Now that treatment has ended… (Some thoughts from Angie)

With cancer, it seems like there’s always a “waiting game” — waiting for the results of this test, that test, this surgery, that treatment…

Will and Angie have entered the next waiting game, as they celebrate the end of treatment (yay!) and yet wait for the next medical step. That step will take place on June 6, and is a meeting with the surgeon to learn if Will is cancer-free. A scan will be done prior to the meeting (at the start of June), and on June 6, the surgeon will hopefully give them the answer we’re all praying for — “Cancer-free!”

So, life until then will hopefully and prayerfully contain less pain, as the time to reflect and regain strength begins. Since September, Will and Angie have been in a constant whirlwind — something that has turned them into fighters in ways we have all admired. That being said, Will is still on a difficult road.

Angie tells us…

Will still struggles daily with pain and fatigue. The fatigue is so extreme that he sleeps much more than he’s awake in a day. The pain has also been pretty severe, so the daily challenge is figuring out how to make him more comfortable. They have assured us that this will get better.

Things have slowed down lately which is nice. Instead of 3-4 appointments a day, we are down to 3-4 appointments a week. This has given us a chance to focus on other things, helping Will to be more comfortable, working on increasing his oral intake of food, increasing his daily activity. It’s a slow process and at times it’s hard for us to be patient, especially since not that long ago we were going on hikes and now the goal is to walk down the hall.

With the slowing of the constant appointments and ER visits, Angie admits to the emotional trials she finally has time to reflect upon…

The slower pace has been a little more challenging for me as well. Before I didn’t have time to think about much other than the day before us, but now I have time to think and process. It’s been hard. Crying is a more common occurrence as Will sleeps most of the time and my day is waking him up from his naps every few hours for a feeding, medicine, some exercise, and then back to bed. I miss him.  

Angie, we cannot even begin to imagine. Your strength and dedication to William throughout this journey thus far has been painfully beautiful and inspiring.

She continues…

Will started physical therapy yesterday. The therapist will come 2x a week to our apartment to help Will keep as much strength as possible and hopefully try to increase it before the next surgery. Will also has speech pathology each week. He is still working on swallowing for now and then he’ll begin speech therapy. Will lost hearing in his right ear a few months ago, but after testing, it was determined to be conductive hearing loss. The nerve was not affected, so his hearing should return completely! This was incredibly wonderful news to get!

And lastly, a moment of celebration that brings hope and hopefully renewed strength to both Will and Angie…

We were also able to celebrate a huge accomplishment in Will’s music career. The day after Will was diagnosed with cancer, he was told that a song he co-wrote was recorded by Blake Shelton. Yesterday we were able to hear the song for the first time! It’s been really exciting to have this going on during the past few months!  Congratulations to his co-writers Ian and Michael and to everyone involved!

The album goes on sale March 26, 2013, but you can pre-order it now on iTunes, etc. Here’s a link to preview the album, and more specifically, Will’s co-writing credit, “Do You Remember?” 

If you’re the praying type, please consider praying for…

• Continued strength and healing for Will — that a bite of food and a walk down the hall will soon be accomplished with ease
• Prayers that the June 6 results will contain the phrase “cancer-free”
• Emotional and mental healing for both Will and Angie as they finally have a chance to breathe and reflect on the last seven months

Once again, Will and Angie prove to be an inspirational duo, full of life, love and talent. We are ever so grateful to be a part of the team that can rally around them and call ourselves friends, family, fans, etc.

Sincerely,

#GoTeamGray