Good News and the Kindness of Friends

A Cancer Post ™ (and some Not a Cancer Post ™)

So yes, we had heard last week that the tumors were somewhat smaller than before, in spite of the markers. I told you then that I would let you know the details when we knew them.

Now we do.

One of the tumors in Laston's liver is just over half the size it was four treatments ago, and the others have shrunk somewhat, though not as much. This is a big deal. And if he has food cravings and upset stomachs and all sorts of gastrointestinal discomfort as a result of the chemo, well... they're better than the alternative!

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I am reminded of an entertaining, though not really connected, remark from Abby (now 13 if you can believe it) today. She said, "So in science class, we did some roleplaying. I was a kidney. It's my job to collect nutrients and hand my waste cards to the boy playing Urination."

Indeed.

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The kindness of friends - especially when one does not expect it - is kind of amazing. Several of my coworkers clubbed together to get me a gift card for some pampering. A friend of my parents' whom I have not seen (except for Facebook) in decades is sending me a copy of his latest book as a Christmas gift.

And then there is this: a mutual friend of mine and Laston's over on G+ came to us last week with a suggestion: Laston has written plenty of  short science fiction stories; why not sell some of them on the Internet to help defray cancer care costs?

CLICK HERE for STORIES!!!

You know, it hadn't actually occurred to us. You see, Laston's been feeling less than creative (or energetic)  here lately so the concept of writing new fiction and marketing it and all that just seemed like too much work. This friend pointed out that not only is there plenty already written, there is a place online where you can sell them, and he'll be happy to help administer same.

Wow.

So, my friends, I give you Laston's page on Lulu.com (click either link to download a PDF or ten). They run from $1.99 for a single story to $9.99 for a collection of nine stories. And there may be more up once we get them formatted properly, so check back.

How cool is that? I mean, it's not like the man who came up with the idea is someone we've ever met offline; he's just a decent guy we know from online forums (fora?) who came up with a creative way to help. Kudos to him.

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Also, Abby?

THIRTEEN.