"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh and anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God." Ether 12:4

Friday, May 15, 2009

Birthday Update . . .

Friday, May 15, Day 141, week 21, month 6 since diagnosis-
I thought not to be here for my 53rd birthday, but here I am still!
We had a small procedure requiring a few stitches performed at the surgeon, Dr. Price's office during my visit on Tuesday this week. We have been having bag leak issues with resulting at least daily bag changes because there was a lot of mucus leaking.
I am still tired from the trip to CA-OR-WA-ID-WY, but happy I was able to go be with extended family on a more positive note. The last visit was very sober and in some ways shocking to the California families. I left with much happier feelings this time. Now, it is good to be home and with my family again. Mom and Dad have provided their 31' motor home to us so we can do some family camping in conscience and build some additional family end of life memories per our latest bucket list . . .

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Happy May!

Hello everyone!
Here we are in May, and we haven't posted in several weeks. We apologize - things have been hectic and changing, as they are for everyone.
Here's an update on how things are going at the Loser home:
* Dad had his staples taken out from the surgery on April 28th, and the surgeon said everything looks great! He reported that there aren’t really a lot of tumors on dad’s intestines, which was great news. We’ve heard that bowel blockages toward the end are horrible. He and mom also met with the oncologist, who told them that things are going well. He did note that there is a new area of tumor growth on the bottom of dad’s lung, so that’s a spot we’re going to have to watch out for. They also decided as a team to stop the chemotherapy – it was just too draining for dad, and we want him to have a good quality of life rather than extend his life with months of exhaustion and puking. Otherwise, dad’s recovering nicely. He attributes his quick bounce back to the epidural he had for the surgery (and you thought only preggos got ‘em) :)
* Mom’s wrist is doing fine – it’s pretty funny, I have to say, to watch her do stuff with only one hand. I tell you folks, she’s almost ambidextrous now! By the way, don’t make fun of her if her hair looks bad – it’s either one-handed, or dad-as-a-stylist (and no one wants to see that).
* By the way, as far as family news is concerned, we wanted to make sure that everyone knows that Benj and Jackie bumped their wedding back to August 1st because they wanted to wait until the hottest time of the year. Just kidding, more family and school- timing stuff to work through. We also wanted to pass on the news that Adam and Rachel are preggo again! We are sooo very excited, and hope that once again, the child looks like Rachel. Sorry Adam. I still love you.
* We were very excited to talk to Elder Cameron this last Sunday for Mother’s day. He sounded serious, which I know is hard to imagine, but he’s doing well and doesn’t have the swine flu. In fact, he believes it’s a scam by the Mexican government. It’s been hard to work around the Sunday meeting cancellations, but he said they are just going to have to work that much harder in the next few weeks. He wanted us to give his love for everyone!
* Dad’s dad (Grandpa George) came out to visit from California, so dad (Richard) decided to take a little trip back with him. Here’s a note about the experience:
“So life goes on and so must we work while the sun is still up and shining. I decided to make a trip to California to visit family again, this time on a more positive note. We had a great family BBQ and visit, made some fun surprise visits on doorsteps and in front rooms, and we saw a lot of country (some incredibly beautiful and scenic) in between. Now I am back home and feeling a bit worn and frayed. It was great to visit family, some of whom I have not seen for 10-12 years.” Overall, dad’s feeling pretty good, considering. We were glad he could say goodbye to some of those relatives.
Thank you all once again for your love and support. We’re glad none of you have the swine flu, and that the world didn’t end.
We love you. We love the beautiful earth. And most of all, we love mom’s homemade spare ribs. Um, um, good.
The Losers
This post is brought to you courtesy of Nichole...