Michael says thanks to the work crew who got our house ready for Christmas! Michael and I flew back to Houston last night and cousin Kris picked us up and got us to our apartment. We found it on the MD Anderson website and to say this place is great, doesn't do it justice and it even costs less. It will be a very comfortable place to be. Mark and our good friend, John Owings, are driving down our stuff for the apartment. They will be here tomorrow. Thank you for the marathon driving!
The first Proton Radiation treatment was today. At this point he will be done in early January. Because this is more targeted radiation, hopefully there will be less side effects and it is anticipated that he will tolerate it pretty well during the treatment. We are praying for minimal long term side effects due to the proximity to his heart.
For those interested in the science aspect, I will include some details on the Proton Radiation that we have been learning about. Briefly, Hydrogen atoms are separated and the protons from the separation are injected through a vacuum tube into a linear accelerator, where the volts of energy are increased which allows the protons to be placed at the depth needed. At maximum energy the proton beam travels at 125,000 miles/second (2/3 the speed of light). The room is huge where the process of separation and acceleration occurs and as the protons are accelerated through the tubing they typically travel 313,00 miles. This 190 ton machine is accurate to within a human hair width.
This point where the highest energy release occurs is called the "Bragg Peak". The doctor can designate where this peak will be and the proton beams conform to the 3D shape of the tumor.
We still don't know when or where the Stem Cell Transplant will be, but for now we will be mainly focused on the Radiation. Thank you so much for your support and prayers!!
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