Hello Everyone:
My… how time seems to just fly by… especially when we’re having fun. We hope that you all are coping with the whims of Mother Nature and all the storms that may have passed your way. My apologies to many of you whose emails I have not yet answered – this recovery period as you will see is the most hectic we have had.
My third chemo session of the 4th Cycle went extremely well. My mouth sores were well under control and so Dr. I was able to give me the full dosage of Abraxane although he did adjust one of the other drugs in the cocktail. I left Hermione (my infusion pump) for the 2 week break and managed to get Fay to find a better carrying case. The clasp on my first carrying case had broken and it’s replacement was a “poor man’s version” and soon had me sewing the split seams in two places. Fay was horrified at the poor quality and immediately disposed of it. She was able to find a much better carrying case which hopefully will do it’s job.
We met Betty Cohen, who actually has a beautiful leather carrying case for her infusion pump; a gift from her Mum. Betty is a producer of documentaries. Her husband is an orthopedic surgeon who, needless to say, has a huge caseload somewhat akin to my cousin, Greg. As a result, her sister had set up a schedule assigning various family members and friends to take turns to keep Betty company during her chemo sessions. Betty was laden with loads of information on diet and supplements having just come from the health food store at the UCLA complex and we reviewed the recommended diet for her. Betty had 60% of her pancreas removed as well as her gall bladder so it was important for her to eat the types of foods that her body was going to be able to cope with.
We missed our Tuesday buddies — it was so nice to receive an email from David Roy checking in that all was okay as he and Nanc had missed us the following day. With Marie and Rick, they were aware of our change in schedule and we had already agreed to meet them for dinner — initially on the Monday night which is when they first get in from Vegas. However, the traffic was so bad due to an accident, that we postponed our dinner until the Tuesday after Marie’s session. Dr. I had tweaked Marie’s anti-nausea medications and all of a sudden, she found that she had her appetite back so it was great to see her eat real food even though she was still hooked up to the IV food which she was lugging around.
We had decided to bring forward the chemo session to the Monday (normally we go in on Tuesdays); Tris and Alexa were flying in on Friday and we thought that by bringing forward our schedule would allow us to get to Phoenix a day earlier to at least get settled in. This is exactly what happened, although we waited until Thursday morning to see how I was feeling at which point, we hurriedly packed up and left LA around noon. Packing was a little more cumbersome as we had decided not to tempt fate and decided to ferry all perishables from the fridge and freezer. I had already consciously tried to manage the amount of food we had left over, which was not that easy being a big believer in freezing any portions that cannot be used. Wasting food just is not on my agenda … possibly the African/Asian in me… or is it simply frugality?!!
While my energy level was still at the “build-up” stage, I was amazed that my mouth sores were only half of what they normally would be. I believe that this is the result of frequent rinsing of an alkaline solution in addition to the prescription rinse. The true test will be to see whether it continues to work for the next round. We were able to stock up on some food for the long weekend as we knew that with T and A only down for 2 full days, they were likely to be jam-packed with activity. They were scheduled to arrive around 9.30 p.m. and Gary and I dutifully took off for Skyharbour Airport having established that their flight was on time. We love the fact that each terminal at the airport has a “Cellphone Lot”, which is a reasonably sized parking lot about a minute from each terminal. There is a big screen which tells you when the flight you are meeting has arrived and when the passenger is ready for pick-up. Much more civilized than having to circle the terminal or trying to find an illegal parking spot nearby.
Last weekend was a long weekend in both Canada and the U.S. which meant for a very busy time at the airport. T and A eventually came through minus an old set of golfclubs which they very kindly brought down for us. Air Canada’s explanation was that the cargo weight had reached the maximum level at which point all other large items had to be brought down on the next day’s flight. This was no problem to us except that it meant that we got home around midnight by the time all paperwork had been done.
Our 2nd day of touring, Gary had chosen the Apache Trail which is a spectacular drive through the Superstitious Mountains (the 2nd most photographed spot after the Grand Canyon in Arizona). We wound our way along some narrow roads with amazing rock formations surrounding lakes — difficult to think that you are in the desert. The blue skies provided a perfect canvas for the interesting shapes we encountered. We then found ourselves on 20 miles of dirt road — very challenging to drive especially if you are not in an SUV but the most scenic part of the entire route. While Ayers Rock in Australia has strong spiritual ties, the actual rock formations pale in comparison to what we saw on this route. While at the first State National Park , T and A decided to walk one of the trails while Gary read and I knitted at one of the picnic tables. About an hour later, they came back from their walk, with Alexa sporting a beautiful engagement ring! After eight years together, Tris had decided to pop the question. A date for the wedding has yet to be determined as they have lots of planning and work to be done given the potential for a relocation to work in Hong Kong for a few years, which has to be decided on by the end of March. They have been very sensible in deciding not to have a costly event but rather are considering an upscale combined wedding/farewell event for family and friends. Lots of excitement needless to say.
Our final stop on this route was Roosevelt Dam, the largest masonry dam to be built at the time (1905-1911) — this forms the backdrop to the attached picture of the happy couple.
Within a day of T and A’s departure, we picked up our good friends who had flown in to make sure that I was going to get enough rest during their visit. The kitchen has produced some wonderful aromas as Lise is a great cook and baker. I have been relegated to kitchen helper which has many therapeutic benefits apart from helping to keep my weight up. The men are testing a number of the local golf courses and have confirmed that the one we back on to is an excellent course.
Yesterday, I received a very upsetting telephone call from Marie in Vegas. Since we met her in October, you will recall that Marie has had much difficulty with handling some of the important chemo drugs and has, unfortunately, spent many weeks intermittently in hospital each time her body reacted adversely to the drugs – this after 12- 16 months of chemo. I had been helping her to reach a more positive outlook which is critical for self-healing. Like ourselves, Marie and Rick had a lovely visit from their son and daughter-in-law earlier in the week. On Friday she received a call from Dr. I. advising her that unfortunately, her latest scan done 2 weeks ago has shown that her cancer had metastacized to the liver. She was in total shock as she had been keeping her fingers crossed that the shrinkage in her tumours would allow for surgery as she does not have any issues with blood vessels and nerves being intertwined. It would appear that the reduced chemo dosages and the long stretches of non-treatment while she was hospitalized served to reduce the normal chemo barriers and allowed the cancer cells to take charge once more.
We will all be banding together to provide the necessary support to get her through this latest development.
This winter in Phoenix has proven to be a lot cooler than normal for the locals. For us, the lovely blue skies and the sunny days remain a great healing backdrop. We always have an extra layer for when the sun starts setting. Last Friday, we spent the day in Scottsdale attending numerous events at the annual Arabian Horse Show. It’s quite incredible to watch these beautiful animals and their riders perform. The one event which was extremely enjoyable to watch is the “Liberty” event where one horse and its trainer with a helper are in the arena. The horse has 2 minutes to “perform” on its own to the trainer’s chosen music – the horse has to use the entire arena and after 2 minutes, the trainer is given 2 minutes to harness the horse. It reminds me of a freestyle performance by a gymnast except that we are watching a beautiful free spirited Arabian horse attempt to perform along similar lines.
As we send you our love and best wishes, as always, ever appreciative of your continued support and prayers, we leave you with the following quote:
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never ailing, but in rising every time we fail.”
-Nelson Mandela
Maureen and Gary