The Third Treatment

Dear Friends,

Greetings! It is a beautiful Fall day in Corvallis, Oregon. Fall Festival is in full operation at Central Park and the temperature is 80 degrees. We will be having a family gathering this evening with all the children, grandchildren, sons-in-law, and Grandma present for a Sunday ham dinner. Old School! I'm feeling pretty darn blessed today my friends!

I received my third chemo infusion on Friday September 26th at 1 p.m. I was apprehensive because treatment number two knocked me down for a few days. By the grace of God, I am feeling good today and have since Friday. This allowed me to speak at Becky McDonnough's mother Charlene's Celebration of Life yesterday. I was worried I would be out of action. It was a beautiful tribute at the Good Samaritan Church. Mike and Becky's daughter Laney gave a beautiful spoken tribute to her Grandmother.

We are beginning to get our house in order through an amazing effort by Donna. The house now breaks down like this...college students on the second floor, those of us older people on the first floor, and Sami and Steve in the basement with my granddog Gus. There are eight of us enjoying each other's company and Christa recently said, "Hey...that's not fair. Every morning is like Christmas morning." It feels an awful lot like family which is great with, and for, me! Speaking of Donna, she and her tennis partner won the City Championship in 8.0 USTA tennis this weekend. The woman can do it all.

Last weekend our good friends John McGuire and John Spaulding came to visit and Scott Spiegelberg of the OSU Football program got us great seats to watch the Beavs play San Diego State.
We have been friends for over 20 years and we had a nice time at Reser Stadium. I actually walked back from the Stadium which made me happy as building back my iron and energy has been a three month process after surgery and treatment. My hemoglobin score rose from 9.1 to 10.7 between treatment. That is still low, but a long way from my initial 5.6!

Donna and I will be heading to Wyoming this week for a speech at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. We are looking forward to seeing our dear friend David Carpenter in Jackson Hole on the way to Powell. The first night of the trip will be spent with Ken and Nancy Elwer in Boise, Idaho where they are building their new home. It is nice to have friends all across the nation. It always makes me feel a little closer to home.

I continue to pray to God to use the Doctors, the medicine, and the Power of the Holy Spirit to heal me and make me well. I have had so many messages of hope from all of you that I will remain in debt to your kindness for my entire life. Your cards, emails, texts, and calls have been beyond belief. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Many of your have encouraged my children as well and it has meant the world to them.

We have been blessed with over 200 books sales in the first two weeks and I would remind you, and ask you, to visit willkeim.com and check out the "Thanks A Million Dr. Will Keim!" book sale. The money is helping us with our medical and living expenses and the Keim Family is appreciative. Cancer is an unwelcome, uninvited, and expensive visitor. Though, in all honesty, I have learned a lot about myself, my friends, and life because of my melanoma. I would not wish it on anyone but it carries a reminder that life is precious, to be lived and enjoyed each and every day, and that we are all stronger together than we are apart.

Keep me in your prayers and thoughts and know that you are in mine every day as I give God thanks for all of you. Blessings!

Will Keim