Friday August 28 th

This week I spent getting tests done ready for my second BMT so I have been on the run.  We came down Monday morning and I spent it at my office and didn't seem to get much done.  Tuesday we went to Ann Arbor and had my eyes checked and got measured for more radiation which will be a full body shot.  Wednesday back to Kalamazoo and Dr. Bailey for more labs and a Dr. talk about my up coming BMT.  Thursday I spent at the office and went to lunch with friends at the Food dance restaurant very good time was had by all.  Friday I had a lumbar puncher which I had never heard of before I finely had to tell the nurse that was telling me of the time and place on the phone to stop and explain what a lumbar puncture was and that any procedure that has puncture in it could not be to good well come to find out it was a spinal tap and as an added benefit they were going to replace the spinal fluid with chemo to allow my brain to get a chemo charge.  So they completed the test which needed to be started twice because my lower spine was to tough to penetrate.  After this procedure you need to spend time laying down to prevent a bad headache so I had a nice nap when we got back from Bronson.

 

I am not sure what made me think about school when I was in the first and second grade but I could not understand why they made me go everyday because it was so boring to just sit there all day staring at the walls until the days were over that is of course my understanding of what was going on.  I would use my creativity to come up with reasons not to go to school for a day.  Mom had such a soft hart that a lot of times I could use the old stomach ache routine with no fever.  Sometimes I needed to bring in the big guns and I caught the Mumps twice this was allowed because the first time I got them it was only on one side so a few weeks later I came down with it on the other side this only needed moaning when Mom touched my neck so that bought me a full week of time off from school.  Now one time I lost (hid) one of my shoes so before the bus came everyone searched frankly for my lost (hid) shoe and could not find it now this worked very good but some how I made the mistake of finding my shoe as soon as the bus left.  What I wasn't ready for was the question of where I found it and before I could think I came out with in her sewing cabinet under some clothes which I realized to late that it could not be and accident for it to get there I unfortunately confessed before I thought to blame Jolie.  This meant that I had to spend the day in my bedroom not watching captain kangaroo.  As I thought back on the incident I realized that most kids would have more then one pair of shoes and it helped me realize what my parents must have went through.  Also I got a Five mile paper route when I was in 5 Th grade and from then on I bought my own clothes.

 

Please continue to keep us in your prayers and may God continue to bless us all.

Friday August 21 still 2009

Wow this has been a very good week the best it can be for an engineer is to watch a product you had a part in work as predicted.  That is kind of sad but it is the truth normally by the time a project is working you have moved on and are in trouble on another project what made me want to be an engineer.  Of course it was because women are naturally attracted to engineers and you would be incredibly rich.  I'm not sure what has gone wrong but in reality engineers can't help themself's they have to be engineers.  I remember one of my favorite cartoons was the wizzerd of Id a man was led up to the top of the gallows and they pull the lever and it doesn't work, the man with a noose around his neck says I noticed on my way up there was a rock in the mechanism.  The king looks out and says once an engineer always an engineer.

 

I was talking to a friend and the topic of cancer came up and I said that the last year and a bit has been some of the best times of  my life a very small amount time I didn't feel real good but most of the time I have felt good and we have learned a new appreciation of life spending more time with the kids and my wonderful grand kids.  One of the things that has surprised me is I will open a conversation with people I am sitting next to and take the time to listen to their story if the conversation leads that way.  In the past I have sat on a plane next to a person and totally ignored everyone for hours and felt intruded on if someone started talking.  I guess that makes me an intruder on other peoples lives but I am surprised how many people lead a lonely life and have incredible stories.  The friend I was talking to had lost her husband to cancer and we came to an agreement that the time between finding cancer and the ending we both agreed that it changed our awareness of life and even though it ended bad you still have that time to remember and the hope that the one that goes on will hold that zest for life which we learn.

 

Thank you for continuing all your prayers for us and we fully believe that has made a difference in our lives and may God continue to bless us all.  

Tuesday August 18 th

Its hard to imagine that we are at the 18 Th of August already I have been trying to slow down the time but to no avail.  I have been working as I feel up to it which now is almost all the time but I am not ready to move away from our cottage but we will have to go September 9 Th to go back to Ann Arbor to start my next new treatment.  Who knows this one may work but that is out of my hands.

 

I got a lot of enjoyment out of my 1947 Chev. when I was 15 and one of the jobs that needed to be done of course was the rear brakes so I put the bumper jack on the rear bumper and jacked it all the way up.  Removed the right rear tire and set on the ground with my legs under the brake drum and started to work on my brakes.  So out of the house came my Grandpa who instantly saw how stupid what I was doing was and said to get out from under the car now and get some blocks under the axial to prevent the car falling on legs or other parts of the body.  Well the other part of this story was that the trunk lid weighed at least 100 lbs and had a latch at the full open position and no springs so you lift it up a little and guide it down.  Now for the end of the story I went to the back of the car and moved the jack handle and it went all the way to the bottom as the car went down the trunk lid hit the back of my head and it slammed closed leaving a nice cut on the back of my head.  I had to go to youth that night so I didn't mention my head wound and by the time I got back I had a Matt of blood on the back of my head so off to the hospital for stitches.

 

Please continue to pray for us and may God continue to bless us all.

Saturday August 8th

Well what a nice day we needed to be in Kalamazoo the first part of next week so we went down today so we can go to our church Sunday.  It has been awhile sense we have been to our Church and we look forward to going this week.  The church that we were going to in Six Lakes seemed friendly but instead of walking out the last time I got a cup of coffee and stood in the middle of the fellow ship hall to drink it by my self with groups at tables and groups talking.  I am allot smaller now but not quite invisible I thought.  Sharen who is allot smarter then me found a young women with 2 small kids and talked to her and come to find out they were new in the church that week so they will always think of the people as very friendly hard to imagine.  I will go back to that church but we all must remember to look around us and take a moment when we see people that we do not know and welcome them.

 

My new bone morrow will start the 8th of September with many tests before it will get started.  I will make sure to study for all the tests this time ahead of time.  I will also Keep everyone up dated in my Blog Please continue to follow and continue to pray for us and may God continue to bless us all also remember that life is short. 

Thursday Morning August 6th

Not sure what I want to say first thing is I feel very good still.  But with all things Cancer that means I feel good now which doesn't indicate how well my Cancer is doing.  I found out Monday when we were called in to review my test results that the last spot was still doing well.  So we were left with the choice of not doing anything and dieing in a few months or trying an other Bone Morrow Transplant with an unrelated doner.  The doner stem cells will attack the B Cell and get rid of it but they will also go after my organs which we hope can be controlled.  Sharen and I kicked the options back and forth for 2 days and we called Ann Arbor and we have my next transplant set to start in September so here I go again.

 

I had the choice of 4 donors with a match of 9 out of 10 points which is a good match and Dr. Lavine chose a 19 year old male who has been contacted and will start the harvest and we should be ready to roll as I said first of September.  The only problem is I could start chasing 20 year old girls and develop a taste for loud music. 

 

The thing to remember is God still has control and will continue to clear the way for us and he knows the final outcome and we Trust in God.  Please continue to Pray for us and thank you so much for your prayers in the past.  May God continue to bless us all.