74 degrees and a deck chair

This is one of those evening where I can sit back and relax on the deck my dad and I built last summer. I am enjoying 74 degree weather, the sun set, the neighborhood kids playing on the tree swing, birds singing, dogs barking, and my daughter doing homework beside me. Hearing the kids play makes me reminisce about my childhood…all the games of kick the can, freeze tag, kick ball, hide and seek…the nights when I had to be in by the time the street light turned on, riding bikes with no hands, sleeping until noon, staying awake until a time way past 10… boy scouts, family vacations, Zarda ice cream, life was good…but then again, life is good now…a wonderful wife, two wonderful daughters, a rewarding job, a loving family, and some great friends. I am just taking a moment to say a word of thanks… At moments like this, I am reminded that I cannot forget to say thank you and enjoy the moment. I really cannot ask for much more in life during this small moment in time.

Where to begin - I guess at the end

I really don’t know where to start this message other than right here at the end of another chapter and step in this journey.  For those of you who have not been along for the entire ride, my dad was diagnosed with squamous cancer on January 20th and confirmed on January 24th.  What followed was a series of 35 radiation treatments, 7 chemo treatments, somewhere around 5500 miles driven, numerous doctor visits, a life of living a normal life even at the beginning of the treatments to one that came to being feed by a feeding tube because it was to difficult to take very much through the mouth.  In short, this was a disruption in the life of an amazing man, and a disruption in the life of an amazing mom who was along for this entire ride.

As I reminisced about this journey the past couple of days, I thought about how I have raised money for cancer research and clinical care, yet I did not truly understand the impact this dreaded disease has on the lives of those living it until I actually lived it (at least in my own little way).  My mom and dad LIVED this life for seven weeks - day in and day out – 24/7 as they say, and they will continue to live it for years to come.  The past seven weeks encompassed times when they were feeling physically worn out, emotionally worn out, and yes even financially worn out.   At times - they were feeling every possible thing you could feel all at once. Yet, they made it through.

So I am happy to report that on Tuesday, we had the opportunity to celebrate another step in this journey.  Dad climbed his mountain (as a side note - with very little pain medicine to boot) and made it back down again.  The treatments are done.  It was an extremely grueling journey.  Painful eating, feeding tube problems, physically being worn down, weight loss – you name it my Dad dealt with it, but he made it through.  Near the end he was willing to step aside and ask for help – whether that request was of God, the prayer chains and prayer warriors that never stopped, or the family and friends who were present throughout. Each played a critical piece in this journey.  

As I conclude this email, a few final thoughts come to mind - Now the recovery begins, now the waiting begins, and now the next round of prayers begin.

Please take care, and accept our special word of thanks for your help in this journey.

KU WINS

KU won… KU won… talk about a game!  For those of you who missed it giant killer Davidson College gave KU a run for its money.  They had a chance to win it all with a final 3 point shot, but it hit harmless on the back board…well maybe not harmless since it was a wake up call to the Jayhawks who have rolled thus far in the tournament.  The end result, a win, a realization that they can be beat if they keep playing the way they have, and all four #1 seeds advance to the final four for the first time.  The result, KU will play North Carolina next. This will obviously be one of the hardest games yet. But for today, we are basking in the glory of a win.

As a side note – bike ride on Wednesday… test ride #2.

Quick visit to dad this past weekend

Quick update once again regarding my dad.  I was able to see mom and dad this weekend on a quick overnight visit. It really is amazing how cancer treatment can knock a person sideways.  As you may recall from my previous post, dad had to go in for surgery to reinsert his feeding tube.  Then to make matters worse on Monday or Tuesday, he developed a low grade fever and an infection around the surgery area.  He is on antibiotics and mom is cleaning the wound 3 times or so a day. 40 or so pounds less, but still fighting strong.

In general he is doing okay, and there are only 7 more treatments left including today. He acknowledged that the final week is going to be tough. Overall, considering what he has gone through thus far from diagnoses, to treatments, to surgery again, he is doing not to bad.  On top of that, he told me that he doesn’t feel too bad, but the cancer treatments are causing some very thick mucus to build in his mouth and throat and that cannot be washed out – therefore he is using what looks like an electric dentist suction tube machine, thingy-ma-bob, what-cha-ma-call-it. Fun – I would say not.

So in conclusion, we are counting down the days – 7 more radiation treatments, and 2 more chemo treatments.  He is fighting through this, but the cancer treatments have taken their toll.  The one thing that he is looking forward to having once all this is done – a big glass of ice water.  The one thing we are looking forward to - a healthy vibrant dad.

Take care and thank you for your continued prayers.

Quick Dad update

I will start by saying something positive… 2 weeks and 2 days…or to put it more simply - 12 more days to go … and better yet - 3 more chemo treatments…can you tell that we are counting down the days?  The end is in sight and the recovery will begin.  But you gotta love those twos… with every set of twos there is two sides - for this message the good and the not so good.  As you probably heard, Dad’s eating ability has deteriorated in what felt like an instant. One moment he was eating fine, and the next he could not eat.  He is still drinking water, but eating is very difficult.  His intact of calories and nutrients these days is via his feeding tube.  And on that note, the second part of the story…

Last Thursday, Dad was in some discomfort during the evening and into the next day.  On Thursday his feeding tube was leaking, and then on Friday nothing went in... it all went on the floor.  They put in another feeding tube on Friday but it went into the stomach lining instead of the stomach, and it had to be pulled out... yanked out is more the word for it.  A person would look at that he say… not very good news (which is true, but it only gets worse the rest of the day)…so they worked on it some more. … then little bit worse …. they tried 5 more times to put it back in place…talk about pain... then a little bit worse news, they ended up doing surgery to re-insert the feeding tube back in place.  All of this happened on Friday afternoon.  The good news regarding all of this is the fact that my sister Linda was already planning on going up to stay with Mom and Dad until Wednesday… talk about perfect timing.  She can give mom a much needed break, cook some meals, and help with Dad. 

With that being said, you gotta love help…and from a previous email I sent, "...we worked as a team, but we knew when to move over and ask for help."  We have continued to ask for help from God and our friends, and we continue to ask that your prayers join ours.  Mom and Dad continue to look to the four of us for support and each of us give it in our own way.  It is truly interesting to me to see how each of us is handling this.  Four siblings with four different approaches to dealing with stress.  The end result is that we are figure out a way to help our parents through our outpouring of love and actions.

So in conclusion I will say that by Sunday Dad was feeling better.  He got up and took a shower and even Mom made it to Easter services - dad was still to weak.  Life is "back to normal" for another day.

12 more days to go….