Invitation

We would like all who are interested to join us in a fast for Doug this coming Sunday Aug 4th.  He will have scans this coming Thurs and we hope they will show some shrinking in the cancer.  The cancer board will review them Mon morning Aug 5th before our apt at 10am.  We hope to get some ideas...

-Ange

Session 6, Met New Doctor

Another week of fun and adventure begins - I am stuck in the hospital.  The only fun and adventure will be whatever show I am watching.  Angela will have all sorts of adventures handling the "Don't touch me!" & "Stop doing that!" situations.  She will have to make the "deaf" hear, by using the amazing "1, 2, 3, ..." counting.  It is amazing how we can be asking one of our children to stop a task and do a chore, but they don't hear us.  As soon as "1, 2, 3, ..." come out, the child can hear us and is very concerned about what we have to say.  I apologize Angela that I will not be there to help with the dishes.  That is one adventure I do not mind taking care of.  I will miss out on the hugs/kissed goodnight and the "Dad!" I hear each morning and when I come home from work.  Dinner time is going to be a little more lonely for all of us.  I wish I could be there to help you Angela.

Well, enough of that!  Angela drove us to Huntsman Monday morning.  I got my port accessed and then we met my new doctor, Jennifer Wright.  She was very nice and pleasant to meet with.  We had a list of questions for her and she had some for us.  Overall, she was satisfied with my current status with the stable scans and good toleration of the chemo.  She has experience with Sarcoma cancers in children as she has been working at Primary Children's Hospital.  The staff here at Huntsman are excited to have her for many reasons, one of which is that the adult treatments for Sarcoma are derived from the children's sarcoma treatments.

We had a good visit, but soon found out that there are not a lot of definitive answers when it comes to my type of cancer and what the very best treatment plan is in my case.  Everyone would like to see the cancer shrinking, but that has not happened yet.  We asked Dr. Wright about changing the chemo drugs to see if that would result in shrinkage.  She explained that my case was not as straight forward in regards to switching up the chemo.  If the cancer was still growing and/or my body could not handle the chemo, then it would be a good idea to try different chemo drugs.  But, in my case, my body is tolerating the chemo well and the cancer is in check.  Changing chemo drugs may result in the cancer growing and my body may not be able to handle the other chemo drugs.  Having said that, new chemo could also result in the cancer shrinking - we just don't know.  We decided to give it one more scan and then re-evaluate based on the scan results.  The other hesitation for changing the chemo is that the regiment I am on has the best track record for adult sarcoma, as limited as the record may be.  We did find out that even if the scans come up clean, I will still need chemo therapy beyond that in order to kill the cancer that is too small to show on the scan.  This is not going to be a quick process I am afraid.

Monday evening I started getting nausea.  Tuesday morning I returned my breakfast from whence it had entered.  I got the medications on board more regularly.  I ate a more simple breakfast this morning and it seems to settling OK.  They say lack of sleep can contribute to the nausea, so I better take a good nap today (I know you are all jealous).

Angela came up Tuesday afternoon and evening.  Her Aunt and Uncle stopped by and brought dinner.  We had a wonderful visit with them.  We really have the best family.  They are so supportive and kind to us.  It was really good to have a real conversation with other adults that has nothing to do with cancer.

Today I have multiple visitors lined up.  I am very excited to see them.  It should be a great day!!!

I have trust in the Lord that He is in charge and that whatever happens, we will have the strength to bear it!

Thanks again for all the prayers, love, and support.  -Doug-

Howell Valley Is Home

I was very blessed to grow up in a small town that had a close knit community.  The people really cared for each other and we all seemed to pull together to make things happen.  I was friends with the kids my age growing up.  I had a good time on outings and have really fond memories of my time in Howell.  I especially remember the wonderful people I was able to associate with.  A part of "Home", for me, will always belong in Howell.  Angela and I try to visit my parents several times a year because of the wonderful time we have and the great people we are able to interact with.  Howell Rocks!!!

The wonderful people of the Howell community had a Howell Town Celebration this past weekend.  They had several activities like softball, rodeo, skeet shoot, inflatable slides for the kids, a breakfast, a parade, flag ceremony, and an airplane candy drop.  It was a ton of fun for those that participated.  One of the activities was a dinner and an auction.  Having heard about my cancer, they asked for donations during the dinner for the Doug Kotter Family.  Many people donated what they could and even the kids put in a dollar or two.  During the auction, one of items that went for a substantial amount of money, was also donated to our family.  This small town of 200 people + visitors donated $2,400 to the Kotter Family.

Angela and I cannot adequately express the gratitude we feel for the outpouring of love and support, and the amazing gift.  There were people that did not know me personally as I have not lived in Howell for 13+ years, but they still joined the cause and supported a family in need.  Way to Go!!!

Thank You!  Thank You!  Thank You!  We love you and feel the power of your prayers and thoughts of healing and strength.  We know we be able to get through this trial with friends like you supporting us!

Love - Doug & Angels Kotter (and kids)

P.S.  I do have to share an item at the auction the will illustrate the resourcefulness of the Howell citizens.  It was a roll of duct tape and a pocket knife entitled "Howell Survival Kit".  I remember seeing many things held together with bailing twine and some with tape.  I learned to work hard and to use what resources you had to fix the problem, or to get by until you could fix it.