17 out of 18

Dad is home by now.  It's just past 4 in the afternoon and he has had another dose of his gemcitabine treatment today.   He had his blood tests done yesterday morning, met his oncologist at 8.30 in the evening and booked his bed for today's dose of his blessed poison.

He then went over to Bethany hospital at 9 this morning and got assigned room no. 407.  I was waiting for an appointment with the CEO of the hospital, when one of the office staff told me 'oh, your Dad is admitted today' and then proceeded to tell me his room no.   I made a mental note so that I could walk up 2 floors to see him and pray for him.

Amazingly, we are now nearing the very end of this course of chemotherapy.  Amazingly, today was dose no. 17 out of the 18 that are planned for this course.  We started half a year ago - and are now coming down the the very last week of the therapy.  One more dose - scheduled for next Friday the 16th - and then a CT scan the next Friday... and then?

When Dad met Dr. Ashish Bakshi last night, Dr. Bakshi told him that "after the scan you have chutti! You can go home!"

So watch this space.  Dad has one more dose to go... and then we do the scan and see.  Should we start booking Mum and Dad's tickets for the mountains that are calling them in the middle of our second summer?  October is a nice and hot month for Mumbai/Thane folks - I have the fan on full blast as this is being typed out - and Mum finds the heat hard to take - but has of course made narry a peep or squeak of complaint through it all.

When I did get up to see Dad at around noon today, I found him happily giving a geography lesson to the nurse who was administering the chemo - all about how to get to Mussoorie!

This fine lady had hardly left to tend the next patient, when around the curtain comes the remarkable figure of Uncle Robbie Andrews.   A living legend, this dear saint goes from bed to bed at Bethany Hospital, offering to pray with anyone who wishes it.

And here was today - 9 decades of experience - visiting a youngster who has only 7 decades behind him and is getting his 17th dose of blessed poison.

You can't make these things up!

Stay tuned for the next steps in our life together.  Your prayers and love and support through it all are so totally appreciated by us all!

Next week - 18 out of 18!