David A. Lemmink

Hello all.

We are coming off a fun and relaxing weekend spent at home and at the cottage on Bostwick Lake. We feel truly blessed to have the use of the cottage whenever we want, and are so thankful to Athy and Butch for their generosity and love. It has been a refuge to us in many ways. We spent the day there with Mom and Dad, Angela and Derek, John, Lana, and Connie W. We felt so rested and relaxed when we got home last night. What a great way to spend the last day of David’s 21-day cycle of chemotherapy.

That brings me to today. We arrived at Lack’s at 9:30 after having dropped John off at Mom and Dad’s. Following check-in, the usual prep work, (and the securing of one of the small rooms), we were called back for our meeting with Dr. Brinker. Dr. Brinker then proceeded to go over David’s chart, his blood work report and he then asked how the last 3 weeks have been. Following that, he discussed the CT scan that David had last Monday. The scan showed that the smaller tumors in the lower portion of David’s lungs have begun to shrink. He told us that the larger tumor does not appear to have changed, and proceeded to take us back to a computer so we could see the results of the scan ourselves. We see the shrinking of these tumors as a very positive response. These are changes due to the chemo and we THANK GOD for these changes. We ask for your prayers that the chemo KILLS this cancer. We also specifically ask that you pray that the chemo will start to attack the largest tumor.

All in all, Dr. Brinker was encouraged, and he encouraged us! He is impressed by how well David is tolerating the chemo and how well he has felt throughout his treatments. He talked to us about the anti-nausea pills “Emend” that help David NOT have the nausea and vomiting that is so common with the Cisplatin. We are truly so thankful for our insurance which pays the bulk of the apx. $400 (we pay a $50 copay) for the 3 (1 per day of treatment) Emend pills. We are thankful for the Emend which seems to make such a dramatic difference. I am thankful for David’s upbeat attitude. He rarely gets “down”. His attitude is positive and I believe that has a lot to do with his response to the treatments. He takes one day at a time and modifies what he does each day by how he is feeling.

And …… life goes on. Summer is waining, and we are looking towards Autumn.

School will begin soon, and has already begun for Charlie. He is now a teacher/student at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, working towards his Masters in Fine Arts/Fiction. Following a 2-week workshop/training session, he started school today. He and Liz drove off in a U-haul on August 1st. Driving an uneventful 10 hours, they arrived in Carbondale. When they finished unloading the truck they went exploring in Charlie’s new city. When it was time to come home, Liz took the Amtrak to Kalamazoo where Angela picked her up and brought her back to Grand Rapids.

Angela and Derek (her boyfriend) were here this weekend from Kalamazoo, for Ashley’s wedding and they also spent time with us on Sunday at Bostwick Lake.

It is hard to believe that John will be in 6th grade this year! He starts school on September 2. It is also so hard to believe that Summer vacation is almost over. Time flies when you are having fun …. and even if it is not so much fun.

We are very thankful for all of our family and friends that have been so supportive throughout this ordeal. Again today, Brian showed up to spend time with us, and to show his love and support. He is such a caring and special friend. We have received so many cards, calls and gifts and we thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to show how much you care. It means so much, more that you can ever know. It makes the difficult days easier because we feel that love and support.

Love, Connie