Back From UAB

Our visit to UAB was long and tiring but good..  They wanted to all the usual baseline testing to prepare for the XL765 clinical trial.  Gorman had to have another MRI; he soooo hates those things.  But it was good because it was beautifully clear, praise God.  We got home last night and now we’re both running around like crazy trying to get everything done before we leave early Saturday morning to go visit our kids.  Yipee!   According to weather.com, we will have cool and sunny days in both Santa Monica and Ft. Collins.  That will be a relief from Fairhope, where the humidity has arrived, along with 90 degree days.

Gorman continues to feel good, with times of not so good (a little fatigue, a little nausea, then it passes).  Of course that is discouraging to him as it’s been five weeks since his last round of chemo but I keep telling him that all the printed material says this could continue for another year as a result of radiation and chemo, plus that ongoing five-day dose of chemo each month.  That good MRI was very encouraging and we keep focusing on that.

Our dear St. James Episcopal Church friends have started a prayer ministry called “Stitches of Prayers” and Gorman is one of the first to be blessed by this ministry.  They assembled and stitched a throw quilt for him that included long floss ties in each square.  At last Sunday’s service, folks came forward to tie a knot while praying for Gorman or they laid hands on the quilt and prayed.  It’s the most beautiful and touching thing you could ever imagine.  Gorman and I both teared up looking at it.  It’s a good thing we weren’t at church last Sunday as we both would have been sobbing.  It’s done in shades of browns and greens, fabrics printed with leaves, trees and best of all, fish – so appropriate for Gorman!  That quilt of prayers will make many trips back and forth to Birmingham and will serve as a reminder of all the prayers being said for us.