Tuesday

Believe it or not, we had a good night last night. Jon had a little trouble falling asleep, but once he fell asleep it was a good sleep. He got up, showered, and even trimmed his "lazy mans" beard. He ate some fruit before we all--Barry (Jon's dad), Shawna (Jon's stepmom), Sue (Jon's mom) and I--loaded into the Ford Expedition (the type of car is important later) to head to NIH. It was a long trip, but not as long as the trips some people make. We are thankful to have such an amazing place so close to home.

When we arrived at NIH, we pulled up to security and all piled out to go through the metal detectors. We got our name tags, and Jon even received a new name! His name tag was spelled "Jonathuan," haha. On our way into the hospital, we had to park in an underground garage and tapped the PVC pipe stating that the garage clearance was 6 feet. We were a little worried we might hit the top, but at that point there was no turning back! We SLOWLY entered the garage and made it in ok, but only by inches! Jon went in, and the car was parked fine :)

Jon climbed the few stairs to get to the department he was supposed to go to to get his blood work and EKG done. He went back immediately while we waited in the waiting room. Once he returned, we went to the 3rd floor to meet with the doctors.

We waited for a really long time... I sent a few work emails. We laughed. We discussed what was going on. We talked about questions we had and anything else that came to mind. After a while, we met Dr. Ashley Stewart, a very nice young lady who introduced herself as a fellow (she was in her FELLOWship). She was one of Jon's doctors. She asked about symptoms, took notes, and explained her understanding of everything. She checked Jon over and explained what treatment plans she would suggest. After she explained everything, we asked some questions and then waited a little longer to talk to Dr. Sherry (he has been one of Jon's doctors since his first melanoma case). As we waited, we discussed the treatments that Dr. Stewart had explained and prepared our questions for Dr. Sherry (Barry did most of the questioning, which is great because he understands all of this so well).

When Dr. Sherry met with us, he explained his game plan and discussed various treatment options in addition to answering all of our questions. He said many things to us that made us feel good including that he wants to get rid of this just as much as we do. He scheduled a chest x-ray before we left to monitor the fluid buildup in Jon's Plural Effusion (this link really helps me picture the fluid that is in Jon). After he gets a look at the xray, he will figure out the best way to remove the fluid and keep it from coming back. Dr. Sherry and his team will  meet on Monday to figure out the best approach  to use. Jon will probably have to go to NIH this week to get some additional scans done to help their research and give them more information. Once we know what the treatment plan will be, I will post it. I hope to have some more information soon!

Once we finished with the doctors, Jon headed to get the chest x-ray that Dr. Sherry had ordered. Then we finally went to get some food in our bellies. Jon ate a WHOLE chicken sandwich and little soup. His appetite seems to be coming back! Yay! We headed to the car and slowly, carefully drove out of the very low parking garage.

...
Just to clear a few things up for anyone who is confused :)
Jon does not have lung cancer. He has melanoma that has progressed to his Pleura.

Jon is young and healthy, and his team of doctors is looking for curative treatments. We are trying to take it one day at a time. Thank you for all your thoughts, concerns, and prayers. They are greatly appreciated :)

Right now, we are resting and watching TV.

Goodnite :)