They Did It Beautifully!!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

I thought that while the honeymooners were enjoying the weekend in Cape May, I would sneak you a peek of the GORGEOUS BRIDE and the HANDSOME GROOM! (I know that this is very subjective, but as the mother of a healthy, cancer-free groom ... I'm allowed to say that they had the most beautiful wedding that I have EVER seen!!!)




Daphne looked so elegant as she came down the aisle with her father, Ed. All of their friends and family in the wedding party looked beautiful, the music sounded so nice thanks to Richard's aunt, Donna, his father, and our friends Don Peris and Peg Bowers! The Mass was very meaningfully performed by Father Leo Goodman with readings by Richard's aunt, Paula and our friend, Steve Spealman. (Also the host of a great rehearsal dinner with his wife, Mandy, and her parents, John and Pat Karns. We thank them sooooo much!)

Rich and Daphne were married while the sun was shinning outside, but by the time they took their pictures, they had to stay inside away from the pouring rain. Once it stopped raining, we went across the street to The Pressroom for a small reception where they ate a delicious meal, danced with each other and their parents, and then cut their wedding cake. (No, they didn't smash it into each other's face!)






It was a wish come true for a very deserving couple...



We were sad that we couldn't have everyone join in the celebration, but we thank God for Richard's health on Thursday. Nobody knows what can happen a year from now, but we are preparing for a BIG celebration on July 11, 2008. We want to have family and friends with us as we celebrate their first year together, and hopefully, one year of good health for Richard. So mark the date on your calendars!

Congratulations, Daphne & Richard!!!
We love you both so much! Mom, Dad, and Peter XOXOXO

TODAY'S THE DAY!

TODAY IS OUR WEDDING DAY! :) :) :) :)
I woke up early today and decided I needed to do some "regular" things because I'm getting excited!
We had our rehearsal last night at the church and everything went great! Mandy and Steve Spealman hosted a rehearal picnic dinner at their house afterward. It was great to sit and relax with everyone!
I just got a call from my groom to tell me he woke up feeling great! He's at the carwash already!
Please pray for a healthy groom for the rest of the day!
Please pray that the thunderstorms that are forecasted for 3:00 p.m through the rest of the evening will hold off until after we all get into the church and the restaurant!
Most importantly, again, pray for my groom to keep feeling healthy today!

I can't believe the day is here! We are ready to say our vows!

And now...
I'm off to go do "girlie" things - nails, hair, etc. to get ready for the Mass this afternoon!

We love you all!

Daphne

Continued Strength

Richard continues to have strength and is feeling good. His blood counts have been back up the past few days. We are doing things for the wedding and house each day. Thanks for your prayers! 3 1/2 days to go!

Still Feeling Great

Richard got a dose of Vincristine on Monday at LGH. That's a small "push" put in through his chest port with a syringe instead of IV pump. His counts were low this week, but not low enough for a transfusion. He has been feeling great! The steroids he's on gave him a lot of energy. He's been packing up things in his room and helping me over at the house. He worked out in our shed today. He's building a work bench and other organizing shelves and such. Thanks for your prayers - they're working!
Daphne

Feeling Much Better

Richard did not have to stay at LGH overnight on Thursday night. He had to go back in the morning on Friday for more bloodwork. He ended up getting another 6 hours of Potassium again. On Saturday, he woke up feeling great! He can tell when the chemo. has pretty much left his body. Today, he felt fine again. He will get a small dose of chemo. tomorrow morning (Vincristine) at LGH. That doesn't usually have much of an affect on how he feels.

I've been organizing things at our house. It's been taking awhile to sort through all of the things in my bedroom at my parent's house. Richard plans to move a lot of his things over this week except for the clothes he needs next week. Everything for the wedding is set to go. We're excited that we'll finally be able to live in our house and be together. Now, we just have to make sure we have a groom who's feeling good that day!

Thanks for your prayers. Keep them coming! He is making great progress. He is not looking forward to going back for another round, but we're on the home stretch! 3 more rounds to go...

Daphne

Home Again

Hello everyone! Sorry it took so long to get this update on here! It's been a busy week for me! Richard came home on Monday afternoon. On Tuesday and Wednesday, he was VERY TIRED and felt nauseous. We managed to get to LGH for his Neulasta shot on Wednesday afternoon. Today, I took him to LGH for his intrathecal Ara-C dose (chemo. in the head port). He got that early this morning, but his bloodwork showed that his Potassium level is extremely low. He is getting IV Potassium today - 6 hours worth. I ran home here (Pebblebrook Dr.) to get some food for us for lunch. He'll be there until at least 4:30 p.m. this afternoon. I thought I would type a quick update before I head back to the hospital to sit with him this afternoon. If his Potassium level doesn't go up this afternoon, the doc might admit him for the night. His other counts are okay for now, so he won't need blood or platelets today. Please keep praying that he regains his strength! He desperately wants and needs it!
Love, Daphne

Richard Still At HUP - Round 5

Hello everyone. Richard is still here at HUP getting chemo. round 5. Things have been very uneventful (that's the way we like it when it comes to this). He finished bag number 4 of 6 this morning around 6:00 a.m. He will get his fifth bag in about an hour and his last bag around 4:00 a.m. Monday morning. He should be able to come home on Monday. He didn't start to feel tired until this morning. He's been sleeping most of the day today. He hasn't had any other pain or nausea. He says he just feels like his body is sinking into the mattress. These are the usual symptoms for a cycle A round. His nurses have been great - they are all so friendly and really seem to care about their patients.

A young guy that Richard got to know while he was here is having a bone marrow transplant this week. It's not the actual transplant itself that's so rough; it's the recovery. So please, keep him in your prayers too. He's only 19 and has leukemia. Unfortunately, Richard can't visit him right now because he can't go in the room with his IV pole (too much contamination into the room).

We are so fortunate that Richard's cancer is gone and in such a short time. So many people around here still have cancer and have been fighting it for a long time. I'm thankful for Richard's progress, but I pray for all these other people too that they can see some progress too. Richard's inner strength and all of the prayers and strength from everyone around us (all of you) is essential to his complete recovery. Thanks for everything all of you are doing!

Love,
Daphne (and Richard, too)

From Richard at HUP

Greetings to my fan club! Sorry it's been so long since we have last talked, but I have been working diligently at helping Daphne create a home suitable for living. I take full advantage of every good day I have. No sitting still for me! Thank you to all friends for continued support, and thank you to several aunts, uncles, and cousins for multiple delicious meals and uplifting visits. (You know who you are.) Thanks for all blog messages - keep them coming!

I arrived at HUP Thursday evening around 8:00 p.m. and was settled into my room around 11:00 p.m. I got a private room with a fridge so I can keep my own food. Daphne's last day of school was Thursday as well, so she is able to stay with me for the duration of my chemo. round.

I should be here at HUP until Monday so if anyone would like to visit, please stop in anytime. My love to all, thanks again for everything! I will talk to you sometime soon. Love, Rich

Richard is Home

Rich came home on Friday evening. He is on prescription meds for the fungus, which he will continue to take until he is completely finished with chemotherapy. He is feeling quite well right now...a little cough here and there, but that's about it. The antifungal med. started working immediately.

We are setting up our house right now - this is my favorite part. This week, we are both taking things over from our parents' houses that we won't need in the next 3 weeks.

Richard will return to HUP on Thursday evening for Round 5 of chemotherapy. I will be there with him from then until he comes home (probably Monday). Then, it's recuperation and "rest up for the big day" time. I'm glad to be soon finished with school for the year. I can't believe it's almost over - even though it was a rough spring, time flew by quickly.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

Daphne