The world today can be a scary place
Hard to keep your faith in the human race
We're running out of trees and were running out of space
But we'll never run out of good people
Ask 'em for a shovel and they'll dig you a hole
Put the coffee on, call you in from the cold
If you get lost they'll show you where to go
Even give you a ride... good people
Good People aren't hard to find
Right around the corner at "The End of the Line"
It's true
Good people got peace of mind
I'd like to spend some time with you
A man is nothin' if he ain't got a friend
Down and out, not a penny to spend
But the bells above will ring in the end
For good people
Rich and poor are born to be free
Fly around the world or sail the seven seas
But there's no place I would rather be
Than here right now with good people
Hard to keep your faith in the human race
We're running out of trees and were running out of space
But we'll never run out of good people
Ask 'em for a shovel and they'll dig you a hole
Put the coffee on, call you in from the cold
If you get lost they'll show you where to go
Even give you a ride... good people
Good People aren't hard to find
Right around the corner at "The End of the Line"
It's true
Good people got peace of mind
I'd like to spend some time with you
A man is nothin' if he ain't got a friend
Down and out, not a penny to spend
But the bells above will ring in the end
For good people
Rich and poor are born to be free
Fly around the world or sail the seven seas
But there's no place I would rather be
Than here right now with good people
Written by: Séan McCann, Paul Lamb, Recorded by Great Big Sea
It's Boxing Day, 2011. Lots of people are out in the stores, looking for deals. But I have everything I need right here at home, thanks to a lot of good people. Tom's got some true friends who've stood by him all the way through, as does our whole family ~ not to mention the new friends we've made along the way, and the wonderful organizations who've been such a blessing to us.
Just before Christmas Dr. Haq approached Tom to discuss doing new scans and tests (unsolicited by us, by the way). He's amazed at Tom's progress and would like to investigate whether he is in fact in remission, and whether there are any clinical trials he might be eligible for. Early in January, he'll get Tom in for a CAT scan of the entire lower body and we'll take it from there.
A little back story on this: Tom and I had talked and thought about this a lot in recent weeks - was he in remission? could more treatment be possible? I prayed about it a lot, unsure whether we should push this idea forward. In the end, the feeling the two of us got, was that we would take our cue from Dr. Haq. If he approached Tom to discuss this, then we would take that as a sign. And two days after we made that decision, Dr. H came to Tom to discuss that very thing. I had a little chill of excitement up my spine, I can tell you!
To be honest, I was dreading Christmas this year, because the docs had told us that Tom would likely not still be with us.
For him to now be well enough to be reevaluated is HUGE. We're excited, but somewhat anxious about all the unknowns. There is no treatment without side effects. And even if there is a trial that seems suitable, there is also the possibility that his 'performance standard' score will exclude him many if not most, because he has lost his mobility - which lowers your score. While Tom can do a certain amount to strengthen and tone himself, weight bearing activities are out of the question. So there are lots of challenges and decisions ahead. But we say, BRING IT ON!
Thanks for checking in and keeping us in your prayers. We need every single one of 'em!
Looking forward, 'cautiously optimistic', to a New Year,
Thomas' Mom
