The story no one ever wants to tell- the story of a loved one's cancer- but here we are and we continuously feel uplifted by our family, coworkers, friends from all walks of life, neighbors, each other, Alex's medical team and most importantly- by our Faith. So here I sit, trying to sum up Alex's story because we are well aware of the immense amount of love out there for him and keeping close to our people is a huge part of this journey. Until now- we haven't really been sure what to share, but with his treatments starting this week we wanted to able to keep everyone informed and up to date. End of October- ready to take on November (it's the month of many special birthday's in our household after all- Alex, me and Etta!). Alex became very dehydrated, and it was serious enough to have him taken by ambulance to the hospital. I was teaching and missed the calls from his work, so I got the message in person from our office lady- that sucked. I pulled it together and met him there. After a long and humbling day in the ER- we were so grateful from the CT scan that there seemed to be some answers. They detected 1 polyp- the recommendation was to get a colonoscopy and get it removed. Alex spent a few days at home recovering and spent more time horizontal than he has in the last 5.5 years ;). November 4th came quickly and we were headed to MNGI to put this behind us so Alex didn't end up in the ER again. Honestly, at this point, neither of us really thought it was cancer- we were more eager to get this behind us and resume our 'normal' crazy. Still, neither of us really processed- what if this isn't just a polyp? It was time for Alex to go back to for the procedure- we gave our hugs and kisses and there I sat- still not worried and still just ready to be done. He came back and once he recovered the dr. expressed that the (3) polyps were removed successfully, but to his surprise they also found a large mass. He was quite sure without even any biopsies that it was cancerous and wanted us to know then and there. He stated that he was so sorry and that this was terribly unlucky for a young healthy man- we could tell this was not the message he was expecting to deliver. Within minutes there was shock, sadness, pain, and more shock- not yet fully grasping the weight that this would carry. November 6th- we got the call that Alex has cancer; I was home sick because turns out you can't teach with laryngitis and Alex had just dropped Etta off at daycare so he stopped home to tell me and be together for a bit. November 11th- after what seemed like forever of waiting, we his first appointment with a surgeon to find out possible treatment plan, stage, etc. He presented a very aggressive treatment plan, and after the appointment, something didn't feel right about this to Alex and he was sure he wanted a second opinion. November 20th- Alex got into Mayo Clinic and we were beyond grateful! From here on out the story of Mayo begins. Since then Alex has been poked and prodded and every test under the sun done on him! He has been so patient, brave, stoic yet vulnerable, grateful, positive and matter of fact all wrapped into one (I bet no one is surprised :). After many, many appointments and meeting with a multidisciplinary team that we are amazed by- it has been confirmed that Alex has Stage II Rectal Cancer. The good news is that it hasn't spread to lymph nodes or other organs which is beautiful and wonderful- but is still very impactful on Alex's life and ours. After hours of discussions with his Drs/Team- we have come to accept the treatment plan. Things change constantly, but for right now we see it as: 5.5 weeks of radiation with a chemo pill, daily at Mayo, then a little break, then another treatment called brachy therapy (a very localized radiation treatment) for a couple weeks, and then presumably 6 months of chemotherapy. Mayo included us every step of the way on the treatment plan and the brachy therapy through them was a huge plus (this is not an option for all cancer patients- but with his being localized it's an option and increases all the good odds :) and they were very comfortable with the above treatment plan to start, and trying to avoid surgery- which is what Alex was hoping for. For now, we have been told that many young people tolerate radiation well and can often resume many normal things- it just might look a little different. He might be sore, tired, nauseous, etc.- which is intimidating to think about when Alex is one of the hardest workers I know and so generous with his time and energy, an insanely loved and involved dad and husband! One step at a time! With that said- we feel the CONSTANT tug and pull at our hearts of being SO grateful, blessed, loved, supported, lifted, healthy in so many ways, stable jobs- THE LIST GOES ON- but also feeling the real devastation of it all. Anyone who is reading this knows that Alex is the true example of who we would want our dad, husband, brother, son, son in law, employee, neighbor, etc. to be; we all adore him. We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being on this journey with us- and thank you for lifting us up along the way. As today stands, we don't know what that exactly looks like- but please keep him (all four of us :) in your prayers and please keep reaching out! As things progress, we will keep people in the loop via this site about what's going on, how things are going and what our changing desires and needs might look like. Love, Becky