Rounding the Corner!

Hi everyone...thanks again for all the wonderful emails, blog comments, calls and visits! You have lightened our burden and helped us both find the strength we needed to face our recent challenges. YOU ARE THE BEST!

I am pleased to report that Dallas is feeling stronger with each passing day. The radiation burns are slowly healing up and the effects of the chemo are almost gone. Dallas starts physio on Wednesday. He'll be working on many things including neck and shoulder rotation, facial muscles (there goes that cute crooked grin!) and overall strengthening. The next hurdle will be passing all the tests that the doctors will throw at him soon - please keep your fingers crossed.

Despite all of this I really feel like we're rounding the corner and even if life isn't quite normal, it's getting there. This weekend Dallas and Steve were out on the boat fishing and we spent Saturday afternoon boating with some friends. The best change is that we're not travelling to the cancer clinic every day! More later...

Love,
Patty

Recovering...

As I write this, Dallas is taking a snooze. They said that the effects of chemo and radiation would be cumulative and boy were they right! This week the Big Guy is more tired than he has been since after surgery and he's suffering from some painful burns on his neck - the results of radiation. I'm sure that in a week or two he'll feel a lot better. Even though he wasn't feeling top notch today, we still walked 3 km. He never ceases to amaze me! More later...

Love, Patty

ONE MORE TREATMENT!

Yippee! Dallas only has one more radiation treatment on Monday and then that's it for now. As the chemo wears off his system he has been feeling better and stronger as the week progresses. After Monday's treatment Dallas will have ongoing checkups and tests to make sure the cancer has been eradicated. As the Oncologist said "we'll keep our fingers crossed" - and of course your continual positive thoughts and prayers will help too! More later...

Love Patty & Dallas

PS - Anne & Brian - thanks so much for the call from Italy!

FOUR MORE DAYS!

Hi everyone...hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We were fortunate to be surrounded by family and friends all weekend. On Thursday, Jordan arrived home for the holiday weekend from Calgary so it was great to spend some time with him. Marcus and Heather were also able to spend a couple of days with us so we had a wonderful visit with all the kids. We celebrated our Thanksgiving on Saturday and were joined by Heather's Dad, John, and his partner Vicki, as well as our friend Karin Kinley (another valley transplant!). We enjoyed another turkey dinner last night at our friends Steve & Peggy's. I am happy to report that the Big Guy was able to down more than his fair share of both dinners with the help of extra gravy portions!

Dallas's chemo ended on Thursday which was great. Unfortunately, he probably had his worst weekend both physically and emotionally. The cumulative effects of the chemo left him exhausted and the burns and swelling from the radiation made him very uncomfortable. Luckily, by yesterday he felt as though he was turning the corner and was ready for his last few days of treatment by this morning. He may feel tired for a week or two after treatment but then it should get a lot better. Thanks for all of your support - we don't know what we would do without you! More later...

Love,
Patty & Dallas

Seven More Days

Dallas only has one more chemotherapy session and seven more radiation treatments so we are really counting down the days. Today wasn't the greatest day...Dallas developed mouth sores and isn't feeling that well. The doctor at the cancer clinic prescribed a special mouth wash which should help the sores heal and soothe Dallas's throat. Our other challenge has been Dallas's skin - it's becoming very sensitive because of the radiation "sunburn". We're caking his face in lotion to try and soothe it. As our friend Steve says -" we're almost through it!" - I'm sure that the next few days will be a challenge but we can finally see the finish line. More later...

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday Jordan!

Today our "baby" is 21! Where does the time go? Dallas and I couldn't be there to help Jordan celebrate this milestone but our friends Anne & John McGilvary had a special dinner for him in Calgary. Anne and John are some of the first friends that we met in Invermere and have known Jordan since he was a toddler. Thanks so much you two!

A BIG thank you to everyone who kept us busy this weekend. It really helped keep our minds off the fact that Dallas had another chemo/radiation combo week on the horizon. Friday night Marcus and Heather joined us - luckily they visit often and stay overnight so we can keep up with their busy lives. On Saturday morning we had a visit from our friend Jim Guild. Jim is another valley transplant (who now lives on Gabriola Island) so it was great to catch up with him. We joined the Heyer and Stidston clans at Goldstream Park Saturday afternoon. It was a great time as usual, and as an added bonus we enjoyed an awesome turkey dinner. Who knew that camping food could be so gourmet?

Dallas is entering the fourth week of treatment feeling strong and going in fighting. I just know that that's going to pay off. More later...

Love, Patty and Dallas

The End of Week 3!

We're very happy that week 3 has drawn to a close. It means that we're over the half way mark and Dallas is still doing extremely well with all of his treatment. Today is the first day that he woke up and mentioned a sore throat so although he still ate softer foods, we did finally take out the blender and mix up a smoothie. Our favourite Radiation tech put a positive spin on the sore throat - she said that it meant that the treatment is working. We can't get over all of the wonderful staff at the cancer clinic - they're always there to boost you up when you feel low. Smiles are given out continuously and hugs are available if you need them - what a gifted bunch of people. Have a great weekend...I'll post early next week to let you know how the chemo is going. Thanks as always for being there!

Love, Patty