Christmas Traditions and Transitions

Christmas has been a joyous time with all our children gathered round. We feel lucky that we were all able to enjoy visiting together and have many huge laughs as memories were shared and our little Soren entertained us. With nine or ten people coming and going there was a constant stream of stories to share and activities inspired by Christmas gifts of board games and card games. Having the time for a movie here and there was a blessing for our busy young folks and sharing cozy evening meals by the fire has been memorable. John holds his own, and continues to be upbeat and the anchor for us all.

We met our admitting nurse from Hospice on Friday who introduced our family to the team that will help us going forward. A second nurse visited on Saturday and another will come Monday to plan John's care with Ellen. John is glad to have some help for Ellen, and to have assistance provided at home, which will be so much less stressful than traveling to various health professionals around town.

Since John and Ellen will be at home most of the time now, they are happy to hear from friends for phone visits or to arrange to drop by, and calling the home phone works best for that. The number is 813 831-2635. All the best to everyone, and a happy new year. Dee

The Weather's Frightful, but the Fire is so Delightful!

We've joined all our Florida friends and neighbors in settling in with a cozy fire, crackling in the fireplace, as winter finally descends on Tampa. These are great days for us with lots of reading, chatting and tv. John's condition keeps him from getting out much, but this week he managed to get to three separate doctor appointments that should help his life be more comfortable. He received his second infusion of Zometa on Wednesday, which should help strengthen his bones. On Thursday, he was back at Moffitt for his second guided cortisone shot to help with the pain in his right hip. And today he completed a thorough eye exam with the conclusion that removing a bad cataract in his left eye should help him tremendously with seeing more clearly and thus, being able to read more easily. This will be a huge help to him as reading has always been his favorite hobby and his poor vision has made reading much more of a challenge. His energy is up today and we look forward to his first visit with a home physical therapist this afternoon. Later, my sister Dee will drop by, as she does every day, to regale us with tales of life and children at St. Mary's School. We look forward to our entire family's arrival in a week or so and an extended visit with all of them through New Year's.

Thanksgiving was a time for THANKS

Our family gathered around a bountiful table on Thanksgiving Day - just a quiet group of us - ever so thankful for the blessings we have. Will and Lauren gladly escaped the frostiness of Chicago for a few days in our Tampa warmth, and Dee's son, Sam, was home from Stanford. We enjoyed quiet visits, tv football and reading while they were home.

John had a rather non-eventful doctor's visit today and the outcome was that he will continue the treatment regime he has switched to for the immediate future. There will be further brain MRI and body CAT scans in the new year, but for now, we are hoping for smooth sailing through the holidays. The whole clan will be in Tampa, so our home will be filled with loving energy on a daily basis! We so look forward to gathering them all in.

Our Annual Christmas Card mailing has been curtailed for this year. So, for all of you, please know we wish you happiness and health for 2011 and a wonderfully blessed holiday season.

A Brief Stay at Moffitt

Things certainly never get dull around here. We noticed some swelling in John's right ankle over the weekend. Our doctor requested John's presence in the Moffitt Direct Referral Center (sort of a triage emergency room) on Monday and ultrasounds showed a blood clot in his leg. Because of his history of brain tumors, he is not allowed to take a blood thinner, so inserting a filter to catch any breakaway clots was the required course of action. They kept him overnight Monday and we waited all day Tuesday for the 20 minute procedure to be completed - with no complications. My devoted sis, Dee, took the day off to be with us which was a huge help. We returned home Tuesday night at 8:30, tired as always from hospital time, but so glad to know the filter is in place. Hopefully John will return to his physical therapy efforts on Friday and we will enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving with Will, Lauren, Dee and her son, Sam - home for the holidays from Stanford.

Cortisone shots today

Conditions remain much the same here since I last wrote, Oct. 17. Radiation treatments have concluded and we continue to hope that they will help with John's hip pain. Likewise, the x-ray guided injections today of cortisone have a likelihood of reducing inflammation and thus, relieving pain. John will soon start on another kidney cancer drug, Afinitor, as results from the Nexavar he has been taking have not all been as we'd hoped. Upon much urging from friends and family, we are getting some home assistance three afternoons a week, which serves as a huge help for me. We look forward to a visit next week from John's sister, Margaret and his mom - both of whom will drive down from Atlanta.

John home and enjoying family visits

John is home from rehab and working hard on regaining his strength. Our son, Will, visited last weekend and his stories of his new hometown of Chicago and of life with his beautiful new bride were energizing. Our daughter, Anna and grandson, Soren, arrived on October 14. We delayed my birthday celebration so that Soren could help with blowing out my birthday candles! Soren and Anna baked a delicious coconut cake and our special seafood dinner was provided by Jeanne Doney. Having an 18 month old around is really energizing!
John is going to physical therapy three times a week at TGH and is also having daily radiation treatments for cancer in his hips. We have more family arriving later this week, which is such a blessing.
Our plan, if all goes well, is to have a family Thanksgiving Dinner at the Yacht Club.
We want to express our deepest thanks to everyone who continues to support us. The twice-weekly meals on Food Tidings help us out more than you could ever imagine. Such a simple thing, and yet, so --- so very helpful. Keep those positive thoughts and prayers coming!

Release from rehab

John's been doing very well, over-achieving as usual, and has beaten his projected release date from TGH rehab by a week! Everyone agrees he will regain strength and improve more quickly at home. Our son, Will, is heading home for the weekend, which will make John's homecoming even better. John's latest CAT scan shows a small bit of new activity with his cancer, so the medical team plans on changing his medication as soon as radiation treatment on his hip is completed. It remains an ongoing challenge to get "far enough away" from tough treatments to enable him to regain strength and some semblance of normalcy, but we continue to try!