Gregg's Progress

In the last update I had mentioned an article that I had read. Sorry to
hold you in suspense. On Friday before we left we had someone that had Non-Hodgkin's
Lymphoma three years ago come out to the home to offer support and a lot of great
information. I started reading the information as soon as we hit the road.

The very first article that I read was from 1997, it is talking about the
fact that 240,000 Americans have non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph system. Many
patients are treated successfully but about half of them have an incurable form
called low-grade non-Hodgkin's that causes repeat relapses over 6 to 7 years.

Of course this was Not what I wanted to read but as I read on, the reason
for the article was about a new drug called Rituxan which was to be approved in the
next few months. (back in 1997). The great news of the article was that the drug's
lead investigator was Dr. Peter McLaughlin of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Dr. McLaughlin is Gregg's doctor so we are extremely confident that we are
at the right spot.

12-14-00 Today was Gregg's first day at the Clinic and boy it is
overwhelming. We first went through New Patient Check In, saw the Insurance
Department/Finance, Nutritionist, Social Department, 13 vials of blood taken in the Lab and then
met with Dr. McLaughlin.

We were very impressed with Dr. McLaughlin (we had to say this as he is
going to check our web site.) (Its a joke Doc.) We have a very comfortable feeling
about him. Plus an old friend, Suzie Seaman, (Gary Williams cousin) use to
be his nurse.

I had specific instructions from my cousin Carla to journal the Counts. His
platelets are lower than they should be which suggests that it is probably in his bone
marrow. He has a Cardiac Scan, Chest, PA & LAT X-ray and a Bone Marrow ASP/BX
tomorrow. We will not have any results until late next week on the Bone
Marrow which is the most important. They are also concerned about one of his
kidneys not functioning, hopefully it was an old injury and not a result of NHL.

For you Docs checking this here are the Counts
Platelets        108
Red Blood     4.50
Hemoglobin    14.9

It is a Mixed Cell Lymphoma rather that "B" or "T" Cell

Once we get all of the diagnosis and protocol we may be able to do the
chemo in Watertown or Sioux Falls and travel back to M.D. Anderson
about every three months to make sure things are going as Dr. McLaughlin
wants them to. We know that this is going to be a long tough battle but
today when we saw so many very, very sick people we felt fortunate for
all that we have and for Gregg being so strong.

Last evening a larger place became available so we have already made a move
across the sidewalk! Here is the new address and phone number

Marriott Residence Inn
7710 Main Street
Suite 1922
Houston, TX 77030
#713-351-1250 (we have a recorder if we are out please leave a message)

Thanks to all of you for the emails, prayers and special things that you are
doing to assist while we are away. A Very Special Thanks to Debbie Shafto at mato
for updating this web site free of charge to keep all of our friends up to date.

Love,
Karen, Gregg & Garrett (GII & Molly arrive on the 18th)

PS - Suzie, Gregg did make Dr. McLaughlin smile JJJ

12/19/00 - We all went to see Doctor McLaughlin today. They are considering adding on
a Forsberg room so we can all get in. We received no news as the bone
marrow test were not back. Now we wait until Friday.
It is a little hard on the nerves but it gives us a few more days to play.
Love,
The Forsberg's

12-22-00 Well, this is the day that we have been waiting for. As all of you know, we
haven't had much in the way of positive news over the past 28 days. The
time spent waiting has been very wearing! Last Thursday when we met with
Dr. McLaughlin he had only the Blood work and notes from the CAT Scan. At
that time he gave us a Protocol for Stage IV Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and said
that the main test would be the Bone Marrow Aspiration. Because of the Platelet
count it pointed toward the Bone Marrow being affected.
On Wednesday we received a call to come up an pick up a new Protocol. For
the next few hours there was an extreme amount of tension as we expected the
worst. When we returned home, Garrett had delivered the Protocol and it was on the counter.
When I read that we now had the option of Radiation or Chemo, I was sure it
was good news. Garrett walked in seconds later and said that the nurse told
him that the Bone Marrow was NEGATIVE.

We had an early Christmas Present!!!

Today we had an appointment with a Radiology Oncologist and then with Dr.
McLaughlin who is our main doctor and an Chemotherapy Oncologist to get both
of their view points.
It is extremely confusing as to which way to go. They tell us that Stages
III & IV are put into the same category. It is an Incurable Chronic
Disease, if and when it goes into remission it almost always will relapse. No guarantees but Stage
III usually stays in remission longer than stage IV, possibly 4-5 years longer.

We now need to decide which way we want to go - Radiation or Chemotherapy.
At M.D. Anderson the results have been much the same for this Type and
Stage. We need to get opinions from our DOC friends and make a decision soon so we can
finally get things on the move. Four weeks of wait and see is not our style!

Gregg is still feeling good and has a great attitude but wants his own bed.
As you all can imagine that means we will most likely be heading North soon.

Thanks to all and we will update you in the future.

Love,
Karen, Gregg, Garrett, GII & Molly (reporting from Houston, Texas)

12-26-00 Hello to all of you from Houston,Texas.
Today is December 26th and we are still here. We have made the decision to go with Chemo rather than Radiation for a number of reasons. Gregg wanted to head north last Friday but, we slept on it for a few nights and decided - why did we drive to Houston to the #1 place in the World for Cancer Care if we weren't going to follow through with it.

We put GII, Molly and Garrett on the plane very early Christmas morning and we are staying to start Gregg's first round of Chemo. Hopefully they will put in the Subclavin catheter yet this week so that they can begin Chemo next week.

The Christmas holiday has really slowed the process but, I guess we knew that it could be a problem when we headed down. We did get to spend time with the kids while Gregg was feeling great so that was definitely a plus. I think that GII was planning to see Gregg looking sick by the time he and Molly arrived from Hong Kong. It was a very pleasant surprise for him as he did not seem to fully believe us over the ocean!

On Friday we received a call from my (Karen's) second cousin who lives in a
suburb of Houston. He wondered why were are spending money on a hotel when
he has a four bedroom house in the city! I had only met Warren once
before but have heard many very nice things about a very generous man.
He found out that we were here through another of my second cousins living
in Minneapolis -wow what a small world

Tomorrow we are moving into our new temporary house so we will have
a new address and phone number if anyone needs to get in touch. This
email is probably still the absolute greatest!!

The new address & phone number

Gregg Forsberg
%Warren Eddington
8027 Glen Forest
Houston, TX 77061
#713-649-1838

This home is probably 18 minutes away with light traffic and 30 or so in
heavy traffic but the route is easy. We did a trial run on Christmas Day.

I am almost an expert at packing and unpacking our belongings.

We thought that we had better send you this photo, if I don't get into get my hair cut & colored I will be completely silver after this past month and we plan for Gregg to look like a cue ball. Not sure if you would recognize either of us.

1/5/01 - If you think that we are confusing you, you should be here!

Let me tell you how our day started out! We walked out of the house at
8:30. Gregg noticed that there was a screw in the garage door that needed
tightening. As he was tightening the screw, he happened to look down and
saw that he was almost standing on a snake. I don't mean within feet, I
mean three inches. Good thing that it was cold out as the snake could not
match Gregg's speedy leap! Gregg got his break-down fishing pole out of the
back of the vehicle and put on one section as he wanted to find out what
kind of snake it was so he would know if he should kill it. It looked
similar to a Rattle Snake but there were no rattles. It was a nice
poisonous Water Moccasin. As you can imagine - he got our blood flowing.
Just a little added stress to start the day.

Now onto the Doctors visit. Another change in plans. Going into the
appointment we had decided on Chemo which was a change from our December
23rd appointment the last time we saw the DOC when we were leaning towards
Radiation. He wanted to know why we were now wanting to go with Chemo vs.
Radiation. We really did not have an exact answer so Gregg put him on the
spot. At our last visit we were told it is 50/50 no better or worse
results. We feel more comfortable with Dr. McLaughlin so that probably
swayed our decision. At this visit Gregg asked him, "if I were your brother
what would you recommend?"

He said, "I would go the Radiation Route". Sounds like if you have the
right Radiologist, this is an easier route than chemo and they are achieving
the same results. We are here because we trust their opinion. On Tuesday
they will get him mapped out to begin radiation. The DOC explained that MD
Anderson along with only a few other Cancer Centers are using Radiation for
NHL Stage III. Most other Centers use the same treatment for Stages III &
IV. This treatment involves Chemo or a combo of Radiation & Chemo.

Sounds like we may not get to see the "cue ball" affect. Several of you
have asked about the Central Nervous System, the Doc is not concerned about
this. He has checked a few things and all looks fine, says this is not one
that typically affects the CNS. We do not have a calendar as of yet but, if
I remember correctly from our last appointment, they will start with the
pelvic area for five weeks. We will then have a four week break. Next to
the abdomen for five weeks. A four week break and then onto the neck for
four weeks. Gregg will have checkups and tests every three months for the
next two years and then every four to six months for several more years. We
already know at least half of Houston - only the roads!

We get in by dark!! Right now there are 7 very dangerous inmates on the
loose in Texas - how comforting!

Gregg says STOP now - everybody has more to do than read about me.

Thanks for the Cards, Email and Christmas Photos.

Karen & Gregg

P.S. As we walked out of the hospital - Gregg said "I forgot to ask him, DO
YOU LIKE YOUR BROTHER

January 9th Up Date-
Today was our first day in the radiology area of M.D. Anderson wing. Anyone
who has ever been here knows that you need a map to get you from one zone to
another. They have the place extremely well mapped out. The areas are
separated into color zones and departments within the color zone on
different floors.

Because Gregg has several tumors in the abdomen area that are larger than
those in the pelvis and etc, they are going to start the radiation in the
abdomen area. They did another cat scan and taped what Gregg called BB's
strategically to measure density and see the maximum radiation they can give
without damaging the inner organs.

They have him mapped out and ready to go. They tattooed him in three places
so that they can line him up the same everytime. He also has drawing all
over to mark locations so they do the radiation in the right spot. Doctor
Wilder said they are the only place in the world that is doing what they are
going to do to him. It is going to be very intense and that he is going to
be one sick guy for awhile. We will go to radiation 5 days a week at
12:15pm this will start January 16th with the last round on February 22nd.
We will then have a four week break, then come back for more.

Email, Faxes and the telephone are wonderful, we have a make shift office
set up, but I need to get back to work. Gregg may stay here, fly home or go
to Paul and Annie's, depending on the weather.

Our attitudes are very good, we know that they will be challenged in the
next several months.
We know we have an incredible amount of people pulling for us.

We have another very special favor to ask of all of you, please continue
your prayers but PLEASE give BLOOD if you can. Not for us but, we have
seen them have to postpone surgeries several days in a row because of low
blood supplies. These surgeries are not elective but life threatening.
They need all types but TYPE O is most needed. Both the Television and
radio are almost begging for blood.

1/16/01 5:00 p.m.

We can not tell you much so, we will keep it short. Radiation went fine,
you do not feel a thing. It is now 5 hours after and I feel a little sick
to my stomach. I do not know if it is just nerves or what, we will know
more tonight or tomorrow. I remember my stomach feeling like this in
College. JJJ

If we have not told you before. If you have night sweats, I mean where you
wake up and you have to take your night shirt off or use a different pillow,
see a Doctor. That was the only sign I had until the lumps and we did not
know night sweats were a signal. I of course thought I was just hot blooded.
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers.
Gregg

P.S. They tell me that Gregg will have a great map on his belly in the next
few weeks. I will email a photo. The last one that I took was at such a
high density it would jam everyone up so I held off sending it. The maps on
people's heads and necks walking around here sure do give you a new outlook
on life.
Karen

1/22/01 Just a short update. Everything seems to be going fine. We go in 5 times a
week around noon and we are done in about 30 minutes. We see the Doctor
every Thursday. We will have simple radiation until February 2 then it goes
to Complex, whatever that is until February 22. We plan to head home then
for one month and come back and do it again. So far the Zofran is taking
care of the nausea pretty good. As you can imagine week-ends have taken on
a whole new meaning. We will let you know if things change.

2/1/01
Gregg just finished Radiation Treatment number 13 out of 27 for the first
round. He has a good appetite and is feeling better than expected. The
anti-nausea medication (Zofran) has worked great for him. It is very
expensive but, very good! Not everyone has the same positive results with
it.

He had blood work done for the first time since he started radiation and
there is a concern with his Platelet count dropping from 108 on December
14th to 65 on January 30th. His doctor is out this week but will be back
next week. The doctor seeing Gregg said that it is not at a critical level
but, needs attention. Blood work will be done again next Tuesday for Dr.
Wilder's review.

Hope to have good news to update you the end of next week.

Thanks Karen & Gregg

02/08/01
We are now 2/3 of the way through Gregg's first set of Radiation Treatments. He had is 18th session today leaving 9 to go! The Zofran is still keeping the nausea well under control. On Monday he started what they call Complex Radiation. This basically means that they are now blocking off additional organs so that they will not receive any more radiation.

Again his blood counts have continued to head in the wrong direction. His Platelet count is now at 52,000 verses 65,000 last week. Low is considered 140,000. We asked what was considered a critical level, he said 20,000 so, we have a ways to go. We can hopefully make it through the last nine treatments. It sounds like it will be necessary to take a six week break rather than four before resuming the radiation. They need his counts to come back up before they start the next session.

For those of you who know Gregg's business partner, (some say they are joined at the hip) - Paul Sigelman, was diagnosed on Tuesday with Lung Cancer. He will be meeting with an Oncologist on Saturday to find out additional test results. Annie and I say they are carrying this partnership stuff too far.

For those of you who would like to drop them an email or card here is the address

paulann4@earthlink.net

Paul & Ann Sigelman

9753 No. Golden Sun Drive

Tucson, AZ 85737

2/15/01
As of today, February 15th, we have only four more treatments left of this first set. As you can see, Gregg is still looking great! He is feeling better this last week as they are not hitting such a large area. They are zoomed in more on the blue circle and the green circle where there are larger tumors.

If all goes as planned, and Gregg feels good enough - I will have the vehicle loaded and ready to roll out of Houston minutes after his last zapping! Having left on December 9th we will return home to our Christmas Tree (good thing it is fake) and decorations! Sounds like we will also return to lots of snow. Of all of the things that we have missed (most of all our friends), we have NOT missed the weather. Today is was 80 and a little humid but, we suffered through it.

Being the Insurance Provider has denied the 2nd Request for Gregg's treatment to be considered In Network, we decided to ask Gregg's Radiologist Oncologist about doing the next two sets of radiation in Watertown under his direction. He said that would be like sending in a surgeon to do a surgery that he has never performed before! What they are doing to Gregg is called Total Central Lymphatic Irradiation. They told us before we began, that this is one of the only places in the world doing this type of treatment for NHL.

Gregg is getting homesick and was hoping that it would be possible for closer treatment but, it doesn't look like that will happen. They are treating us great and this IS THE #1 place to be.

Thanks to all of you,

Karen & Gregg

3/9/01
Sorry it has taken so long to get an update out. We are back at home and
Karen is working about 18 hours a day trying to get caught up and I have
just been resting up. We were a little excited to get home, we left Houston
at 12 noon on Thursday and pulled into our driveway at 11:30 PM Friday. We
beat the blunt of the big storm that hit Saturday and Sunday. Monday
morning Karen had to climb out of the garage door and walk to the road as
the driveway was 3 feet deep.
Sandie Drake was kind enough to give her a ride to work.

I am feeling fine, get tired easy and sleep alot, must be my blood building
itself back up. Not much exciting going on other than we are expecting our
first grandson any minute so each time the phone rings it is an event.
Gregg II and Molly are living in Hong Kong as most of you know so it will be
a while before we get to see the new baby. They are coming to Watertown May
15 so I am trying to get the next round of radiation done so I can be back
from Houston a little before the 15th so as to be rested up for my
grandfatherly chores. I do not know what they are but, want to be ready.
They will only be here for about a week so we are not going to miss it.

They will take my blood March 27th and if the platelets are up, I will head
out for Houston on the 30th. I want to get thru Oklahoma City and Dallas on
the weekend as I will not have Karen's watchful eye this time to tell me
where to go. She plans to fly down once during this round of treatments but
this time of the year in the monument business she has to be here. Her
bosses from Rock of Ages were so good to her this last winter that she needs
to be here for them during the busiest months before Memorial Day.

Please change your emails to gregg@beulah.com if you would be so kind. The
WorldNet service is used when we are out of town but the Beulah address
finds us everywhere.

God bless and thanks for the thoughts and prayers.

4/12/01

Sorry, I have not been very good in doing up dates since I got back to Houston. We are back in the swing of things, they are radiating my pelvis area. My last treatment is to be May 4th if the platelets hold up. I guess there is some concern as there is so much bone structure it that area with the pelvis, spine and leg bones and of course the bone marrow has something to do in making the platelets.

Karen is unable to come down this trip because she is in the monument business and before Memorial Day is the prime time. Not being here is very difficult on her and I but this is the real world an we are just thankful for the times we do get to spend together.

Most of you know our best friends and partners in many things, Paul and Ann Sigelman. Paul has a rare form of lung cancer and they have joined me here. We have been in a number of difficult spots together before but never like this. It seems very strange we would end up like this together. Once again, we understand this is the real world. This is the place to fight what we have.

We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers and are saying plenty ourselves.

We are all at the same address if you wish to contact them. We will be doing up dates on us both on the Beulah site.

The very handsome fellow in the photo was born March 23rd in Hong Kong. His name is Fremont Gordon Forsberg, he was 7-1 and will be at the Watertown Airport, May 9th.

(SO WILL I)

G'Pa

4/25/01

Sorry, Some of my best friends have brought it to my attention that they have not received and up date in quite awhile. Sorry. There has not been allot to tell and you all have plenty to do, thanks though for asking.

Things are on the up swing. This round started to get to me, about number 6 or 7, cramps, diarrhea, tired but could not sleep. My body has now adjusted and I am getting back to being me. Only have 7 to go in this round that will be completed May 4th. Those of you in the know have asked how the platelets are doing, well I missed my blood test yesterday and it is rescheduled for the 2nd. Karen claims I missed it on purpose so they would not have a chance to delay the treatments. That never crossed my mind. (Grandson arrives at the Sioux Falls Airport May 8th) JJJ

The staff that saps me is very nice, they try to make you feel relaxed. Now tell me how you walk into a room with 3 young ladies that tell you to take your pants off and lay down can make you relaxed, I am old but still breathing. I am getting use to it and try to put on a little show for them. So far none of them have given me any dollar bills.

The weekends get a little long, I did go over to a small golf course, had lunch and met a young man about my boys age. He asked if I wanted to play and I said sure. I could not play the whole 18 as I tired out on number 11. Chris understood and I just rode around with him and watched. It was good to get out in the sun. He must not have minded to much as he called and wants to play again next Saturday.

Paul and Ann will be back on the 30th. Karen and the Sigelman girls come in on the 1st. Paul has test on the 1st and the operation on the 2nd. Paul's going to give me the best birthday present ever this year. A SUCCESSFUL OPERATION!!! For those of you that do not know our friends Paul and Ann Sigelman, he is having his left lung, sack around his heart and left diaphragm removed May, 2, it is the first step curing his Mesothelioma.

So there it is. Thanks again for caring and praying.

Hugs and kisses from Houston,

Grandpa G

06/04/01

GRANDSON SAVES GRANDPA FROM PANIC ATTACK!!!

Well here I am again, back in Houston for the third and final round of
radiation. Karen surprised me and drove me down. I have had some very good
friends offer to ride or drive me down but sorry guys, it is just not the
same as having Karen telling me what to do and where to go. She flew back
to Watertown and is coming back down to drive me home June 30th. Thanks a
million Karen (333).

They Simulated me today at 9:45, this trip they are doing the neck and
thoracic areas. What that means is everything from my breast to my lower
jaw will get radiated. The most difficult part of this is the mask that
they make for you and strap you down with. They take this material that is
like a fiberglass and soak it so it is pliable then put it over your head
from your neck to the middle of the top of your head. You can sort of see
thru the holes in the mesh.

When it cools and hardens they strap it to the X-Ray table with your head of
course in it. The purpose is so that your head will be held still so when
they zap you, you do not move and they do not radiate your vitals like the:
esophagus, heart sac, heart, lungs, voice box and saliva glands to mention a
few. With all the maps they drew on my mask and chest plus the CT Scans the
mask was on a total of about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Let me tell you the last 60 minutes are not the problem. The first 5 or 10
you think you are ok but then you realize you are pinned down and you are
not only, not suppose to move, you can not move. Well I have to tell you my
body and mind were not believing we could not take the whole */#% table with
us if we wanted to. I tried praying my way through it and I suppose that is
where the answer came from. Now I know some of you will think I am nuts,
and those that know me well already know I am but here is what happened.

I visualized I was on a cliff and my grandson was on my chest and convinced
my mind that if I moved, even a little, baby Fremont would fall off. Well,
as you know this is my first and only grandchild. Those of you who are
lucky enough to have had the Grandparent experience know full well, He is
not going over any cliff if G'Pa has anything to say about it. After
simulation I saw the Doctor and he asked if I would be needing a sedative
before treatments or if I was ok with the mask. I just smiled and said, "WE
HAVE IT ALL UNDER CONTROL!!!) Amazing as it maybe, with the grandson living
in Hong Kong, I am sort of looking forward to putting the mask back on so I
can see him, we will be doing it 5 days a week until the 3rd of July.

Up date on my Buddy Paul, he is back in Watertown, he is waiting for a
special experimental treatment that we hope he will get into in July. This
new drug looks very promising and we are praying for him to get on the
program soon.

Ok for now, You have a great day,

Gregg

6/11/01
I have a God daughter by the name of Allison, after this storm named Allison
here in Houston I will always think a little differently when I hear her
name.

I am fine, I am one of 4 houses on this street that kept the water out. I
guess it was practice from Lake Kampeska in Watertown. This was a big deal,
15,000 homes damaged and all the hospitals are shut down.

Inside of the house flooded some with the bathtub and the toilets backing up
but it is all now under control.

We will have to see what this does to my radiation schedule.

Gregg

6/21/01

Radiation is going well and I am in good spirits, I can see the end from here, only nine more treatments to go. The radiation is building up in my body, I can tell that the accumulation is having an effect on my strength. I walked 2 blocks today in the 98 degree heat and I had to sit down for a while to rest up.

Naps, boy can I do them, almost anywhere. If you see some old guy sleeping in his truck in the Target parking lot don't report him it is most likely me. I did not even know what the word fatigue meant when I got here. If I would have had to guess I would have guessed it was something you wore. 30 or 40 minutes sleep is all I need to get back at it but I have to have it.

My throat is getting really sore, this morning when I woke up I had to drink some Lidocaine (oral mouth and throat anesthetic) before I could swallow enough water to take a Hydrocodone pain pill. Once you have both of those down you can eat; you can't taste anything but you can swallow. Today they started blocking my larynx so I am hoping the throat will not get any worse.

I was a bad boy today. Thursday's are the day you see the Doctor here at MDA and my Doctor was gone so they sent in a resident to take over. You remember how when you had a student teacher some of the class would lead them down the wrong path. I have to admit I was one of those and must not have gotten over it just yet.

This resident was a pretty Doctor in her early 30's. She was all business and had me take my shirt off so she could feel for lumps in my armpits. After she had felt both sides she was writing the good news down, No Lumps and I said what about my neck. She began to feel my neck, one side them the other, she got this look of panic on her face and she then said, "I can not find any at all, could Doctor Wilder?" I said, "NO, I have just been here a month by myself and I am lonely."

Thank god she was a good sport, we had a good laugh and she sent me on my way.

Karen flies in the 30th and if all works right the last RADIATION I ever have in my life will be at 12:40pm on July 3rd, the rest of the day, I will be napping of course and she will be driving us home.

Love ya,

Gregg

9/27/01 - Hurry up and wait.

We have not had any up dates for 3 months as we have not had any news on the cancer front. We have been anxiously awaiting this week as have many of our friends and loved ones.

On Monday we had the CT scans, X-ray and blood work done in Watertown. Today at 10:30am we met with Doctor Bull at Prairie Lakes Cancer Center. We of course have been nervous about how things are looking. We have not had any problems other than a cold but you know how your mind works. It seem sort of like an anticlimax to us but that is the way this disease is, very slow moving.

Ok, what do we know? We know that the Radiation has still knocked the tumors for a roll and that they have not started to come back. This is good news!!! This does not mean that it will always be that way. It means that every 3 months for a few years we will go thru the same process. We are going to do every other one here and then the next at M. D. Anderson in Houston, Texas.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, they are working.

God Bless America,

The Gregg Forsberg's

1/2/01
Here we are in a New Year. Can you believe it. Everyone came home for
Christmas and as you can see I clearly enjoyed being a grandparent. We will
be posting a family photo soon but G-II has it on their camera and they
of course are back in Hong Kong. We will post it on this site as soon as he
sends it. (hint, hint)

Health wise we had my 6 month check up and all is going the way it should.
Please knock on wood. The prayers are working and we are enjoying life one
day at a time, we are thankful for everyday we get to spend together. The
next major check-up is in March in Houston.

My best friend in the whole world, Paul Sigelman lost his battle with cancer
January 1, just a few minutes after Midnight. He was ready to go on the
next journey and check things out for those he loved. We are of course
crushed but yet happy knowing he is out of his misery.

Enjoy the friends you have now and tell them how much you care. Trust me,
it does not last forever!!!
333
Gregg
Christmas 2001 Gregg and Little Fremont

3/14/02
I have been in Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for 3 days. 2 days
testing everything you can imagine in and on this old body. Today at 2:00PM
the Doctors told me I was in Complete Remission and that I did not have to come
back for a year.

Thank you GOD!!! We just pray it stays that way.

This is a wonderful place and if any of you ever need information on M.D.
Anderson consider me your servant.

Gregg

12/10/04: As some of you have heard, we have extended our stay in Houston much longer than planned. The Doctor called and confirmed that the cancer is back and that we now must see a Chemotologist. The Radiologist can do no more for Gregg as he has had the maximum amount of radiation.

On our first visit here four years ago we met with Dr. McLaughlin, a very excellent Chemotologist. He is who actually recommended radiation for Gregg's first round. We asked that we see him again as we really felt comfortable with him.

The first attempt at scheduling, they came up with a Dec. 23rd appointment. I told the gal that I knew that Gregg had hoped not to be here that along. She is a great gal named Paula that had already done us a big favor in putting his schedule together and has already received a nice bottle of wine for her efforts! She made a special call to Dr. McLaughlin's nurse and explained that we had seen Dr. McLaughlin four years ago and that we have already been here two weeks. We now have a Dec. 16th appointment so there is some progress.

We are hoping that they can put the Protocol together here and have it administered in Cape Coral. We located a Cancer Center just nine miles from our house.

By the way if any of you are in the Cape Coral area our address is 11250 Royal Tee Circle in Cape Coral 33991. We hope to be there as of the 1st of the year.

If we need to stay here for the first round of it, we will have to do so. Dexter has offered to fly over and drive the motorhome over if Gregg isn't feeling well. I am sure that I could do it if I took it slow enough but, I am also sure that if Gregg wasn't feeling well before we start the trip, he would be feeling much worse with my hands at the wheel for that distance! Hopefully we can drive over and start the process after Christmas.

The week will seem much more like a month but we get out during the day when traffic isn't terrible.

We will keep you updated as we know more.

Thanks for all of the prayers,

Gregg, Karen & Ellie May

12/16/04: After 22 days in Houston, we finally received what we feel is very good news. Seems hard to feel that way when we know the cancer is back but, Dr. McLaughlin has very very calming affect. He again reminded us that with NHL it is the nature of the beast to re-surface. Again it has returned as a Low-Grade Lymphoma which is very slow growing, unfortunately not the kind to have. He said that we have several options to consider but for right now just go enjoy Christmas.

He was hoping to get Gregg in for another Bone Marrow Biopsy before we head out but, it now sounds like the schedule is completely booked for Friday. This would be done more as a marker for future tests to be compared to. At this time he is holding off on any treatment until we return in April. He said that they are working on a new drug or combination targeted for B-Cell NHL. By April he is hoping that there will be enough clinical research and that Gregg might be a good candidate being he is in such good health.

Some of the new treatments may require more time in Houston than we would like verses the chemo approach. We are prepared to do whatever is needed. Obviously the new treatments require close monitoring and we certainly appreciate that.

In the mean time Gregg has one lymph node that is large enough to feel and keep track of the size to make sure that it is not growing. He tells me that this of course will be my job. How lucky could I be, it just happens to be in his groin! If there is any change we will need to return to Houston sooner.

He told us to be thinking about a Bone Marrow Transplant down the road. The best possible way of keeping NHL at a stand still (possible cure) is to receive a Bone Marrow Transplant using marrow from a perfect match. Gregg's brother, Dexter would have the best chance of being this match. It is possible to use the patient's if the cancer has not spread to the bone marrow. The results are not as good however.

For the docs out there, the Diagnosis: Malignant Lymphoma Predominantly Small, Follicular Center, B-Cell Type. Some concern that his Platelet Count has dropped form 135 in March 03 to 98 in Nov. 04.

We plan to head out of Houston tomorrow morning. We hope to be celebrating Christmas in Florida.

Thanks to all of you for the prayers and please keep it up. We believe that is what is keeping the cancer at bay.

Gregg, Karen and (superdog) Ellie May

04/18/05 We will start with the FINAL 30 minutes of an extremely stressful and emotional four days. We received very good news from his chemotologist, Dr. Peter McLaughlin. According to the CT Scans, the tumors have increased very little since our November appointment. His blood counts were actually a little better than in November.

Dr. McLaughlin said, "lets check it in another 90 days unless Gregg wants to get started with something now". We will return in July after our REUNIONS! Since our last visit we were given two new Protocols to take a look at. Both include a drug called Rituximab which is an antibody that binds to the cancer cells to kill them. They are coming up with new drugs all the time so maybe some day there will be a magic bullet.

As of today, they tell us that the only possible cure is to have an Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant. The patient receives stem cells from a related or an unrelated person. It would require a four month stay in Houston. At least 30 days in the hospital and another 70 days staying within 10 minutes of the hospital. We have visited with patients, some of which are post-transplant and some that were just getting ready to enter the hospital. The stories are pretty much the same - scary.

We had several consultations with members of the Bone Marrow Transplant team. We must say that it was a very awakening, if not frightening experience. The doctor that would lead Gregg's transplant reminded us that NHL patients usually live 7-10 years from the time of diagnosis and that Gregg had used up four of those years. Wow - what a way to make our day. We were later given the price estimate only to find out later that his insurance will not cover it.

We are going to begin the search for a donor match in the very near future. His brother has the best chance (1 in 4) and less likely, not impossible are matches with his father or sons. We are told that there are approximately 8 million people registered on the donor list but only a 50/50 chance in a perfect match. Interested??? http://www.marrow.org/

On the positive side, we hopefully have some time if we keep it knocked down. It is very important that the transplant is done before the NHL progresses to an aggressive form. The transplant must be done before the age of 65. We are not sure which is working - the Power or Prayer or the dozen or so vitamins and supplements that he started taking around January 1st after watching a segment on Divine Health -Natural www.glennburkett.com

We are going to continue both and thanks to all who keep us in your prayers.

Gregg, Karen and Ellie May

July 2005

Just a quick update from Houston:

Gregg's appointment went just as we had expected with no major changes. A few of the tumors have mildly diminished in size since his April appointment. (This may be due to the herbal concoction that he has been taking)

The doctor assures us the cancer however is not gone. His spleen is slightly larger than in April. The enlarged spleen is common with NHL and may need to be removed.

We will return to Houston the end of October and start chemo in November after returning to Florida. We of course have been praying the cancer goes away but we feel blessed that it has let us enjoy this time together and postpone the treatment until we get to our home in Florida.

He is feeling great with no physical symptoms.

Thanks for keeping up in your prayers,

Gregg & Karen

11/23/05

Hello to Friends and Family,

We just returned back to our home in Cape Coral from Houston. Gregg's appointment was not as we had HOPED for but, it was as we had prepared for. The tumors are continuing to increase in size but only slightly. There are six noted tumors and involvement of his spleen. His Laboratory counts have slipped slightly so we are going to get after it! In April during his Bone Marrow Biopsy they found 5% involvement but this time it did Not show involvement. It is probably still there but appears to have not progressed and this is very good news. We are not sure if they consider him Stage III or now Stage IV.

It makes for a very tough decision as to how aggressively to tackle his cancer. He feels as healthy as ever other than needing a snooze when the need hits him! Sometimes it is once a day and sometimes it might be a couple times. Dr. McLaughlin from M.D. Anderson Houston has sent a protocol with us to discuss with the Oncologist here. He is recommending that we go fairly aggressive being Gregg is feeling so good to hopefully get it back in remission and keep it there until a Bone Marrow match can be found. At this time we know that Dexter and Garrett are not matches and will know soon whether G-II is. He is on the National Donor Search at this time.

Anyway, we have an appointment with an Oncologist here next Tuesday the 29th and will set up the schedule. The protocol sent by M.D. Anderson is R-CHOP 5 Days on, 21 Days off. If possible we will schedule it to begin Dec. 12th so he can enjoy Christmas and New Years. Yes - the Doc says he will lose his hair; some friends say it serves him right, as he has almost no gray and a full head. I will probably buzz him before that happens!

Thanks for all of your prayers and please continue to keep us in them.

Karen, Gregg and Ellie May

12/05/05 - Wow! Thanks for all of the offers and inquiries about being a Bone Marrow Donor. The information that we are passing on to all of you is directly from the packet of information that we received from the National Marrow Donor Program and information from Karen's call to the center in Minneapolis.

When it is decided that a transplant may be a cure for the disease they begin testing siblings looking for a related perfect match. There are markers on your cells that your donor's cells need to match. These DNA markers are found by doing a blood test called HLA typing. These markers are not the same as your blood type. Doctors test six to ten markers for a match. If you and your donor match on all markers, that match may be called "perfect."

You inherit half of your markers from your mother and half from your father. Each of your brothers and sisters has a 25% chance of matching you. It is very unlikely that any other family members or friends will be a perfect match. In some cases, transplants can be successful with a less than perfect match. A well-matched donor is important to the success of the transplant.

If friends or extended family members are willing to be a volunteer donor for anyone, not just Gregg, they can call 1-800-627-7692 or visit the Web site at www.marrow.org. There is a cost to join the Registry, which covers the laboratory testing. The call Karen placed to 1-888-999-6743 estimated the cost to be around $60. When Karen joined the Registry last summer it was $160 but it was not directly through the National Program so extra fees were applied. When you call or go online you can find the location nearest you. They will mail the packet to you and you can have the blood drawn at a local clinic and overnight it back.

We would be grateful to any of you that are willing to join the National Program. Even if you cannot help Gregg, you increase the chances of savings someone's life. Presently we are paying for a search for Gregg among the six million registered possible donors world wide.

There are health requirements that you should know before you go any further. You cannot have had cancer, a heart attack or stroke. You cannot have had a tattoo or body piercing within the last year. Obviously aids, drug use and several other health issues. You must be under 60 years of age.

11/29/05 Appointment with the Oncologist here in Cape Coral. It appears that he agrees with M.D. Anderson's aggressive chemo approach. He says that we are batting for a "Home Run" and hopefully it will put the cancer in remission for a good long time. He also thinks Gregg is strong enough to handle the R-CHOP protocol. He said that we can always change the game as we go along. We begin next Thursday December 8th and will continue for 6-7 months. He will have minor surgery on December 14th to have a meta port put in his chest making it easier for him to receive the infusions.

Annie Sigelman will be here for a few days over the weekend so we may do, with hair photos and in a month or so the sleek look for all of you! Can you imagine, NO MOUSTACHE?

Karen Forsberg

12/17/05 Just a quick update on the progress or Lack of Progress with Gregg's chemo. He was scheduled for his first chemo treatment December 8th. When we met with his Oncologist just before starting the chemo, the Doc asked if everything went okay with the installation of the Mediport. We then explained that he wasn't scheduled until December 14th (today) to get the Mediport but the nurse and scheduling gal said that many people have chemo without a Mediport. His doctor said that with his type of chemo about a week after the chemo his Blood Counts are really going to drop and the chance of infection and etc. will increase. He said, lets delay it for a week. It was a relief but on the other hand we had our "mind set" to get on with it.

On Tuesday morning I told Gregg that I was going to call the Surgeon's office and ask if there were any Pre-Op instructions like not eating for several hours and etc. When I talked to them, they informed me that this was only a consultation and that the surgery would be scheduled only after we met with the doctor. Obviously we were not very pleased as now again our appointment for chemo this Thursday and Friday needed to be postponed. We decided that at this point there is really no reason to be sick for Christmas after waiting this long.

The mediport will be installed in the Cape Coral Hospital on Tuesday, December 20th. We will begin chemo on December 29th.

On the positive side - we won't have to miss the neighborhood Christmas parties!

Karen, Gregg & Ellie May

01/05/06 - Gregg made it through his first rounds of chemo last week. The two hours on Thursday went very well. For those of you that have experienced chemo - he had Vincristiine (Oncovin), Cyclophosphamide/Cytoxan, Adriamycin (Doxorubicin) and Prednisone. On Friday he had a six hour treatment of Rituxan. This one was a little tougher, for about 45 minutes his insides seemed to be on fire so they stopped and let him re-group. He is on the Prednisone for 5 days each cycle.

We had a doctors appointment for blood counts today and he has been quarantined to the house for four days and put on Levaquin, a strong antibiotic. His White count was only 600. Normal is 3,800 to 10,800. He is very tired and very susceptible to infection. He should start feeling stronger in the next 4-5 days.

Doc says that he will lose his hair sometime in the next week or so.

He has a positive attitude, it is just a little slower for the time being!

01/24/06 - Following are four shots of Gregg.

One just before we shaved his head.

The 2nd was his new hair style with his mustache.

Mr. Clean

The last was his Prankster outfit! He went to the neighbors trying to sell them hurricane lights. So that they would not recognize his voice, he had a note explaining that he was hearing impaired and selling the lights for JUST $29. Not one person has recognized him. He also got our Golf Pro.

His 2nd round of chemo went very well. He doesn't sleep well at night because of the Prednisone but we only have 3 more days of that before he gets a two week break.

It has been in the low 80's the last 6 days so we have enjoyed several rounds of golf.

Karen & Gregg

05/11/06 - Just an update to let you know that we made it thru six rounds of chemo (CHOP & Rituxan combo) on schedule. Of course there were some very tough days but, overall Gregg did remarkably well. The only side effect that we are seeing is fatigue. The doctor told us to expect six months to a year before his strength is back. He is still puffy from the prednisone but that is slowly going away.
We celebrated his 59th birthday last week along with Annie & Mary. He is recovering this week! It was fun as he was finally feeling good enough to get out and about for dinner and go to the beach.

We are now anxiously awaiting our trip to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for the tests and results. We fly over on the 21st and return to Cape Coral the evening of the 25th. We will then close down the house and load the car for our trip north. If all goes as planned, we will leave here May 30th and take four days to make the trip.

We sold the Motorhome two weeks ago to a couple here in Cape Coral. That of course was bitter/sweet! We loved the motorhome but really haven't used it enough to justify having it since we purchased the home in Cape Coral. It would have been a very tough trip north as Gregg usually needs to sleep a couple times a day. The couple that bought it seem very nice. We are planning to golf with them and have dinner next week.

Thanks for all of the prayers and Please keep us in them the 21st thru the 25th. We will hope to send great news after the appointment.
Karen, Gregg & Ellie May

P.S. After losing his hair to chemo, Gregg can tell you Nose and Pubic Hair DO have their purpose!

05/30/06 - Thanks for the Prayers - they worked!

We just returned from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center with very good news. We do have one test (PET Scan) that we are still waiting for the results but, the CT's look great! Gregg responded well to the (R-CHOP) Chemo that he has been taking the last six months. All of the enlarged lymph nodes have decreased significantly. His liver, spleen, adrenal glands and pancreas are all normal again. His Bone Marrow biopsy indicates that there are a few B cells present, however there is no support for the diagnosis of lymphoma. His blood counts are still not where they should be but that may take some time.

The plan now is that he will be taking RITUXIMAB every 2 to 3 months as a Maintenance Program. The Clinical Studies are showing very good results keeping the lymphoma in check when continuing the Rituximab. Gregg tolerated the Rituximab very well during the six treatments. We will most likely do the infusions in Watertown, SD. They will not be able to access his Mediport (subclavian catheter) to do the infusions as the CT scans show that it has become malpositioned. The tip is now headed north into his jugular vein! The port was put in here in Florida which probably explains the problem!

We are now busy putting up Hurricane Shutters and preparing to start our trip north. We are going to wait until Tuesday in hopes of missing the Memorial Day traffic.

Gregg is just starting to get a little peach fuzz on his head & lipJJJ

Thanks for all of your emails and prayers,

Karen, Gregg & Ellie May

11/19/06 - Gregg's Nov. 2006 Appointment

Family & Friends, We had a Good Report.

We don't have the Bone Marrow results yet but, the CT Scans show that the small nodes (tumors) are the same size or slightly smaller than the CT Scans done in May. The Blood Counts are mostly normal.

There is some concern with his Immunoglobulin which is low probably due to the Rituxan that he has been receiving. Immunoglobulin kills bacteria and fights infections. In May, we were of the opinion that Gregg would be receiving the Rituxan (which is Monoclonal Antibodies) every 2-3 months for as long as it stayed effective. His doctor at M.D. Anderson now says that a maximum of two years and then he needs to go off of it. We need to do more research but it sounds like people staying on it have high risks of respiratory problems.

The three doctors that we met with are all recommending a Bone Marrow Transplant the next time the Non-Hodgkins comes back. We are hoping many years down the road! If the Bone Marrow results show NO cancer cells, they tell us that we have a "window of opportunity" that we did not have in the past. They would harvest Gregg's stems cells and freeze them until needed. This would eliminate a few of the major complications of a transplant such as Rejection of the transplant and Graft-Verses-Host Disease. They are submitting the procedure to our insurance company for approval. We won't know for 30-45 days if they will cover the procedure. They have already covered most of the cost for the Unrelated Donor Search that was done last year. M.D. Anderson located two individuals on the National Donor list that match 8 out of 10 markers. We would need to go back to Houston and spend approximately 10 days for the stem cell harvest. The cells can be kept up to 10 years. They are recommending the Transplant as the next step because of his age and otherwise good health. As you will see in the photos, he looks as healthy and strong as a well fed horse!

We have several questions that we need answered before we proceed. Our visit with his main Doctor was cut very short as he was running two hours late and we had a plane to catch. We will be seeing his Doctor here in Cape Coral and also checking in with Dr. Rubin in Watertown. We will also fire a few questions to Dave Volk (who also has NHL) for his doctor in Sioux Falls.

For those of you who have NOT seen Forsberg since the Bald Look - the hair on his head came back BLACK, Thick and Wavy! We have not really figured out how to style it. For now he is pasting it back as it wants to stand straight up! This eye brows and mustache are light brown same as before. See the photo of the new Gregg.

Thanks again for all of your prayers and messages,

Gregg, Karen & Ellie May

Family & Friends,

As recommended by his doctors at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and also his doctor buddies, we headed back to Houston to do a Stem Cell Harvest. We had really hoped to delay it until our May checkup but were warned that if Gregg relapsed between now and then, our opportunity to use his own stem cells would be gone. The process took 17 days which was much longer than planned for. Because of the radiation treatments back in 2000 and the chemo last winter along with two more rounds of Rituxan within the last ten days, his bone marrow did not produce the number of needed cells for harvesting. Rather than the planned fourteen shots of Neupogen (growth factor) he received 38. His pour belly looked like a pin cushion. The target was to collect 5 million stem cells in two, possibly three settings. It took five very long grueling harvests. He hit 4.53 million which they say was a success. Each day a needle was inserted into each arm, blood was drawn out of one arm and ran through a machine to collect the stem cells and then returned in the other arm. After day five the veins in his arms were done and so was he!

We now understand why he is Very fortunate to collect and freeze his own stems cells. In the Stem Cell Harvest Center there were 16 beds that were filled two or three times daily, being there five days gave us the opportunity to meet and visit with several other patients and family members. There were Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant patients that now have Graft-Versus-Host Disease. GVHD occurs when the new bone marrow (the Graft) recognizes the tissue of your body as foreign and reacts against your body. Because he will be receiving his own, this is one complication he won't have to over come.

We flew out of Houston Thursday afternoon and hit the storms that produced the tornados in Florida. It was a ride that we will long remember! We are back home in Cape Coral and Gregg is feeling great; golfed one of his best games ever on Friday.

Thanks again for your prayers,

Karen & Gregg

Email us at greggforsberg@earthlink.net