will be a healing time for Devin. The side effects will take 2 to 4 weeks to subside. As of today she is still not able to eat as the lesions are still there but they are beginning to heal. The nausea is beginning to ease as well. She is still exhausted so she naps frequently. I am happy to say that she does feel a little better each day. Our next appointment is not until December 16th. Until then we will be home praying for healing.

We are having a quiet Thanksgiving at home. We have so very much to be thankful for this year - the amazing doctors, nurses, and our amazing support system! You have all been such a part of this journey with your cards, phone calls, visits, gifts, words of encouragement, donations and most of all your prayers! Your have kept our spirits up!

Wishing you and yours a blessed Thanksgiving!

Hugs,
Rose

Devin Rings the Bell - 11/10/15

"Well it's all done, Thank God!! The past 6 weeks has been the most difficult of my life and I couldn't be more thankful for the people who were there to support me and help in anyway they could! Without those things, whether it was driving, making dinner, or sending a card or a gift, it didn't go unnoticed and treatment never would have gone as well as it did! Now it's time to rest and recover for the holidays and the next step in this crazy cancer journey! ‬ ‪#‎peaceoutcancer‬ ‪#‎devinstrong‬ 😎💜💪🏻  Devin"

Devin is a survivor and my hero! She has been "Devin Strong"!  Her friends at work made t-shirts that say Devin Strong and on the back "Whenever we begin to feel as if we can no longer go on HOPE whispers in our ear to "remind us" that WE ARE STRONG. Since she was little I always said that Devin is the strongest person I know and she continues to prove me right every day. She has been through so much and we look forward to her healing and growing strong again.

Now she will have 3 months to heal and prepare for the last surgery. It is just to finish repairing her mouth so it is a surgery that we look forward to. We have an appointment 11/19 and 12/16 to check on her healing. The first PET scan will also be in February.

Thank you to all the doctors, nurses, therapists and other medical professionals who have made this all as easy as possible. UPenn has been and will continue to be a blessing! Thank you to all who have visited, brought dinners, sent cards and most importantly prayed! We appreciate you all.  Keep those prayers coming!

Looking forward to the holidays!

Hugs,
Rose

update 11/4/15

Good evening all,
Thought I'd update you all after our visits to the doctors.

Monday was a very hard day for Devin. The radiation machine she uses was down so the day that started at 9:15 AM leaving Bethlehem didn't end until 4 PM when she finally got home. Thank you so much Kim, I know it was a long day for you too!  

Tuesday, we saw Dr. Lin.  He is still pleased with Devin's progress although each day is harder than the last. She lost some weight this week as the nausea got worse. He prescribed a anti-nausea medication so we will see if that helps. As of today she has 4 more radiation treatments to go. He says the side effects should peak about 3 days after the treatments end and then the healing can begin. We will be seeing his Nurse Practitioner a week after radiation ends and a few times after that to check on the healing and try to ease her off the pain meds.

Today we saw Dr. Canaday, the plastic surgeon. He was pleased with how she looks but said he will not be doing her second surgery for 3 months as she needs that time to heal. As you can imagine that was a huge disappointment to Devin and all of us as we thought it would happen sooner. It does make sense though since her mouth has many lesions and the surgery does involve another skin graft. He will see her again the first week of February.

She will have her first PET scan the second week of February and see Dr. Weinstein the 3rd week of February for the results. Then we assume surgery. She will be seeing Dr. Weinstein and Dr. Lin for PET scans every three months alternating between the two of them for the foreseeable future.

This is such a long road to travel but we look forward to this all being behind us and a time when Devin can get on with her life healthy and whole again.

 Thank you all for your encouragement, the many cards and gifts and for keeping her in your prayers. Knowing you are all rooting for her really helps. If you would like to donate to help Devin with her medical expenses here is a link to her Go Fund Me site.