Here We Go Again!

Hi Everyone,
We thought we'd show you a recent pic with Dallas's new 'do! He's getting ready to start round 5 of chemo this week so even though his hair has started to grow back, more will probably come out before the end of round 6 at the end of the month. After that he won't be cutting or shaving it for a LONG time. More later...
Love, Patty

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Hi there...hope you're all doing fine and avoiding the cold and flu season. Dallas has a cold this week but despite having lower blood counts, etc. he's out there stacking a cord of wood today! We'll be busy over the next few days because Dallas's parents arrive in town. We're very happy that they've chosen to spend the winter on the island and have rented a townhouse about 20 minutes from us.

Next week will be a busy one here - Dallas starts his fifth chemo cycle and I am having some surgery (why does everything happen at once?). As usual, we'll get by with a little help from our wonderful friends and family who will be chauffeuring us around.

We're looking forward to upcoming visits from our valley friends Ed & Sharon Wiens followed up by another good friend - Brian Schaal. It should be lots of laughs and if the weather permits, maybe some fishing on the Cinnamon Girl. Thanks as always for your emails, calls and blogs - we love you guys! More later...

Patty & Dallas

ROUND FOUR FINISHED!!!

Hi everyone...I'm happy to report that Dallas successfully completed round four of his chemo cycle and is feeling pretty well. We were very happy to hear that he had been approved for three more cycles without any hassles. At the completion of cycle 6 they'll be removing one of the drugs - the paclitaxel - and reviewing his treatment plan again. The paclitaxel accompanies herceptin for the first six treatments and then the herceptin is given for the rest of the treatments (we're not sure how long that will be yet). We were very thankful that Dallas's reviews will be based on how well he is feeling rather than more scans and tests.

We enjoyed a quiet weekend with a visit from old friends Diane and Jim. It was great to catch up with them as well as Marcus and Heather who joined us for dinner on Saturday night. Last night we had dinner out with Peg and Steve - spending time with them is always a great way to cap off the week.

Thanks as always for your emails, calls, visits, cards and blog comments (okay - who is anonymous - really??!!). After a very rainy Saturday we're going to get out and enjoy the sunshine today - +12 degrees just to make those of you in deep freeze country feel better. Remember our B & B is always open! More later...

Love,
Patty

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Hi everyone,

Thanks as always for being on our team. The last couple of weeks have been busy ones. We had a nice visit from Lawrence Miller - a buddy from the valley. Lawrence is now known as the "lucky" fisherman - he landed a 90 lb. halibut while fishing with a cousin on the island. Lawrence's catch has made Dallas even more determined to go halibut hunting! We missed seeing Lawrence's better half, Judy, so hopefully we'll catch her next time. We also had a nice visit with Jim Guild on Sunday (Jim's another valley transplant like us). Jim has a busy dental practice in Ladysmith so we really appreciate the time he spends with us.

We enjoyed Marcus and Heather's Engagement Party a couple of weeks ago. Sharon (Heather's Mom) hosted the party - the food was yummy and it was great to get our families and the wedding party together to celebrate.

Today is an exciting day for us because Jordan arrives home for Thanksgiving. His birthday was on Tuesday, so we'll celebrate that tonight and then tomorrow we'll pack for a Thanksgiving weekend in Seattle. The boys bought Dallas Seattle Seahawk tickets for his birthday so while they're enjoying the game Heather and I will shop 'til we drop - YEAH!

Dallas is feeling quite well. The effects of the chemo are cumulative so this go round he finally admits that he has less energy than the last round. Despite this, my guy continues to amaze me - he rarely keeps still and seems to always be working on a project. We have an appointment with our favourite cancer doc tomorrow (Peter Battershill is definitely on our team). We still haven't officially heard about whether or not Dallas's next round of Herceptin has been approved. I can't see the Cancer Agency denying us because Dallas has experienced such good results with the drug but the wheels of bureaucracy turn strangely sometimes. Our next chemo session is scheduled for this Wednesday so we're just going to show up and hope for the best! Positive thoughts and prayers are always appreciated.

Happy Thanksgiving! More later....

Love, Patty

CHEMO SESSION 3 COMPLETE - YEAH!!

Thanks again for all of your calls, emails, cards and visits - you guys are simply the best! The Big Guy completed another round of chemo with flying colours today so we have a 3 week break from the cancer clinic until the next round. That's the other good news - the next round is scheduled so we're assuming that the cancer agency approved the rest of Dallas's treatments (of course I'm being very hopeful with my assumption - we know how tough cancer agency can be with their approvals and we have no "official" word yet). It would be big relief to not have to fight for the drugs that we need - and the difference they're making is truly amazing. The swelling and hardness in Dallas's face and neck has almost disappeared and his neck mobility has really improved (maybe I won't have to do all the driving anymore - yeah!!). So after his 6 hour day in the chemo chair he came home and started painting the trim on the house some more - some things never change!

On our family front, Jordan seems to be settling in back in Calgary and Marcus and Heather are in full swing with their wedding plans. I even got to go to a bridal show on the weekend - finally some girl stuff in my life after all these years! Dallas and I enjoyed time out on the Cinnamon Girl this week - no fish but it was a great day. He plans to spend more time out there next week. He usually has a few tougher days after chemo but then the good days start to out number the bad ones pretty quickly so it's time to fish! Life is good. More later...

Love,
Patty

DAY 8 POST CHEMO

Hi everyone...just a quick report today. Days 8 - 10 post chemo are the normal down days for most cancer patients - we were warned. Blood counts are at their lowest and the normal person feels very weak and spends most of the time resting. Of course you know that my husband is anything but normal! This morning he power walked 3 km. (first time in months - yeah!) and spent the rest of the day painting the house. He never ceases to amaze and inspire me. If you look up the word stubborn in the dictionary you will see his picture in the description.

Our lives continue to be busy and this week was no exception. It started off with a quick visit last weekend from friends Bruce and Assunta. Assunta was a bit jet lagged having just finished a seven week vacation in Italy (I'm so jealous!). They came over for lunch as foot passengers on the ferry and left the same day - a whirlwind tour. Dallas's parents arrived early in the week because our niece Tasha is getting married tomorrow. They'll be here for a few more days and then our B & B is vacant for awhile. Thanks again for all of your support! More later...

Love, Patty

ROUND TWO BEGINS

Cousins Jordan, Emmy and Connor

So we really enjoyed being surrounded by friends and family this week as Dallas began round two of chemo. My brother Ron, his wife Tina, niece Emmy and nephew Connor were there once again to support us and cheer us on. I can't tell you how wonderful it is for me to come home to a gourmet dinner and baked treats and desserts everyday. Tina you are amazing! The long days at the Cancer Clinic really start to wear me down (the Big Guy gets some nice drugs so he sleeps thru most of our time there!) so coming home to a clean house and such wonderful meals is a very special gift.

We also enjoyed a great visit with our friends Anne and Brian O'Leary from Calgary. Everyone did a stellar job of keeping our minds off the upcoming appointment at the clinic. I'm happy to report that Dallas is doing very well - he's out house painting as a write this! The nurses couldn't believe it when they saw the improvement in only three weeks time - things can only get better. He may crash later in the week as his blood counts decrease so he's trying to get his "honey do" list finished before that. After 32 years (today is our anniversary!) there's nothing that I can do to stop him or slow him down for a rest until he's ready... the man is a very stubborn machine!

Jordan is packing up and leaving for Calgary tomorrow morning so I'll be wearing a black arm band for awhile. I'm thankful every day that we have Marcus and Heather so close by - we're very, very lucky! More later...

Love, Patty