On August 5, Heather heads to San Francisco again for another appointment with Dr. Chang. As always, now is the time that I start to think too much about it - this time even more. For the first time, I won't be going with Heather. And, it is already driving me crazy. However, Jon will be with her the entire time, so she will be in good hands, but I want to be there too. I don't feel I can miss the first two days of school without getting far behind before we even start, so I opted out this trip.

Heather's white cell count was low again; in fact, the lowest for her yet. But the nupergen shots seem to work so far, so the chemo can continue. Her red count is also down, but that just means she will sleep more. Today she had a problem with her infusion - arm swelling from vein popping - so she was a sad sack for a while. But, the trooper that she is - off to work after a quick recuperation at the oncology infusion site.

Speaking of off to work, she has been in training for about two weeks now. I think she will be "cut loose" soon to tackle it on her own. The best part of this job? She works with the two doctors who I continue to praise for saving her life: Dr. Denman and Dr. Daryani.

While it is sometimes easy to slip into a routine, we are always reminded of the fight so many people are battling every day. Heather is one of millions who have a life-threatening disease, and one of thousands who is battling brain cancer. From young to old, cancer of all types attacks its victims. Brain cancer has had few new treatment developments in over a decade, so it is "our" turn to see some new advancements in diagnosis and treatment.

As for LFAC, we are in the beginning stages of our 2009 - 2010 fundraising efforts. WEAR GRAY FOR A DAY is September 18. Anyone wanting a sticker to wear for the day, please contact me (sue.leapforacure@gmail.com or jonroberts402@msn.com). We will send the sticker and information to anyone who is interested in participating. Monster Bash is being planned as well. Soon, more information will be posted on the events link. Another UNO Hockey event is in the works - who can we get to shave his / her head????? The car show crashed this year, but I think we can get one going for June 2010. And, a bike ride is being planned for fall 2010! We won't stop until a cure is found.

Instead of posting brain cancer information this time, I am going to close with a link that has a ton of information / stories about brain cancer: http://www.greyribboncrusade.org/ LFAC is a proud member.