Scot King

Only 5 more treatments to go! Scot is going for his last treatment for this week right now, and then he has two days off, followed by his last 4 days of treatment next week. He is doing ok, though daily radiation has taken its toll on his body for sure. He is struggling with fatigue, his voice comes and goes, he has lost all taste, and the mouth sores are pretty nasty, making it difficult to eat. His spirits are high though, all things considered. On Wednesday he got a free ticket to the Museum of Fine Art in Boston and he spent 6 hours there! He was so giddy afterwards it was really heartening. (Thanks American Cancer Society and Hope Lodge for the ticket!) Yesterday he was feeling pretty good and really pushed himself on the bike, riding another 26 miles! He says when he is riding, he is running away from the pain, it's a good distraction. Riding and pushing himself physically has also kept his hinger greater than the discomfort of eating, and that is a good thing. He knows he needs to eat in order to heal from all this, and he is serious about his nutrition. I think in addition to getting the best possible care down at Dana Farber, being away from home, and free to only concern himself with healing and taking care of himself, and getting hours of exercise in will really have a huge positive impact on his outcome. We want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts who have donated to his Go Fund Me. Your gifts have afforded him the opportunity and privelege to focus entirely on his health, away from the worries of home, our business, and work. There will be plenty of time for him to jump back in later and because he will have had time to rest, heal, and focus on wellness, he will be better than ever when he gets back. We are so grateful to everyone who has supported us, with care packages, kind words, love and help with our bills during this incredibly stressful time. Thank you.

Hello everyone, Quick update for you all - Scot is really my hero. He is holding up well, even with all of the awful side effects he is experiencing. Radiation to the throat is no picnic. Side effects he is currently experiencing include mouth sores, painful tongue and swallowing, loss of taste, and excess saliva. It's shitty, but he is doing great. He's only got 9 more treatments to go. 5 next week and 4 the next. We are counting the days. Today he is headed to the arboretum to stitch leather bags that he cut out this past week. Some people meditate, but Scot stitches leather and rides bikes. Scot has averaged about 18 miles per day until now, some days riding over 25 miles. (Thanks to his shiny new knees!) He is slowing down a bit now, only 10 miles yesterday he says. He gets tired easier now than the past 2 weeks. He probably eats healthier than any of the other patients and family members staying at hope lodge. He is totally committed to his mental and physical health, and for that we owe a lot of thanks to our friends, family and customers' support. There is no way he could be so at peace without the help of everyone who donated to his go fund me. You all have helped us deal with so many of the mounting medical bills, and the cost of him being out of work for another 2 months this year, after 4 months of surgery recovery last winter. Especially since his disability was denied. Without you all, he would be constantly stressing about not working. We are doing ok, things are difficult, but not unsolvable. We miss him here, and cannot wait to have him back home. Especially the dogs who are ready to smother him with kisses. (and me too). One foot in front of the other. Thanks again everyone!