Still Happy. We Promise!

A few months ago I made a list of some of the things Jake and I have accomplished in the almost 2 years we’ve been married. It included things like graduating with bachelor’s degrees in Communication Studies, making it through the pre-service program and becoming full time seminary teachers for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We bought our first house and started our new jobs at Dixie and Hurricane High School. On that list I also wrote that Jake has “dealt with some health problems without complaint”.

Though he didn’t complain, these past few months we’ve seen 3 different doctors to diagnose his persistent symptoms. About 3 weeks ago Jake went to an insta-care doctor. The doctor decided to do a few tests including a chest x-ray. The chest x-ray was a little concerning so the doctor scheduled a CT scan. The CT scan showed a 4 inch tumor in his chest. The preliminary diagnosis was Lymphoma.

After a biopsy of the mass, we waited for results and had an appointment at the Intermountain Cancer Clinic. Jake has Stage 4 Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma. It is a very curable cancer. Our doctors are very confident we can get rid of it completely with 6 rounds of chemotherapy, 2 doses per round, which will take around 6 months. We start our first treatment on Thursday.

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks but we are hopeful, supported, and happy! I know that so many of you love Jake and want to know how he’s doing. I’ll update this blog for you. We’re relieved to know what’s going on and to have a plan. We’ll add “beating cancer” to our list of things we’ve accomplished so far in about 6 months.

I started this blog right after we were married to record all the things that make me happy as a wife. I didn’t think I would ever use it to update those who want to know about Jake’s cancer treatments. The beautiful part is, Jake and I are still really happy.

We’ve seen familiar faces at the hospital to help with procedures.

We’ve had incredible doctors, nurses, pharmacists, phlebotomists, and others to answer all our questions and help us.

We live in the perfect place to receive the care and attention we need. In fact, St. George has the most up-to-date technology and procedures available for Lymphoma patients.

We’ve had family and friends reach out and pray and fast for us. We feel it and we are so grateful!

The miracles haven’t ceased. This is a really curable cancer. One of the most incredible blessings we’ve seen is that Jake and I are closer than we’ve ever been. Maybe that’s why we’re so happy.

Thank you for your concern, love, and prayers everyone. We love you!