Moving on

So both vans were written off by ICBC. Now the hunt begins for replacement vehicles. They are out there somewhere in the world of craigs list and the buy & sell. We need to find the right machine at the right price from the right people. Mean while cancer does not wait for us to engage it. We need to maintain vigilance in prayer and wisdom of response. The last thing Dr. Ho did for us before she left for her maternity leave was to postpone the chemo treatment from last week to let me catch up on dealing with the rash. That, along with antibiotics seemed to work, the rash settled down enough for me to appreciate a sense of well being for the time being as a human being. Write a comment at let me know how you are being.

Not a Chemo Moment - A Distraction?!!

This has nothing to do with my treatment or anything to do with cancer. However, the guy who is at the center of this event is letting his handicap show. Just an hour after falling asleep on Thursday night Jody and I were jolted awake by the sound of a serious car crash. It happened on our street just outside our window. It was a big one. The kind where you think someone has been hurt. My first response was just that, I need to do first aid. I was out of bed and put on my son's shoes that were left at the top of the stairs (I tell him not to leave his shoes there at least once a week!) Then I went out on the street to see how I could help. As I left I called to Jody to bring the phone, she was 45 seconds behind me. That 45 second head start put me on the sidewalk just in time to see a sharply dressed young couple walking along. As they passed me, he slurred his question that identified his present state of mind, "Did you see that?" in a boyish excitement. I said, "No, I was asleep in bed." They seemed to be in a hurry to go up the street and I was anxious to see inside the wrecks that were in front of my house to count the injured. I shined my flashlight in the F350 Pick-up truck no one there. I shined my flashlight in the 91 Jetta which was under the F350. No one there either. Then it occured to me as I watched the two turn the corner onto Larch St. they were the driver & passenger of the truck.
We all have to live with our own decisions and we have to live with the decisions that other people make. Some people may decide to use the other vehicles at the side of the road to keep their big truck on the road. This actually happened. The driver caused damage to 12 vehicles parked along 2 blocks of our street. Of the 12, 3 were damaged quite significantly. 2 of those were ours. Then, the next decision this driver had to make was where to park the truck. He found a spot on top of the Jetta on the boulevard. The police helicopter and canine unit found the couple six blocks away.
Later, we were informed that his license had been revoked previously. Wonder if the truck is stolen? Any insurance? He was also definitely intoxicated.
I am praying for this fellow. that he would now start to make smart decisions. And what about that girlfriend - if she sticks by him after this - he better be making very smart decisions.

This Wednesday, we will meet with our ICBC claim adjuster. Our vehicles are now in storage with ICBC and being inspected.
Please pray that the adjuster will make fair decisions on our behalf.

Here are some photos.

This is our Voyageur. My guess is that the F350 bounced off the back of it.

This is our Sienna with the front wheel of the F350 laying beside it. Why did the wheel fall off?

This is the Jetta under the pick-up.

Lung Cancer Education Day

November is Lung Cancer month. As part of this, some doctors who are connected with the BCCA, organized the Lung Cancer Education Day. Apparently, it took 2 years to put this event together. The day was very informative and beneficial. The people who shared their knowledge and experience were 2 respirologists, 2 oncologists, a radio oncologist, a thoracic surgeon, a dietition, 2 nurses and 2 lung cancer patients (one of which was me.) Yup, I had a gig on the weekend! My bit was important. Comic relief. Each one of the speakers was very informative but not so entertaining. I was asked to share my perspective on cancer treatments and the clinical trials. I tried to do that but there was just so much comedy that needed to be pointed out. People showed their appreciation with heart felt laughter and some asked when my next speaking engagement would be. We will just wait and see.
What I learned from the professionals was that they are looking to the studies and trials to teach them more. There is a derth of research being done on lung cancer because of a stigma. The old school thinking is lung cancer is caused by smoking so stop people from smoking and stop lung cancer. I don't smoke. The other patient who shared at the Education Day never smoked and was very cautious of second hand smoke. There is not much information out there on lung cancer. When you look at the statistics, lung cancer is more deadly than prostrate, colon, and breast cancer combined. Shocking. The nature of lung cancer is that it doesn't show symptoms until it is well advanced. I was in stage 4 when I was diagnosed. That means the lung is the primary site but there is cancer in other parts of the body. This is what makes it deadly. More research will help in early diagnosis.
One of the organizers of the event was one of the oncologists who spoke.This was Dr. Ho. If you have been reading my blog, you may remember Dr. Ho is my oncologist. She will be moving on to a higher calling within a couple of weeks. She will be missed at the clinic but we all understand that there is one person who needs her more. Happy parenting Dr. Ho.

CT results received October 30

The pleasure is mine to tell you of the results from the latest CT scan October 26. It's all clear as mud. Over all the cancer is stable. There are no signs of cancer in my brain. The tumour in my lung is dead and draining into my lung which is allowing me to cough this thing out. The liver has many tiny spots on it and two larger ones. Of the two, one they have been marking. This one is .5 cm bigger and the other one just looks bigger. I will continue taking chemo therapy once a week. However, I will be taking only one of the two drugs that have been part of the trial and have another CT in 6 weeks. Then we will see if things are better or worse. We will know which drug was working. Now we can see why it is called a trial or a study. Practising Oncology is all guess work. It has to be. How can any study account for the complete physiological make up of just one of God's creatures? There are just too many variables. Maybe a tulip or a bug but not a human being. Then there is the accounting for the human soul where He is with us. This power drives the the whole machine of body, mind and spirit. How can a study be able to track and interpret the data from this? That's why we study and make educated guesses. I am completely supportive of the BCCA and have a positive outlook for the future. My immediate plans are to allow God to heal me and the chemo to do it's work. My main concerns are the side effects which still continue. Like I said, clear as mud.