The Cup

I am putting up a photo today because Jennifer asked to see it. "I am so jealous" she said today when I told her I saw the Stanley Cup. Scotiabank is sending the Cup on a cross Canada tour and so it arrived in Porcupine this morning, complete with the RCMP honour guard. I dropped by to snap photos of ordinary people with the cup and it was a hoot to see so many kids enjoying the excitement. Whole teams dropped by to get team photos taken with it. I had a quick chat with Mike Bolt, one of the "keepers of the cup" and he suggested I get a photo of myself with the cup, and so I handed him my camera and he snapped the photo. I am sure Tyler and Nathan will be pleased to see it too. In other news, Jennifer is quite pleased with what she says is the birthday gift she gave herself. She was able to move her legs Saturday without any help. She says she can't wait to show off for the physi-therapist on Monday. The other big part of the day for Jennifer of course is the fact the Leafs won last night, dumping on the Washington Capitals.

Hearing from the kids

Yesterday was a nice day. I was texting with Neil and spoke with Jennifer twice. Neil is the king of texting. It's a good way to stay in touch. In any case, I was pleased to hear from both of my children on the same day. The first time I spoke with Jenn, I was out shopping and needed to know somebody’s clothing size. It was just one of those very quick chats where you’re in public and don’t want to be a cellphone boor. The second time I called I was at home and able to sing a short verse of Happy Birthday. Jenn is NOT one of those people who makes a big deal about her birthday, but I could tell she was happy I called. Denise made her a fabulous cake and Jenn talked about it so much I was getting hungry. I had already eaten supper and didn’t want to overdo it on nutrition, so I had some fudge.
Jenn had to stay at the hospital for her birthday because her white blood counts were so low and her immunity is low. But I was amazed at how good she sounded. She was tired, but I could tell she was feeling much better than with previous bouts with chemo-therapy.
Jenni says she is confident she will be at home for Christmas. Things are definitely looking nice.
Well, we got a bit more snow in Timmins yesterday. Ha ha, who cares? I don’t have to shovel. I am learning to enjoy my apartment more and more. I did some laundry last night … and while I was in the laundry room, I got caught up on reading. I think next time I will bring my laptop. I really need a life eh… doing laundry on a Saturday night!

Jennifer is a survivor

I am always amazed at how well people respond to good treatments. Jennifer says her last treatment of chemo-therapy has left her feeling better than expected. At some point soon, in the next week or so, the med team at the Sudbury cancer centre will take another bone marrow sample and hopefully it will once again show no cancer cells and then Jenn’s leukemia will officially be in remission. After that, Jenn says she will be transferred off the cancer ward and over to the rehab wing of the hospital. Then begins the battle to learn how to walk again, hopefully. Anyway, as much as Jenn was worried about the last round of chemo-therapy, things seemed to have worked out nicely. For the first time, she had no fever when her blood counts dropped down. Also, she experienced only one day of nausea. What a change that is from her past encounters with the chemo-cocktail. It looks like my favourite girl will be at home with her boys for Christmas!
Meanwhile, back in Timmins, I am settling down to apartment life. We closed the deal on the house because the young couple that bought it wanted to get moved in before Christmas. I cannot disagree with that. My new apartment is very nice, but it is going to take me days to unpack.
Not all is well in Timmins these days. Yesterday, Xstrata, the Swiss based company that bought the Kidd Creek smelter a few years ago, announced that it will close the Timmins copper smelter and zinc refinery next May, putting 670 people out of work. It's a huge news story, but I feel terrible for the workers and their families. Who would have thought that would ever happen? Luckily Timmins is still a treasure chest of minerals. Thank goodness for all the gold and diamonds. Let's hope those industries continue to thrive.

Bone Marrow screening

Jenn told me about the bone marrow search system in Canada, which is run by the Canadian Blood Services. She is not sure if she will ever need a bone marrow transplant, but Jenn likes to be prepared. The screening procedure involves sending away for a free kit that arrives in the mail. To learn about it you can go to the www.blood.ca website.
To learn about whether you qualify for bone marrow screening, check out this page: Click Here.
I read into it and was all set to sign up ... but for some reason it says people over 50 cannot apply. Hmmm ... as if I never lied about my age! : )

She is determined eh.

Well, you have to know Jenn to know how determined she can be. She was taking physiotherapy Monday and wasn’t fully aware that her blood counts were low. Anyway, she was working away, working hard, when whoosh!~ she fainted, passed right out! So she was feeling absolutely pooched after that. But later last night, she seemed a bit more chipper about things in general. The final round of chemo-therapy is done … well it has been applied to Jennifer’s system. But it's not over yet. Now Jenn will endure several days of her immune system crashing and then rebuilding itself. She is pretty confident she will come out of this one stronger, but she knows she is going to have some rough days ahead. That being said, Jenn is convinced she is in remission because the med-team is pretty sure of that too. But with the billions of the cells in the human body, they're not taking any chances... they want to ensure that every cancer cell has been killed.

Another Saturday morning updater

They’ve started another session of chemo-therapy for Jennifer. She is back on the original double-dose that the med team gave her on her original session. So Jenn is confident it will be effective, just as the first one was, and it will be a tough experience for a few days this coming week, just like the first session. She sure sounded tired on the phone last night after supper, but she was having a nice visit from her guys, so that was good. She also had a hard week of physio-therapy, but Jenn says that’s a good thing.
SOLD THE HOUSE!
I am in for a busy week ahead. The offer on the house went through and the buyers are happy. The deal closes Monday December 7 so I will be packing this week. I can’t believe how much stuff I have accumulated over the years -- Stuff that I sure don’t need. But I will be holding onto important stuff and calling the St. Martin de Porres charity for things other people might use. There is a young couple buying the house, so I will be pleased to “donate” a lot of things to them. I am looking so forward to having a quiet little apartment. I will miss my neighbours a lot. I have been blessed over the years that wherever I lived, I always had amazing neighbours. But Timmins is small enough that I am sure I will see them often.
I am also going to be closing off my e-mail. Instead of lgillis@nt.net... I will be using my hotmail – lengillis@hotmail.com

Jenn's weekend

Jennifer had a very nice weekend, spending time with her hubby and her boys away from the hospital. Jenn says it was a bit more fun than she expected as she got out to a movie and even went out for dinner! ( They were celebrating Nate’s birthday.) Jenn also had a little surprise of her own. She and Denise dropped by the Daffodil Terrace Lodge which is run by the Cancer Society and they picked out a nice glamourous brunette wig that Jenn was able to borrow for the weekend. How cool is that? Jenn said she is thinking that when her hair grows back (it’s just peach fuzzies right now) she is going to grow it long and then cut it and donate the hair for a wig for somebody else. She said is learning to cope with being in a wheelchair in public places and she said it’s a whole new world of learning. For example, she was happy to go to the arena to see the boys playing hockey and while there was a place in the stands for her wheelchair, there was no heater nearby like in the regular stands. Hmmm… could be a newspaper story.
On a different front, Tyler Town moved out today. Tyler Town was the name of the model railway layout I had in the house for nearly ten years. I started building the layout shortly after he was born, and now that I am moving, it had to move as well. It had a lumber mill, a brewery, a general store, a church, a town hall and great train service. Over the years, the boys had some fun with it, especially making one train crash into the other. I am happy to report that a nice couple in South Porcupine will be setting up Tyler Town in their home for their grandchildren this coming Christmas.

Jennifer is feeling better

It’s going to be a good weekend in Sudbury. Jennifer will be enjoying a three-day pass away from the hospital. Her doctor wants Jenn to rebuild her strength for several days. I told Jenn the doctor likely believes that being in a good mood leads to better health. Jenn agrees because she is excited about spending another weekend at home and she says she is feeling stronger. So far so good. Jenn says she has mixed feelings about her next session of chemo-therapy. No firm word yet on exactly when that will happen, but Jenn says it will be soon. She is not looking forward to it, but she says she wants to get it done and over with so she can make plans to be home for Christmas. Hmmm… Christmas … just six weeks away.

A weekend pass ... and ladders.

It is an overcast Saturday in Timmins but I hear there's some blue skies down south ... in Sudbury. Jennifer is having a good day today. She has a weekend pass! Yup, she is able to spend a couple of days away from the hospital, at home with her family. So that's all good. She says her doctor will let her build up her strength for several days and then there will be another session of chemo-therapy.
I noticed people in Timmins today are putting up their Christmas lights already. I won't be doing that. For some reason I don't like ladders. I don't think I am afraid of heights... but I am not comfortable on ladders. I don't mind airplanes. I recall some years back when brother Ronald was taking part in the airshow in North Bay. He invited me down to meet him. Ron was sky-diving with the Canadian Forces Skyhawks and the US Army Golden Knights jump team, and he invited me on the jump-plane with him. I got a seat right beside the open door so I could shoot some nice photos. The guys strapped me in with two seat belts because my feet were dangling in the open air. The plane climbed to 13,000 feet and I was able to lean out and shoot photos straight down as the guys jumped from the plane. I felt quite comfortable. Good thing I didn't have to stand on a ladder eh.
Oh by the way, it was the first time I had flown at such a high altitude in an un-pressurized airplane. There was about two dozen people on the plane and Ronald explained to me the phenomenon of "fear-farts". That's a story for another day.

Things are nicer...

Jennifer has been having a great week so far. One of the nicest things was a visit by several of her aunts on the weekend who made the drive from Timmins. Jenn said she loved seeing them all and it really gave her a lift. Then on Monday, Jenn was moved to a new room in a newly renovated part of the cancer centre. She is now in room 4-600 and she is quite happy with it. Also this week, Jenn was so pleased to hear that her cousin Zach and Melanie are the happy new parents of tiny Noah Maltais. Hmmm… so that means that Uncle Mo is now Grandpa Mo! So congrats to Marie and Mo and Mel and Zach.
Some of the best news this week came from Jennifer’s oncologist Dr. Lopez who told Jenn for that for all intents and purposes it now appears she is in remission. That is such incredibly good news. (Isn’t it amazing what all those good thoughts and prayers from people can do?) But the doctor is not taking any chances. Jenn will be given several days to build up her strength and then there will be another session of chemo-therapy. She will also be getting more chemo-infusion shots, which are essentially needles of chemo-cocktail right into the spine, which apparently has had very good results for Jenn in the past. To make things even nicer, if everything goes according to plan, Jennifer will get to spend the whole weekend at home this week with her husband and her boys. I just know she is gonna cry some happy tears when she gets in the front door. Jenn says she is looking forward to all that. But she adds her hospital days are far from over. Indications are that when she eventually leaves the cancer centre, she will spend many, many more weeks in the hospital for rehabilitation and physio-therapy. Jenn said tonight that none of the med-team is discussing whether Jenn will ever get the ability to walk again, but she said “I believe I will.” And I learned such a long time ago not to argue with my little girl.

Hey Ronald ... you old %#*!!

This is a separate post for my fave "little brother" Ronald. Tomorrow is his birthday, but by this afternoon in Timmins it will already be "tomorrow" in Afghanistan. So Bro, I hear you're stuck in some hole-in-the-ground forward operating base in the Panjwai district, so take care, keep your head down and have a good day.

Things we take for granted

Had a great chat with Jennifer last night. Her back was a bit sore, but she says that was likely to due to the fact that she did so much physio-therapy this week. She said she did enough work that she was actually feeling tired. And she was happy with that. The other good news is that she is no longer “brown bagging”. The brown bag refers to the dark brown color of the bags for the IV solutions of nutrients. Jenn doesn’t need them anymore. The med-team is also stopping her anti-biotics. So that means for a little while anyway, Jennifer will be tube free. There will be no IV tubes anywhere. That will enable her to move around a bit more freely. --Just one of the little pleasures that most of us take for granted.

Things are good.

Jennifer seems to be hanging in there pretty nicely in the past few days. And she has been happy to see some visitors too, but they have to wear the masks, gloves and gowns. Just when Nate got over his sniffles, it looks like it is Tyler's turn to have a touch of flu. I sure hope most people are coping with the flu thing okay. It has been nine days since I got my shot... I guess I am okay by now, because the nurse said it would be eight to ten days before full immunization would take effect. I still go by the best advice from the public health people ... keep washing your hands and use plenty of tissues.

Jenn was enjoying another good post-chemo day today. She said today was the last day of the "helper drugs" the med team had been giving her to offset some of the nasty effects of the chemo-therapy. Jenn says overall she has been feeling pretty good, but she says its anyone's guess what will happen in the next few days now that the helper drugs have stopped. At some point soon, they will take another bone marrow sample to see if any new leukemia cells are still around in Jennifer`s system. If not it will be very good news indeed. Let's all keep positive thoughts. We ended the call on a nice note. Jenn was smiling. I could hear it in her voice... and oh by the way, the Leafs had just scored on TV.

Weekend update!

Had a nice visit with Jenn this weekend and was amazed at how good she looked. Still, no one was taking chances, so I had to wear gloves and a hospital gown for the visit. It was nice to just sit and chat as if we were in a living room … and for Jenn that’s what it’s getting to be like. As of November 1, she has been in the hospital for 66 days. It’s the “new normal” for her, and as much as she wants to get better, get out and get home; she knows that while she is in the hospital she is getting the best care possible, not only from the med-staff but from people like Denise who spend some much quality time looking after her. It looks like the hospital room is going to be Jenn’s home for several more weeks at least. Some good news from that is that she may get moved to a new section of the hospital as some point soon. As I looked out her hospital window this morning, I noticed that the Sudbury Super Stack was empty. No smoke. Inco has been on strike for several weeks now and unless things change dramatically, it’s going to be a long, long strike.
I remember covering the big strike of 1978-79. It went on for nearly nine months it made a lot of people unhappy and angry. I fear the same sort of thing could happen again.
Anyway, I got a kick out of spending part of Saturday night with Jenn watching the hockey game. Scott was out doing Halloween round with the boys, so I was with Jenn. As I was blabbing on, she shushed me because Toronto scored a goal. I had to laugh. A few minutes later, Jenn suddenly blurted “Oh shit!” when Montreal scored and tied up the game. I laughed at that because Jenn never swears in front of old Dad.
Overall, Jenn seems to be handling this second round of chemo-therapy better than the first. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It amazes me how strong she is mentally and emotionally.
As for the boys, it was grrreat to see them too. Of course they were all excited for Halloween and it was fun to watch them enjoying the candy. Nate was down with some flu symptoms for most of Saturday, but with lots of rest of a bit of medicine, he looked to be in fine shape on Sunday. I don’t doubt that Tyler will be next. The flu is making the rounds, but the boys are strong and healthy. So I am not too worried.

A little better...

Jennifer was feeling much better last night when we had a chance for a quick chat. She said she finally beat her fever, but said it was a rough night on Wednesday. She had sweats and chills and sweat and chills. I can only imagine how poorly she felt. She said the nurses came in around three in the morning to change her sheets and bedding because she sweated so much everything was soaked. Jennifer said at one point her temperature was plus 40. I know she is feeling better now because she said she was able to eat half a hamburger. That pretty darn good for Jenn. I will be pleased to see her tomorrow.

Jennifer is fighting a fever

Today was a rough day for Jennifer. She has a fever and feels very sick. She was not able to talk on the phone, just a quick hello. I hope she sleeps well. It makes me remember when she and Neil were kids and how I would peek into their room and check in on them every night before going to bed. I don`t know why but it`s comforting to watch a child sleeping. Sweet dreams Jenn.
On another topic, I got my H1N1 flu vaccine shot today. I was covering the opening of the flu clinic and was in the clinic before the public was allowed in. I was speaking to the woman in charge of infection control for local public health. She said anyone who comes into contact with a person undergoing chemo-therapy should get the shot because the chemo patient is especially vulnerable to flu germs. I rolled up my sleeve and got the shot right away. I feel much better now.

Just yukky sometimes...

I spoke to Jenn awhile ago and she said she's actually feeling yukky right about now. The effects of the chemo-therapy are now coming around and, once again, there's just nothing pleasant about it. I hate to see it happen, but on the other hand, Thank God for the treatments. She's one tough woman, but I can tell by her voice when she's hurting. I told her I just wish I could take the pain away. "It's okay, this is supposed to happen." she said. I can't for the day when this will be all over and she will be up and around.

Good for morale

Jennifer has been feeling pretty good the past few days, despite the fact that she has just come through the second session of chemo-therapy. She said the med team has given her a new medication to help fight some of the nasty side effects from the first session. In simple terms, the new meds are designed to help stabilize her white blood cell count. I don’t know much about that, but Jenn assures me that she is feeling better. I guess that’s one of the benefits of Jenn having the same people looking after her for so many days and weeks now. They doctors and nurses are learning exactly how her body chemistry responds to every type of medication they give. She knows she is in for some rough days ahead, but she says she is ready for it. Of course Jenn has become the darling of the Oncology floor because she has been there for so many weeks(Since early September) and everyone knows her and everyone drops in to say hello. I think that’s pretty nice and pretty good for her morale.

Jennifer deals with things her way ... that's okay.

Well Jennifer has lost most of her hair, but she is dealing with it with the help of some nice hats and scarves. Candace and I were with her several days ago when Jennifer decided to cut her hair. And as she was brushing it out, most of her hair came out in clumps. I am sure it was a tough moment for her, but it was a private thing and she dealt with it her way. As we mentioned here weeks ago, losing hair is part of the process of chemo-therapy. And yes, Jennifer has lost weight too, but that had a lot to do with the digestive problems after her first round of chemo. Jenn is keeping a lot of these things private. It's her business after all. Jenn and I talk several times a week, sometimes twice a day. If she doesn't want to talk about any certain subject, or a private thing, that's her decision. Jennifer is very strong mentally and amazingly strong emotionally. She is confident that with time, she will be physically strong once again.

Scott remembered...

Jennifer has completed her second round of chemo-therapy and she was a bit nauseous today. She says she is ready for a few rough days but her spirits are good. I would do anything to take her place for her. Jenn's legs are still getting spasms, but they've given her new medication that should help control that. Let's hope so. I mentioned that Oct. 21 is a special day for Jennifer... actually it's a special day for Jenn and Scott. It's their wedding anniversary. Scott remembered, and showed up at the hospital Wednesday with flowers, their wedding photo and a lovely diamond ring. How nice is that?

Jennifer and diamonds

I had a nice chat with Jennifer this morning. She is on day-three of her new round of chemo-therapy and she says she feels okay, and she sounded okay, but we both know that the chemo will make her feel poorly in a few days. She did sound a bit tired today, but I think that’s because I called earlier than normal and woke her. The encouraging thing is that the chemo sure seems to do its job in killing the leukemia cells in Jenn’s blood. The med team has added a new tube to Jenn’s body. They’ve put a line into her belly and they’re giving some sort of a pain medication. This one is to help her cope with the pain in her legs. It’s a recurring pain that is more like a continuous ache. Jenn says she doesn’t know if it’s a good or bad thing yet, since there was a period when she had no feeling. Let’s hope for the best she says. This is also a special week for Jenn and October 21 is a special day for her. More on that later this week. I had to cover a little story with De Beers Canada this week… they have a diamond mine near Timmins and they’re donating a beautiful one-carat diamond to the Timmins hospital as a fundraiser. I don’t know much about diamonds, but the one they’re donating is a Princess of Hearts cut, valued at $20,000. That’s kind of cool. As part of the announcement, the De Beers people handed out these big fat, fake diamonds … but jeez, they sure look impressive don’t they.

Jenn's chocolate brownie breakfast...

It was good to talk with Jennifer last night (Thursday). She sounded in good spirits despite the fact she had some digestive cramping. She is also getting ready to start her new round of chemo therapy. I think the real reason she was in good spirits was because she had a chocolate brownie that Denise picked up for her at a bake sale. Jenn got a kick out of letting me know. Just to keep you in the loop, I have a habit of having chocolate cake for breakfast… I just find it improves my whole outlook for the day. Jenn was pleased to let me know she has picked up on some of my good habits. I was busy all day Friday, but I will chat with her again Saturday.

More chemo-therapy on the way

About time I updated things here. I have been busy ever since I got back from Sudbury on Monday, because I have decided to sell the house. I had a good chat about it with Neil and Jennifer and I decided I just don’t need a house anymore. It takes more time and effort to keep this place going than I am willing to commit to, so I am going to find a new apartment where I don’t have to shovel snow, cut the grass, work in the shed, fix the faucets or look after the thousand-and-one other things that need attention. The real-estate lady is quite excited … she says I could be out of here in a few weeks. So it should be interesting in the coming weeks and months to see how things unfold. I will be sure to get a two-bedroom place so there is always room for visitors.
My visit to Sudbury was excellent. We had Thanksgiving dinner at Jenn’s place with Scott and Jennifer, Neil, Candice and Gee. It was just perfect. Of course there was way too much food, but just enough wine.
Jennifer is going to be on a new regimen of chemo-therapy treatment on Friday. The med team says it wants to be absolutely certain that all the leukemia cells are gone, so more chemo is prescribed. Jenn has mixed feelings about it. She knows its going to make her feel terrible, but she says she now knows how effective the treatment is because the first round of chemo-therapy resulted in zero leukemia cells when they did the bone marrow test last week.
But the oncologist explained that just because there was no cancer found in the sample, it doesn’t mean that a cancer cell is not lurking somewhere else in Jennifer’s body. Of all the billions of good cells in the body he said, all it takes is one bad cell to grow a tumour.
That’s the reason why the med team is being so aggressive with the chemo. You can’t argue with that. I chatted a bit with Jenn tonight, but she was struggling with an upset stomach that was quite irritating for her. She thinks it may be due to the fact that she is now allowed to eat solid foods again and her stomach is taking awhile to get used to that. I hope she feels better soon.

A nice day in the North

It's another nice day in Northern Ontario. I actually slept in to nine o'clock. Wow... I never sleep that late. It's so quiet in the country. Plus, there's the fact that I don't have a scanner with me, which likely helps out too. Woke up to find that Scott had returned from Westree with some carrot cake that Denise had baked. Hello breakfast! I put the coffee on and made enough noise that Scott got up. Hegrabbed a coffee and put the TV on the check out the hockey news from last night. So we've got the turkey ready for the oven, the stuffing smells great and Scott just headed to town with a long list of errands ... including a stop at the liquor store. It's going to be a grrrreat day.

Good, good news

Apologies for not being here sooner, or more often this week. So many good things are going on. Just got back to the house after spending the most of the day with Jennifer. Actually I am not at my home but at Scott and Jenn's place. Jennifer had a good day today...thanks to so many good people. I hadn't seen her in awhile, but it was nice to see how much better she looks now that things are improving overall. So that is hugely thanks to Denise, Jenn's mom in law, and Candace, Jenn's cousin. Jenn is also blessed with a fabulous medical team. And of course, there is a steady stream of visitors from Jenn's friends and co-workers. It was nice to meet Jenn's longtime friend Nikki once again, who was at the hospital when I arrived. Oh, I sucked up today... I showed up with a couple of boxes of butter tarts from the amazing Vicki D'Amours bakery in Timmins, and dropped them off at the nurse's station in the oncology ward. There is nothing sweeter or more mouth-watering. The nurses loved them. Tyler and Nathan both had hockey games today and then they're heading up north to Westree to spend some time at camp with Don and Denise, and cousin Victoria along with Christine and Dimitrios. It was nice to chat with the boys for a bit. They're looking great. We also had a chat with Neil on the phone today... he is flying east at this very mnoment and should be landing at Pearson sometime around midnight. He will be arriving in Sudbury tomorrow and we'll all have a very nice Thanksgiving dinner.
Michelle and her husband Neal in Timmins are going to be checking out my house today and suggesting some improvements ... Michelle is the real-estate lady who will be selling my house. Yup, time to change my lifestyle... Hopefully I will be in some new digs before the snow flies. And I have no plans of shovelling driveways anymore. So we will see how that all unfolds in the coming weeks.

Jennifer is improving

Jennifer got more good news today. Her doctor said the bone marrow test from earlier this week was negative, so far, for leukemia cells. So it appears the first session of chemo therapy was doing what it was supposed to. Jenn says it means her medication is heading her in the right direction. It doesn’t necessarily mean all the cancer is gone. It means there’s a whole lot of new hope today that she didn’t have a week ago. Whew! Her oncologist says now that the marrow appears clean, a new procedure will begin Friday. They will begin a series of chemo-injections directly into Jennifer’s spine to make something of a direct attack on whatever is left of the original tumour that was located on her spine. Jennifer says at some point after that, the med team will initiate another round of direct chemo-therapy. She says now that she sees how good the results are she isn’t too worried about coping with the next round. Jenn says she is determined to fight to get better. I think that slice of pizza she had on the weekend really perked her up eh!
~ ~ ~
On another note, my little brother Ronald is back into the thick of it again with some army buddies. Ron, who lives with his fabulous wife Loni (the air force gal), on the west coast is this week heading to Afghanistan. He will be going with another bunch of young soldiers to a hole in the ground known as a Forward Operating Base (FOB). So be sure to add him to your Christmas Card list: Sgt. Ronald A. Gillis, C-company, 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, Afghanistan. That’s the place there, Sperwan Ghar, in the photo. Photo Credit: Canadian Forces Combat Camera.
Someday I will tell you the story of the time I went to see Ron on a winter military exercise in Northern Ontario where a thousand soldiers para-jumped in at minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit. He convinced me to sneak him out so we could go for a beer. So he lay down on the floor in the back seat of the car while I drove through the military checkpoints. That was fun. Stay safe Bro!

A grreat day for Jennifer ... at home!

What a fabulous weekend for Jennifer. She is indeed feeling stronger and more energetic. You can imagine my surprise when I got a call from her on Sunday, saying not to call her at the hospital… the doctor had agreed to let her go home for a few hours! Jenn says she was just as surprised as anyone. Her doctor was visiting Sunday morning and Jennifer asked when it might be possible to get out of the hospital and spent a bit of time at home. The doctor said “how about today?” Jennifer burst into tears and before you knew it, Scottie picked her up, put her in the truck and they drove home. Jenn says it was an excellent day and of course, she was also pleased to see Buddy and Lucky, the dog and cat. So they ordered pizza, which Jenn says she was able to eat. How cool is that? Jennifer also gave a bone marrow sample from her hip this morning, so sometime this week, she will get news on how effective the chemo therapy was in killing the cancerous blood cells. Jenn says she was told to expect another round of chemo-therapy regardless. The success of the first chemo-therapy session will likely determine the exact nature of the drugs used on the second session. Let’s keep a good thought.

Some good news

It was so nice to chat with Jennifer this morning. She picked up the phone and was having a hard time moving it to the bed -- and I could hear her whispering some nasty words … So I knew that was a good sign! We both laughed about that. But today seems to be a good day for her. “I feel really good Dad,” she said. “ I think I’ve turned a corner…”
You can imagine how good it was to hear her like that. This is four days in a row of no fever and the med team is cutting back on her anti-biotics. The doctor told Jenn that her blood counts are coming up really well. That is also restoring her strength and energy.
She is still on the liquid nutrients through the I.V. tube, but she is also allowed some liquids by mouth now. Yesterday she had chicken broth. Today she has had apple juice and cranberry juice and they’re urging her to drink lots and lots of ginger ale. It seems that ginger ale has lots of phosphorous which is something the body needs. The pain in her back, the radiation burn, is still annoying her, especially when she moves. But she says she doesn’t think about it that much and that she can take pain medication if its really bad. So Jenn is having a better time right now. She’s hoping to get back to a more regular system of physio-therapy so she can hopefully get feeling and strength back in her lower body. Hope is such a good thing.

Holding hands will make you cry...

I had mixed feelings when I chatted with Jenn tonight. She was feeling pretty good she said. But we watched the last of the Toronto Maple Leafs game together and just when we thought it would be a win for the Leafs, Montreal scored and tied up the game. “Welcome to the Leaf Nation” Jenn sighed. Then we watched the overtime period together and with seconds left to play, Montreal scored again! Oh, oh ... What a letdown eh. Anyway, Jenn says she thinks she is getting a bit stronger each day. And there is no fever. Today the doctor let her drink some apple juice. Eventually, she will be able to drink broth and then some soft foods. She says she is sure looking forward to that. The MRI imaging she had earlier this week shows nothing new and the doctor told Jenn that is good news. She says she still feels pain in her upper back and the doctor thinks it is a radiation burn from the intense radiation therapy. It’s like a really severe sunburn. So we will follow that. Scott treated Jennifer today by showing up with a photo of their front yard. They live in the country and have a nice big parcel of land with beautiful trees and shurbs, all surrounded by forest. Scott tacked the photo up on the wall in her room. How nice is that! Another good thing is that Jenn’s isolation rules are being relaxed. Scott brought Tyler and Nate to the hospital and Jenn told the boys to go and make sure they washed up their hands really well. When they came back into the hospital room, Jenn said she was able to touch her little boys and hold hands for the first time in many, many days. She said she started crying when she held their hands because she was happy. I cried when she told me. Funny what we take for granted eh?

Jenn is feeling better and stronger

Like the song says, what a difference a day makes. Actually those were Jennifer’s words today when we chatted. As soon as she picked up the phone I knew she was feeling better. In fact, Jenn said as soon as she woke up today, she knew it was going to be a good day. “I’m not a hundred per cent yet,” she said, but she was sure upbeat and said she was feeling better and stronger. She also had physio-therapy today. She said she was able to move her legs quite well and she is happy that her legs muscles responded. But she says the physio workouts really make her tired. She added that the med team has provided her with pneumatic leggings to increase the circulation in her legs. I clued into that right away because fighter pilots wear something quite similar - a G-suit - to ward off the effects of G-Forces that would pool blood in the legs. The pneumatic leggings inflate and deflate to improve blood circulation. Cool or what.
Jenn says she doesn’t have any word back yet on the results of her MRI imaging from Tuesday, but she said she’s not worried. Her doctor is a straight shooter and if there was any problem he would have said something.
The other good thing is that although her digestive problem persists, Jenn says she hasn’t had a fever in two days. She is on some new meds and she says it may be possible that they’re working better than the previous prescription. Jenn also has not needed a transfusion of platelets for two days, so that is good news as well. Keep up all the good thoughts and prayers!

This sucks... another rough day for Jennifer

It was difficult talking to Jenn today, she was so sick, weak and tired. Her system is still taking a beating from the chemo-therapy it seems and her body is fighting hard to get some strength back. But sometimes, it doesn’t happen easy. Jenn is absolutely exhausted today and feeling terrible, but she says it’s just something she will have to work through. In Jenn’s words, she is not about to ‘sugar-coat’ her situation. She said she was feeling really sick today. On the upside of things, she says she is happy that her regular doctor, Dr. Lopez, is back in town. She said he already dropped by for two visits to check up on her while he was making his rounds. She also had an MRI imaging done today. She says she hopes to find out the results tomorrow. As frustrating as I feel about my inability to do anything or say the right thing, or contribute in some positive way, I can only imagine how much worse this whole thing is for Jenn. I will only think good things for her.

Neil is coming home...

Jennifer had a relatively good weekend, thanks to a lot of people, she told me. She was really happy to hear that Neil will be heading back this way early next month. Her favourite little brother spent some time on the phone with Jenn over the weekend and that sure brightened her day. I have to admit I will look forward to seeing Neil as well. Maybe I will learn more about the business of running a brew-pub in Vancouver. Poor Neil has to manage two of these places and no doubt has to keep up on all the flavours of the new beers they produce. Sounds like the perfect job, … reminds me of Norm on Cheers! Jenn and her men (Scott and the boys) had a family weekend at the hospital. She says they all got to sit down in front of the TV and watch the Leafs game Saturday night. She was sure pleased the Leafs won. I can’t wait for the day when Scott and Jenn can go back to Toronto to watch the Leafs again. Tyler and Nathan also had their hockey tryouts and Scott was happy to go along and make sure the boys had fun. When we talked today, I said to Jenn… “He is such a good Dad.” Jenn said, “He is Grrreat Dad!”
Jenn said she also had visitors over the weekend, despite being in an isolation room, and she’s always glad to see them. Luckily, Jennifer’s cousin Candice lives in Sudbury, and is able to be there so often. Candice and Jennifer - I can’t help but think of those two as the snotty kids who were always underfoot at Grandma’s place when they were little. It’s amazing to see them as two wonderful women these days who are still the best of friends .. even if they are still basically a couple of nice beer-drinkin' gals from Timmins.
So today was a new day and Jenn had some pain in her back. The med team is not sure what it is, but Jenn says they may be able to book an MRI to find out more. That might be happening tomorrow. Her digestive system is still a worry. With all the meds, and chemicals that have been forced into her body in the past month, I am not surprised. She is still on liquid nutrients and that means she cannot eat or drink normally. That is upsetting. When we are healthy, we just take so much for granted.

Another good day... so many good people

I didn’t get through to Jennifer last night because her phone wasn’t working yesterday. The hospital staff replaced it and so we had a nice long chat this morning. There is good news. Jenn’s CT scan on Friday went well. She said it was all clear and nothing was showing. The med team was worried about her digestive system and decided to have a close-up look at things. So good news is always welcome. Jenn added that she is often overwhelmed by the good thoughts, good intentions and good things that people do for her. She said she was in tears yesterday because her co-workers decided to take up a collection to help her out and it was matched dollar-for-dollar by her boss, Junior. Jenn said she couldn’t get over how generous people are. She had only gone back to Pat & Marios earlier this year, after being away for many years. Jenn had worked there before in her university days and always liked it. I remember earlier this year she said she was happy to be back because it was such a good place to work with great people. No kidding eh. We also talked today about how so many ordinary people want to be able to do nice things to help other people. What a good life-lesson that is. It was just a few weeks back that Demetrios (Christine’s partner) was able to bring holy water and holy oil from Greece that his devout grandmother had sent specifically for Jennifer! How cool is that? Jennifer was so touched and grateful for that kindness. Today is hockey tryout day for Valley East. Jenn says Tyler and Nathan are all excited and will be dropping by the hospital later in the day to talk about the upcoming season. I know she wishes she could be with the boys … actually she is more of a hockey nut than most people realize. I remember one Saturday morning around last Christmas when we went out to watch the boys at a game. Nathan scored a goal and began pumping his arm, just like the NHL guys do. Jenn looked over at me and we both laughed, it was so funny.

An interesting day . . .

Part of my job involves listening to speeches and meeting well-known people, usually at a news conference. Over the years I have met many, but today, once again, I met the man who is probably my favourite speaker. I did something I’ve never done before. I asked Stephen Lewis to pose for a photo and he was kind enough to do so. I covered Lewis back in the 1970s when he was the firebrand Ontario NDP leader. He remembered and we chatted briefly.

His speeches were so good that he was often written up in TIME magazine. TIME also named him as one of the Top 100 people who shape our lives. In later years he became Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, the deputy director of UNICEF and in recent years, has been suggested for the Nobel Peace Prize. He was in Timmins again today and I was delighted to listen to him for nearly 90 minutes. It’s a good day.

A good day for my fave daughter

Today was a good day for Jennifer. I could tell as soon as she picked up the phone ... she said she was feeling a lot better than she has been feeling in the past few days. There is no fever and no nausea and she said she knew she would be feeling better from the moment she woke up.
Jennifer was losing more of her hair today, but she says it doesn’t really bother her. I am not surprised. Jenn is the type of person who quickly gets a handle on reality and sets priorities. She says she knows her hair will grow back once the chemo does its dirty work on the cancer cells … and besides, like Tasha says, Jenn is gonna be beautiful with or without the hair. No argument there … all the Maltais women are so good looking.
By the way, she sure enjoys the notes people send. She told me she was especially pleased that her Uncle Ronald took the time to write a nice letter. She really enjoyed reading and re-reading it. The Care Mail thing is one of the best things at the hospital. Scott’s Mom, Denise told me about it a few weeks back … if you want to send Jenn an e-mail just send it to the attention of Jennifer, Room 4665, Cancer Centre at caremail@hrsrh.on.ca . Every weekday, the volunteers at the hospital print out the messages and bring them to the patient’s room.
So that’s a good thing. Here’s another good thing.
Jenn says Denise is becoming like her own personal ‘super nurse’ because she provides such good care and just spoils her. How nice is that?
Jennifer had another CT scan today. The med team is checking on her digestive system because its acting up a bit. They’re pretty confident it’s just a reaction of the chemo, but they’re not taking any chances. Jenn will get the results on Friday. We had a discussion today about the level of care she is getting. So far, Jennifer has nothing but praise for the people at the Sudbury Cancer Centre. We are lucky to have it.
In the meantime, this means no food or drink for Jenn. She is being fed by a tube that carries liquid nutrients right into her body. I felt bad last night because I absent-mindedly told her about the steak and mushrooms I had for supper. Jennifer was jealous. She says her mouth waters when she sees a food commercial on TV. The good thing about the nutrient tube is that Jenn says she is getting her strength back. But I have to remember not to mention food when we chat. Funny how we have to be careful what we say … Jenn was mentioning to Scott just today that she felt really tired earlier in the week. She told Scott… “I felt like I’d been hit by a bus…” Nathan and Tyler suddenly looked at each other in shock, thinking their poor Mom had really been hit by a bus. Scott had to explain to them that Mom just felt that way. Jenn and I had such a good laugh when she told me about that tonight. By the way, Jenn says thanks for the cards, the e-mails and the kind comments and sends her love to everyone.

Carrying on...

Jennifer says the medications she is taking are making her more tired that usual. I sure believe her. She and Scott were supposed to watch the Maple Leafs exhibition game last night, but poor Jenn fell asleep when the game was on. Knowing what a hockey fan Jenn is, especially a Leafs fan, I know she would do anything to watch that game. But she says it could also be the new bed she has... she's says it is toooo comfy! We chatted a bit last night and I could tell she was soooo tired, so we ended our call early. Yesterday was interesting in that I had time to chat with an old friend whose family also coped with cancer. Terry Laporte was able to provide some helpful advice and insights. He actually wrote a very nice book about the situation in his family. I read it all before bed last night and I will be pleased to share it with Scott and Jennifer, soon. Today Jennifer sounded upbeat. I think that's because Denise dropped by for a nice visit. Jennifer also said she noticed that she is now beginning to lose some of her hair... but she says she doesn't think she will be too bothered by it. Scott has already shaved his head and Jenn says the boys are thinking of it as well. What a cool gang they are. Some things in life are sure not perfect, but they are carrying on.

Something new!

Just a quick update today. Jennifer was certainly upbeat when we chatted awhile ago. She is still fighting a fever, but they’re trying out some new meds and she is hopeful. They’re also giving her extra nutrients through the I.V. which she says makes things a lot easier and gives her strength. The big news is that they’ve given Jenn a new air-bed … it’s valued at about $70,000. The nice thing is that it inflates and deflates so that the patient can adjust it to their personal comfort level. Jenn thinks it is pretty cool. Me too! I can imagine the boys will get a kick out of it once they see it too. I have to admit I am amazed at how good the treatment is at the Sudbury hospital. I know the past few days have been rough on her, but I am confident she is slowly getting her strength back. I hadn’t talked to her since Sunday… she gave me hell for that too. That was nice. I like it when Jenn gives me hell … I can tell she is getting stronger.

Round one is over...

Good news and less-than-good news to report this weekend. The good part is that Jennifer’s first ever session with chemo-therapy is over. The final dosage was administered Saturday. One dosage of chemo was a three-day dosage and the second was a six-day dosage. They were done simultaneously. Jenn didn’t have too much nausea during the week, but she did have some today. Another side effect is extreme exhaustion and a nasty fever. The fever let up for most of today, and because I was driving back to Timmins, I haven’t talked to her to find out how she has been in the past few hours. Luckily, the chemo has NOT affected her hair too much… (Knock on wood!). But the next week or so will be a time of rebuilding her strength and getting her body systems back to normal. Then there will be testing to find out how well the first session of chemo worked. Jenn says it is likely that a second session of chemo-therapy will be done just to be sure. The nurse said that Jenn’s white blood platelets were almost non-existent today. A member of the med-team explained that’s not good because we all need those platelets otherwise we could suffer unusual internal bleeding, heavy bruising and life-threatening nosebleeds. On the other hand, it means the chemo – cocktail is doing the job of destroying all the cancer cells along with the platelets. So today Jenn was getting a transfusion of new blood platelets, an I.V. solution to hydrate her and replace her electrolytes, another solution of anti-biotics to fight the fever, muscle relaxants to fight the spasms, and anti-nausea drugs. At one point today, I counted six bags of fluids on the I.V. pole! Jenn also had no appetite last night or today. Poor me, I had to eat her chicken and rice at lunchtime….. Yecchhh, not gonna offer to do that again! It was grrreat to spend time with Jenn and talk and get caught up. It was not great to see her struggling with the exhaustion and discomfort. But Jenn says she is going to get through this. She really loves the encouragement she gets from all the cards and e-mail care messages. And sometimes if she can’t answer the phone, it’s because she is sleeping or is not able to reach the phone.

I think Spock (the Vulcan) had it right

Jennifer had another less-than-pleasant day on Thursday (Chemo Day 6). I spoke to her late last night and her fever was back. Things had improved a bit during the day, but towards evening, she was feverish again. Jenn says she expects it is just one of those things she will have to work through. And she says she has full confidence in the medical team looking after her. She says she has a whole new respect for the work of nurses and other medical staff. Another good thing is that Jenn says although she was weak and feverish, she wasn’t nauseous. She was happy to see Nate for first time in a couple of days. She said he had to wear a mask, gloves and a gown, but it was still nice to see him. As sick as Jenn feels, she does enjoy the Care Mail messages people send. She also admitted she watched the new Survivor program on television and says its something for her to look forward to and follow. I thought how much we take for granted being able to get up, get out of bed and so somewhere. As Jenn was talking I started thinking of Mr. Spock and the Star Trek movies and Vulcan medicine where the healthy Vulcan can place his hand on the head of the sick person and absorb all the pain and suffering. I wish it could be that easy to just reach out and take all the sickness away.

Gonna miss that voice...

It was sad to hear that Mary Travers died on Wednesday. Her name may not mean much to a lot of people unless you say it was “Mary … from Peter, Paul and Mary”, the famous 1960s folk singers. Her voice, loud and pure as a bell, was the mainstay of songs like If I Had A Hammer, Blowin’ In The Wind and The Times They Are A Changin’. I miss folk music. It was so simple and meaningful. Peter, Paul and Mary made people think and it was emotional music. They performed at the famous civil rights March on Washington in 1963 when Martin Luther King spoke. I believe their sound was the sound of 1960s protest movement more than any other.

A rough day for Jennifer

Wednesday, Day 5 of the chemo-cocktail and Jennifer is feeling weak, tired, and a bit achey. If that wasn’t enough, she got a fever somehow today and they’re treating that with anti-biotics and more IV fluids. She said it was a rough day. Despite that we were able to share a few laughs tonight just chatting about daughter-dad stuff. She says the fever is making her weak and the medical staff have isolated her from most visitors. But she says she does enjoy the fact that she’s has received many, many very nice Care Mail messages. She also got a couple of very nice phone calls including a chat with her favourite little brother, Neil. She felt pretty good about that. One of the good things about the meds she is on is that she is sleeping a lot more. I am sure that makes the day a bit easier for her. She said she felt bad a couple of times today when Denise or Scott would come by the room … she would be awake for awhile and then just drift off to sleep. With that in mind, I didn’t chat long with Jenn tonight. But I knew she was awake when I told her I loved her and to have sweet dreams.

Not a bad day after all : )

Today (Tuesday) was Day 4 of chemo-therapy for Jennifer and she says she was feeling sick as soon as she woke up, but says she is a bit amazed that the medical staff is giving her Benadryl to fight off the nausea. She says it seems to work okay, except for a few times when she thinks about certain foods… and then she gets woozy. But Jenn says she was happy with her physio therapy today. She said she was able to lift her legs a bit so that’s a positive sign, but like Jenn says, there is still a long way to go. She says it takes a lot of intense concentration to make the connection from her brain to her legs, but she says it seems to slowly be getting better. She said she was pleased that her physio therapist was so happy. Jenn also had some quick visitors today. John and Gerry dropped by and that was a good thing, and so did her long-time girlfriend Roberta. Roberta drove up from Owen Sound. Ontario is a big province and the drive from Owen Sound took five hours! To make the day nicer, Aunt Sue called from Timmins and Jenn said that was a really welcome call. Scott was in with Tyler today, but poor Nathan had to say home as he still has sniffles. Nathan is promising to get better real soon. But she said she really had a nice talk with Tyler. Scott is back at work and while he is glad to be back on the job, he tells Jenn it is sometimes hard to stay focussed on work. I sure know that feeling. I also had some positive thoughts today as I ran into two different people, at two different times and they each know of adults with leukemia who are survivors. That made my day. I am also feeling guilty that I have missed three phone calls from my brother Ronald … Either I am on the phone with Jenn or out of the house… or sometimes just sleeping. It doesn’t help that my phone is busy when I go online, because I still have dial-up internet service. I am sure we will connect soon.

Monday was her first rough day

Just got off the phone with Jennifer… it was a quick call because her breakfast was sitting on the table in front of her getting cold. But she sure sounded tired. She says she is pretty loaded up with meds, including anti-nausea drugs, muscle relaxants and the chemo-cocktail as she called it. She said Day 3 of chemo-therapy (Monday) was a rough day for her for the first time, and last night was uncomfortable because she has spasms in her legs. But Jenn says that could be a good thing if it means that more feeling is coming back to her legs. She was also feeling a bit down because she didn’t see her boys Monday. Nathan caught a sniffle at school, so he and Tyler stayed home. Jenn says they might able to come up to the hospital today if they wear masks. With the H1N1-flu scare in Ontario now, the hospital now has masks and hand wash stations at every door. Jenn did say the day was nicer when Scott dropped by with a dozen roses to freshen up the room and Denise, Scott’s mom, brought in an amazing salad. And then Scott came back with a feed of home made spaghetti. The best thing is that Jenn had a smile in her voice and I know she is strong. We'll keep you posted.

A lot to learn

Jenn was tired, or maybe just really, really relaxed when we talked tonight. I almost didn’t get through to her. I found out that the hospital switchboard won’t take patient calls after 10:00 p.m. But I guess my plea to the switchboard person was urgent enough, yet polite enough, that I got through for a quick chat. Jenn says Day 2 of chemo-therapy seems to be okay, but she says she feels tired, likely because of the anti-nausea drugs she is taking. Anyway, she was tired enough that in the middle of our chat, she would just do a really big yawwwwn… I laughed. Then I started yawning. It happened a few times. Maybe she was giving me a hint. She usually dozes off before 11:00 p.m.
Jenn says she got a graphic impression of how powerful the chemo drugs are today. The nurse had to wear special white coveralls and goggles as he hooked the IV solution up to her PICC lines. Jenn said the nurse explained that the drugs are highly acidic and cannot come into contact with bare skin. I have the feeling that we will be learning lots about these things in the coming days.

Something different

In the past, this would be the time of year I make choke-cherry jam. But I noticed that most of the fruit on the tree has been disappearing this year. I thought it was the birds. But then this morning, when I was in the backyard putting clothes on the line, I heard something rustling the choke-cherry tree. Sure enough I surprised the furry little thief of a chipmunk and he was too frightened to get out of the tree. You might be able to see him the first photo, right in the middle. If not, I zoomed-in on the second photo and lightened it so you can see the little booger. I will have to go shopping now and get some seeds. The little guy looks too skinny with the cold weather on the way.

There he is!

I am proud of Jenn : )

Jennifer’s first day of chemo-therapy went okay, she says. She didn’t feel anything unusual but she is aware it will take a couple of days for the medication to kick in. She is amazed at the huge array of medication. There are the steroids to reduce inflammation, there are blood thinners to increase circulation, and there is vitamin-K (whatever THAT does). And she and Scott are now doing “a shot” of carrot juice each day.
She also had plenty of visitors and that sure brought her spirits up. Even when she took a nap, visitors dropped by and left gifts. Jenn was pleased with the soup that cousin Valerie brought… and she sure likes the new DVD player that Val left as well. Of course she was happy too when Candice arrived with John and Gee (Giselle) who drove down from Timmins. Gee’s sister, who is a hairstylist, sent along some scarves and hats Jenn might like when she loses her hair. The hair loss thing still bugs Jenn a bit, and she mentioned she might take the advice of a nurse and just get it cut beforehand. She is still not too sure.
We talked for the longest time last night (Which is great – but I think I talked too much after half a litre of wine) and while we talked about cancer patients we’ve known in the past, we agreed that even though chemo-therapy is not easy, it seems that they’re making it easier for patients to cope with it these days. Jenn says she sure feels grateful for the treatment and says she feels she has to do something now to “give back” in her words. I am proud of her for that. Hmmm, I’ve always been proud of Jenn.

A refreshing day for Jenn.

Tomorrow (Saturday Sept.12) is going to be an uncertain day for Jennifer. She will begin her chemo-therapy. She is a bit worried about it. But her spirits were sure high tonight when we talked. I think part of that is because she had enjoyed a refreshing shower today with the help of the nurses. She said it sure beats those bedside sponge baths. How much we take for granted eh?
Jennifer also had a visit from Denise, Line and Amy, (her mom-in-law, aunt and cousin) who were able to bring her outside to enjoy the sunshine for awhile. How nice is that? Jenn says she also enjoyed her physio-therapy session and is feeling good about the feeling and strength in her legs… it’s not complete yet, but she is optimistic. She is also practising her balance for sitting up. She says it is amazing how much we rely on our stomach muscles to do things. She doesn’t have full feeling of her abdominal muscles so that’s a challenge right now.
If you read the posting earlier today, you will have noted the information about Care Mail. Jenn says it works. She got my first message today. I plan to send more messages whenever the mood strikes me. But the best part of the day, for me, is the wonderful long talks we have. What a treat that has become.
So let’s hope the chemo-therapy does what it is supposed to do. Jennifer knows she will be feeling poorly, but her main worry is the fact that she will be prone to infection if any germs get through. Scott told the boys today that Jenn is off limits for kisses for the next two weeks; hugs only and lots of hand washing. The upside is that the side effects of chemo-therapy are said to be only temporary and will end once the treatment does. My worry is that with all this H1N1 Flu going around, somebody might be a carrier of the flu bug and not know it. Regardless, I am going to take my cue from Jennifer and keep smiling.

Care Mail!

Denise sent me a wonderful e-mail this morning telling me about an excellent service provided to Sudbury Regional Hospital patients. It's called Care Mail. It lets you send an e-mail message to a patient, which is then printed up by volunteers and the message is delivered to that patient's room. What a nice thing. So if you want to send a quick note to Jennifer you can send the e-mail to her attention at room 4665 of the Laurentian Hospital cancer treatment centre to caremail@hrsrh.on.ca.

I already sent a message this morning to see how it works.

Jenn's new room

Jennifer had her final radiation treatment today; at least for the time being … She said she was happy to do it. And she is feeling pretty good. Next is the chemo-therapy treatment. The medical staff told her that Friday is a day off to relax and gather her strength. Then on Saturday the chemo begins. Jenn says she is pretty sure she is ready for it. She says she has been eating lots and lots. But for Jenn, that’s a relative thing. Jenn was never a big eater. She weighed 120 when she was admitted to the hospital two weeks ago, and she lost a bit of weight since then. She says she is learning to like the hospital food, but she was spoiled today when Junior sent up a deluxe Greek Salad and Bruschetta Bread. If you’ve ever eaten at Pat & Mario’s you know how good that is. On the other hand, I’ve known Jenn to eat only half a dessert of chocolate cheesecake. Who could possibly do that? How on Earth can anyone stop eating cheesecake? Oh well, that’s Jenn. Good thing I like leftovers!
Anyway, she has had her PICC lines installed… they are the double-tubes that will carry the chemo-medication inside her body. They’re inserted through a vein in the arm and go all the way inside her to a point near her heart. You can read more about it here: http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Treatments/Chemotherapy/Linesports/PICCline
Jenn’s cousin Valerie and Dennis dropped by for a visit today. Jenn said she was happy to see them since they just returned from a vacation in Newfoundland. She said they helped her move down the hall to her new room.
Oh by the way, Jennifer has a new room. She is now in room 4665 at Laurentian Hospital’s cancer treatment centre. If you are able to call her, the toll-free number is 1-866-469-0822. Jenn said she loves the room because it’s the same size as the regular ward room but she has it all to herself. And she is happy that it has a window too. I know Jenn really misses being outside. She and Scott and the boys live in the country and they like it like that. If you look in the Archives over there on the right side of the page, check out September ’06 and see a photo of Jenn and Scott after a day of fishing. She was the “pickerel princess” back then. Anyway, Jenn is pleased the hospital has put an extra cot in the room so that Scott can spend more time there. She figures she will be in the hospital for another month, and so she is already planning a few movie nights with Scott and her boys.

'Kick it in the ass' said the doctor!

Jennifer was sure upbeat tonight when we chatted. It amazing how much we can talk because anyone who knows me knows I am not much of a phone freak. Anyway, she said her Oncologist Dr. Pedro Lopez came in to her room today and had a nice long talk and Jenn says he is sure speaking positively. I sure feel good about that because I am thinking the doctor wouldn’t speak that way unless he was feeling fairly certain there will be a good outcome. Jenn says the doctor is confident the radiation treatments have done much to shrink the original tumour. Today was her fifth round of radiation. Jenn quoted the doctor when she said he told her there is a “very, very good chance we will kick this thing in the ass.” Dr. Lopez also said the effort now is not just to deal with the cancer but also to eliminate it. On the other side, Jenn says she expects the chemo-therapy will begin tomorrow or Friday. The chemo is to kill the cancer cells in her blood. She says she has been told she will lose her hair within a week. She is putting on a brave face, but I know she will miss it because Jenn has always had long beautiful hair. She is also preparing herself mentally for the challenge of dealing with the weakness and sickness of being on chemo-therapy. She also says that as soon as she loses her hair, Scott has promised to shave his head as well. That doesn’t surprise me. Scott is an amazing man. I told Jenn that she and Scott are truly lucky to have found each other in their lives. She says she was also told that her hair can grow back differently. We laughed and joked about whether she would be a chatty blonde or a wild redhead. Once the chemo-therapy begins Jennifer will be moved to an isolation room. But there will be a phone there and I will post the phone number here. By the way, she was pleased tonight when I read her some of the comments that so many people are posting and sending in e-mails. I too am so pleased at the love and kindness so many people have shown her. Let’s all keep good thoughts.

Three phone calls to get through...

Jenn had another busy day today. The first time I called she was on the other phone with Scott. The second time I called she was getting a bath. On the third try, I got through. Yes she was busy, but she was feeling upbeat about her physio-therapy. She says she is feeling more sensation in her legs. But the medical staff was quick to suggest not to get too hopeful too soon because there is no guarantee all feeling will come back. Jenn is hoping that the radiation treatments on the leftover part of the tumour still near her spine will eventually shrink that tumour to the point where it no longer applies any pressure on her spine. Also she is grudgingly getting used to being poked with needles. Today they took a bone marrow sample from her hip and she has to give blood samples every morning so the lab can check her blood platelets. The one thing she is a bit worried about is how well she will handle chemo-therapy. She is a strong woman, but that sort of treatment can be upsetting. We will all be there for her.

A nice Labour Day morning...

I chatted with Jennifer today and she was in such a good mood. She had her second radiation treatment this morning and is feeling optimistic. I think she is glad that something is being done and she is so hopeful that progress will be made. Jenn says she already misses the nurses at Sudbury General, but I am sure she'll soon be friends with the staff at the cancer treatment centre. I didn’t get a chance to see her this morning because I had to head out early to get back home. It was a nice quiet drive along Highway 144 and I enjoyed watching the sun come up. At one point I pulled over on the highway for a stretch, a yawn, a whiz and a scratch when I noticed how pretty the scenery was as the fog lifted off the lake. So I snapped a photo.

Busy Sunday eh.

Updated news about Jennifer. She had a radiation treatment today at the Sudbury Cancer Centre, which is part of the Sudbury Regional Hospitals (Laurentian Hospital) at 705 523-7100 Room No. 4661 (Bed 2). Or if you are out of town, call toll free at 1-866-469-0822. I tried the number and got as far as the switchboard, because her room line was busy the times I called. I haven’t seen her today, but Scott says she is doing okay. The boys and I had a good day. We enjoyed a very nice barbecue at Aunt Line and Uncle Mo’s place. The burgers and sausage were grrreat. Line’s cream cheese-caramel dip dessert was fannnntastic! The boys had fun swimming and once we got back to the house, it was such a warm day that we spent another half hour in the pool. It was also nice to spend time with Victoria, Christine and Demetrios.I also took a nice photo of the kids this morning. Tyler just read this over and says its all cool!

Leukemia

It was a long, long day at the hospital today for Jenn. The nice part was the fact that Scott and the boys headed out early with Buddy in the back of the truck. Jennifer loved seeing the dog and yep, she got all teary-eyed. Later in the day Christine, Demetrios and Victoria arrived from down south for a visit. Danny and Collette arrived from Timmins as well. Candace’s husband Ron also dropped in for a quick hello. And then Uncle Mo and Aunt Line dropped by for awhile. So Jenn was indeed pleased with all the love and attention. She also had a visitor from the medical team who informed Jenn and Scott on the type of cancer she has. Jenn has something very similar to Acute Myeloid Lymphoma, which is a form of Leukemia. It’s hard to say much more than that, except it is not a welcome ailment by any means. I don’t know much about Leukemia and I am not willing to speculate on what it all means. Jenn was told it will likely mean her treatment will consist of radiation and chemo-therapy. She admits she is not looking forward to the treatment, but says she does want it to be done so she can get better. Jenn was upbeat just before supper when she was able to move her toes and her ankles too. She says when she concentrates, she is able to do it when she looks right at her feet. So as a test, we put the blanket over the feet and I held her toes. I said try to move them, and she did. It was so cool. She was upbeat enough that we snapped a nice photo when Danny and Collette were there. Click the pic, Jenn looks pretty good eh. Jenn and I also enjoyed a few moments of making smart aleck remarks about the world in general. It was so nice to have a good laugh.

More wine and a manicure please...

Jennifer had a good day on Friday with more visitors and more flowers she could imagine. She really enjoyed seeing everyone. Cousin Candice dropped by along with one of their lifelong friends, Carol Chamberlain from Earlton. It was a great day for those girls. Jenn says she may take Candice up on her offer of getting a bottle of wine and sitting around and doing their nails! Her CT scan on Friday went well so that the medical team could take another tissue sample of the tumour for a biopsy. It wasn’t as puzzling as expected. Scott and Jenn were told than in order to determine the exact type of cancer, the lab people needed another tissue sample. It seems there are many, many different types of cancer and knowing the exact nature of the cancer will allow them to respond in the most effective way. Scott says he and Jenn have been told that Jennifer will likely need radiation treatments. Sometime in the next week or so, Jenn will be transferred from Sudbury General over to the Sudbury Cancer Treatment Centre at Laurentian Hospital to begin her treatment. Today promises to be another good day. We'll keep you posted.

The latest stuff...

I saw Jennifer last night and it was so very nice to spend some time with her. I got into town just before her bedtime, but the nurses were kind enough to let me sneak into the room for a bit. And if that wasn't enought, Jenn had saved me a piece of chocolate cake! Woohoo. What a good kid she is. So Jenn is looking well and she is in her usual good spirits, but I think she is getting tired of being stuck in a hospital bed. The physio department has provided her with a wheelchair and she also has a daily workout with the physio therapists, which she really enjoys. Scott said she was working hard enough to work up a sweat, but after a couple of hours of that she really enjoys hitting the bed for awhile. She is able to move her toes, and she has "twitching" in her legs, but other than that, Jennifer is still "numb" from the waist down. That is certainly concerning and puzzling. There is no indication how long that will last. Jenn says she will take it one day at a time. She is learning to move from the bed to the wheelchair on her own. Like Scott says, she is very independent. Also today, the medical team is taking another biopsy from whatever is left from the tumour on her spine. That's a bit puzzling, but Scott sees is as being more frustrating that worrying. That's because they have to do another CT scan so they can pinpoint precisley where to insert the needle for the biopsy. Scott doesn't like that Jenn has to endure more discomfort than is necessary.

Jennifer is also the animal lover in the house, and when Scott showed her a new movie of Buddy romping the yard, Jenn got all teary-eyed. So Scott and boys will be bringing the dog the hospital parking lot on the weekend, so Jenn can see him. If you haven't seen Buddy lately, he is a massive white husky about the size of a bear. (click the pic!) I snapped a photo of him this morning after we waited with Tyler and Nathan at the school bus stop. The boys were pleased I was in town. As usual, we honoured the tradition and we had chocolate cake for breakfast. We have to save some cake for the weekend. The boys' favourite cousin Victoria is heading north for a visit.

Hoping she gets smart-alecky

What a change from this time last week! I spoke to Jennifer earlier this afternoon and she was in good spirits and feeling a bit tired after a session of physio-therapy. She was waiting for Scott to get her lunch from the restaurant. Her boss Junior says he doesn’t want her eating hospital foods so she has to order her meals from the restaurant menu everyday. Jenn’s a salad hog… wait till he finds out how much lettuce he’ll be missing. : ) . I will be visiting her soon and more of Scotts family will be heading for Sudbury as well. It’s going to be a full house. Can’t wait to see Jenn. Can’t wait for her to start getting smart-alecky again.

She hung up on me!

Just kidding. Actually it was Jenn's cell phone battery that cut out. I spoke to her this morning and she said she has had so many calls from friends and well-wishers that her battery was just about done. She said 'Dad, if the phone cuts out, it's because the battery is dying...' Yeah, right! Jenn is still in the Sudbury General hospital and was having a good day today. She said the nurse was washing her hair and today she begins the physio-therapy on her legs.

Overall, it's a nice, nice day eh.

Much better now...

Updater! Scott just called to say that the results from the CT scans done on Monday show no more tumours and no more cancer for Jennifer. Scott was so happy. Scott said it gave him goosebumps to finally pass on some good news. We both laughed. Damn, it's great to get good news. I can't wait to chat with Jenn again.

Feeling better

We’re sure feeling better today about things. I spoke with Jennifer last night and then again this morning, and it was a great to hear her. She sounded much better than she has in the past few days and said she was feeling better too. She said she had some feeling in her toes. The best part is that she has had lots of visitors dropping by. Even her boss, Junior, dropped in with a take-out supper -- Jenn said it was much better than the hospital food. It’s kinda nice when your boss runs the biggest restaurant business in Sudbury. The boys were up to see her and she says they will be dropping by after school today as well. She also said she is grateful for the many expressions of kindness from so many people. Jenn has her cell phone with her, so if you know the number, give her a call. If you don’t have the number, e-mail me and I will send it to you.

Let's all keep a good thought eh.

I spoke to Jennifer last night, and she was in some pain, but overall feeling better. I could tell by her voice that she is nervous about today. Today is when she will have a full body CT scan so that it can be determined if there is any more cancer in her body. We are all hoping and praying there isn't, but we have to be realistic as well. The good thing is that Jenn is determined to fight whatever is ahead. Like Scott told me, "she's a tough as nails".

On the plus side, I will be picking the truck up from the shop this morning. $14.95 for a fan belt. Whew... that sounds reasonable. I don't know what the labour charge will be. Keep smiling.

A few days in hell...

It was Thursday that Scott called to say Jennifer wasn’t well. For a couple of weeks now, she had such a sore back that she could hardly sleep at night. For several days, her only sleep was on the couch propped up with a bunch of pillows. Scott took Jenn to the emergency room several times and the doctors said they couldn’t pin down what was wrong. Jennifer was having severe back pain along with numbness in her belly. First they thought it might be muscle pain, and then they thought it might be a kidney infection. Then Jenn was out grocery shopping with the boys last week and she was having difficulty walking. She couldn’t feel her feet as they would touch the ground. Finally, the hospital people decided to do an MRI. That was Thursday and that’s when they discovered the tumour on Jenn’s spine. What a shock. A tumour! Where the hell did that come from?! Jennifer has always been healthy and fit and always makes a point of eating the right stuff and being safe and healthy. So our big question was, is it benign or malignant? That doesn’t matter said the doctor. He said we have to cut it right now and take the pressure off the spine.
Seeing her in the hospital bed was heartbreaking. Scott was hurting so much to see his sweetheart like that. Jenn and I spent some moments talking and she saw the fear in my face and I saw the fear in hers. She reached out and grabbed my hand just like she did 20 years ago when she first came to Sudbury General Hospital. She was in high school then and was washing dishes one night after supper when she seriously cut herself on a broken glass. I remember seeing the cut and telling Jenn we’d have to take her in for stitches. She was terrified then and I remember being with her in emergency when the doctors sewed up her hand. She had a fierce grip on my hand. It was the same thing a couple of days ago. Jenn grabbed my hand and held it hard. We both knew how scared we felt. We both had tears in our eyes. Jenn was worried for the boys. Thank God Scott’s Mom and Dad, Denise and Don, drove in from Westree to look after the boys and keep the house running.
On Friday, the surgery didn’t happen, but Jenn was prepared with anti-biotics and then steroids to reduce inflammation.
Friday night Jenn seemed in better spirits. I sat with her and Scott for awhile and then she said she wanted to walk. So Scott and I held her arms and we walked all around the hospital. For a moment I was so encouraged, but then the reality of it hit me… Why did we have to hold her up? Why was she losing all feeling in her legs? What the hell is going on?
This morning as she was getting ready for the surgery, things were not better. She had less and less feeling in her legs. I tried to be positive. I told her Jenn - you’re gonna be okay, you’re gonna get through this. Jenn seemed to sense my own fears. “I love you Dad,” she said with tears. “I love you Jennifer,” I said as I started crying. “I love you Dad,” she said again. I couldn’t talk. I could barely see as my eyes fill with tears.
I had to come to Timmins this morning for a few hours. I cried all the way home.
This afternoon, Jenn was still in surgery, I showered, put on fresh clothes and started driving back to Sudbury. My thoughts were everywhere. I barely noticed anything. Suddenly steam started coming out of the engine, from under the hood and then through the vents in the truck. The engine was overheating because my fan belt broke. I sat on the side of the highway for a couple of hours waiting for a tow truck. We dropped the truck off at the shop and I got in the door just before 11:00 p.m.
Scott says Jennifer came out surgery okay this evening, but not everything is okay.
It broke Scott’s heart to tell me that the tumour on her spine was cancerous. The tumour was also bigger than expected. The surgeon says he hopes he hopes he removed most of the tumour, but says he is not sure. Tomorrow Jennifer is resting and recovering. On Monday, the doctor says she needs a full scan, head to toe, to see if there is any more cancer. I spoke to Neil some minutes ago. I could tell by his voice that he too has a hard time accepting this. This is all so unhappy. I can barely write anymore. My heart is broken.

FROST WARNING!

Yes, it's hard to believe for August, but Timmins has it's first frost warning of the "fall season" for tonight! Oh well, such is life in Timmins.
ENVIRONMENT CANADA: Forecast
Issued: 4.00 PM EDT Wednesday 26 August 2009
Tonight:
Clear. Low plus 2 with patchy frost.
Thursday:
Sunny. Becoming a mix of sun and cloud in the afternoon. High 15. UV index 6 or high.

Grumpy stuff

Saturday Things:
I am grumpy about phone voice systems… they keep telling you to hit the Pound Key! This is the Pound Key - £. They really want you to hit the Number Key, which is this - #. I sure hope somebody else speaks up about this.

Don’t argue. I got into an argument this week with a guy on the phone. I was fed up about something else, but this guy didn’t like something in the paper so he called to B*tch about it. Well, I B*tched right back. It wasn’t nice. I should really know better. We agreed he should write a letter to the editor. That should be interesting when it arrives.

Lost any socks lately. Yeah, me too. For about two weeks I have been wondering where my socks went. Today I went to throw a load of clothes into the dryer. Woohoo… there was about six pairs of socks in there.

I will be going to the library today to do research. I notice lots of kids go there on Saturdays… but nobody reads books anymore… they’re all on the internet. Everyone thinks Google and Wikipedia are research. Hmmm… they’re not. They will point you in the right direction, but always check it out. NEVER trust the internet.

I having buying beer lately, but not at the Beer Store. In Ontario we have Beer Stores and the Liquor Store. Lately I have noticed that its cheaper to buy beer at the liquor store!

Hmmmmm. That is all for now.

Sabre makes a comeback

I am sorely going to miss seeing the annual air show at the Canadian National Exhibition this year. When I was a kid I went with my Dad often. When I grew up, I took my own kids many times. This year the Ex air show is featuring a CF86 Sabre fighter jet, in the colours of the Golden Hawks. What a fabulous plane. I remember seeing the Hawks when I was a kid living on the airbase at Portage La Prairie. The Hawks would land there often. It was a time when Canada’s air force had real fighter jets for an air show team. The Snowbirds are nice, but nowhere near as cool or fast or good looking as the Hawks. Interestingly, in those days, the jets were not required to fly at a safe distance from spectators. Flying low and fast right over the crowds was done often. The Sabres were fabulous birds and even though they were created by the US, the Canadian-built version was actually faster since it carried the Orenda Engine. And oh-my-god they were so fast. I remember seeing one zooming over the field at Portage. It was like a blur. There was not a sound. That’s when we knew to cover our ears. It was breaking the sound barrier. Then the sonic boom hit like the sound of the throat being ripped out a dragon. What a thrill! When we lived in France, the Canadian Sabres were screaming over the base all the time. Canada had two complete fighter squadrons there and they would patrol over northern Europe back in the days when we all hated the Soviets. If you want to see the first flight of the “Hawk One” Sabre, go here: http://www.asb.tv/videos/view.php?v=605190c0
Photo Credit: Canadian Forces Combat Camera

Just some stuff...

Saturday morning and it’s a hot morning in Timmins. I shouldn’t complain. We’ve had so much rain this summer that it’s nice to get some days without rain. But the heat just comes on so quickly. I spent the night flipping my pillow trying to find a cool spot on the cotton. The only thing I enjoy when it’s hot is my cup of coffee.
I went to grab some photos last night as the Trailer Park Boys were at The Mac. I didn’t hang around for the backstage stuff. I find concerts just too crowded and noisy. Its one thing when I’m working, but I can’t relax with all that noise. They keep sending me free passes to concerts, but I don’t find it relaxing. It didn’t help that the arena was sweltering. It had to be 35 degrees in there. The show itself was as funny as I expected. But I couldn’t believe some people brought kids to the show. How dumb is that? I went to bed early and got up early. It was 6:00 a.m. and I suddenly had this craving for stew. Then I remembered that I had a really good beef stew at Jennifer’s place a couple of weeks back. Funny how cravings happen. I had coffee and chocolate chip cookies for breakfast.

Grrreat weekend

It was sure a nice weekend. I got back into town last night after visiting Jennifer and Scott and the boys. It was nice to just relax and forget about everything. Jenn and Scott live in the country and it is sooooo quiet I actually slept eight hours! I was able to spend time with the boys and we went out to a restaurant where it was fun to order dessert BEFORE our meal. So we had a round of chocolate fudge sundaes as appetizers. I was able to snap a nice photo of Tyler and Nathan because they're great guys and really cool brothers for each other. The drive along Highway 144 was interesting. Aside from seeing two bears, I also noticed there has been plenty of claim staking going on near the junction of Highway 101 near Timmins. Prospectors are finding lots of new gold zones out there so it seems everyone is looking to cash in on the action. I could easily count at least a dozen claimposts along the side of the highway. And even though I was tired getting into town after a four-hour drive, I stopped at Wal Mart to grab a few things before going home. That's where I bumped into Aline who was on her way home for supper. So I was pleased to enjoy a nice hot meal of lasagna, garlic bread, red wine, chocolate cake and ice cream!