What's New Since Terminal 4

Dr. Berlin and Barry

For those of you who have checked the blog repeatedly in hopes of updates on the Ocean Springs saga and have come up short, our apologies. Knowing what is okay to blog has been a bit tricky, as we want to keep friends and family updated while at the same time being sensitive to Barry's privacy about his health and well-being.
Generally speaking, Barry is doing well. The chemo days are very hard and leave him feeling physically devastated and exhausted. He has chemo treatments every two weeks for three days at a time each time. During the time in between treatments, he gradually regains a balanced physical state, and often he feels quite well in the days just before another treatment (which makes the treatment days seem so horrible, having gone from feeling almost great just the day before).
This week, we had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Jordan Berlin of Vanderbilt Medical Center for a second opinion on Barry's cancer status and current care regimen. Dr. Berlin made a wonderful impression on us, and we were so thankful for the visit! He talked with us for quite some time, answered each and every one of our questions, and offered his number for questions we might have in the future. Overall, he approved of Barry's current regimen, though he did make some suggestions for tweaking medications and dosages here and there. He thoroughly explained Barry's cancer status in a way that was far more detailed and satisfying than we had from the oncologist back at home. At least we know what's coming and what to expect as treatments continue.
Barry has a great fighter's spirit. He wants to proceed with the chemo and "whip this thing", despite the extreme discomfort (to put it gently) he experiences during treatments. Any and all signs of support are greatly appreciated by him, so thank you for all of your calls and messages.

On a different topic...
This past Friday, Markus hopped on a plane and headed for Hannover, Germany to visit his family before continuing on to Qatar. He was slated to carry on in that direction today, but heavy German fog afforded him a few more days with his mom and his sister. Although he could have caught a flight to Doha tomorrow, that would make his first full day there a Friday, which is a weekend day in Qatar. Rather than traveling to sit in a hotel, he'll head to Qatar on Saturday instead (to be there for Sunday, which is the first day of the workweek there).
Ellie and Jennifer traveled to visit Ellie's Mimi (Jennifer's mom), then to Nashville for Dr. Berlin, and then to New Orleans for doctor's appointments of their own before returning to Ocean Springs to check on Barry. Whew! What a whirlwind!
Check out this little (almost) five month old cutie, who has recently discovered her feet...