Hope For The Holiday's

I made a post earlier today and then I took it down. I took it down because I didn't want people to get the wrong idea about what I am going through. I found as I have started to use this blog that it has affected a lot of people in a lot of different ways and that means a lot to me. It makes going through all of this easier to know that some people are getting something out of what I write. It also provides me with comfort to know that I am not going through these hardships for no reason. That what we do in our lives does matter and what we say does help or change people. That makes me feel good. I have not written a lot in my blog about the hardships because I don't want people to pity me or feel sorry for me. When times have gotten really tough I have often times glossed over them in the blog because I don't want to be treated any different than anyone else. I just want to be treated like Brian, Pritchard, Husband, Brother, Friend, Nephew, Cousin, 2nd Cousin, The Flying Dutchman :) (Middle School Nickname), Son and Hawkeye Fan. That being said here is the post that I removed earlier in it's entirety. It is a brutally honest look at how I have been feeling lately until God and my wife helped me see the light again on Sunday.


Over the past month I have been losing hope and faith. It gets hard to believe when you keep trying things and they are not working. I kept all of these feelings in and didn't show them to anyone. All this did was just cause the negative thoughts that had planted in my head to take root. Soon I went from Happy-Go-Lucky Brian to down and out Brian. I was depressed and the more I held my feelings in the worse it got. I started to become disinterested in things that I normal cared about. I was content to sleep a lot. I liked to sleep because then I didn't have to face the reality of my situation. I had dug myself into a no Hope rutt and it was all my fault.

On Sunday Stacey and I went to Wal-Mart and I was being grumpy and finally it all came out of me. My fears, my depression, my pain, my anger and my discontent with life. I was sad because of my situation but I also felt selfish for feeling sorry for myself. I told her how I had buried myself in negative thoughts about my treatment plan and how upset I was that things did not go as planned.

I let it all out and I cried. I have only cried 3 times the whole time that I have had cancer and you know what it felt good. It felt good to release all of the negative thoughts that I had stuffed down and was eating at me. It felt good to tell her how much I needed her and God. It felt good because I felt free of the pain once again. It reminded me of a passage in the Bible that talks about Jesus taking our burden for us. I felt as if my burden was much lighter. Then Stacey turned to me and said "We Will Beat This". It was a thought that I hadn't thought in about a month. It gave me Hope. And once again I believed, "Yes we can Beat this thing!" God does not forsake us, we shall overcome!

There it is in it's entirety. It was a moment of pure clarity amidst a Tempest of deep rooted pain. A release like I have never felt. Don't feel sorry for me because my heart is full again.

In conclusion all that I ask is that you too believe. Believe that God can preform miracles and that we are not alone in our journey!

Brian Pritchard

A lot To Be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I hope that you loaded up on Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and all of the goodies yesterday! I love Thanksgiving dinner and yesterday it was great to get together with family and celebrate. Since my blood counts are low instead of going back home to Eastern Iowa the family came here. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving and the food was delicious. We have so much food leftover and that it really good news for me because I love Thanksgiving leftovers. Thank you to the Pritchard and Harter families that made the day so special for Stacey and I. And a big Thank you to Stacey who did a lot of the cooking and cleaning! Your amazing honey! Love ya!

I got up today like many Americans and realized that I had over ate yesterday and I could use some exercise. I haven't been exercising recently like I was earlier in my treatments and I can tell that I have been feeling some of the side effects of fatigue last longer. So I woke up today and thought I better get back on a work out plan. I told Stacey that no matter what the next steps are in my treatment plan I want my body in as good of shape as it can be. Also working out regularly is a good stress reliever, it helps you sleep better and just puts you in a better overall mood. So that being said I am going to try and do something good for my body everyday.

Hopefully my blood counts will come up so that I can go back to work on Monday. I like going back to work because it makes me feel normal. As for the rest of today... you guessed it! Football! Football! Football! There are a lot of great college games on today and I plan to watch them all. (Especially since I already got my work out in!) Stacey and her parents are going to go shopping today. Shopping is not my thing at all and due to the amount of germs that are out there on Black Friday I am going to just stay at home and rest for the day. Enjoy your Christmas Shopping honey!

In closing I would just like to say how much we all have to be Thankful for. Life is Good and God is Good! Try to spend the holiday weekend appreciating everything that you have. I have found that the best way to do so is to just show some love to everyone. Just like John Lennon said, "All you need is Love" and it still rings true today! Thank you all so much for your support, thoughts and prayers this season! We feel the prayers and we are eternally grateful for the love that you have show Stacey and I.

God is Love!!!

Brian Pritchard

Congratulations Honey!!!!!!!

Congratulations to my amazing wife Stacey and her entire Doctor of Physical Therapy Class of 2011 who passed their Comprehensive Exam. It was a 250 point exam that took 8 hours to take and everyone passed!!! I am so proud of my beautiful wife as well as her whole class. They worked their butts off and it paid off big time yesterday. There grad school professors said that it was the first time in 22 years that every single student in class passed on the first try! Very, very impressive and we are all so proud of you guys!!!! It was a great way to go into the Holiday week!!!

Also yesterday my cousin Emily, her husband Nathan, aunt Rosie and uncle Craig came to visit me in the afternoon. It was great to see them and it really put a huge smile on my face to be around friends and family. It is what life is all about! Yesterday was such an awesome day and it was good news all around. I am very excited because I am starting to feel a little bit better and am ready for Thanksgiving. We are celebrating with the Pritchard's and the Harter's in Des Moines. Should be a lot of fun and a great opportunity too see everyone again. Plus the food is going to be fantastic as usual!

I thank God for Stacey and her classmates passing her test and for a great week with great friends and family!!!!

Brian Pritchard

Eat, Pray, Sleep

Over the last few days I have not been feeling the greatest. The Chemo has definitely kicked in and I have been achy and tired since my treatment on Friday. I am starting to feel slightly better today but I am still pretty tired. I take many cat naps during the day and probably sleep up to 12 hours a day. Even though I sleep so much I still feel like I could sleep some more. I think that it is the combination of so many, many Chemo treatments on my body. It is a cumulative effect on my system. I was achy for the first couple of days but that has started to calm down too. I am getting some bone pain from my Neuprogen shots but nothing that I haven't been able to handle before.

Yesterday I did chores around the house. Just some small jobs to help out Stacey while she studies for her Comp Exam on Tuesday. It felt good to help her out instead of me always needing the help. I like to return just a little bit of the love and caring that she has shown me. She is an amazing person and I know that she will do just fine on her upcoming exams. I pray for her everyday. Love you Honey!!!

Continued prayers for our good friends Carolyn and Duane Gibson. Carolyn just completed her stem cell transplant in Iowa City about a month ago and is waiting for her stem cells to kick in. Over the last couple of days her husband Duane was hospitalized and a tumor was found in his skull. They are doing surgery to remove the mass and they do not yet know if it is cancerous or not. We pray for the Doctors and the entire Gibson family. They have been a huge source of strength for Stacey and I and now they need our prayers. Please put them in our thoughts during this Holiday season.

Here is the link to the Gibson's Caring Bridge Website:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/carolyngibson1

As for the rest of today I am just going to Eat, Pray and Sleep,

Brian Pritchard

Thankfully, Brian was able to start chemo yesterday. He was disappointed that he couldn't start on Wednesday and we were thinking it was going to be more like Monday. However, his body responded well and his platelets jumped up so we had the green light on Friday. I had a test that morning so when I got his call and finished my test I went to go pick him up some Manhattan Deli (if you are ever in DSM it is a must stop). All the nurses kept coming to his side because his lunch looked so good! I spent 4 hours with him then went home to study. However, by the time I got home I hit the couch and slept for 3.5 hours. My body was exhausted from studying (it is still not cooperating today either).

This was his second time receiving this regiment and it is always easier to prepare knowing you had it before. Although, he knew what to expect this round was a lot harder physiologically on him. It kind of almost stopped him in his tracks. He was done around 5pm and by 7-7:30 he was not feeling well. He said he felt like he got hit by a truck. He took a shower to see if that would help but within 30 minutes he was right back to being miserable. He tried to sleep with no success. I could hear him all night rolling around. Finally, around 6am he just got up showered, put dishes away (that is how I know he really wasn't feeling well, he was cleaning!), and made omelette's with little smokies (not sure on that choice of breakfast but whatever you can eat I guess).

Today he has been sleeping on and off. Trying to get as much sleep as he can but he is just not comfortable overall! Poor guy, I hate that I had to leave him to go study. Hopefully, he can make it through the Iowa game.

Yesterday we got word that Brian's sister was a match for his bone marrow transplant. Our efforts now are really focused on KILLING THIS BEAST so we can move on to the next phases. It is somewhat comforting knowing things are moving on.

We have another HUGE prayer request. Through all of this we have had many friends in similar situations. Our friend Carolyn and her family, who also has NHL and had a stem cell transplant, has a had a rough week. Carolyn's husband had not been feeling well for a while and recent tests showed he had small cell carcinoma on his liver. He was admitted up to Powell 3 started chemo but they are still trying to find the main tumor. PLEASE PRAY FOR THEIR FAMILY. I can't imagine going through cancer twice and at the same time. They are such amazing people and have given Brian and I a lot of hope through our faith. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Thanks for your prayers, we couldn't do this without all of your words of encouragement.

Round 11 Starts Today

I just got checked into the infusion center at Methodist Hospital to start my 11th round of Chemo. I am excited to get started on it. I like to get my treatments because it makes me feel like I am doing something to fight. I feel like I am actually killing the cancer. I imagine the Chemo going through my veins and killing the cancer.

I have been feeling ok over the past couple of weeks. A little bit tired and even a couple of headaches too. Working has kept me busy and its good to have the as a distraction from everything. We have been busy mailing bracelets to people from all over the country too. We are very blessed with so much support. Thank you all.

What's in store for today? I am getting my Chemo starting from 9:30 and going until at least 5:30 or 6. I thought I would make this post before they give me my benadryl because that knocks me out for a few hours. :) All is good and we pray that this Chemo kills lots and lots of cancer cells so that we can have a good Pet Scan on Dec 14th. Keep Praying and Keep the Faith because God is Good.

Go Hawks tomorrow!

Brian Pritchard

P.S. I will be on my laptop all day long checking the blog so feel free to drop me a post. It makes my day when I hear from all of you!!!

Attempt 1 FAIL

Well Brian attempted chemo today but it was a no go. His counts hadn't recovered yet so he was unable to do chemo. His white blood cells were good but his platelets were too low. If he started today it would destroy his bone marrow so it is safe to wait. He will have labs done on Friday and if they are good then he will do chemo if they aren't then he will try again on Monday.

Since he was unable to do chemo he went in to work and is planning on working the rest of the week. Before he went in to work I made him go get his flu shot as suggested by our doctor.

No news otherwise.

Thanks for your prayers and support. Keep them coming we need as many as possible.

Bands have been mailed!

Bracelets and Round 11 - Bring It On!!!!

Bracelets are in! (Thanks Quam!) I just stuffed a lot of bracelets in a bunch of envelops to be sent out to those of you who have ordered them. Thank you so much for your support! I feel the love and I feel the prayers! Sorry that we ran out so quickly before but rest assured we got them in and they are on their way out to all of you. Also we have plenty of extras right now so if anybody wants some just click on the Pay Pal link on the right side of the blog and you can order them up. I will be home after my chemo so I will have lots of time to get them out to everybody. Thank you again for your support!!!!

Round 11 of my Chemo treatment starts in the morning. It is the same regiment that I had for Round 10 so it takes away some of the nervousness away. Having already done this regiment I know exactly what to expect and how my body will react. Hopefully it goes well again so that I can go back to work early again. It felt really good to get back to work and just feel normal again. We pray that this round kills lots of cancer cells so that we can have a good Pet Scan after this round. Thank you all for your prayers and support. The power of prayer is mighty!

I am just watching some college hoops tonight and taking it easy. And guess what?!?! The Hawks are winning! Go Hawks! For supper I had some of Brett's casserole that he made us and it was AWESOME! Thanks Brett and thanks to all of the DMU students who have cooked for us. You guys Rock!

Continued prayers for Stacey and her big test on Friday and then her Comp Exam next Tuesday. I am so proud of her and how strong she is! I have the best wifey ever! Keep up the good work honey and we all know you are going to do just fine. Love you!

Round 11 - Bring It On!!! Let's kill some cancer!!!

Keep praying this is the one everybody! God is Good!

Brian Pritchard

Burning the midnight oil...

Brian is a working man today and tomorrow. He is trying to stay positive at work as much as possible, but at times can be difficult when you come and go as much as he does due to treatments. He will begin (lucky?!) number 11 Wed. for chemo. (that is right he will have to wear gloves to go in the fridge again...a guarantee smile on my face). This will again be outpatient. We will meet with the doctor first thing in the morning, look at his blood counts, then start chemo afterwards. Once he is settled in at the outpatient center I will run to class. Last time it was hard to leave him because it was his first time receiving chemo outpatient and I was very nervous/anxious since I had no clue what to expect. The nurses are just as friendly as Powell 3 and he has his own little chair with his own TV with his own snacks. Last time he watched Dan Patrick show all morning and fell asleep. Once he was asleep I threw some blankets on, gave him his lunch box, snacks, water/juice, and Kleenex then hit the road to study for a few hours. I think outpatient works well for Brian because he can sit there and talk to everyone around him.

I'm burning the midnight oil...all week. I have a big test Friday and Comps on Tuesday, no pressure. I'm trying to get as much in as I can but realize I can only do what I can and that is all. Taking a study break to post, sometimes can be therapeutic when you are reading about different illnesses.

Brian and I both love our doctor and his patient care is impeccable but we both get anxious when have to go see him. I'm starting to really become uneasy with the waiting area. I rather stand outside and wait to be called in. It is unsettling sitting in a lobby filled ( no PACKED) with people waiting to see an oncologist. Saturday night I was reading the prayer request at church and kid you not an entire sheet filled with prayer requests related to cancer. It makes you realize you are not alone as well as makes you HOPE for a cure to end all. Before all this I always thought in my mind cancer would never affect me, it wouldn't happen to my loved ones. However, I'm realizing more then likely we all will have some connection to cancer.

Through all of this though you learn what is important in life, you learn to cherish moments, and to not get upset over the small things. Last week was a dozey, we just got Brian's car back with a new engine and then mine tanked and needed repaired. Friday night I came home to a clogged sink that EXPLODED everywhere. Normally, I would be IRATE, and Brain himself said how I was handling all this on top of school (I may have had a margarita to help with my headache) but that is God's power in my life. My patience level has dramatically increased and I have learned not to sweat the things out of my control...rolling with the punches! (with that being said the level is close to being capped and I hope to make it to Thanksgiving without a major mental breakdown).

Thanks for you prayers, I get anxious during the day but can always feel a peace come over.

Keep the prayers coming, this is going to be the CHEMO that works!!!

Also, thanks for all the cards and letters. It is nice to hear words of inspiration every day. I wonder if our mailman is trying to figure out what is going that our box is constantly filled with hallmark cards...for the past 7 months?

Bands should be out in the mail by Tues/wed. and hopefully in your mailbox by gameday!

Thank You!

Stacey and I just want to thank all of our friends and family who have helped us in our long journey. If you have sent us a prayer, card, donation, bought a wristband or just kept us in your thoughts then we want to thank you. When times get tough and life gets stressful it is good to know that you have we have such an amazing support system of people that have gone above and beyond for us. We definitely feel the love that you have given us.

For Stacey and I it is a very stressful time. We are going into my 11th round of Chem this week and all we want are good results. Stacey is studying like crazy for her exams that we all pray will go well and there are a lot of other little things that stress us out too. The good news is that we have found peace and strength through prayer, scripture and going to church every weekend. As my Mom says you need to get filled up with God every weekend before you start a new week. His strength is mighty and love is overflowing! If anyone would ever want to go to church with us on the weekends just let us know. We go to Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines.

I am excited to meet up with my parents today in Des Moines. I talk to them almost everyday on my drive home from work but it's nothing like seeing them and giving them a big hug! They are amazing people! We thank you for helping with my recent car troubles too. It was a huge help to Stacey and I after my car broke down on the way to the Badger game. Stacey and I both have amazing families and we thank God everyday for all of you!

We pray that the 11th round of Chemo starting on Wednesday is the one and we give it up to God. We are battling hard and just want to beat this thing. Pray for peace and strength for Stacey and I over the next few stressful weeks. Thanks for reading!

God is Good!

Brian Pritchard

P.S. Go Chiefs today! (Thanks for the tickets to the game guys! You guys Rock!) Also a very big thank you to the students faculty and staff of DMU. Your generosity with the gift cards, thoughts and prayers overwhelmed us on Friday and filled us with a humble joy! You guys are amazing and have done so much for us. We can't thank you enough.

Happy Veteran's Day!

To all of the service men and women that have served or are currently erving in our military we salute you and thank you for everything that you do for our great nation.

Status Update: I feel pretty good on this new Chemo and I already start my new regiment next Wednesday. We just pray that it is killing the cancer. This regiment doesn't seem as harsh as some of the other regiments that I have had. Work and the change in Day Light Savings Time has got me going to bed early. Last night I was so tired I feel asleep at about 9 watching a MAC football game on TV. I do feel refreshed this morning. I even made a post before work which I never have time to do.

Keep the prayers coming! We need each and every one of you fighting with us!

Also thank you for your comments on my blog. It really gives me a boost to hear from all of you. And yes I do remember coming up to you on the bus Mr. Tupa. That was a fun season and it meant a lot to me, I just wanted you to know that it did. Tell your class Hi and Go Stomin Pointers!

(In case you are confused how to make a post, don't worry it is confusing. I always just choose Anaymous and then you have to type in the code word of the day and then click post again. It's weird.)

Keep the Faith!

Brian Pritchard

Back To Work, Back To Normalcy

I went back to work today and it was good to see everybody at the office. Today just felt like a regular day at the office and the normalcy is great. Stacey and I do our best to make everyday as normal as possible. It's sometimes tough for me to be at home because when your at home your usually home alone and anyone that knows me knows that I am a very social person. I always feel like I have accomplished something once I go back to work. Also I have a great group of people that I work with so it felt good to get back at it. I didn't even feel very fatigued at all. It was a good day at the office!

Stacey is at night class and has been studying her butt off! Way to go honey! I'm so proud of you! Another one of Stacey's classmates made us supper tonight and again it was delicious and amazing. The DPT11's are great people and great cooks! Thanks to you all. You have helped us so much and we can not thank you enough. Your the best!

Overall I'm feeling pretty good. I'm not as tired as I was yesterday and were just praying that this Chemo is the one that works for us. There is some MAC football on tonight and I will probably fall asleep watching that. (I literally will watch any sports that is on TV) Hopefully tomorrow goes as smoothly as today and we can keep the good vibes going the rest of the week!

In other news prayers for my best friend Andrew Smith who shipped out to defend our country last night. Those of you who have had the pleasure of meeting Andrew know what an amazing person he is. I am honored to call him my friend. He is the epitome of selflessness and I am so proud of him and how much courage he has to protect our great nation. Prayers also for Andrew's family and friends we will all miss you until you come back next summer. Godspeed Andrew and may a halo of angels follow you and all of the troops until you all return home safe. Prayers also for Jordan's sister who shipped out this week too. We pray for you all and you have all of our support.

God Is Good Everyday

Brian Pritchard

Still Feeling So-So

I got all ready to head in to work today. I had my work clothes on, I was showered up and ready to go. Only two things stood in my way. 1) I was still feeling pretty tired so I didn't know if I could make it through a full day yet and 2) My blood counts... They were too low. So I had to stay home for the day. If I would have went back in to work today it would have been the earliest that I had gone back in over my 10 rounds of Chemo by 3 days. Instead I thought why don't I just rest up, wait for my blood counts to go back up (so I don't feel so cruddy) and that way when I am back to work I can make sure I make it through a full day. :)

It turned out to be the right call because I just got up from about a 3 hour nap. Man was I tired and fatigued. I wouldn't have gotten much done with my head on the keyboard. So I will try again tomorrow to head back in. Hopefully I feel better and hopefully I can get back at it! I guess it just goes to show you that you have to listen to your body and not push it.

Stacey is going to study, study, study all night so it is just going to be me and her sister Allison and I for tonight. I am going to have dinner ready for her when she gets home and possibly take another nap too! Pray for Stacey and her test that is coming up in about 2 weeks. Its a really big one and I don't want her too stressed out! Love you Stacey!

Thanks for those who have prayed for us, bought bracelets or just kept us in your thoughts. We are praying that this Chemo works and we can move on to the next stages of my treatment. Let's kick its butt!

God is Good,

Brian Pritchard

GO HAWKS!

Sleep, Football and Church!

Stacey and I had a good weekend just resting, watching football and today we even went to church. Church was packed today which is awesome but not as awesome for me and my blood counts. I'm not supposed to be around big crowds when my blood counts drop but we needed to go to church and the message (as always) was good to hear.

It has been a crazy week for us and what a pick me up it has been. I have been emailing, writing out thank yous and send out bracelets all weekend. If you ordered them and they don't come until later this month we did not forget about you we just are plum out of them right now. God is good and it is a good problem to have. We are very humbled with the amount of support, thoughts and prayers that are heading our way! We will get the bracelets out to you as soon as we can!

The Hawks... It was a tough win on the road and we are glad to come out of it with a W. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks we can turn those FG's into TD's and that way the end of the game won't be so stressful. :) Oh well a Win is a Win and we can't be mad about that. GO HAWKS!

Yesterday my stomach hurt but today I feel better. I am going to try to go back in to work tomorrow. We will see how I feel tomorrow. If my blood counts are too low then I might have to stay home. I have been really getting a lot of sleep the last 3-4 days after my Chemo and even took a little nap already today. I wanted to be sure to get it in early since my Chiefs play at 3 today! Go Chiefs! (As you can tell I am a sports fanatic!)

Thanks for your thoughts, prayers and support!!!

God is Good Everyday!

Brian Pritchard

GO HAWKS!!!!

Oh what a week!

I can honestly say this week has been an emotional roller coaster. We started off in a valley and ended the week at the very top!

All of this press has been a complete surprise, overwhelming, exciting, joyful, and FUN! When my mom gave Stanzi the band it was never intended that Brian and I would become the talk of Iowa. She did it out of joy in heart to try and put a smile on Brian's face and it did just that. When she called us to tell us that she gave one to Stanzi Brian's face lit up! We had spent the entire weekend cuddled on the couch overwhelmed with emotions, wet from tears, and praying for an answer from God. We were already thrilled from an amazing game and it was topped off with Stanzi wearing the band. Stanzi is not the only player to sport a band, Vandenburg and Davis are also wearing one as well. None of them have to and if they take it off it is ok! This week has been the most inspiring week of our lives.

We have read so many forums, blogs, articles about us and Stanzi, and although Stanzi is an amazing individual who is mature beyond his age I think the entire team should get credit too. Last spring three of Brian's friends came to me and asked to have a benefit in honor of Brian. At the benefit a friend of Brian's family presented him with signed ball and signed jersey. With a special connection on the team, a football was passed around practice or an autograph session with every one's signature. That there was enough for us. However, the team, led by Stanzi went above and beyond and are honoring Brian (although they don't know it!) by wearing his band

We don't want to be famous all we want is to share our story and the faith that has gotten us thus far. An added bonus would be if someone going through a similar situation finds comfort in our story. Through out this entire process we have learned so much about life and have done so at such a young age, which is a blessing. It is scary enough being newlyweds, living on one income, and 25 let alone batteling stage 4 cancer. The support everyone has shown Brian has taught me the importance of relationships. Brian always tells me not to burn bridges in life because you never know when you will walk over them. This can not be any more true as many people have sent us cards, prayers, and donations. He has gone further to teach me that although you are in a sticky situation keep your head above water, have faith, smile, and continue on. We both have learned together over the past 7 months what is important in life. Your car, house, TV, and clothes aren't buried with you, so why do they matter? What is important is your faith, family, and friends. Before all of this I would pass up time to spend with Brian in order to keep my nose in a book for grad school. Now, I make sure to take more time to spend with him and my family (you never get that time back). Although, I know I should have my head in a book if I have to make dinner for Brian I will do it. If Brian is not feeling well I will sit with him on the couch and watch sports (even though the cubs were at times unbearable to watch or there was nothing else on but Iowa women's softball, *if that doesn't contest to his love for the hawks I don't know what does).

I must say last Thursday when we found out Brian's cancer had spread I was mad. I didn't understand why God wasn't hearing my prayers...but after Wednesday night God began to reveal part of his plan for us. I've said it before and will continue to say it, it is hard not being in control and waiting for God. This week has rejuvenated us (after we are on round 10) and made us ready to fight harder then ever before. We feel now like we have an entire state rallying behind us. You may think this seems silly, but when you are battling cancer a simple hallmark card can get you through the day. We have had such an unbelievable amount of support that yesterday as I drove home from school I found myself in tears of Joy. Just when you think things are getting bad people you have never met send you an email offering prayers and kind words and it lifts you up. I can't believe the amount of people who have emailed us and sent us donations. In my eyes that is so courageous, you don't know us, you live in FL we live in Des Monies, Iowa and you felt it in your heart to reach out to us. You all will never know the amount of hope you have put in our hearts. Brian has had a smile from one ear to the other since Wednesday night and for that I'm forever grateful. I would do anything to make each and every day special for him and with the help of our families and everyone out there you have done that this week.

I spent the evening with Brian watching college football and part of the NBA game until he fell asleep. I began to study (yes it is 11 at night and I'm studying but that is when I have time) and felt it in my heart to write you all and tell you how much I appreciate everything, especially Marc Morehouse from the Gazette and Andy Garman from KCCI for sharing our story with you all.

* quick update on Brian. He is feeling so/so today, he took many naps today which helps him recover after chemo. His bones are starting to bother him which is a common side effect from the shots I give him every night. He took his pain pills and was quickly out on the couch. A side effect from this chemo is cold sensitivity. Our doctor warned us for him not to touch anything out of the fridge/freezer and no ice in his drinks. It is kind of funny because I have to keep gloves by the fridge in case he needs to get anything out. He is stuck with bottled water at room temp. He is going to attempt work next week and will have to be careful in the mornings to make sure his mouth and nose are covered up because breathing in cold air can affect him. For all you new readers as long as Brian feels well and his blood counts are up he works 8 hour days. Prior to this week he was usually out for one week, worked two weeks, then back out for a week. That is pretty amazing as he has been on some HARD chemo. He is a fighter however and gives it his all everyday!

Thanks for being part of our story,
Stacey Pritchard

F.A.C.!

Friday After Chemo - Today is a day sure to be filled with Sportscenter, naps, Cash Cab, more naps, stuffing envelops for the wonderful people that just purchased bracelets and doing it all from my Big Red couch! The Chemo is starting to kick in. I just got out of my 10th round on Thursday and am just now starting to feel the effects. I am use to all of the side effects by now (I'm a crafty veteran at this point) but I can feel them coming on. The side effects that I get most are fatigue (due to low blood counts) and a little bit of bone soreness (that comes from my shots of Neuprogen that my wife Stacey gives me to boost my white blood cell counts). I can tell the effects are setting in because yesterday I took 3 naps. They key is to just do whatever your body is telling you to do. If your feeling tired then just take a nap. Sportscenter is on for about 7 hours a day so if you take a few naps you won't miss much!

Stacey has been studying for her Comp Exam at DMU. It is a cumulative test over all that she has learned in her 2 and half years at DMU so far. She is definitely the brains of our little family and we will both be relieved once she graduates in May. We love DMU and the faculty and Stacey's class of DPT's (Doctorate's of Physical Therapy) have been so helpful to us during our journey. Even just this week we received food from many of Stacey's classmates! What a blessing you guys all are too us! Also many of her classmates bought bracelets in support of our fight! It means so much to Stacey and I, thank you all at DMU so much!

In other news I got a call yesterday from the writer who wrote the article about my Mother-in-law Sandy and Ricky Stanzi. He wanted a little bit more information about my situation and I was more than happy to give some background info. He told me that they are going to run the story in The Gazette on Saturday in their Game Day section! Thanks Marc for getting the word out and of course, GO HAWKS! Below is a link to a revised version of the story that he just came out with on Thursday:

http://thegazette.com/2010/11/04/just-try-and-ruin-my-day-few-more-details/

Bracelets are coming! I just had my good friend Quam order up some new one's because we have recently had a huge influx of people wanting them. I will be stuffing some in envelops and mailing them off today but some will have to wait until the new shipment comes in because we just ran out, sorry about that. But trust once we get the new shipment in they will be sent out and on your wrist in no time! Thanks for every one's support thoughts and prayers! It really means a lot to Stacey and I! We cannot thank you enough. Keep the prayers coming and let's kick this cancer's butt!!

God is Good Everyday!

Brian Pritchard

Also the bracelets have gone global, Below is a picture of my good friend Kendall's father, Colonel Conder who is wearing one over in Afghanistan. Thanks for the support and we certainly thank the many men and women of our military. Support our Troops!

Pay-Pal is back!

With the huge outpour of support the last couple days we have re-uploaded the Pay-Pal account. If you have never used Pay-Pal before, the process is pretty easy. The Pay-Pal account is directly linked to an account that Brian and Stacey have access to. It's just over there =====>

When you order through Pay-Pal it does give us your billing address; if your billing address is not your mailing address please put a note or send an e-mail to justtryandruinmyday@gmail.com. Also, there are medium and larges. Medium is for the average size wrist. If you would like a large please send a note when you order along with the number of bands!

Love it or leave it; go Hawks!

What An Awesome Day Yesterday!

It was a lot of fun for Stacey and I to get the word out about our story and have so many new people praying for us! We fully believe in the power of prayer and we are truly humbled by the out pouring of support. God is Good!

We haven't gotten much sleep because we were literally on cloud 9 last night after Andy Garman mentioned our fight and blog via KCCI's 10pm news. Thank you so much Andy for picking up the story! It was the icing on the cake to a really special day for Stacey, my family, friends and I. Here is the link for the video below!

http://www.kcci.com/video/25628732/detail.html

As far as the rest of this morning I am going to rest it up on my big red couch as I let the new Chemo do the work. I am feeling pretty decent so far. The Chemo drugs usually don't kick in for at least 24-48 hours after my treatments. I will go get my blood drawn on Monday to see if I need to get a blood transfusion or not. If I do it's no big deal really. I have had to get several of them on my journey and I always feel better after I get some new blood in me.

If anybody want's wristbands email us at justtryandruinmyday@gmail.com Let us know how many you want and we will send them anywhere in the country right away! They are just $5 per band! We are also going to be putting the pay pal account back up on the website to make it easier for people to pay. Thanks!

Thank you for everyone's support thoughts and prayers! Stacey and I love to hear from all of you so if you want to write a comment feel free!

Everyday God is Good!

Brian Pritchard

GO HAWKS!!!!

Marc Morehouse New Article!

He wrote new article on his blog! It's AWESOME! What an Amazing and Fun day! Click on the link below

http://thegazette.com/2010/11/03/just-try-and-ruin-my-day/

Thank you so much Marc! You made my day!

What a neat blessing today is! On the day that I started my 10 round of Chemo I have a Big Smile on my face! Let's Kick this Cancers Butt!!!!!!

Brian Pritchard

GO HAWKS!!!!!

Just Try And Ruin My Day!

What a crazy day! We have been getting a lot of traffic on my blog because of the article. Thanks for all of the people that have sent Prayers and thoughts our way. Stacey (my amazing wifey) thought that it would be a good idea to make a post about my situation or how this all started for people that are new to our blog.

Everything started when I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in April. My really good friends from work and my wife got together to create a blog. One of my friends Joe had a blog when he was fighting cancer at The University of Iowa. It is a great way to get the word out to people. They all got there heads together and decided to sell bracelets to help us pay for some of the medical bills that we would have during my treatments. They also set up a benefit on my behalf that took place this summer. I have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of love, prayers and support from our tremendous friends and family!

Where did Just Try And Ruin My Day come from? It has been my life's motto well before all of this. There is nothing that is going to ruin my day and I would say that all the time in college at UNI. My friends even made a pink shirt for me that had the motto on there! It's a belief statement that I have tried to live my life by. Not matter what happens I'm not going to let anything ruin my day and instead I am going to take it all in stride with a smile on my face! :)

The road over the last 8 months has been full of ups and downs. We have tried many different Chemotherapy drugs that have decreased the size of the cancer but not gotten rid of it. I am on my 10 round of Chemo (just got done today) and we are praying that this will do the trick! As far as me, my family and my friends attitude it will remain the same no matter what the treatment plan is. Nothing is going to Ruin Our Day and we will live life to fullest and treat everyday as precious.

My unbelivably amazing wife and I have learned so much over the past months from this experience. We have found out that life is all about the three F's, Faith, Family and Friends. As long as you have those 3 things you are truly blessed!

Everyday God is Good! Thanks for visiting my blog and thanks for your continued prayers!

Brian Pritchard

Oh Yeah... And GO HAWKS!!!!!!

Ricky Stanzi Is Wearing One Of My Bands

http://thegazette.com/2010/11/02/tuesday-talk-6/

Above is an article that the Gazette did about my beloved Hawkeyes and in it Ricky Stanzi talks about wearing one of my bands that my awesome mother-in-law Sandy gave to him on the field on Saturday after the Michigan State victory and everyone rushed the field. Here is the excerpt below. It's pretty AWESOME!!!! (Thanks to my buddies from work for finding this. It truly made my day!!!!)

Quarterback Ricky Stanzi’s helmet takes a beating.

“It’s always chaos when the fans rush the field,” Stanz said. “Sometimes, they’re more physical than the team, when they’re hitting you on the head. It’s insane.”

Last Saturday, Stanzi tossed a wrist band into the crowd. A boy caught it.

“I figure we have a ton of those laying around, why can’t he have one,” Stanzi said. “I’ll just bother the equipment manager to get a new one.”

And then, just before he was up the tunnel and out of the crush, a woman grabbed him and shoved a wrist band in his hands. He took it and he’s wearing it.

“She started yelling and said, ‘Can you wear this for my kid,’ ” Stanzi said. “I said, Yeah, sure.”

The band says, “Just try and ruin my day.”

“I don’t know what it means or who it’s for, but it’s on my wrist,” Stanzi said. “I told her I’d wear it, so I’d feel bad if I didn’t have it on.”

I love it!!!!

Brian Pritchard

Round 10 Starts In The Morning!

I am ready for round 10 and it starts in the morning. I am getting 2 new Chemo drugs starting tomorrow morning. I am feeling good mentally and physically and am ready to fight! We need all of your thoughts and prayers with us this week. We need to just find the right mix that can kill this cancer so that we can move on to the next steps in my treatment.

The hardest part about all of this is when we don't have a plan or we don't know what is going to happen next. That is why this has been a anxious and hectic week for us but we got through it because of the power of prayer and our faith. And now we have a new plan and are ready to move forward and see it through. I will do at least 2 rounds of this new Chemo and then I will have another Pet Scan to see how things are going.

Thank you so much for all of you who have been praying for us, sending cards or just keeping us in your thoughts. It really means a lot to Stacey and I and we can not thank you enough for your support. All of your love and support has been overwhelming! We are so blessed with amazing friends and family. We are humbled by your love.

Round 10 bring it on! God is Good!

Brian Pritchard

Great start to a new week

Yesterday morning our friends Jordan and Chelsea convinced us to get out so we have brunch at Granite City. After that giant meal we didn't eat the rest of the day, but there is something about those delicious Carmel rolls that makes you put a smile on your face! It was nice to get out with them and enjoy the company of two great friends.

After brunch Brian and I hung out around the house and watched some NFL games. We had some good bonding time including Brian breaking down different plays. I can now run a post route, slant route, flag route, wildcat, and play action. All of course related to different Hawkeye players so I'm pretty sure I can now call plays. It was fun, may seem silly, but it was nice way to spend time together.

Sunday night we went to church. We go a little late and sneak in the back to avoid sitting in crowded people. You never realize how many germs are flying around until you are forced to cognitively be around. Every time I heard a cough or sneeze my shoulders tensed up because all I could think is what was now floating around in the air that could affect Brian. Next time we will just have to put him in a hazmat suit or a bubble, then I can roll him along HA! The sermon was very good and as always spoke VOLUME to us. God always has his way of making you sit down and listen to him and what he has to say. I hate not having CONTROL and hate not knowing God's plan for us, but that is the point of life. We aren't in control God is.

Today Brian got his counts checked and he was a GREEN light to forge ahead in treatment. We are waiting for insurance approval and as soon as that is given they will start his new chemo ASAP. The nice thing about his new chemo is that it will be give all outpatient. NO MORE HOSPITAL, although I love the staff at Powell 3 the idea of sleeping in my own bed (I mean my own living room floor- see previous posts)sounds amazing. Going to the hospital every 3 weeks was like a vacation with all the packing except for nothing fun. We will do a few rounds of this drug then do another scan, and see where we are at. I HATE SCANS! Brian got word today he was approved for his transplant in IC so as soon as we have a clear scan we can go to our new vacation home in IC. We won't make it down there in time for the rest of FB season so I guess we wont have to fight anyone for a view of the stadium.

I want to THANK everyone again for all their support. A special thanks to all my classmates who have helped us out tremendously by having a dinner schedule. We don't have to cook all week, which is nice because we both said this weekend we have no desire too (weird because we love to cook). It is very humbling to know that people are next to you on this journey. It is not a fun journey but we know we were chosen for a reason. THANK YOU SO MUCH!