Last night was Dad's best night in a long time, since even before he was hospitalized. Every night for a couple of months now he has endured chills and sweats--he typically soaks through his pajamas, sheets, and the towels placed under him. But last night he slept through the night without any serious issues, and he was basically fever-free today. Add to this his slowly rising white blood cells counts, and tentative reports that his platelet count may be stabilizing, and you have a pretty good day for Dad. Mom reports that all the nurses have been commenting on how good Dad looks. Both Mom and Dad sound really upbeat, which is a great sign, too. They were actually able to relax--not merely to "rest," but to enjoy themselves, to have a bit of normalcy, a space to breathe, the wonderful sensation that they need not, right now, defend this particular inch of ground against the cancer. Dad did a few sudoku, Mom did some crossword puzzles. Dad was not hooked up to a single machine this afternoon. No, we're not out of the woods, but this was a kind of sunlit clearing. We are thankful to God that the fevers have, for now, left Dad, and his "vital signs" are good.

Yesterday evening before bed one of the nurses whom Mom and Dad have gotten to know came into the room and broke out into a gospel song for their benefit, and when she left Mom and Dad found themselves looking at each other in delight and gratitude.

Our hope now is that this progress will hold, and will be the pattern for the future. Our prayer continues to be that the chemo would be effective against the myeloma, and that Dad's blood counts would rise. The platelet numbers continue to be the most immediate concern; they seem to have stabilized but the prognosis remains uncertain. The doctors have suggested that, if the platelet situation proves stable, making the risk of more bleeding low enough, Dad could be released from the hospital in two or three days.

Mom and Dad wanted me to thank all of you, their brothers and sisters, and to tell you that the Lord is listening to your prayers.