Two years since being diagnosed. Two years from the first chemo treatment. Almost one year since the surgery. It’s time for some closure on this book. We had hoped this would have occurred months ago but, as we have learned during all of this, it’s always something.

Follow-up chemo last summer was finished on 8/23, exactly 18 months after the first treatment. It was weird to stop as it had been a large part of our lives for so long. A few weeks afterwards, my mouth started burning and I was in some pain. Long story short, I was fighting a fungal infection that was kept at bay while on steroids over the summer. Then it turned out that I had an infection in my jaw from a dental procedure that the steroids were also masking. All of this made for a few months of doctor visits, scans, specialists, prescriptions and lots of worrying while we were figuring everything out. Had minor surgery on my jaw after Christmas and it has healed wonderfully.

The last scan we had in January for the abdominal area was negative for any issues, so we are good until April. We have to get scans done every few months for this also, but we are now exactly where we wanted to be when we started this mess two years ago. It’s been a long, stressful road (with many rewards along the way) but we are so thankful to be in this position.

From a day to day perspective, we are getting back to normal. Nathan is in his Sophomore year at FCC and just hit his year anniversary with UPS. He has really enjoyed working for them and is hoping to be driving with them full time next year while finishing up his degree at FCC. He is enjoying working out at the gym and hanging out with friends and family in his spare time.

Last October, Ryan organized our team for the Pancreatic Cancer walk. It was a truly humbling experience. Our team raised over $6000 and we had the most walkers of any team. It wouldn’t have been possible without the love and support of our friends and family.

We still keep in touch with our friends from Johns Hopkins. Once or twice a month we get together for dinner. The friendships we have created are forever and we will never forget all of the support that has been given to us.

So, we begin the next part of our journey. Folks ask if I am cancer free or if I’m in remission. I don’t like to talk in those terms. I basically say, I am good to go until I hear otherwise. So, we are closing this book and moving forward. It’s impossible to convey how much we appreciate everything that folks have done for us over the past two years. We would not be at this point without our wonderful support team and we love each and every one of you, more than you can imagine! God Bless you all!

Our deepest love,

Kevin and Kim