The business and blessings of our Beckstead family.

I've been wanting to write a small post for about two weeks now. I wasn't sure where to start or even all I wanted to say. Last night my mom posted a beautiful message on Facebook and it just about covers it all. Here is what she wrote: "Several days ago, my daughter Taylee Beckstead noticed that there was a bandaid on the foot of her Christus statue. With a few questions she was able to discover that it was 3 year old Chloe who had noticed that Jesus had an owee on His foot. She knew that bandaids help fix owees, so she tried to help Him out. When she explained to her mother what she had done, she walked over to the statue and became aware that He didn't have just one wounded foot. He had "bad hurts" in both feet and both hands. Chloe promptly went to the bandaid box and brought enough to bandage all four wounds. No one has wanted to take them off because we were so touched by Chloe's desire to help. Sid was diagnosed with cancer in [September]. I

At this point we have a pretty good idea of how things run. Today Sid braved the snow in the wee hours of the morning to head to the Huntsman where he finished up treatment #5. Physically he's going to feel rotten for a solid 4-5 days. By about Tuesday night or Wednesday morning he'll start to feel better and see continued, gradual improvements. About a week out (the weekend following treatments) most of his symptoms have resolved. His work has been awesome and very understanding. He works from home right after treatment and they are fine with him deciding how long after chemo he needs to do that before he feels up to going into the office again.  The weekend after treatments and the day or two afterwards are nice. But the relief of feeling well physically is tainted by the dread of starting it all over again in just a few days. I know he feels it very strongly on the day before and I've noticed high levels of stress and anxiety in myself on that Thursday knowing what's

Sid finished his third round of treatment 3 days ago on Friday. The nausea and cold sensitivity have hit him hard. However, he held it together well enough to enjoy some football and the World Series. The outcome of the World Series may have contributed to some of his (our) discomfort, though. I'm amazed and proud of his strength and determination to fulfill his church duties to the best of his ability. His chemo schedule falls in such a way that the immediate Sunday after treatment he has extra meetings (Ward Council and Elder's Quorum presidency meeting) before the regularly held two hour block of church services. All three Sundays he has doned his suit and headed out the door early to catch every one of those meetings. I'm grateful that he is so willing to serve and I'm grateful for how his calling has given him the opportunity to escape his own head and worries in favor of helping others. Over the weekend there has been a prominent pain in his upper right abdomen. I

 We're two treatments down now. Here's a general update of how it's going: -The first round we were bracing for it to be worst case scenario right away. That was not the case. We were so grateful. He had a lot of nausea but was able to mostly go about business as usual without it affecting things too much.  -The little amount of hair that Sid started this whole thing with us hanging in there and holding strong! -Chemo in general brings the main symptoms of nausea, tiredness, poor immunity, etc. Two symptoms that are specific to his drugs are neuropathy and cold sensitivity. Sid is experiencing this mostly in his hands and face. His hands tingle a lot and when they - or his face - are exposed to cold, it's painful. Last weekend we were out in the snow and the flakes stung when they landed on his face. Our house will be unusually warm this winter.  -The cold sensitivity is not limited to his exterior. If he eats or drinks anything cold it can cause spasms in his mouth and

Sid's molecular study came back. The results led Sid's doctor to change the treatment plan. It will now include targeted therapy and immunotherapy alongside his chemo drugs. This is encouraging news as studies are showing good results with this combo of drugs. The target therapy attacks cells that contain a specific receptor. His cancer cells have this specific marker. It is also a lot less toxic than chemo. These drugs do come with risk in that they can have negative side affects on the heart; thus the echocardiogram today. We spoke with Sid's oncologist this morning. I'm happy with his efforts thus far. I trust him and honestly think he is doing his best for Sid.  We haven't ever heard of anyone that enjoyed chemo, but we're ready to get started. Not only does this game plan sound positive but we feel rejuvenated after a great weekend with family watching General Conference.  I feel my Savior's love In all the world around me His Spirit warms my soul Throu

Sid is weirdly really good at coming out of anesthesia. It's rather disappointing for me as his designated driver; I'd have liked the cheap entertainment. I suppose that should be considered  a positive trait, though.  Anyway, his endoscopy to biopsy his lymph node went well yesterday. We won't know anything from that until sometime next week. And his port placement today was simple; also good. He is a bit sore now and has a sweet looking bruise. Sid's team decided to start chemo next week on Friday. His doctor would like Sid to get an echocardiogram before chemo begins. I'm not entirely sure why, so it's in my list of questions for the next consultation.  In the next couple of days we have a couple of virtual doctor's visits/consultations, and then of course the echo and chemo. Thank you for caring and praying for us. ❤️

Sid's endoscopy to biopsy his tracheal lymph node is scheduled for next Tuesday. Then the next day (Wednesday) he will get his port.  His oncologist, Dr. Nevela, told us the cancer board agrees with the plan to begin chemo. Sid could be starting that as soon as Wednesday (the same day his port is put in) pending the test results. He also asked Sid if he'd be willing to try a new approach to treatment that would include radiation after 4 months of chemo. Radiation is not typically used on stage 4 patients.  Sid asked him, "Would you do it if you were in my shoes?"  to which Dr. Nevela replied, "Absolutely." Today we are off on a last minute trip to enjoy some quality time together. It may be a long time before Sid feels well enough to do anything like this, so we wanted to seize the moment.

I've got to hand it to all of you. The creativity in the service that has been extended to us is mind blowing. I can not wait to be able to be in the giving end and to challenge myself to rise to your level. It's incredibly humbling to have so many people dig deep and come up with such thoughtful and personal offers. Our spiritual, physical, intellectual, and social needs have all been addressed.  This outpouring of love has got me wondering:  "How did we get blessed with so many incredible people in our lives?"  "I hope to be a friend that is deserving of this kind of love." "What can I do to be more in tune with Heaven so that I can follow your examples and readily bless others?" Moroni 7:5 For I remember the word of God which saith by their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, then they are good also. Moroni 7:12-13 Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God... ...that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good con

Let's start this post off by noting that there is quite the learning curve to medical whatevers. Each bodily system has its own world all to itself. Even the Venn Diagram for Cancer has a lot of differences that are specific to the type. Heck, I didn't even realize there were different medicines used for chemo until today. And not only that, neither of us have had cancer before so we aren't even sure how to navigate appointments yet.  My point is that each case is going to be unique for a variety of reasons; positively or negatively. So the official diagnosis is Stage 4 Esophageal Adenocarcinoma. It began in the esophagus and has spread to the surrounding lymph nodes; thus the stage 4. Good news is that it's not showing up in any major organs. However, it is in lymph nodes near the original spot in the esophagus and one other lymph node higher up near the trachea. Because of this, surgically removing it isn't a likely option. They are also concerned because the larg

The last few days have been... calm. Calm in a way that Sid and I have questioned our sanity. We feel as if logically we should be a lot more unstable. Shouldn't there be a lot more emotional turmoil manifesting? How can we possibly feel so... capable? Now, some of that I attribute to our abstaining from consulting the internet. We both agreed that Dr. Google would only bring a lot of unneeded stress to the situation. The one exception was when I searched what "PET" stood for.  I anticipate that my medical terminology is about to get a huge upgrade here shortly. But the real reason we seem to feel at ease has a lot more to do with our Savior. We just keep feeling like things are going to be ok.  Maybe that means a full recovery. A year or two, or whatever of treatments and then we're done.  Or maybe that means I have to say "see ya later" to Sid. But that's just it, we honestly believe there is a later and that I would see him again.  So yeah, I really w

Hey, it's Taylee. In an attempt to keep everyone informed I've started this blog. I'll be posting informational updates here. I don't foresee Sid doing much writing at this point. So in general, assume that I'm the one writing.  A few weeks ago much of my family was in town for a family wedding. This included my brother Josh. He is a psychologist/pharmacist and works in Texas at a VA helping veterans with their mental health. Sid had been trying to find the right combo of meds for his anxiety for a while and asked Josh for advice. After learning what Sid was currently taking, Josh urged him to get in to the doctor and adjust them. Sid was able to get in to his doctor on August 16th. In almost a throwaway kind of way he mentioned that he'd had pains in his stomach and was having trouble swallowing. Since we had met our max out of pocket he had no problem doing some additional tests. His doctor set him up with Dr. Bryce at Franklin County Medical Center for an end