UPDATE JULY 31 2008

Similar to day 4 and 5 of the first course of VTEPA, Jeff is lethargic, tired and feeling crappy. Today, being the last day, Jeff will receive a 6 hour bag of chemotherapy. He will also undergo a procedure to remove the pick line, that is currently in his chest, to have a larger central line installed. This will allow for the removal of stem cells as they prepare for the stem cell procedure in the weeks to come.

There are several things to be excited about today. The last test of Jeff's cerebral fluid showed ZERO meningitis cells. Although he is still experiencing severe headaches, the doctor said this could be the result of swelling in the mengies due to the meningitis. And, it looks as if the Blounts will not be extending their stay at Emory past tonight or tomorrow. There is a chance he is going to be released tonight, but it not, tomorrow (heads up dinner volunteers).

UPDATE JULY 30 2008

Tina and Jeff have officially been residence of Emory University Hospital two weeks, today. Today is day 4 of 5 of the VTEPA treatment (5 day drip). Everything is moving along well with this course of treatment. He wasn't as lucky as he had hoped with the dose of chemo that was injected into the port to treat the meningitis. Perhaps his tolerance is building because he lasted a whole 5 minutes from the time of the injection to when he started getting sick. Saturday it was less than a minute.

The other news is that there is a little chatter about possibly coming home at the end of this week. Nothing has been confirmed, but if all continues to go well, that is a possibility.

UPDATE JULY 29 2008

Things are moving along. Drew had tryouts last night and told Jeff that he was running through people. Both kids will be visiting this afternoon. Jeff continues to improve, but today is going to be one of those days. He is on 3 of 5 with the chemotherapy drip AND he will have the other chemotherapy injected into the port to treat the meningitis. If you remember from Saturday, the port was used and within moments of receiving the treatment, Jeff ended up sick. Tina said that he seemed a little worried about this earlier this morning.

Side notes, the Rockdale Citizen has contacted Tina and Jeff and is going to run a story about this journey they did not choose to be on. Also, Mickey Walker, a RYBA parent, was nice enough to go and get school supplies for the kids so that Tina did not have to worry with it. The amazing thing about Mickey is that she doesn't even know Tina or Jeff, but was eager to help.

UPDATE JULY 28 2008 10:15AM

Today is day 2 of the 5 day drip and so far, so good. Jeff had a great Sunday. He was feeling great, had lots of visitors and was awake the entire day. Tina anticipated a quiet night, but Jeff was restless. He has a lot on his mind including tonight's pee wee football tryouts. This will be the first tryout that Jeff's missed since Drew started playing. Do we have any scouts who can attend the tryouts and take some notes for Jeff? Someone get in touch with Teri Cole. I've heard he's the 'go to' man in situations like this (Valentine's Day).

As Jeff gets closer to day 4 and 5, his stress level elevates. Last time, it was day 4 and 5 that really made him sick. He discussed this with his doctor and was told that each round of chemo is like a different football game. Hopefully this is a good game for Jeff.

UPDATE JULY 27 2008 SUNDAY

First, thanks to Greg and Debbie Chapman for giving Jeff and Tina a laptop! Tina thought she was going to have to leave the hospital today to go home and pay bills, but is now able to handle every bit of it in Jeff's room.

Jeff started the VTEPA (5 day drip) early this morning. He is feeling good. Frontera was good to him last night, no upset stomach. The meningitis cell count is down to 17!

Here is more information about VTEPA and the doctor who started this course of action. This is also the doctor that his treating Jeff. http://lib.bioinfo.pl/auth:Heffner,LT

WEEKEND UPDATE JULY 26-27 1008

Lumbar puncture that was supposed to happen yesterday, did not. Jeff was having some back pains, under went an MRI and the results were clear for any cancer on his spine. Today, Jeff spent a lot of time with family. Lacey brought Varsity. Jeff enjoyed the Varsity, the first time (keep reading). This afternoon, the doctors were cleared to use the port in his head to administer chemotherapy. Tina was amazed how how much easier it was to withdraw spinal fluid and inject the chemotherapy. While the doctor was pushing the chemotherapy through the syringe, he told Jeff that if he was going to be sick, it would be within the first hour. He walked out the door and Jeff started vomiting (the Varsity- second time).
Jeff was given medicine for nausea that knocks him out so when I arrived, he was sound asleep under his UGA blanket. Prior to leaving Conyers, I called Tina beforehand to see if I could bring her food. She had said that the likelihood of Jeff being hungry was low so I only brought Frontera for the two of us, but lots of it. Halfway through dinner, Jeff woke up and was hungry. He had what was left of Tina's Crazy Taco, cheese dip and ice cream. He topped it all off with a pepcid from his evening nurse.

We all know that eating Mexican food will make you tired and shortly after eating, Jeff hopped back into bed and fell asleep watching racing on tv.

This was the meal that Emory delivered before Jeff ate Mexican.

This is a view from the door as you walk in. The bathroom is on your left. Tina is in the back of the room on the laptop. Jeff was given a laptop as a gift from a friend and so they are now back in communication via email. Since they've been at Emory this time, he's been unable to read all the comments everyone is sending so Tina read them out loud while Jeff laid in bed. They are in a corner suite so there is a small view outside in the left corner of the room.

This was the procedure that Jeff had on Thursday to install the port in his head. Those are staples holding the incision together. The incision is shaped like a horse shoe. The port is located halfway between each end of the horse shoe- see the dot. Whenever the doctor needs fluid or to inject anything, he does it through that tiny spot.

Tomorrow, Jeff will be starting the 5 day drip. They decided they could start it a day early. He should also be receiving the results back from the spinal fluid that was withdrawn today. Last test, the meningitis cells were at 87 so anything lower than 87 is good.

UPDATE JULY 25 2008 FRIDAY 9:29AM

Much to Jeff's disliking, he will be staying at Emory this weekend. He is probably well enough to come home, but the cancer floor is full and if he leaves, it is not guaranteed that he will get another bed on Monday. Tina is not interested in there being any delays in his chemotherapy treatments and by staying this weekend, they know he will be able to start the 5 day drip first thing Monday morning.

To give everyone an idea of how sick Jeff was, a staff explained to Jeff and Tina how they diagnose meningitis. They look at the spinal fluid and if they see 1-2 meningitis cells, they diagnose it. When Jeff went into the hospital last week, he had over 4000. Typically, the fluid should look clear with 1-2 red dots. In Jeff's case, the doctor said it resembled more of a blood smear than spinal fluid. The cells dropped to 1000 after the first dose of chemo. During surgery, yesterday, they tested his spinal fluid again and he was at 87. Even at 87, this is extremely high. Today, he will undergo another lumbar puncture to test, yet again. Jeff's has enough wits about him to know who at Emory he wants putting a needle in his spine and who he doesn't. He's been there long enough that he is putting in requests for certain people and for today's lumbar puncture, he has requested Mary Potter. This can only mean one of two things. Either Mary is great at what she does or one foxy lady (maybe both)!

On a whole, he is doing 10 times better. He got up and was able to take a shower with out the supportive stool. He dressed himself and is attempting to walk down to breakfast without the use of the wheelchair. The strength in his legs has improved and his balance is better. Salem Football Players- your coach is practicing what he preaches by pushing himself further and further every day. Let him be your motivation you when you are out of breath, legs burning and heart is racing.

The goal for this next week is to continue improving and be home next weekend prior to the kids starting school.

UPDATE JULY 24 2008 (THURSDAY PM)

The port is in and Jeff's speech has actually improved. The meningitis cells are slowly going away and if everything stays the same and Jeff wants to go home tomorrow, he probably will. When I talked to Tina, I could hear Jeff in the background talking to someone and it sounded like the same Jeff I am used to talking to at the baseball fields.

SATURDAY AUGUST 16TH BENEFIT WHISTLE POST TAVERN

Jeff's cousin, KJ, is putting on a benefit show for Jeff at The Whistle Post Tavern in Conyers on Saturday August 16th. Attached is the flyer (above). He has also created a Jeff Blount benefit myspace that has all the information about the benefit: www.myspace.com/jeffblountbenefit

SALEM HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ADS

If anyone is interested in showing their support for Jeff in the way of an ad in the Salem High School Football Program- follow this link:

http://www.salemseminolesfootball.com/downloads/Salem_Seminoles_Football_Program_2008.pdf

UPDATE JULY 24 9:51am

Jeff is out of surgery. He went in this morning at 7:15am for preparation. The actual surgery took approximately 35 minutes and he is currently in recovery. Tina was hopeful that, with the port in place, Jeff could start receiving chemotherapy through the port. She was told, by the neurosurgeon, that he wanted to wait 3-4 days before using the port for chemotherapy. Probably, Jeff will receive his chemotherapy through his spine today and a blood transfusion (blood count dropped). Other than a big bump on his head and the obvious port sticking out, he shouldn't have any side effects from this procedure.

Yesterday had its ups and downs. Jeff's speech has been slightly slurred and his legs are a little wobbly and this is becoming an nuisance to him. Couple this with today's procedure and Jeff was a little scared. I am speculating right now, but based on the conversation I had with Tina, the worst case scenario is that Jeff has to have a little physical therapy to work out the kinks. It can't be that bad considering Jeff beat Lacy and Tina at two hands of rummy yesterday an they weren't close games.

The up side is that Drew and Megan were able to spend some time with Jeff during the afternoon. Additionally, Jeff jumped out of bed around 4:30pm and decided that he wanted to walk. His usual routine is to walk in the morning, but he decided to throw an additional walk into his afternoon. He walked behind his wheelchair for some time and then attempted and succeeded to walk unassisted.

Tomorrow things will be re-evaluated and if Jeff has anything to do with it, he will get to spend the weekend home with his family. Fingers crossed!

UPDATE JULY 23 9:53am

Jeff and Tina are in the cafeteria enjoying their time together over breakfast and a cup of coffee. Jeff was feeling under the weather yesterday, but apparently he is not in any pain because he's been without pain medicine since 10pm last night! He was also moved to the Cancer floor last night.

The agenda today is to rest and visit with the kids. Drew and Megan will be able to spend some much needed time with their mommy and daddy today. Surgery for the port is still scheduled for tomorrow. Friday, Jeff will be re-evaluated and there is a small chance he might come home for a day or two before next weeks scheduled stay.

JEFF'S HOME AWAY FROM HOME

This was the moment, last week, when Tina knew things were getting better. Jeff snapped out of his groggy state, got in this chair and reached for the sports section.
Harry, Jeff, Tina and Matt.

There is not doubt, Harry and Lacy would take on this cancer for Jeff, if they could.

UPDATE JULY 22 2008

*** I am getting an message from blogspot that there will be a scheduled outage today at 9:30EST. I am not sure if this means the entire site will be down or not, but just keep that in mind if you are checking after 9:30pm***

Tina was able to give me more information about the procedure that Jeff will have to install a port in his head. The procedure is called Ommaya Reservoir. Click to link to read more http://www.enotes.com/cancer-encyclopedia/ommaya-reservoir. The purpose is the allow the doctors easier access to his spinal fluid and for administrating chemotherapy. Tina took Jeff on his usual morning walk to the elevators. She said that the distance from his room to the elevator is about the length of a football field. At the elevators, Jeff hops in the wheel chair and from there, Tina pushes. They went to breakfast despite his appetite not being as strong as it was a few days ago. After breakfast, Jeff returned to his room and has been sleeping since.

Jeff lost his pain pump today because he wasn't utilizing it enough to have, so he is back on oral pain medications. Probably not what he wanted to hear, but the reality is, this is great news. They also cut out the steroids. The little bounce in the few steps he was taking is gone and he is fatigued, tired and sore, but hopefully getting better.

Interesting tidbit, Jeff was apparently craving tomatoes. As any loving father would do, Harry came to the hospital bearing enough tomatoes for Jeff and perhaps any visitors that should show up this afternoon.

JEFF & FUNDRAISER UPDATE JULY 21ST

Darlene Evans deserves a gold medal for the planning and organizing of the benefit this past weekend. $11,000.00 was raised thanks to her hard work, effort and the participation of so many Jeff Blount fans, friends and family.

The account at Bank of North GA (across from Zaxby's/Lowes) will remain open for anyone who wishes to make a donation. Please reference the Jeff Blount Benefit.

Today was a big day. Jeff had the lumbar puncture done, much to his discomfort. The doctor was unsuccessful the first two attempts at removing spinal fluid. The third attempt was a success and the results show that the course of treatment is working. In order to make this process easier, a port will be installed in his head on Wednesday. This port will enable to doctors to access spinal fluid easier as well as administer the chemotherapy.

There is a chance that Jeff will be going home for a few days this week. The doctors are anxious to give him a break from the hospital prior to next weeks 5 day chemo drip that he was previously scheduled for. As much as Tina would love to sleep in her own bed, she is not overly excited about leaving Emory until she's comfortable that he can continue to thrive at home.

UPDATE JULY 21ST

No big changes since yesterday. Jeff got up this morning and went to breakfast in the cafeteria. Then he took a catnap before the kids came to visit. I could hear him in the background, as I was talking to Tina, and he hasn't lost his sense of humor! He should be having the lumbar puncture soon and hopefully good results this evening.

UPDATE JULY 20TH

Jeff is having a great day. He got out of the bed, this morning, and headed down to the cafeteria for breakfast with Tina. They spent a few minutes outside before Jeff came back in and took a shower. Tomorrow, the doctors will perform a lumbar puncture to see if the treatment is helping with the meningitis and cancer. They are also expecting to give him another dose of chemo. There are a couple of other tricks the doctors have up their sleeve if this course of treatment is not working. The other options are another form of chemotherapy and or radiation. Hopefully, this won't be necessary, but it is a viable option.

BLOUNT BENEFIT & UPDATE JULY 19TH EVENING

The Benefit for Jeff was a wonderful event. It started this morning at 10am with registration for the poker run. There were approximately 75 individuals participating in this part of the event. Other participants arrived at Glenda's at 2:30pm to enjoy delicious bbq. The cyclists arrived back from their run at approximately 3:30pm.

Many thanks to Darlene Evans (left) for organizing this event. Jeff was fully aware of this event happening today. As a matter of fact, he was doing better today than he's has been these last couple of days. Tina said that any mention of this event brought him to tears. He is truly touched by how many of us truly care and love him.

Sheriff Wigington and his wife were on hand to show their support for Jeff.

A link to all of the pictures that were taken today, will be posted by Monday afternoon.

UPDATE JULY 19TH AM

Jeff had a good nights rest. He got up briefly this morning and tried to eat a little breakfast. Then he got back in bed to rest. Drew and Megan are going up to see their dad today and Tina is hopeful that Jeff will have the energy and coherence to spend a few minutes with them.

BENEFIT TODAY, SATURDAY JULY 19TH

Please, come join Jeff's family in an event to honor a wonderful father, son, coach, husband, friend, mentor and person. The main event, after the ride, starts at 2:30pm at Glenda's BBQ in Oxford. Glenda's is located off of Hwy 138 on your way from Conyers to Monroe.

BENEFIT FOR JEFF BLOUNT

Glenda's Bar & Grill

5463 Highway 138 SW,Oxford, GA 30054

Saturday July 19th 2008

Poker Run $25.00 to Ride

$10.00 passengers and door entry.

Pre-registration preferred

Contact Glenda's Bar & Grill at 678-342-9416 or

Register at 10am.

Route will be posted, prices include BBQ Plate

smokin' hoke bbq

ALL DAY RAFFLES, LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Any other questions regarding this event, please call Darlene Evans at (c)678-472-5600

UPDATE JULY 18TH EVENING UPDATE

Tina's had an emotional day on 3 hours of sleep, but got the miracle that she was desperately praying for last night. Jeff got out of the bed this evening for approximately 90 minutes and was coherent and jovial as we all know he is.
With everything that is gone on, one of the things that Tina has told me is that Jeff's eyes were bulging some. She was told that this can be a result of many things including severe vomiting. So, this evening, when Jeff got up, he decided to use the restroom on his own. When he got into the bathroom and saw himself in the mirror he said 'TINA, what's wrong with my eyes?'. I can hear the words coming out of his mouth and it made me laugh when she said it.
Lots of prayers and fingers crossed that the worst of the meningitis is behind us and that things are going to be better this weekend.

UPDATE JULY 18 2007

It was a rough night because the doctor tried to lower Jeff's pain medicine. Tina was hopeful that he would be able to tolerate a lower dose so that he was more coherent and able to visit with the kids today. Unfortunately, his pain was too great and they reverted back to what they were doing yesterday to keep him comfortable. Jeff is communicating in between sleep. He had an echo cardiogram this morning and was told that his heart was good and strong. Whether Jeff was in the hospital or not, this would have been the first week of preparation for the stem cell procedure and Tina is comforted by the fact that those items are being taken care of while his is in the hospital now. They are checking him from top to bottom to prepare for the stem cell procedure later next month.
The agenda for Monday is to check to see how he is responding to the chemotherapy that is being injected into his spine and then for him to have another dose.

JULY 17 2008 EVENING UPDATE (POSTED BY BRANDI)

The results of the spinal tap are back and Jeff does have meningitis and lymphoma (in or near brain). They are injecting the chemotherapy directly into his spine so that it will be carried directly to the areas that need to be treated. Forgive me if these details are somewhat elementary, I am trying to understand what Tina is trying to understand from the doctors that are treating Jeff. He is sedated for the most part and wakes every once in a while to say hi to his mom and groan. The next dose of chemotherapy will be on Monday as Jeff will be spending the rest of the week and weekend at Emory.

UPDATE JULY 17 2008

Uggghhh... Jeff is still at Emory. He had an MRI yesterday evening and the doctors have reason to believe that he has meningitis and that the cancer has spread some to his brain. They did a spinal tap and are waiting for the results either this evening or tomorrow morning to either confirm or deny their beliefs. Jeff is being given chemotherapy for the cancer they believe to be in his brain and Tina was told that this is treatable. Lots of prayers and fingers crossed, tomorrow will be a better day.

JULY 16 UPDATE- JEFF BACK AT EMORY

Tina and Jeff headed for the Emory ER around 4am this morning. Jeff's migraines have become unbearable even for a tough guy like Jeff. The CT Scan came back negative for ?? and everything is fine with his head, but until they can locate the cause of the migraines, Jeff will be at Emory.

The doctors are looking into the possibility of Jeff having meningitis and once his platelets increase, he will have a spinal tap. Apparently, this is not uncommon for a person with cancer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meningitis

The good news is that once they can minimize or eliminate the migraines, Jeff should be doing 100 times better. Tina also said that the food drive is going great! Karen Webster brought a spaghetti bake on Sunday night and Jeff was able to eat 2 servings.

TUESDAY 7/15/08 UPDATE

Jeff may need a little 'pick me up' from his friends and family. For those runners, Jeff is running a hard race, but the pain has kicked in and all he has left to get him to the end is heart, desire and support from his team. Who am I kidding, does Jeff have any friends who like to run?

Football scenario: He only has to take the ball a couple more yards, but he is exhausted and in a lot of pain. He needs his fans cheering him on and telling him that he is strong and get through this.

If neither of these make senses, the long and short is that the chemotherapy is kicking his a** right now. He is in pain, nauseated and is having horrible migraines and it's taking its toll on him mentally.

If anyone would like to send a card or have your kids send a card, his address is 3525 Tiffany Drive, Conyers, GA 30013. Video messages can be emailed to brandiwatson@yahoo.com and I can post them on his blog.

JULY 13TH UPDATE FROM TINA

These last two days are ones that I wish to forget about once Jeff is healthy again. He's had horrible headaches, vomiting, pain and nausea. We had to take a trip to Emory ER yesterday for a platelet transfusion because his platelets were critically low and they topped it off with a bag of potassium. We did not get home from Emory until 5am this morning. Part of the stress that comes from fighting cancer is not being able to predict one day to the next.

On a happier note, Megan has her first loose tooth that should be falling out at anytime and thanks to Cheire Allen, we had lasagna on Friday night that was better than Milano's. There are no words to describe out gratitude for the unconditional support that we are receiving from our family and friends.

JULY 10TH UPDATE FROM TINA

Yesterday we spent all day at Emory. We left at 8:00 and got home at 5:15! Jeff had a rough day but it was day 9. He did not have to have blood transfusion or platelet (which is GREAT!!) but he did have to have 2 hours of IV fluids. He was vomiting yesterday morning and was very weak. The doctor said he thinks the tumor may have gone down some.
We spoke to the doctors yesterday about the Bone Marrow Transplant. We have to go have Blood work on Monday (maybe Friday if he isn't feeling well) then next Wed. we have to go back to Emory to have Blood work and see the doctor (maybe a blood transfusion or platelet transfusion) then on Thursday we have to go back to Emory all day to do the 1st step of getting him ready for the Bone Marrow transplant. He will have to have a EKG, Echo, Blood work, PFT and go through classes to go over everything. So it will be a busy week.
Jeff sleep pretty well last night and feels a little better today!! (not as nauseated)~!!!
This is one day at a time!!
Finally, thanks to Lisa Sweat for the wonderful dinner she provided our family on Tuesday night.

JUNE 30- JULY 6 STAY AT EMORY

Thanks to everyone who sent letters and messages to Jeff while he was at Emory.

Dr. Drew, Jeff and Megan.

Jeff is visiting with his dad and aunt.

Jeff and nurse Patty Sims (gators fan).

Jeff's visitors on July 3rd. Where's Jeff?

Jeff & the kids.

The Blount Family July 2008.

SUNDAY JULY 6 UPDATE

Jeff is out of the hospital and back at home with his family. The last 2 days of the drip were not good, but he survived the boredom, uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, pain and naseau and lobbied to come home. The weeks to follow are unchartered territory for Jeff and he will likely experience the undesirable side effects of chemotherapy.

THURSDAY JULY 3 UPDATE

First, whenever you see Lacie, remind her to breathe. She's had a tough week and rightfully so, this is her child. Hopefully with how Jeff has been doing these last two days, she's had a chance to exhale and regroup. Lacie- we love you, too!

Tina has no mercy! She was beating the pants off of Jeff again today in cards. She's a shark.

Jeff is on his 3rd day of a 5 day drip and was happy to report that the tumor is starting to shrink again. He has another doctor that he is working with who has a positive outlook on this situation which is uplifting for both Jeff and Tina. He stuck to his morning walk with Tina before being hooked up today to the chemo. He did report that he is a little more fatigued than the first two days and somewhat sore from the sleeping arrangements.

VISTORS AT THE HOSPITAL & UPDATE

We all know this, but it is still something that Jeff's doctors said needs to be communicated- if you have intentions of visiting him in the hospital, please stay home if you are not 100% healthy! Additionally, no children under 6 years old are admissible.

On a side note, I talked to Tina this morning and could hear Jeff in the background saying 'she's smokin' my butt'. They were playing cards and my impression is that by the end of the game, Jeff would be calling Tina 'Daddy'. This is day 2 of 5 with the chemo drip and prior to starting, Jeff decided to take a little walk around the hospital, stretch his legs before having to be confined to the bed during therapy. Tina also reported that Jeff had a good nights rest.

STEP FORWARD- UPDATE FROM JEFF

July 1 - After a rough start to the day with a lot of pain & a pain-medicine induced stupor, I was able to rebound. I regained my strength & had a really marvelous 2nd half of the day.

I received a great amount of support from our family & friends throughout the day. It gave me a boost of support to fight this evil within me.

I can't begin to express my appreciation for the love & support received from all my family & friends. As we begin this battle for life, my family really appreciates the sacrifices that are being made by everyone to support us.

I will always keep my head up and push forward with great determination. I can promise that I will never quit and know that you will never quit as well.

Tomorrow we will begin the 2nd phase of the chemo in this cycle. With the prayer & support of everyone on my team, we will have better success than we've had to date. (Do not fear) I do love all you guys. Jeff Blount

*** Side note from a friend... Jeff is taking the strongest chemo on the planet for this type of cancer. So far, he's tolerating it well, but its effects won't really show for a week or two. Its time for all his prayer warriors to send the prayers up and get the word out. Please contact your prayer chains. Jeff has a strong faith but prayer is what he & his family needs. ***

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

There are a few of us who are anticipating this month to be a difficult month for the Blount family and are anxious to take on responsibilities that might help make things at the household run smoother. For example, Dean Hayes has officially taken on responsibility for the lawn. Melissa Lewis, amongst other things, is responsible for bringing the trash down to the road on Tuesdays.

If any of you are interested in making dinner, organizing a play date for the ankle biters or simply helping with laundry, please email me at brandiwatson@yahoo.com. I will organize a list of volunteers and we will be ready to respond as needed.

TUESDAY 7/1/08 UPDATE FROM BRANDI

I can't give you all a football analogy, but I can give you a baseball one. We are in the bottom of the last inning on defense, bases loaded, winning run on 3rd and a full count. We need a strike badly right now!
Jeff is at Emory. The chemotherapy drip started this morning. He is heavily sediated, in pain when he is awake and it is imperative that they are able to shrink the large tumor that started all of this mess. Jeff is getting the strongest chemotherapy treatment that Emory has for the next 5 days. In order for Jeff to receive the stem cell treatment, his doctors have to get the tumor under control.