Ingrid, Judith and I have just had dinner with Jeroen, Levien and Sera. Trout a la Jeroen - done with tomato, onion and lots of parsely and even more garlic, then eaten with Turkish bread. I have never been particularly partial to trout but this was delicious. I am now doing the necessary job of keeping the blog updated while the others do the cleaining up and packing the dish washer.
Ingrid, Vince, Jeroen and I spent most of the afternoon (the weather was miserable) looking around the Thermo Museum in Heerlen and chatting over coffee and Limburgse vlaai while Judith, Levien, Marjoke and Ruben went off and did more interesting things.
Yesterday (Wednesday) we all went by bus to Maastricht where we looked at some of the oldest parts of the city - the first church, the city wall - what's left of it. When walking around these old cities you really feel yourself in the presence of history. Of course we also did a lot of eating and drinking and talking and laughing. Posting pictures will have to wait till I get back to Canada.
Now I have to get back to the others. Judith is on a mission to teach everyone Euchre. Filling in the gap between yesterday and Christmas will have to wait for another time.
Tomorrow we drive back to Blaricum and Opa, and a visit from Jan Haen, the priest who led the ceremony for Oma's cremation.
Terry
Thursday 28 December 2006
Tuesday 26 December 2006
Boxing Day update
Five days have passed and this is the first time I have touched a computer since my last update. Our flight was uneventful - the way I like it. I miscalculated the sleeping part. Just as I was about to put the eye cover over my eyes to get a bit of sleep they switched on all the lights to allow passengers to get ready for breakfast.
Sonja, a cousin of Ingrid's, fetched us from Schiphol airport after we landed on Friday morning and took us to Blaricum when Opa stays. Pretty-well the first thing we did was go to bed for three hours. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, chatting to Opa, and going for a short walk around the area. In the evening Rob another of Ingrid's cousins, and his wife brought around the car (Suzuki) that Opa used to drive. Meanwhile Judith had developed a temperature along with a sore throat and went to bed early.
We had planned to spend the Saturday touring Amsterdam but started off instead with a drive (my first time ever to drive in Europe) to the hospital for a doctor to look at Judith. The doctor diagnosed a viral infection and suggested we just treat the fever symptomatically and proceed with our plans to go to Amsterdam. This we did, going by bus and train, meeting up with Sonja and her husband, Giljam, and their two children, Rebekkah (18) and Daniel (13). We did a boat tour through the canals, looked at the oldest church in Amsterdam and then, by way of contrast, took a stroll through the famous(?) red-light district of Amsterdam with its "coffee shops" (where you can legally buy and smoke marijuana) and large windows where prostitutes stand or sit in lingerie, typically, or in one case a skimpy Santa Clause outfit.
On Sunday we drove the 200km from Blaricum to Heerlen where Ingrid's brother, Vincent, and his family live - Marjoke (15) and Ruben (14). Jeroen and his two children, Levien(17) and Sera(13), live nearby. They came across and we spent the rest of Sunday chatting and catching up. It is 18 years since I last saw Jeroen though I have spoken to him on the phone a few times since coming to Canada.
Well, I am going to accompany Vincent on a stroll (23:00 at night) to the local bus station to see the times of buses tomorrow when we plan to go to Maastricht so I will catch up on Christmas day next time.
Sonja, a cousin of Ingrid's, fetched us from Schiphol airport after we landed on Friday morning and took us to Blaricum when Opa stays. Pretty-well the first thing we did was go to bed for three hours. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, chatting to Opa, and going for a short walk around the area. In the evening Rob another of Ingrid's cousins, and his wife brought around the car (Suzuki) that Opa used to drive. Meanwhile Judith had developed a temperature along with a sore throat and went to bed early.
We had planned to spend the Saturday touring Amsterdam but started off instead with a drive (my first time ever to drive in Europe) to the hospital for a doctor to look at Judith. The doctor diagnosed a viral infection and suggested we just treat the fever symptomatically and proceed with our plans to go to Amsterdam. This we did, going by bus and train, meeting up with Sonja and her husband, Giljam, and their two children, Rebekkah (18) and Daniel (13). We did a boat tour through the canals, looked at the oldest church in Amsterdam and then, by way of contrast, took a stroll through the famous(?) red-light district of Amsterdam with its "coffee shops" (where you can legally buy and smoke marijuana) and large windows where prostitutes stand or sit in lingerie, typically, or in one case a skimpy Santa Clause outfit.
On Sunday we drove the 200km from Blaricum to Heerlen where Ingrid's brother, Vincent, and his family live - Marjoke (15) and Ruben (14). Jeroen and his two children, Levien(17) and Sera(13), live nearby. They came across and we spent the rest of Sunday chatting and catching up. It is 18 years since I last saw Jeroen though I have spoken to him on the phone a few times since coming to Canada.
Well, I am going to accompany Vincent on a stroll (23:00 at night) to the local bus station to see the times of buses tomorrow when we plan to go to Maastricht so I will catch up on Christmas day next time.
Thursday 21 December 2006
Happy Christmas
To all of you, our family, friends and colleagues, who have shown such love and support this past year, we wish you much joy and happiness over this holiday season. To Jewish friends, Gut Yom Tov for what remains of Hannukah.
To all those of you who celebrate the birth of Christ at this time, a blessed and happy Christmas.
And to every single one of you, may the new year bring you peace, joy, health and properity.
...from all the McCann's.
Tuesday 19 December 2006
Cancer Survivor !
Judith, Ingrid and I went to see the oncologist, Dr. Zibdawi, yesterday (Monday) afternoon. He gave us the results of the last round of tests. The Gallium scan was still negative - as it had been the previous occasion- which was very good news. The CT scan was also unchanged from the previous occasion other than 2 cysts which showed up. Given the Gallium scan being negative and the cysts being very common in young women, Dr. Zibdawi is confident that these are benign - not cancerous. He has called for an ultra-sound for the cysts - normal procedure, and told Judith to come back for a follow-up visit in six months.
When asked by Ingrid if Judith could call herself a "cancer survivor" at this point, his response was, "Absolutely!"
I wish to thank all of you, family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, for your support and prayers ever since Judith was told of her diagnosis back in May. May God bless you all and keep you in that peace that only his love and protection can bring.
Terry and all the McCann family.
When asked by Ingrid if Judith could call herself a "cancer survivor" at this point, his response was, "Absolutely!"
I wish to thank all of you, family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, for your support and prayers ever since Judith was told of her diagnosis back in May. May God bless you all and keep you in that peace that only his love and protection can bring.
Terry and all the McCann family.
Monday 18 December 2006
Kevin Minnie, an old friend, seriously ill
Kevin Minnie and his wife, Cynthia, are old family friends going back to the 1980's. I received the following email from an even older friend, Des Lange, concerning Kevin's health.
From: Desmond Lange
To: kwamccann@gmail.com
Date: 13-Dec-2006 16:09
Subject: News on Kevin Minnie
Hi Terry + Ingrid + all,
Thanks for the consistent news. Pat Prinsloo contacted
us about the sad loss of your mom, Ingrid. We are
sorry that we were not in touch with you at the time
and pray that you and the family have all the love and
support you need as you go through this experience. It
is good to hear the progress on Judith’s condition,
praying that she continues to grow from strength to
strength.
Right now we find ourselves frantically trying to
contact a whole lot of our old friends to reconnect
and pass on the news about Kevin Minnie. We heard
today that he had surgery to remove half of his kidney
last Saturday including two large cancerous tumors. He
is in ICU at the Linksfield Clinic at present.
Apparently, they thought they were going to lose him
yesterday. Today he is slightly better, though heart
rate is racing at 160 and blood pressure is way up. He
has been in and out for treatment through most of the
year.
Please join the prayers for his recovery and healing
and also for comfort and protection for Cynthia and
the girls.
Will keep you posted.
Love from Des and Steph.
From: Desmond Lange
Date: 13-Dec-2006 16:09
Subject: News on Kevin Minnie
Hi Terry + Ingrid + all,
Thanks for the consistent news. Pat Prinsloo contacted
us about the sad loss of your mom, Ingrid. We are
sorry that we were not in touch with you at the time
and pray that you and the family have all the love and
support you need as you go through this experience. It
is good to hear the progress on Judith’s condition,
praying that she continues to grow from strength to
strength.
Right now we find ourselves frantically trying to
contact a whole lot of our old friends to reconnect
and pass on the news about Kevin Minnie. We heard
today that he had surgery to remove half of his kidney
last Saturday including two large cancerous tumors. He
is in ICU at the Linksfield Clinic at present.
Apparently, they thought they were going to lose him
yesterday. Today he is slightly better, though heart
rate is racing at 160 and blood pressure is way up. He
has been in and out for treatment through most of the
year.
Please join the prayers for his recovery and healing
and also for comfort and protection for Cynthia and
the girls.
Will keep you posted.
Love from Des and Steph.
Sunday 17 December 2006
Sinterklaas 2006
Last Sunday, 10 December, the whole family and significant others got together to celebrate Sinterklaas - the affectionate Dutch name for Saint Nicholas. Even Stephen made the pilgrimage by bus from Kingston - 300km east of Toronto. This is the first time since coming to Canada 8 years ago that the whole family has been together for this celebration of gift giving. Judith's boyfriend, Mark, came last year, but for Luisa and Geoff this was a rite of passage with the requisite singing, in unpronounceable and incomprehensible Dutch, of kiddies' songs about Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Pieten. Check out the Sinterklaas photo album.
On Monday 11th, Judith went for her CT scan and blood test. This was uneventful other than that she nearly puked while the scan was going on. After fasting for 4 hours you are given this stuff to drink... Anyway.
Tomorrow afternoon (Monday) is the appointment with the oncologist who will give us the results of this latest round of tests done since the chemo-therapy came to an end. We are praying for good news.
On Thursday Ingrid, Judith and I fly off to Holland to spend Christmas with her two brothers and other family there, and then to Scotland for New Year with her oldest brother and his family. Much anticipation...
Sunday 3 December 2006
Belated update on Sean
A couple of you have asked about Sean and Whistler and I realised that this change of plan went unnoticed and unannounced with all the other major events that have been going on.
The day before Sean was going to hand in his notice - something he felt rather ambivalent about - he phoned his prospective employer in Whistler who had promised him a position and discovered that Sean would not have the job after all. He and I discussed this turn of events a few days later and took the view that this was not necessarily such a bad thing. For one thing, it would enable him to finalise his co-op requirements for completion of his college studies. "Co-op" is a period of employment, typically six months, in the industry of your major college course, and is a requirement for certification. So...., Sean is still at home with us and expects to be in Ontario through until the beginning of summer - May/June. Anything beyond that is simply crystal ball gazing..
Judith has a CT Scan Monday 11th, and an appointment with the oncologist on Monday 18th. We are praying and expecting that everything should indicate no more cancer. Meanwhile she is impatient for her hair to return. There are some brown strands but they are still few and far between...
Sinterklaas
It's time to put out shoes and sing Sinterklaas songs. The whole family sans Stephen will be gathering at our house next Sunday night, singing liedjes (Dutch songs) and having Saint Nicholas himself throw pepernoten (gingernuts) into the sitting room and, hopefully, drop off some presents and chocolate letters. Dutch shades of My Big Fat Greek Wedding with adult children of ex-pats keeping Dutch traditions that their cousins back in Holland wouldn't want to be seen dead doing!!! Ingrid would be happy to let it go but the kids and I won't hear of it.
Zie ginds komt de stoomboot...
Jeroen has worked out how to put pictures onto his blog. You really should check them out :-)
The day before Sean was going to hand in his notice - something he felt rather ambivalent about - he phoned his prospective employer in Whistler who had promised him a position and discovered that Sean would not have the job after all. He and I discussed this turn of events a few days later and took the view that this was not necessarily such a bad thing. For one thing, it would enable him to finalise his co-op requirements for completion of his college studies. "Co-op" is a period of employment, typically six months, in the industry of your major college course, and is a requirement for certification. So...., Sean is still at home with us and expects to be in Ontario through until the beginning of summer - May/June. Anything beyond that is simply crystal ball gazing..
Judith has a CT Scan Monday 11th, and an appointment with the oncologist on Monday 18th. We are praying and expecting that everything should indicate no more cancer. Meanwhile she is impatient for her hair to return. There are some brown strands but they are still few and far between...
Sinterklaas
It's time to put out shoes and sing Sinterklaas songs. The whole family sans Stephen will be gathering at our house next Sunday night, singing liedjes (Dutch songs) and having Saint Nicholas himself throw pepernoten (gingernuts) into the sitting room and, hopefully, drop off some presents and chocolate letters. Dutch shades of My Big Fat Greek Wedding with adult children of ex-pats keeping Dutch traditions that their cousins back in Holland wouldn't want to be seen dead doing!!! Ingrid would be happy to let it go but the kids and I won't hear of it.
Zie ginds komt de stoomboot...
Jeroen has worked out how to put pictures onto his blog. You really should check them out :-)
Wednesday 29 November 2006
November comes to an end...almost
This has been a most mixed up month with sadness and joy and just the need to go on with life. I have been very busy at work and our preparations for going to Holland and Scotland are taking over the other hours in the day. I have now made a comprehensive todo list because i am afraid that I may forget something important in the next week or so - like buy the presents for my Sinterklaas draw, buy chocolate letters (done!), write a poem, secret Santa, have car serviced (done today), phone my children, phone the dentist, buy Christmas presents- those to be left behind, those to take...etc. etc. I could fill up this blog with my evergrowing, overwhelming, boring lists. I need to do emails too- in fact if you read this blog and you think I owe you an email, you are probably correct. Relax. Your name is on my list.
The death of my Mom has been central to my life in the last few weeks. I was fortunate to be able to be with her in the days before she went into a deep coma and I am very grateful that I made the decision to go then and not wait. She still recognised me and gave me this beautiful smile when she saw me. From then on we were just there with her, around her bed, talking to her and to each other, touching her and creating an atmosphere of family with her. When I said goodbye I felt sad but again grateful that I had been able to spend this time with her. The fact that Judith was having her last chemo was a good reason to be back home.
That went very well. The staff in the ward presented her with a certificate and of course a special surprise was planned at home. While we were still at the hospital one of the nurses brought a gentleman around to speak to Judith and ask her some questions about her experience. It seemed that he had a daughter around Judith's age and that he was starting chemo soon. She told him not to make drastic changes to his life, do as much as he was able especially keep up the exercise - this was the wisdom she was sprouting forth while lounging around on her bed where she had slept most of the day, looking washed out but chirpy...after all this was the last chemo! What a girl!
Now we are waiting for test and scan results and some information from Dr. Zibdawi as to where we go from here.
At work my job of Housing Support Worker is coming to and end and when we arrive back from Scotland I will go full time into my Supervisor position. I am particularly looking forward to that as I will no longer be working in the evenings on a regular basis.
Time to go to bed! Nearly the end of the day. Nearly the end of the year!
All my love.
Ingrid
The death of my Mom has been central to my life in the last few weeks. I was fortunate to be able to be with her in the days before she went into a deep coma and I am very grateful that I made the decision to go then and not wait. She still recognised me and gave me this beautiful smile when she saw me. From then on we were just there with her, around her bed, talking to her and to each other, touching her and creating an atmosphere of family with her. When I said goodbye I felt sad but again grateful that I had been able to spend this time with her. The fact that Judith was having her last chemo was a good reason to be back home.
That went very well. The staff in the ward presented her with a certificate and of course a special surprise was planned at home. While we were still at the hospital one of the nurses brought a gentleman around to speak to Judith and ask her some questions about her experience. It seemed that he had a daughter around Judith's age and that he was starting chemo soon. She told him not to make drastic changes to his life, do as much as he was able especially keep up the exercise - this was the wisdom she was sprouting forth while lounging around on her bed where she had slept most of the day, looking washed out but chirpy...after all this was the last chemo! What a girl!
Now we are waiting for test and scan results and some information from Dr. Zibdawi as to where we go from here.
At work my job of Housing Support Worker is coming to and end and when we arrive back from Scotland I will go full time into my Supervisor position. I am particularly looking forward to that as I will no longer be working in the evenings on a regular basis.
Time to go to bed! Nearly the end of the day. Nearly the end of the year!
All my love.
Ingrid
Sunday 12 November 2006
Some Calm Returns
Over the last two weeks events seemed to follow one another at a frenetic pace without much regard to sensibilities, and the relative calm of the last four days is something I have welcomed. I will not follow the chronological sequence of events but the path that "feels" more appropriate.
Family Memorial Service
Last Wednesday night we had our own little McCann family memorial service for Mom. Stephen could not make it, being 300 km away in Kingston, ON, but all the rest of us gathered in our living room at home.
We sang 3 songs: I am the Bread of Life, the Prayer of St Francis and Here I Am Lord. The last two are hymns that Ingrid remembers were songs that were especially liked by her mom. (Half way through the first song, which we opened with, somebody knocked on our front door to sell us fixed-rate electricity)-:
We read two passages from Scripture - Romans 5:5-11 and John 6:37-40. The first one was especially significant for me. Around the time that Ingrid and I got married we spent a weekend, as we often did, with Ingrid's family in Silverton, Pretoria, Ingrid and I living in Johannesburg. On the Sunday evening I took Mom to church at "Die Kasteel", the gathering place for the student Catholic Society (CathSoc) of the University of Pretoria where Father Jan Haen (the very same) was student chaplain. It must have been an amazing sermon because I can still remember that that he preached on that passage from Romans 5. It just so happens that this was also the Scripture reading for the day that Mom died - November 2nd.
We also spent some time thanking God for memories and events from Mom's life, as well as a good period of time just sharing informally with each other about some of our memories of Oma. A recurring theme was her smile and laugh.
This little family gathering to remember Mom and pray for her and the family in Holland and Scotland was an important "closing" event for all of us.
Queen's University Science Formal - 2006
How bizarre and surreal to have this event situated the day after Judith's final chemo and just two days after Mom's death, and on the weekend before her cremation.
Over a year ago, Stephen successfully applied for the position of construction manager for the 2006 (actually, class of 2007) Sci Formal at Queen's. The Sci Formal is the major dinner-dance event of the year for science and engineering students at Queen's University. There is more than a year of preparation and planning that goes into it with a crescendo of activity in the last weeks and days. Mark had the honour of doing exactly the same thing four years ago when the theme was "Fairy Tales". For a totally comprehensive explanation follow the link to Kingston Literacy. (On page 7 is a photograph of the Tower Bridge structure from Mark's year.)
So, Saturday of last weekend, the 4th November, saw all of us except Sean taking the three-hour drive down to Kingston to go and admire the work done by Stephen and his engineering and science buddies.
Ingrid and I joined Stephen and his girlfriend, Heather, for the formal dinner attended by members of The Committee and their parents, followed by a reception hosted by the Dean of Engineering. It was a grand affair and, along with all the other parents, Ingrid and I felt proud - doubly so, because we now have two sons closely associated with this event.
Ah well, now Stephen can get back to his books and labs. Here is a link to the photo album I put together.
Judith - Quo vadis?
Judith had her final chemo last week on Friday, as said previously. Where to from here?
The week of the 20th November she has another Gallium scan (Read what that is using the link on the left.) Then we have to wait till the middle of December for a CT Scan and an appointment with the oncologist who will give us the results of these tests. Please God the tests will all be negative (clear.) If so, he will tell us at what frequency she will need follow-up tests. Please continue to pray for her.
The week before Christmas Ingrid, Judith and I are booked to fly off to spend Christmas with family in Holland and Hogmanay with Ingrid's brother and his family in Scotland.
Family Memorial Service
Last Wednesday night we had our own little McCann family memorial service for Mom. Stephen could not make it, being 300 km away in Kingston, ON, but all the rest of us gathered in our living room at home.
We sang 3 songs: I am the Bread of Life, the Prayer of St Francis and Here I Am Lord. The last two are hymns that Ingrid remembers were songs that were especially liked by her mom. (Half way through the first song, which we opened with, somebody knocked on our front door to sell us fixed-rate electricity)-:
We read two passages from Scripture - Romans 5:5-11 and John 6:37-40. The first one was especially significant for me. Around the time that Ingrid and I got married we spent a weekend, as we often did, with Ingrid's family in Silverton, Pretoria, Ingrid and I living in Johannesburg. On the Sunday evening I took Mom to church at "Die Kasteel", the gathering place for the student Catholic Society (CathSoc) of the University of Pretoria where Father Jan Haen (the very same) was student chaplain. It must have been an amazing sermon because I can still remember that that he preached on that passage from Romans 5. It just so happens that this was also the Scripture reading for the day that Mom died - November 2nd.
We also spent some time thanking God for memories and events from Mom's life, as well as a good period of time just sharing informally with each other about some of our memories of Oma. A recurring theme was her smile and laugh.
This little family gathering to remember Mom and pray for her and the family in Holland and Scotland was an important "closing" event for all of us.
Queen's University Science Formal - 2006
How bizarre and surreal to have this event situated the day after Judith's final chemo and just two days after Mom's death, and on the weekend before her cremation.
Over a year ago, Stephen successfully applied for the position of construction manager for the 2006 (actually, class of 2007) Sci Formal at Queen's. The Sci Formal is the major dinner-dance event of the year for science and engineering students at Queen's University. There is more than a year of preparation and planning that goes into it with a crescendo of activity in the last weeks and days. Mark had the honour of doing exactly the same thing four years ago when the theme was "Fairy Tales". For a totally comprehensive explanation follow the link to Kingston Literacy. (On page 7 is a photograph of the Tower Bridge structure from Mark's year.)
So, Saturday of last weekend, the 4th November, saw all of us except Sean taking the three-hour drive down to Kingston to go and admire the work done by Stephen and his engineering and science buddies.
Ingrid and I joined Stephen and his girlfriend, Heather, for the formal dinner attended by members of The Committee and their parents, followed by a reception hosted by the Dean of Engineering. It was a grand affair and, along with all the other parents, Ingrid and I felt proud - doubly so, because we now have two sons closely associated with this event.
Ah well, now Stephen can get back to his books and labs. Here is a link to the photo album I put together.
Judith - Quo vadis?
Judith had her final chemo last week on Friday, as said previously. Where to from here?
The week of the 20th November she has another Gallium scan (Read what that is using the link on the left.) Then we have to wait till the middle of December for a CT Scan and an appointment with the oncologist who will give us the results of these tests. Please God the tests will all be negative (clear.) If so, he will tell us at what frequency she will need follow-up tests. Please continue to pray for her.
The week before Christmas Ingrid, Judith and I are booked to fly off to spend Christmas with family in Holland and Hogmanay with Ingrid's brother and his family in Scotland.
Wednesday 8 November 2006
Friday 3 November 2006
Last Chemo - Finally
What a roller-coaster week! Mourning my mother-in-law's passing and celebrating completion of my daughter's chemo-therapy - all in the space of two days. I can really enter into the joy and happiness of this moment with Judith because I believe that, if Mom could have foreseen the course of events, she would be the first to celebrate with her grand-daughter. So, "Well Done, Judith!" We are extremely proud of the way you conducted yourself through this very difficult time.
This is the picture that greeted Judith when we got home from her chemo. Mark and Miriam had been busy decorating the lounge with streamers and balloons while Judith, Ingrid and I were at the hospital.
This is the picture that greeted Judith when we got home from her chemo. Mark and Miriam had been busy decorating the lounge with streamers and balloons while Judith, Ingrid and I were at the hospital.
Thursday 2 November 2006
Oma An
An Schats-Schats, died this morning at about 06:00 Netherlands local time.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon her.
May she rest in peace. Amen.
Wednesday 1 November 2006
Update on Oma from Jeroen
Jeroen, my brother-in-law in Holland, has posted another update on his blog.
Ingrid flies in to Toronto 17:25 today.
Ingrid flies in to Toronto 17:25 today.
Tuesday 31 October 2006
Short update on Oma An
I spoke briefly to Ingrid and to my brother-in-law, Reinier, this afternoon. Their mother slept pretty well the entire time that they were there today. A very old family friend from South Africa days, Father Jan Haen, visited and gave Oma the last sacraments. He was chaplain of the Catholic Student Society when Ingrid was at Pretoria University.
Reinier described to me a particularly poignant moment yesterday when his daughter, Maya, stroked Oma's arm and said, "Hello Oma." She opened her eyes and gave Maya the most beautiful smile and then closed her eyes again. Everyone was in tears.
Ingrid will be flying back to Canada tomorrow.
Reinier described to me a particularly poignant moment yesterday when his daughter, Maya, stroked Oma's arm and said, "Hello Oma." She opened her eyes and gave Maya the most beautiful smile and then closed her eyes again. Everyone was in tears.
Ingrid will be flying back to Canada tomorrow.
Saturday 28 October 2006
News from Ingrid in Holland
If you have not read the blog since before Wednesday and do not know that my mother-in-law is seriously ill then do some catch-up and read Wednesday's blog (Oma not well) before proceeding with this one.
I spoke to Ingrid today by phone and she said that Mom's health had deteriorated discernably from the day before when she had made it clear that she was pleased to see Ingrid and Reinier - not that she explicitly recognised them but somehow she knew these were somehow "close" to her. Today she ate nothing and the only moisture went and stayed in her very dry mouth - she swallowed next to nothing, if anything, and often pushed Reinier's hand away when he tried to get her to take more. Mom is sleeping a lot. If she is woken by the nursing staff when they turn her over it is evident that she is in a lot of pain though nobody knows where in her body the pain is - one can only surmise she must have a terrible headache, at a minimum, both from the fever and the dehydration. Today the doctor started putting her on a low dose of morphine. It is very likely that her kidneys are starting to close down. There seems to be little sense in sticking needles into her to do blood tests that will do little more than satisfy curiosity. At this point I am praying for a "happy" death, as Catholics put it.
Opa is resigned to the fact that his wife has given up the fight and does not want to see the pain prolonged artificially. Anyway, Mom would rip out any drips that anybody tried to insert into her. Ingrid and her brothers feel the same as Opa. (For South Africans who are wondering about the spelling of Oma and Opa, I am not making a mistake. This is the Dutch spelling for the Afrikaans Ouma en Oupa - Grandma and Grampa.)
Ingrid's brother, Jeroen, also has a blog. To read his account, follow the link to Update Oma.
I spoke to Ingrid today by phone and she said that Mom's health had deteriorated discernably from the day before when she had made it clear that she was pleased to see Ingrid and Reinier - not that she explicitly recognised them but somehow she knew these were somehow "close" to her. Today she ate nothing and the only moisture went and stayed in her very dry mouth - she swallowed next to nothing, if anything, and often pushed Reinier's hand away when he tried to get her to take more. Mom is sleeping a lot. If she is woken by the nursing staff when they turn her over it is evident that she is in a lot of pain though nobody knows where in her body the pain is - one can only surmise she must have a terrible headache, at a minimum, both from the fever and the dehydration. Today the doctor started putting her on a low dose of morphine. It is very likely that her kidneys are starting to close down. There seems to be little sense in sticking needles into her to do blood tests that will do little more than satisfy curiosity. At this point I am praying for a "happy" death, as Catholics put it.
Opa is resigned to the fact that his wife has given up the fight and does not want to see the pain prolonged artificially. Anyway, Mom would rip out any drips that anybody tried to insert into her. Ingrid and her brothers feel the same as Opa. (For South Africans who are wondering about the spelling of Oma and Opa, I am not making a mistake. This is the Dutch spelling for the Afrikaans Ouma en Oupa - Grandma and Grampa.)
Ingrid's brother, Jeroen, also has a blog. To read his account, follow the link to Update Oma.
Wednesday 25 October 2006
Oma not well
Yesterday evening (Tuesday) Ingrid had a call from her brother Vincent who lives in Holland to say that her mother was seriously ill. Ingrid's mom (aka. Ann or Oma) has fairly advanced senile dementia (not Alzheimer's) and is in a home for special care. Apparently she acquired a bladder infection and then refused to cooperate with the medical treatment that was needed. Now the fear is that she is giving up the will to live, frequently refusing food and drink, and getting dangerously dehydrated and weak on top of the fluctuating fever from the infection. Ingrid and I went down to Flight Centre last night and booked a return flight for her to Amsterdam. She flew out this afternoon and will be returning to Toronto next Wednesday. Reinier, the eldest of the three brothers, flew in from Scotland this afternoon. I spoke to Jeroen, the third brother, earlier this evening. He visited Mom this afternoon and while there she took a little yoghurt and fruit. She spent a lot of the time sleeping.
The picture was taken two years ago when Oma and Opa last visited us in Canada. Click to enlarge.
The picture was taken two years ago when Oma and Opa last visited us in Canada. Click to enlarge.
Friday 20 October 2006
Only one more to go
All the previous chemo's were done sitting up on a Lazy Boy type reclining chair but after last time's "knock-out" and the discomfort of sitting when she felt like sleeping, Judith asked if she could use one of the beds this time. The result was that she slept through most of the infusion which was pretty uneventful. There is now only one more chemo session to go, in two weeks time, and after that the tests to assess the effectiveness of the treatment program - another Gallium and CT Scan. Your continued prayers are really appreciated.
On Tuesday and Thursday Judith played field hockey for the school and their team won both matches. The Thursday game was rather tough and close, taking revengeful pleasure in a 1-0 win over the school that beat them in a shootout in last year's final. Thursday's game was a quarter-final so now they are in the semi's. Click on the picture to enlarge. It's a bit blurry - but then I didn't take the picture :-)
Watching Judith play on Tuesday was her godmother from South Africa, Pat Prinsloo. Pat has been with family and friends in California, Colorado and Washington State and came to us last Saturday. Ingrid and I said goodbye to her at Toronto's Pearson Airport at 4:15 AM on Thursday morning - barely 5 hours after a great farewell dinner at Al Gonquin's restaurant where Judith used to be a server. They still remember her there and gave her an employee discount!
On Tuesday and Thursday Judith played field hockey for the school and their team won both matches. The Thursday game was rather tough and close, taking revengeful pleasure in a 1-0 win over the school that beat them in a shootout in last year's final. Thursday's game was a quarter-final so now they are in the semi's. Click on the picture to enlarge. It's a bit blurry - but then I didn't take the picture :-)
Watching Judith play on Tuesday was her godmother from South Africa, Pat Prinsloo. Pat has been with family and friends in California, Colorado and Washington State and came to us last Saturday. Ingrid and I said goodbye to her at Toronto's Pearson Airport at 4:15 AM on Thursday morning - barely 5 hours after a great farewell dinner at Al Gonquin's restaurant where Judith used to be a server. They still remember her there and gave her an employee discount!
Friday 13 October 2006
Update from Quebec
...not Quebec City but a place called Shefford in Quebec Province where an old friend of mine, Clement, has a house in beautiful rural surroundings forty-five minutes west of Montreal on the A10. Without going into details, Clem and I were student friends in South Africa going back to the late Sixties. I have just come back from Sherbrooke where I enjoyed a reunion with two other French Canadian friends we both have in common, both Catholic priests, Fathers Robert and Jean-Claude, Mariannhill Fathers. Jean-Claude and Clem I last saw about four years ago when Ingrid, Stephen, Judith and I spent a week based at a resort in Magog, not far from Sherbrooke. At that time Fr. Jean-Claude took us to Quebec City where we spent two wonderful days as he showed us around - and handled all French communication on our behalf!! It was like two days in Europe.
This time I left the rest of the family at home and drove over mainly to see Fr Robert whom I had not seen in over thirty years. He is in Sherbrooke on holiday from Kenya where he is Superior at the Mariannhill House of studies in Nairobi. We had a great time talking about `the old days`.
This evening Clem and I are going to a local restaurant to have some popotte Québécoise.
Tuesday 10 October 2006
Thanksgiving
Judith tried something new: no IV hydration. The home nurse suggested she try it - rather pace herself with taking sufficient water by mouth at frequent and regular intervals over the day. Ingrid or I woke her up from time to time and told her to drink and she did so diligently. It worked out fine and she will probably do the same next time.
This last weekend was the Thanksgiving long weekend in Canada. We had our dinner on Sunday evening. Stephen had bussed in from Kingston but Miriam had gone to Ottawa with a friend. Mark and Luisa also joined us. Sean had to work.
During the meal we took turns to tell of some of the things we gave thanks for in the past year. Some that I recall: lots about jobs - my job, Ingrid's job, Stephen's summer job opportunity just past, Mark's opportunity to work in Holland for a year, Sean's job opportunity in Whistler; that Mark and Luisa met 11 months ago; Judith expressed the "up" side to not going to university this year - opportunity to improve grades and broaden university options and courses next year; and we are all very grateful for the Canadian healthcare system (imperfect as it may be) that has been providing Judith with such excellent care.
Judith went to bed early. The rest of us spent the evening chatting, reading, laughing at peculiar customs of our various nationalities, playing Mario Brothers on Mark's laptop, playing "Sets". Luisa whipped the lot of us into turkeyland.
Soon after Sean came home we received a phone call from Pat Prinsloo (Judith's godmother) phoning from Marius & Janet in Seattle. Here he is talking to "Onnie Pat"
Click on the images to enlarge.
This last weekend was the Thanksgiving long weekend in Canada. We had our dinner on Sunday evening. Stephen had bussed in from Kingston but Miriam had gone to Ottawa with a friend. Mark and Luisa also joined us. Sean had to work.
During the meal we took turns to tell of some of the things we gave thanks for in the past year. Some that I recall: lots about jobs - my job, Ingrid's job, Stephen's summer job opportunity just past, Mark's opportunity to work in Holland for a year, Sean's job opportunity in Whistler; that Mark and Luisa met 11 months ago; Judith expressed the "up" side to not going to university this year - opportunity to improve grades and broaden university options and courses next year; and we are all very grateful for the Canadian healthcare system (imperfect as it may be) that has been providing Judith with such excellent care.
Judith went to bed early. The rest of us spent the evening chatting, reading, laughing at peculiar customs of our various nationalities, playing Mario Brothers on Mark's laptop, playing "Sets". Luisa whipped the lot of us into turkeyland.
Soon after Sean came home we received a phone call from Pat Prinsloo (Judith's godmother) phoning from Marius & Janet in Seattle. Here he is talking to "Onnie Pat"
Click on the images to enlarge.
Saturday 7 October 2006
Just Two Sessions Left
Field hockey was a bit of a disappointment for Judith this last week. She was only on for about five minutes and then had to ask the coach to take her off. To add salt to the wound their team narrowly lost by one goal.
On Friday she had her chemo - only two more to go after this. They started off by giving her a strong shot of some relaxant to prevent the rigors that she suffered the last time. This left Judith pretty dopey and sleepy so she did not provide much by way of entertainment while the infusions were going on even though Ingrid, Miriam, Mark and I were all there at some point over the four hours. The relaxant had the desired effect, and everything went without a hitch this time. Visitors had to entertain themselves...
Then at five o'clock I was down at Scarborough town centre bus station to pick up Stephen and his girlfriend, Heather. Steve has come in from Kingston, ON (Queen's University) to spend Thanksgiving weekend with us. I managed to get some pics of him and Heather on Friday night before Heather's mom arrived from Penetanguishene where they have a farm in the area.
Click on the pictures to enlarge.
Sunday 1 October 2006
Camping Pics - Finally
We finally got the film developed from the camping trip that Judith had with her friends, Hannah, Jeanine and Melissa at the beginning of August at The Pinery Provincial Park on Lake Huron. To view the album click on the link on the left.
It was a poignant moment for me a few weeks back when Judith's friend, Kristin, came to say goodbye to Judith prior to leaving for university and I realised we were at the end of an era. I also felt extremely grateful for the truly wonderful friends that Judith has had in the last couple of years in high school - friends who have been simply amazing in their support for Judith over the last 6 months. It is not for me to name them. I have only met a few of them anyway. They and Judith know who they are and most of them don't even read this blog. :-) But I do thank God for them all and pray his blessing for them.
Saturday 23 September 2006
Round Two: 1 down, 3 to go
On Thursday Judith played field hockey with the school team in a local pre-season round-robin with a number of other schools. Judith and her team mates did very well, drawing one game and winning all the others.
On Friday Judith started her second round of chemo. This is the round where they were not sure whether to do a second round of chemo, or radiation. Eventually they left it up to Judith to decide after presenting her with some nasty facts associated with each. She opted for the chemo - another four sessions - and we had the first of these on Friday.
During the days leading up to Friday she had more tests: CT Scan, Gallium Scan and a chest x-ray. The Gallium was still negative and the size of the mass on the CT Scan was unchanged. As before, they are still not sure if that is the mass that is lingering, or scar tissue. We are hoping and praying and trusting that it is the latter, especially since the Gallium is negative.
Chemo sessions are never very pleasant at the best of times but this one was particularly unpleasant. To begin with it started late. Usually Ingrid takes Judith in the morning for her bloodworks and appointment with the oncologist, after which the nursing staff start the chemo if the oncologist gives the go-ahead based on the bloodworks. I generally get there around 1:00pm and Ingrid leaves to finish her work hours or to do other things if she has completed her hours for the week. (Today it was to make Pavlova for Miriam's birthday.) When I got to the hospital at 1:10 yesterday (Friday) they had just inserted the intravenous (IV) line but had not put up the drips yet. It was going to be a long day...
On the positive side for Judith, it was a holiday for students (PA Day - when teachers have professional formation,) so her boyfriend Mark was able to be there to give her moral support. Around 3:30pm Judith started to feel cold; nothing too unusual, so she was given a warm blanket. Then she started to shiver - and then shiver violently - so much so that she could not drink a glass of water without spilling. In the space of five minutes her temparature went from 38.4 C to 39.7 C. Apparently developing somewhat of a fever is not too uncommon with one of the drugs that she is being given, but this was decidely disconcerting and it did mean interrupting the infusion until the shivering and temperature were brought under control. Sometime after 4:30pm a decidedly groggy Judith was able to leave the hospital with Mark and me.
Judith was determined that this was not going to stop her spending a couple of hours helping Miriam celebrate her 30th birthday with the whole family in attendance - even Stephen who had bussed in from Kingston for the single night occasion. We had to finish the evening early anyway as we had to take Mark (McCann) to the airport to attend a tradeshow in Frankfurt. (Wie gut sprechen Sie Deutsch, Mark?) Naturally Mark will be spending a day in Holland visiting "the cousins".
Tomorrow, Sunday, if previous experience can be relied upon, will be sleeping and IV hydration.
Thank you to all of you who are so faithful in reading this blog, and for your prayers and concern for Judith.
On Friday Judith started her second round of chemo. This is the round where they were not sure whether to do a second round of chemo, or radiation. Eventually they left it up to Judith to decide after presenting her with some nasty facts associated with each. She opted for the chemo - another four sessions - and we had the first of these on Friday.
During the days leading up to Friday she had more tests: CT Scan, Gallium Scan and a chest x-ray. The Gallium was still negative and the size of the mass on the CT Scan was unchanged. As before, they are still not sure if that is the mass that is lingering, or scar tissue. We are hoping and praying and trusting that it is the latter, especially since the Gallium is negative.
Chemo sessions are never very pleasant at the best of times but this one was particularly unpleasant. To begin with it started late. Usually Ingrid takes Judith in the morning for her bloodworks and appointment with the oncologist, after which the nursing staff start the chemo if the oncologist gives the go-ahead based on the bloodworks. I generally get there around 1:00pm and Ingrid leaves to finish her work hours or to do other things if she has completed her hours for the week. (Today it was to make Pavlova for Miriam's birthday.) When I got to the hospital at 1:10 yesterday (Friday) they had just inserted the intravenous (IV) line but had not put up the drips yet. It was going to be a long day...
On the positive side for Judith, it was a holiday for students (PA Day - when teachers have professional formation,) so her boyfriend Mark was able to be there to give her moral support. Around 3:30pm Judith started to feel cold; nothing too unusual, so she was given a warm blanket. Then she started to shiver - and then shiver violently - so much so that she could not drink a glass of water without spilling. In the space of five minutes her temparature went from 38.4 C to 39.7 C. Apparently developing somewhat of a fever is not too uncommon with one of the drugs that she is being given, but this was decidely disconcerting and it did mean interrupting the infusion until the shivering and temperature were brought under control. Sometime after 4:30pm a decidedly groggy Judith was able to leave the hospital with Mark and me.
Judith was determined that this was not going to stop her spending a couple of hours helping Miriam celebrate her 30th birthday with the whole family in attendance - even Stephen who had bussed in from Kingston for the single night occasion. We had to finish the evening early anyway as we had to take Mark (McCann) to the airport to attend a tradeshow in Frankfurt. (Wie gut sprechen Sie Deutsch, Mark?) Naturally Mark will be spending a day in Holland visiting "the cousins".
Tomorrow, Sunday, if previous experience can be relied upon, will be sleeping and IV hydration.
Thank you to all of you who are so faithful in reading this blog, and for your prayers and concern for Judith.
Saturday 16 September 2006
Some random things to share...
I had some pumpkin pie shortly before going to bed - and woke up with indigestion. So I thought I would be constructive and after taking some bicarb. do a photo album of some pictures that Judith took of her guinea pigs a few weeks ago. That's Cowslick in front, Skitch is the grey one looking distrustfully at the camara. You can see the whole album of 10 pics if you click on the Guinea Pigs link on the left.
After school on Friday Mark (The Boyfriend) kissed Judith hello when he met her in the parking lot. OK, maybe it was more than hello... Anyway, some grade 11 girl yelled out to two friends right next to her - from the other side of the parking lot - "O-my-gosh-there-are-two-boys-kissing-over-there!" Judith, Sean, Ingrid and I were able to laugh about it over some buffalo wings in a local pub this evening, but it was not very funny for either Judith or Mark at the time. It reminded us of the time, a few weeks ago, when Ingrid and Judith were in the waiting room of the ophthalmologist. An elderly couple walked in and sat down. The lady stared and stared at Judith and her bald head. Eventually she asked Ingrid, "Is it a boy or a girl?" Her husband took her in hand and informed her in no uncertain terms that "it" was a girl while the only other patient, a woman, sat rolling her eyes around the ceiling...
Friday morning I received an email from a very old friend who I learnt was on holiday in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Minutes later we were talking on the phone. I have not seen him since around 1970 or before. I am now making plans to rearrange my vacation to go out there and spend a couple of days with him. Pourriez-vous perler plus lentement s'il vous plait?
On the two occasions I have been to Quebec I have found that, with the help of a phrase book, I can actually make myself understood in French. The real problem comes after you have asked for your ice-cream/coffee/whatever when you get asked whether you want the grande, petite, plus petite, rouge, blanc, bleu, doux, aigre, chaud, froid, etc. and you do not have a clue as to what you have just been asked or even whether it was a question and maybe you have just been told it is all finished!
Sunday 10 September 2006
Chemo versus Radiation
This past week started with the last public holiday for the summer (Labour Day). Judith started school on Tuesday and managed to get all her courses for this year sorted out. She also started field hockey! Yeah! Stephen has gone back to Kingston and the rest of us back to work.
On Thursday we had our appointment with Dr. Doherty at Sunnybrook Hospital to discuss with her how the next stage of treatment is going to be managed. She had a good look at the initial and then subsequent Gallium and CT scans and confirmed for us that Judith's cancer is "chemo sensitive" meaning that it is responding well to the treatment. She spent a long time with us explaining the different risks involved in choosing one route or the other and then it was basically up to Judith to decide what to do. The short explanation is: with chemo alone, the chances of a relapse are slightly higher; shorter chemo followed by radiation has the increased risk of breast cancer at a later stage especially in females under age 30 - the reason for this is that with radiation they hit the areas that are affected by the cancer which in Judith's case are close to the breast.
On Friday she had her 4B chemo and a good discussion with Dr. Zibdawi, the chief oncologist here at Southlake Hospital. Judith had already decided that increased chemo without the radiation was the preferred route and our discussion with him confirmed that. He spent a good deal of time explaining what would happen should she have a relapse - in the end it is important that you are able to make an informed decision.
A relapse involves extra chemo, harvesting of one's own stem cells, followed by high dose chemo which means a few weeks in hospital and then receiving your own stem cells back again.
A bit later, while Judith was receiving her chemo, a young man came in who is now starting this procedure and it was good speaking to him. Although he gave a very sombre description of the process, he himself was very upbeat about his prospects.
The rest of this weekend has gone well. We are back to school and work tomorrow. Other news is that Sean has a job at Milestones which he is really happy about.
Love from all of us.
Ingrid.
On Thursday we had our appointment with Dr. Doherty at Sunnybrook Hospital to discuss with her how the next stage of treatment is going to be managed. She had a good look at the initial and then subsequent Gallium and CT scans and confirmed for us that Judith's cancer is "chemo sensitive" meaning that it is responding well to the treatment. She spent a long time with us explaining the different risks involved in choosing one route or the other and then it was basically up to Judith to decide what to do. The short explanation is: with chemo alone, the chances of a relapse are slightly higher; shorter chemo followed by radiation has the increased risk of breast cancer at a later stage especially in females under age 30 - the reason for this is that with radiation they hit the areas that are affected by the cancer which in Judith's case are close to the breast.
On Friday she had her 4B chemo and a good discussion with Dr. Zibdawi, the chief oncologist here at Southlake Hospital. Judith had already decided that increased chemo without the radiation was the preferred route and our discussion with him confirmed that. He spent a good deal of time explaining what would happen should she have a relapse - in the end it is important that you are able to make an informed decision.
A relapse involves extra chemo, harvesting of one's own stem cells, followed by high dose chemo which means a few weeks in hospital and then receiving your own stem cells back again.
A bit later, while Judith was receiving her chemo, a young man came in who is now starting this procedure and it was good speaking to him. Although he gave a very sombre description of the process, he himself was very upbeat about his prospects.
The rest of this weekend has gone well. We are back to school and work tomorrow. Other news is that Sean has a job at Milestones which he is really happy about.
Love from all of us.
Ingrid.
Tuesday 29 August 2006
...and some news from Steve
Hi everyone,
So dad has managed to encourage yet another of the children to add a little news, so here goes. As mentioned in some of the other blogs, I have spent the last 4 months in England getting some practical work experience. With a little help from Mark, due to contacts through the company he works for, I got a job with a company called Reliance Precision. They specialise in design and manufacture of very high precision parts, some of the major customers being in the aerospace, military, and medical industries. I got a main project which was to design a demonstration rig to demonstrate a new standard product that the company selling. It was very rewarding having the freedom to do my own design (with help at times) and manage the project myself, but even more rewarding to see a working prototype before I left.
As well as work experience, I took the opportunity to do a bit of travelling. I visited Scotland a few times where I have an aunt, uncle and a cousin who I had not met yet. I also made a trip to Holland to see my uncles and cousins there, and of course my Oma and Opa. I made a few weekend trips to see some of the English cities. One of the weekends I visited some old neighbours from South Africa who now live in Bristol which was wonderful. I also made a very nice trip to the Isles of Scilly, which are on the South West coast of England. The higlight of this trip being snorkelling with some seals who seemed to really enjoy swimming with the humans just as much as we enjoyed swimming with them.
All in all I have had a very memorable 4 months, but I am now also very happy to be home again. I start my 4th year of university in 2 weeks. This however is not my last year as I changed my mind after 2nd year about what I wanted to study (switching from mining to mechanical engineering) so I now have to do a 5th year. I dont mind this at all, (university is fun), and my experience this summer has confirmed that I made the right decision.
..well that was easy (as you can tell by the length) so you may even hear from me again.
Steve
Saturday 26 August 2006
An Event-filled Week
On Friday Judith had another round of chemo - the two Marks (brother and boy-friend), Mom and Dad were there to keep her company. Everything went well. More tests coming up next month and a visit to the radiologist before a final decision is made on whether the follow-up treatment should be radiation or another round of chemo, but it is looking more and more like they are going to go with the chemo route - which is what we are praying for. As usual, Judith has been sleeping most of the time since coming home.
That is a marked difference from the previous night (Thursday night) when we celebrated her birthday with some presents and she was pretty hyper. It was actually her birthday on Tuesday but Thursday night was the best for getting everyone together - except Sean who had to work so he took Judith for a meal on Tuesday night. Click on the link on the left to see some photos. Sean's news is that he is planning on going back to Whistler for the winter season. He has a job lined up in one of the fine dining restaurants to start in November.
On Saturday Mark invited a number of friends to our house for a braai (barbecue.) They all seemed to have an enjoyable time and Ingrid and I enjoyed having them. Click on the link on the left for some photos.
Sunday 13 August 2006
More Good News
Judith had her 6th chemo (3b) this last Friday (11th) and everything went as planned. The oncologist had had time to review the last tests fully and make a comparison with the original tests; the results were very pleasing: the Gallium scan was completely negative and the CT scan showed that the mass between the lungs had reduced in size from 7cm to 2cm. Given that this mass did not show up at all on the Gallium scan suggests that some, at least, of what shows on the CT scan is just scar tissue.
The original treatment plan was to give 8 chemo sessions - more correctly, 4 cycles, each with an "a" and a "b" - and then decide whether to finish off the mass in the chest with radiation or a further 2 cycles of chemo. Radiation is effective because it is very targeted and the treatment duration is relatively short - a couple of weeks. The downside, clinically, is that it hugely increases the risk of breast cancer before age 40 because of the location of treatment. Radiation would be indicated if the mass did not respond sufficiently to the chemo. However, the chemo results are very pleasing so it is most likely that a further 2 cycles of chemo will be given.
Clinically this is all very good news. There is, however, a non-clinical disappointment for Judith that I will let her tell you about herself when she gets on to update the blog later in the week. Today she is on the third or "sleepiest" day of the chemo cycle with things only slighty better tomorrow. Both days are days of intravenous hydration. Life should start picking up again on Tuesday.
Other News
Some brief other family news:
Last Sunday Sean made some amazing home-made ground-beef hamburger patties for Ingrid's birthday. Today is Sean's birthday.
Ingrid has a new work cell phone so we no longer have to put up with somebody else's voicemail greeting that nobody could change and Ingrid can actually listen to her messages.
Miriam has just come back from touring Prince Edward Island - with a kayak. (When are you going to contribute to the blog, Miriam?)
Mark has just come back from a combined business/swimming/vacation trip to San Francisco where he once again spent some time with an old boyhood friend, Saul Wainwright. (When are you going to contribute to the blog, Mark?)
Stephen only has another 2 weeks before he comes back from his summer job in England. Latest adventure was a weekend in the Scilly Isles.
Terry survived a processes audit at work.
Thank you to all of you, friends and family, for your continued interest and support.
The original treatment plan was to give 8 chemo sessions - more correctly, 4 cycles, each with an "a" and a "b" - and then decide whether to finish off the mass in the chest with radiation or a further 2 cycles of chemo. Radiation is effective because it is very targeted and the treatment duration is relatively short - a couple of weeks. The downside, clinically, is that it hugely increases the risk of breast cancer before age 40 because of the location of treatment. Radiation would be indicated if the mass did not respond sufficiently to the chemo. However, the chemo results are very pleasing so it is most likely that a further 2 cycles of chemo will be given.
Clinically this is all very good news. There is, however, a non-clinical disappointment for Judith that I will let her tell you about herself when she gets on to update the blog later in the week. Today she is on the third or "sleepiest" day of the chemo cycle with things only slighty better tomorrow. Both days are days of intravenous hydration. Life should start picking up again on Tuesday.
Other News
Some brief other family news:
Last Sunday Sean made some amazing home-made ground-beef hamburger patties for Ingrid's birthday. Today is Sean's birthday.
Ingrid has a new work cell phone so we no longer have to put up with somebody else's voicemail greeting that nobody could change and Ingrid can actually listen to her messages.
Miriam has just come back from touring Prince Edward Island - with a kayak. (When are you going to contribute to the blog, Miriam?)
Mark has just come back from a combined business/swimming/vacation trip to San Francisco where he once again spent some time with an old boyhood friend, Saul Wainwright. (When are you going to contribute to the blog, Mark?)
Stephen only has another 2 weeks before he comes back from his summer job in England. Latest adventure was a weekend in the Scilly Isles.
Terry survived a processes audit at work.
Thank you to all of you, friends and family, for your continued interest and support.
Sunday 30 July 2006
Celebrations and Hang-overs
Friday night was a very enjoyable evening. Mark and his friend, Phil, came over after work and had dinner with us and then spent the evening with Judith playing Set.
Yesterday (Saturday) evening Ingrid did not feel like cooking and, anyway, we felt like having a bit of a celebration after Judith's encouraging test results so Ingrid, Judith and I went to Al. Gonquin's, a restaurant where Judith used to work last year. It was a good idea - a nice way to have a mini celebration.
Muriel the home nurse had come in the morning on Saturday to give Judith her post-chemo injection and found that the doctor had ordered 1000 ml of IV hydration, not the half-litre of the previous 2 occasions. As this takes about 10 hours it was agreed to have it overnight so after we came back from our dinner Muriel came and set Judith up for the night. Well, it was not to be a night of rest. Between occlusions (mostly false it would seem) and failures the IV pump beeped us out of bed right through the night. I did not keep track but it would not be an exaggeration if I said this thing must have beeped us approx. 20 times. I think the longest sleep stretch was about 90 minutes. When Sandy, Muriel's nursing colleague, came to remove the IV at 8:00 this morning we all felt like we had been partying all night without the fun (Remind me to request the machine get serviced.) Sandy said that if Judith could take in a liter and a bit of liquids during the day then they could assess this evening whether it will be necessary to do another hydration tonight.
Judith has been sleeping most of the day so far (normal for the 3rd and 4th days of chemo) so we have been waking her periodically to take in some liquids. Approved liquids exclude caffeine and alcohol.
Yesterday (Saturday) evening Ingrid did not feel like cooking and, anyway, we felt like having a bit of a celebration after Judith's encouraging test results so Ingrid, Judith and I went to Al. Gonquin's, a restaurant where Judith used to work last year. It was a good idea - a nice way to have a mini celebration.
Muriel the home nurse had come in the morning on Saturday to give Judith her post-chemo injection and found that the doctor had ordered 1000 ml of IV hydration, not the half-litre of the previous 2 occasions. As this takes about 10 hours it was agreed to have it overnight so after we came back from our dinner Muriel came and set Judith up for the night. Well, it was not to be a night of rest. Between occlusions (mostly false it would seem) and failures the IV pump beeped us out of bed right through the night. I did not keep track but it would not be an exaggeration if I said this thing must have beeped us approx. 20 times. I think the longest sleep stretch was about 90 minutes. When Sandy, Muriel's nursing colleague, came to remove the IV at 8:00 this morning we all felt like we had been partying all night without the fun (Remind me to request the machine get serviced.) Sandy said that if Judith could take in a liter and a bit of liquids during the day then they could assess this evening whether it will be necessary to do another hydration tonight.
Judith has been sleeping most of the day so far (normal for the 3rd and 4th days of chemo) so we have been waking her periodically to take in some liquids. Approved liquids exclude caffeine and alcohol.
Friday 28 July 2006
Deo Gratias
Deo gratias is a Latin phrase meaning "Thanks be to God." The results of the tests that Judith had this week left the oncologist very pleased with the progress of treatment so far. The lumps in her neck and under the arms have gone; the mass between the lungs has diminished significantly and the mood in our household has lightened considerably. To those of you who have been praying, thank you for your prayers - please don't stop now; and to every one of you, thank you for your support, kind words, emails - just for showing your interest in reading the blog. When I put the hit counter on the blog I had no idea how many of you were reading this blog on a regular basis. It is very gratifying to see so many of you showing such interest.
Comments now enabled
Some of you expressed disappointment at not being able to leave comments. I have changed the setting so that anybody can leave comments. However, they will be moderated so you will not see your comment until it is published by me or Judith, the two administrators of this blog. This is to prevent spam and comments by sicko's.
Comments now enabled
Some of you expressed disappointment at not being able to leave comments. I have changed the setting so that anybody can leave comments. However, they will be moderated so you will not see your comment until it is published by me or Judith, the two administrators of this blog. This is to prevent spam and comments by sicko's.
Sunday 23 July 2006
Week of Reckoning
Well, this week Judith will be having the tests done to see how the treatment has been working.
On Monday she gets the agent injection for the Gallium Scan on Thursday. Then, on Friday, the day of her next treatment, in addition to the usual blood test she will be getting a CT scan. By the time she sees the oncologist he will have seen the test results and should have a good idea of how things have been going. Please pray.
New Photo Albums
I have added 2 new albums, one of the fallen tree saga, and one with some pics of baby raccoons which may be living in our willow tree - possibly displaced by the storm on Monday night. No idea where mommy is. After we took the pics we did a bit of chasing to make them scared of us.
On Monday she gets the agent injection for the Gallium Scan on Thursday. Then, on Friday, the day of her next treatment, in addition to the usual blood test she will be getting a CT scan. By the time she sees the oncologist he will have seen the test results and should have a good idea of how things have been going. Please pray.
New Photo Albums
I have added 2 new albums, one of the fallen tree saga, and one with some pics of baby raccoons which may be living in our willow tree - possibly displaced by the storm on Monday night. No idea where mommy is. After we took the pics we did a bit of chasing to make them scared of us.
Wednesday 19 July 2006
The Tempest
It was a dark and stormy night. It was raining cats and dogs and the thunder and lightning was nearly as bad as it gets on the Highveld. Just as George Bush (chewing with his mouth open) was about to reveal to Tony "Yo" Blair his now famous insight about what to tell the Syrians, we lost the satellite feed for the Monday night BBC News. We switched off the TV and soon after that the house lights started going on and off like a Christmas tree. I had just switched off the home computer when there was a mighty crash and the whole house shook. Judith gave a yell and we went through to her room where she was lying in bed. Looking out from her window all I could see pressing against the window pane was leaves from a tree that was supposed to be about seven metres away.
I got up early in the morning on Tuesday and found that what had happened was a tree with a double trunk on the fence line between us and our neighbours (there is no fence as such) had been blown over such that one trunk was on our house and the other trunk on the neighbour's. Unlike a lot of other trees that came down on Monday night where the trunks actually snapped, in this case the root system gave way first causing it to fall more slowly. It landed on the roof directly above where Judith was lying in bed but the house structures held. I think it is possible that if the trunk had snapped and the tree fallen differently that the house may not have held up so well and Judith could have been injured, or worse. So, we all thank God that all the damage is replaceable.
Meanwhile the tree has been removed, the roofers have come and taken photographs, and I await the next company contracted by the insurers to pay a visit to my home tomorrow. Fortunately the company I work for, GE Healthcare, has made it possible for me to work from home when necessary using high speed Internet access.
Click on the photo images to enlarge.
Faux Pas a la Terry
Did I say "Maureen, the home nurse?"
Please make that "Muriel" :-(
The Editor regrets the error and apologizes profoundly.
Saturday 15 July 2006
What does 42 look like?
Session 4 (2b) went off without a hitch. Thanks for your prayers. The white blood cell count was actually slightly above normal - which is much better than below normal. In addition to Ingrid and myself, visitors included Mark the Boyfriend who took the day off from his summer job to be with Judith during the whole time of her treatment, Mark her brother, who came in his lunch hour, and our former neighbour, Moira.
Towards the end of the proceedings, Judith commented to Mark D about a picture in a magazine she was reading, "Courteney Cox really doesn't look 42." The nurse sitting at a nearby work station overheard the comment and asked, "So what does 42 look like?" Even after a lot of drilling with an expanded audience of amused nurses, Judith declined to answer the question... I think they quite enjoy having a teenager in the ward.
This morning Maureen, the home nurse, was at our place at 8:00am to give Judith her "day after" injection.
Towards the end of the proceedings, Judith commented to Mark D about a picture in a magazine she was reading, "Courteney Cox really doesn't look 42." The nurse sitting at a nearby work station overheard the comment and asked, "So what does 42 look like?" Even after a lot of drilling with an expanded audience of amused nurses, Judith declined to answer the question... I think they quite enjoy having a teenager in the ward.
This morning Maureen, the home nurse, was at our place at 8:00am to give Judith her "day after" injection.
Thursday 13 July 2006
Next Treatment on Friday
Session 4, also known as 2b, will be tomorrow (Friday). Please pray that Judith will have a good white blood cell count, and also that the drugs will do what they are supposed to do, and that she can be spared the worst of the harmful side-effects; also that the post-treatment nausea can be controlled.
Our thanks to those of you who have sent emails of support and assurances of prayers.
Our thanks to those of you who have sent emails of support and assurances of prayers.
Wednesday 12 July 2006
Danger is Relative
This has been a good week - which is what you would hope for in the second week after treatment. Judith has been pretty active: on Sunday spending the day with Mark Dankowych (aka Mark D, Mark Dank, Dank the Tank, or "the boyfriend") and his family watching Mark compete with his off-road motorbike; Tuesday going flying with her friend, Andrew; this evening going for thrills and spills at Canada's Wonderland. Judith told us that Mark did well in his races, coming second overall across four races. I was thinking, "I'm glad Judith doesn't do that; that could be quite dangerous. I probably wouldn't let her if she showed too much interest." Then on Tuesday I heard that a friend Judith knows from Cadets, Andrew, invited her to go flying with him. I was told that Mark D had also been invited but his parents ajudged it to be too dangerous so he would not be going.... Curious irony.
Judith took some pictures which still need to be put into an album. Meanwhile here is one that she took from the air of her school, Dr John Denison.
Sunday 2 July 2006
Last Week in June
Judith graduated on June 28 and is now officially done with high school. Each graduate had their moment of glory for approximately 10 seconds when they received their diploma and then there were some who also got a prize. Judith shared the Earth and Space Science Reward with her good friend Hannah. The tall guy beside them in the photo is Mr. Bush, their teacher.
On Friday, Judith had her 3rd chemo - or rather 2A, having had 1A and 1B. The injection she had to stimulate white blood cell growth worked extremely well which means that she will definitely keep to the two week cycle. Apparently this is very important for the type of treatment regimen she is on.
Today, Muriel the visiting community nurse, came to set up her IV hydration at home. Judith spent most of her day sleeping. This procedure will be repeated tomorrow. We are so grateful that this service is available for her as it seems to prevent the dibilitating nausea she experienced after her first chemo. According to the pattern we have observed, day 4 (which is tomorrow) is usually the most challenging with nausea and tiredness but fortunately it is a holiday for Terry and me so we'll be around for the day.
Thank you all for emails, phone calls, enquires and chats.It is good to know that we can talk about these events in our life.
With love, Ingrid
On Friday, Judith had her 3rd chemo - or rather 2A, having had 1A and 1B. The injection she had to stimulate white blood cell growth worked extremely well which means that she will definitely keep to the two week cycle. Apparently this is very important for the type of treatment regimen she is on.
Today, Muriel the visiting community nurse, came to set up her IV hydration at home. Judith spent most of her day sleeping. This procedure will be repeated tomorrow. We are so grateful that this service is available for her as it seems to prevent the dibilitating nausea she experienced after her first chemo. According to the pattern we have observed, day 4 (which is tomorrow) is usually the most challenging with nausea and tiredness but fortunately it is a holiday for Terry and me so we'll be around for the day.
Thank you all for emails, phone calls, enquires and chats.It is good to know that we can talk about these events in our life.
With love, Ingrid
Tuesday 27 June 2006
The political connection
At lunchtime today I spoke with Federal Leader of the Opposition, Mr Paul Martin. It was a very gratifying and memorable experience for me to be able to provide the former Prime Minister with input on dumping, relief and cleaning up his act. It happened in the lobby of our building in Markam. He and two associates, who I did not recognise though probably should have, were coming towards me as I was going to buy some lunch. They stopped me as we were passing and asked me for directions to a washroom. I was able to oblige ;-o)
Monday 26 June 2006
The weekend that was
Around 8:00 pm Friday evening (23rd) Ingrid discovered that our basement - which is also our TV room - was flooded. Our water heater had given up the ghost. We spent most of the weekend cleaning up so that we could watch Holland play Portugal in the World Cup. Mark brought his girlfriend Luisa. With a name like Luisa guess who she was supporting. After that fiasco we then watched a recording of the rugby international between South Africa and France. All I can say is that I hope next weekend is better than this one was.
Here is a link to some family pictures illustrating haircuts and hair-do's, past and present. I have also added it to the links on the left in case the one below does not work.
Haircuts and Hairdo's
Here is a link to some family pictures illustrating haircuts and hair-do's, past and present. I have also added it to the links on the left in case the one below does not work.
Haircuts and Hairdo's
Thursday 22 June 2006
Over the next hump
Nobody said it was going to be easy. Monday Judith went in to school for English in preparation for her final exam the next day; came home early. That night, while I was on the edge of my seat with the excitement, she fell asleep on the couch watching the Oilers lose their last of seven games against the Hurricanes. Tuesday she wrote English and came home wiped out. Wednesday she wrote the first of her Math exams - and came home wiped out. Thursday I could see she was getting stronger again and the nausea was gone. She has her final Math exam on Friday and then off to celebrate the end of school with her friends - probably go to a movie. She has definitely decided to postpone going to university for a year.
I am putting on a couple of pictures with her latest new look. She has observed that people notice it more when she goes around with her head uncovered so she has taken to wearing a bandana for the moment.
Monday 19 June 2006
Three days after the second treatment
Second chemo was on Friday and went without a hitch. So far relatively uneventful. Uneventful is good :-)
The home-care nurse came round to the house later on Friday and then again on Saturday to give an injection of some very powerful muti extracted from bone-marrow designed to stimulate regeneration of white blood cells. Another nurse came on Sunday to set up a hydration drip which will be repeated later today.
I must say that I am very impressed with the quality of home-care nursing provided by the Province of Ontario as experienced by us. Family doctors making house-calls may be a thing of the past (though Schneir Levine might still be visiting his patients) but this is an excellent alternative.
Judith decided to crop her hair radically shorter - first to a 5 on my beard trimmer on Friday, and then to a 2 last night when she saw how she is losing the hair where her head rests on her pillow. I joined her with the 5 on Friday and then went to a dinner organised by our church. I was surprised how many people looked right through me without recognising me. On the up side I did have a number of ladies who found they could not resist stroking the top of my head!
The home-care nurse came round to the house later on Friday and then again on Saturday to give an injection of some very powerful muti extracted from bone-marrow designed to stimulate regeneration of white blood cells. Another nurse came on Sunday to set up a hydration drip which will be repeated later today.
I must say that I am very impressed with the quality of home-care nursing provided by the Province of Ontario as experienced by us. Family doctors making house-calls may be a thing of the past (though Schneir Levine might still be visiting his patients) but this is an excellent alternative.
Judith decided to crop her hair radically shorter - first to a 5 on my beard trimmer on Friday, and then to a 2 last night when she saw how she is losing the hair where her head rests on her pillow. I joined her with the 5 on Friday and then went to a dinner organised by our church. I was surprised how many people looked right through me without recognising me. On the up side I did have a number of ladies who found they could not resist stroking the top of my head!
Wednesday 14 June 2006
New look
My selection of photos did not meet with the approval of all concerned so expect to see some changes in what you see when you follow the photo links in the next couple of days :-)
Meanwhile, Judith has had her hair cut by Dan the hair man who positively refused to take payment for the job. Here is a picture of her new look.
Tuesday 13 June 2006
Backtracking
Last week we went to Sunnybrook Hospital for the radiation consult. The hospital is about 50km from our house and the centre where Judith will get radiation treatment if neccessary. It is a most daunting place- almost like a village with numerous buildings- probably 10 times the size of JHB General Hospital if not bigger. The cancer centre there has it's own building and fortunately we had some directions on how to get there otherwise we would have parked in the wrong parking lot and been tired out and late for the appointment.
We realised that the radiation is still being debated. At some point Judith needs another Gallium scan and CT scan and her response to the chemo will then be assessed as well as a decision made on whether chemo is to be extended or radiation to be started. We heard that for females under 30 there is an increased risk of breast cancer before age 40 and with Judith's mass in her chest they want to be sure that they do not treat these sensitive areas unneccessarily. We appreciate the expertise of these doctors and their commitment and we are so grateful that we have access to such good care.
After that day Judith started thinking seriously about deferring her studies for a year and I must say that I am greatly relieved that we are now talking about this because I could not imagine her being anywhere else but home at this stage.
The build up to Prom was exciting. Miriam, Mark and Sean were all at home for the afternoon helping out with makeup and photographs. Judith was so excited ( read: a little hyper) Her boyfriend Mark at times looked somewhat bewildered and at other times bemused but most of the time calm and unflappable- a good balance for Judith. When they eventually left, Terry and I went out for dinner- a beer and wings at the local pub.
You heard about the hair. She had a stunning haircut this afternoon (on the house) done by Dan who is our local hairdresser.
OK that's it from me.
Ingrid
We realised that the radiation is still being debated. At some point Judith needs another Gallium scan and CT scan and her response to the chemo will then be assessed as well as a decision made on whether chemo is to be extended or radiation to be started. We heard that for females under 30 there is an increased risk of breast cancer before age 40 and with Judith's mass in her chest they want to be sure that they do not treat these sensitive areas unneccessarily. We appreciate the expertise of these doctors and their commitment and we are so grateful that we have access to such good care.
After that day Judith started thinking seriously about deferring her studies for a year and I must say that I am greatly relieved that we are now talking about this because I could not imagine her being anywhere else but home at this stage.
The build up to Prom was exciting. Miriam, Mark and Sean were all at home for the afternoon helping out with makeup and photographs. Judith was so excited ( read: a little hyper) Her boyfriend Mark at times looked somewhat bewildered and at other times bemused but most of the time calm and unflappable- a good balance for Judith. When they eventually left, Terry and I went out for dinner- a beer and wings at the local pub.
You heard about the hair. She had a stunning haircut this afternoon (on the house) done by Dan who is our local hairdresser.
OK that's it from me.
Ingrid
Monday 12 June 2006
... and thanks again
... to all of you well-wishers and those who were praying for Judith. The Prom was a great success, as was the "pre-Prom" and "post-Prom". Dan the hair-dresser had done a terrific job on Judith's hair. The timing was really tight; Judith reports that clumps of hair were coming out in the shower last night. Today is chemo session #2.
If you want to see pictures of the Athletic Banquet or Prom, use the links on the left.
Some of you have asked what happened to the diary of events giving the history of the initial diagnosis. Click on the May archive link on the left.
If you want to see pictures of the Athletic Banquet or Prom, use the links on the left.
Some of you have asked what happened to the diary of events giving the history of the initial diagnosis. Click on the May archive link on the left.
Thursday 8 June 2006
Thank you
The last two days have been pretty good. Nausea under control. This evening Judith went off to the school Athletic Banquet in good spirits. It is now 22:15, she still has not come home, so thank you for answered prayer.
The big one comes tomorrow with The Prom.!
The big one comes tomorrow with The Prom.!
Tuesday 6 June 2006
A Prayer Request
Oops! Nearly forgot.
I'm aware that we have friends of various religious and spiritual persuasions, and some with none. To those of you who do pray, there are two things Judith would really like to be well enough to do this week...
I'm aware that we have friends of various religious and spiritual persuasions, and some with none. To those of you who do pray, there are two things Judith would really like to be well enough to do this week...
- Athletic Banquet on Thursday night. This is for all the sports men and women who have represented the school on the playing field or court in the last year. Judith has played both field hockey and rugby for Dr Denison.
- Prom. on Friday night. For South Africans this is equivalent to the Matric Dance.
A trip to the emergency ward
Monday was not nice. I arrived home from work to take a conference call at 16:30 and found Judith severely nauseous and dehydrated with a splitting headache. She had done everything right in terms of taking the anti-N but it just was not working. By that time the cancer clinic was closed for the day so she phoned the ward. They told us to come in to Emergency which we did. Judith was put in the Triage ward where we waited for the doctor. Eventually she was put on a drip and had some blood works done pending the doctor examining her. And then we waited, and waited, and waited some more.
In all fairness Emerge. was like a madhouse with the number of people who came in and Judith had been stabilized and isolated so she was no longer an emergency. But she did still have her headache and every so often would try hurling the imaginary contents of her stomach into the plastic bag we had brought from home as she did not trust being able to hit the kidney dish that the hospital provided.
I should mention that, in the Triage ward, each cubicle has its own TV suspended from the ceiling so eventually we turned it on and watched a woman win $10 000 on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Then we watched the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals, but nothing was going our way as the Edmonton Oilers went down to the Hurricanes 4-5 after being up 3-0.
During the second period (somewhere around 21:30) Judith fell into a good sleep and when the period ended I went to phone Sean to let him know why we had not come home yet. Ingrid had asked me to buy some chocolate from the vending machine as we still had not eaten anything. When I got back Judith was still fast asleep so Ingrid and I very quietly started to open a KitKat. It worked better than an alarm clock as W-W immediately woke up with a "WOTS THAT!?" Guilt-ridden for daring to eat in front of her when she could not, we had to promise that we would not eat any if she fell asleep again :-(
During the third period of the game The Doctor arrived. He looked at the blood works and reassured us that the nausea was not due to morning sickness. He ordered an anti-N intra-venous to be hooked up with the second drip that Judith was on, chatted a bit, reassured her that she had done everything right (we all agreed that life sometimes was just not fair), switched the TV back on so we could watch the Oilers give up 2 more goals, and then he was gone. Judith commented that we had waited five-and-a-half hours for what she had wanted to tell the nurses to do in the first place!
We finally arrived back at home shortly before midnight - Judith still not able to keep anything down but at least hydrated.
There's much to tell you about today (Tuesday) but that will have to wait. Suffice to say that Judith was up to writing a test at school, have a light breakfast and lunch, and a good dinner of fish that Sean made. In fact, by the end of the day Judith looked better than I was feeling!
In all fairness Emerge. was like a madhouse with the number of people who came in and Judith had been stabilized and isolated so she was no longer an emergency. But she did still have her headache and every so often would try hurling the imaginary contents of her stomach into the plastic bag we had brought from home as she did not trust being able to hit the kidney dish that the hospital provided.
I should mention that, in the Triage ward, each cubicle has its own TV suspended from the ceiling so eventually we turned it on and watched a woman win $10 000 on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Then we watched the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals, but nothing was going our way as the Edmonton Oilers went down to the Hurricanes 4-5 after being up 3-0.
During the second period (somewhere around 21:30) Judith fell into a good sleep and when the period ended I went to phone Sean to let him know why we had not come home yet. Ingrid had asked me to buy some chocolate from the vending machine as we still had not eaten anything. When I got back Judith was still fast asleep so Ingrid and I very quietly started to open a KitKat. It worked better than an alarm clock as W-W immediately woke up with a "WOTS THAT!?" Guilt-ridden for daring to eat in front of her when she could not, we had to promise that we would not eat any if she fell asleep again :-(
During the third period of the game The Doctor arrived. He looked at the blood works and reassured us that the nausea was not due to morning sickness. He ordered an anti-N intra-venous to be hooked up with the second drip that Judith was on, chatted a bit, reassured her that she had done everything right (we all agreed that life sometimes was just not fair), switched the TV back on so we could watch the Oilers give up 2 more goals, and then he was gone. Judith commented that we had waited five-and-a-half hours for what she had wanted to tell the nurses to do in the first place!
We finally arrived back at home shortly before midnight - Judith still not able to keep anything down but at least hydrated.
There's much to tell you about today (Tuesday) but that will have to wait. Suffice to say that Judith was up to writing a test at school, have a light breakfast and lunch, and a good dinner of fish that Sean made. In fact, by the end of the day Judith looked better than I was feeling!
Sunday 4 June 2006
Sunday Summary
We have got through week 1 and are all feeling very encouraged. Judith had some ups and downs but the system here allows us 24 hour access to information and support and we have used it. On Thursday morning Judith called the Cancer Clinic with some of her concerns and got immediate answers and suggestions. It made a huge difference to her and our anxiety. They have told us to expect a similar reaction with regards to nausea after the other treatments ( so that is good because she only really had 2 bad days) but that the tiredness will increase as time goes on. It is difficult to see her so wiped out, she is always so active and energetic.
Next week we are going for the radiation consult so that will give us some more to think about. In fact next week is going to be rather busy. Judith has the school Athletic Banquet on Thursday, her Prom on Friday and is then going with a group (probably 2 busses) from school to Wasaga Beach - the longest fresh water beach in the world- on Georgian Bay (Lake Huron) for the rest of the weekend. So on Friday I have taken the day off to enjoy it with her, take her to her hair appointment, Miriam is doing her make up and we'll all take photographs... after all she is the last one in the family to have her high school dance and finish school.
We'll keep you posted and hopefully create an album of this momentus occasion.
Ingrid
Next week we are going for the radiation consult so that will give us some more to think about. In fact next week is going to be rather busy. Judith has the school Athletic Banquet on Thursday, her Prom on Friday and is then going with a group (probably 2 busses) from school to Wasaga Beach - the longest fresh water beach in the world- on Georgian Bay (Lake Huron) for the rest of the weekend. So on Friday I have taken the day off to enjoy it with her, take her to her hair appointment, Miriam is doing her make up and we'll all take photographs... after all she is the last one in the family to have her high school dance and finish school.
We'll keep you posted and hopefully create an album of this momentus occasion.
Ingrid
Saturday 3 June 2006
Bulletin #6603/1
Things were definitely a lot better yesterday (Friday) than on Thursday. Judith is experimenting a bit with the time for taking her anti-N muti* and so far the new way is working well. Yesterday morning she took her muti 40 minutes before get-up time. This, combined with moving something else (not related to the Hodgkins) to the evening made it possible for Judith to have a decent breakfast and go off to school and enjoy "Dr Denison Day" - a day of shortened lessons and fun competitive activities - that Judith only watched but enjoyed nevertheless.
Last night she was up to going to the drive-in movie with her boyfriend. All went well.
This morning she repeated the trick with the anti-N and so far it is working well.
*anti-N = anti-nausea
muti = medicine (umuthi in Zulu)
Last night she was up to going to the drive-in movie with her boyfriend. All went well.
This morning she repeated the trick with the anti-N and so far it is working well.
*anti-N = anti-nausea
muti = medicine (umuthi in Zulu)
Thursday 1 June 2006
Wonder Woman
Today was definitely a rather difficult day. Judith decided that she was not up to going to school. Without going into too much detail, that turned out to have been a wise decision. With my car in for a service it turned out well that I was working from home anyway. The main challenges were nausea and tiredness, and a general listlessness that is very uncharacteristic of Judith but so characteristic of the treatment.
Things picked up during the afternoon after another dose of anti-nausea muti (medicine) kicked in and then life really brightened up when Judith opened a gift from one of Mark's friends: a Wonder-Woman shirt that she had spotted while shopping and, for some reason, made her think of Judith. As I type, W-W is waxing her legs!
Things picked up during the afternoon after another dose of anti-nausea muti (medicine) kicked in and then life really brightened up when Judith opened a gift from one of Mark's friends: a Wonder-Woman shirt that she had spotted while shopping and, for some reason, made her think of Judith. As I type, W-W is waxing her legs!
Tuesday 30 May 2006
First treatment went well
... just a quick note to let you know that everything went well yesterday with Judith's first treatment. The clinic staff were great as usual. If you're ever feeling down you should drop in there for a pick-me-up :-)
The anti-nausea medication is doing its job and Judith is at school today.
The anti-nausea medication is doing its job and Judith is at school today.
Saturday 27 May 2006
Update from Ingrid
Terry has given you all a good introduction to the situation here at home. We have pulled together as a family as often happens when something threatens the daily equilibrium. I must say that my emotions and feelings have gone on a wild rollercoaster ride since we have known that something was amiss with Judith's health and even though all the tests have been done as soon as possible, to my mind it was never fast enough. I have been through sleepless nights and feeling sick with anxiety and when the result was finally in, it was a relief just knowing where we were at and what the next steps would be.
Judith has shown amazing strength and faith and I am immensely proud of her. We have all been doing some reading in the past week to prepare us for the weeks ahead. The staff at the Cancer Clinic at Southlake Regional Health Centre have given us a lot of information and are here to answer our questions. We are getting all the support and services we need ( nutritionist, social worker, home nurse ) as well as referrals to the Cancer Society for support, transportation if we need it, and activities such as The Look Good..Feel Better Workshop to help her cope with appearance changes.
On Monday Judith is going for her first chemo treatment. She has also got an appointment at Sunnybrook Hospital for a radiation consult ( unfortunately we don't have that service at Southlake yet ) June 6.
Please continue to pray for her and us.
Judith has shown amazing strength and faith and I am immensely proud of her. We have all been doing some reading in the past week to prepare us for the weeks ahead. The staff at the Cancer Clinic at Southlake Regional Health Centre have given us a lot of information and are here to answer our questions. We are getting all the support and services we need ( nutritionist, social worker, home nurse ) as well as referrals to the Cancer Society for support, transportation if we need it, and activities such as The Look Good..Feel Better Workshop to help her cope with appearance changes.
On Monday Judith is going for her first chemo treatment. She has also got an appointment at Sunnybrook Hospital for a radiation consult ( unfortunately we don't have that service at Southlake yet ) June 6.
Please continue to pray for her and us.
Thursday 25 May 2006
It's Negative !
Well, we are very happy to tell you we heard today that the results of the bone marrow biopsy are negative. Thank you for your prayers and support. Next milestone is commencement of chemo on Monday.
Wednesday 24 May 2006
No more news
Thank you for the many kind emails.
We have not heard anything more about the bone marrow test.
I realise from some responses that many of you know one or two members of our family, and very little about the rest of us. Here is a brief intro. in order of birth:
Terry (aka Dad): programming background; now in software quality for the healthcare industry.
Ingrid (Mom, Moed): social worker currently working with homeless families among others; bionic woman with hips that can set off security alarms.
Miriam (Mir): social worker; busy on her MA.
Mark (Maak): Electrical Engineer; busy having fun with his boat and new SUV to pull his boat
Sean: just finished a diploma in catering and restaurant management; busy having fun
Stephen (Steve): going into 4th year mech. eng.; still exploring the boundaries of fun; currently got a summer job in the UK
Judith: finishing high school; learned to fly gliders then learned to fly power planes; played on the school field hockey team and had played one game for the girls rugby team when she was diagnosed with lymphoma; planning to study human kinetics
We have not heard anything more about the bone marrow test.
I realise from some responses that many of you know one or two members of our family, and very little about the rest of us. Here is a brief intro. in order of birth:
Terry (aka Dad): programming background; now in software quality for the healthcare industry.
Ingrid (Mom, Moed): social worker currently working with homeless families among others; bionic woman with hips that can set off security alarms.
Miriam (Mir): social worker; busy on her MA.
Mark (Maak): Electrical Engineer; busy having fun with his boat and new SUV to pull his boat
Sean: just finished a diploma in catering and restaurant management; busy having fun
Stephen (Steve): going into 4th year mech. eng.; still exploring the boundaries of fun; currently got a summer job in the UK
Judith: finishing high school; learned to fly gliders then learned to fly power planes; played on the school field hockey team and had played one game for the girls rugby team when she was diagnosed with lymphoma; planning to study human kinetics
Monday 22 May 2006
Judith: Diagnosis and Background
Some of you, our family and friends, are aware from email and personal contacts that Judith has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Others have only heard second hand. It has become quite an onerous task phoning people and sending email updates and so I decided to make use of this blog site to keep all of you, family, friends and acquaintances, updated.
Blow by blow diary of events leading up to the diagnosis:
Jan 7, 2006. Sat
Judith was concerned with a lump at the side of her neck. Being a Saturday, Ingrid went with her to the local Walk-In Clinic - a great Canadian medical institution that does not need an appointment and is good for keeping emergency wards for emergencies. The doctor there suspected Cat Scratch Fever and ordered an X-ray. We set up an appointment with our own GP.
Jan 16 Tue
Armed with X-ray went to see our GP, Dr Chernick, who happens to be a South African also from Johannesburg. He ordered blood works and booked Judith to have an ultra sound which she had Jan 25.
Feb 1 Wed
Follow-up appt. with Dr Chernick. After reviewing tests he referred Judith to ENT specialist, Dr Finkelstein. Appt. set up for Feb 28.
Feb 14 Tue
More lumps had developed so Ingrid & Judith dropped in on Dr Chernick while they were in same building. He had a cancellation and was able to see Judith almost immediately. He contacted Dr Finkelstein with a view to expediting appt.
Feb 16 Thu
Dr Finkelstein saw Judith and did needle biopsy
Feb 28 Tue
Consult w. Dr Finkelstein. Needle biopsy results were inconclusive and an antibiotic was recommended. Second ultra sound was ordered for Mar 14.
Mar 21 Tue
Judith had ultra sound. This had been postponed at her request so that she could visit Queen's University with a friend on the 14th.
Mar 31 Fri
Dr Finkelstein. Results of U/S were inconclusive. There was further development of swollen lymph nodes despite antibiotic. Surgical biopsy ordered.
April 19 Wed
Dr Finkelstein performs biopsy under anaesthetic at same day surgery, Southlake Hospital, Newmarket.
Apr 27 Thu
Dr Finkelstein. Biopsy results inconclusive - nothing ruled out however. Ordered CT scan and Gallium scan. The following link will tell you all about a Gallium scan. http://www.bchealthguide.org/kbase/topic/medtest/hw214778/descrip.htm
Biopsy specimen sent on to U of Toronto medical labs for further tests.
May 1 Mon
Southlake Hospital. First part of Gallium Scan: injection of agent.
May 4 Thu
Southlake Hospital. Gallium Scan.
May 10 Wed
York Central Hospital. X-ray & CT Scan.
May 11 Thu
Dr Finkelstein. Further tests on biopsy specimens had found Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
Judith referred to oncologist, Dr Zibdawi.
May 12 Fri
Judith and Terry meet school (Dr John Denison, Newmarket) vice-principal, Ms Bregg. She is very sympathetic and understanding, herself a cancer survivor, and promises school will accomodate Judith's treatment needs without prejudice to the finalization of her academic year.
See school website: http://denison.fdns.net/
May 18 Thu
Dr Zibdawi, Cancer Clinic, Southlake Hospital. Consultation. Explains to Judith and Ingrid probable course of treatment and some implications. Orders bone marrow test. Judith chooses to have this next day.
May 19 Fri
Judith, Ingrid and Terry all go off to Dr Zibdawi, Cancer Clinic, Southlake Hospital. Judith has bone marrow aspiration (drawn off with needle) and biopsy (section cut with knife) under local freezing. For more info see:
http://www.lymphomation.org/test-bmb.htm
During consultation afterwards Dr Zibdawi confirms that Judith has stage II Hodgkin's Lymphoma with sites in the neck, under left armpit and a "borderline" bulky mass between the lungs. Should the bone marrow test come back positive then it will be stage IV.
What is next?
May 24 or 25 (Wed or Thu)
Results of bone marrow test.
May 29 Mon
Judith has first chemo-treatment at Southlake.
June 9 Fri
Dr John Denison High School Prom.
June 12 Mon
Second chemo-treatment. Thereafter fortnightly for a total of, hopefully, 8 treatments in all (also called 4 cycles). This will be followed by a course of radiation. The oncologist may determine that 6 cycles are necessary but we are all praying that will not be the case.
June 28 Wed
School graduation ceremony.
How is Judith taking this?
I will answer this only very briefly as it is more appropriate for Judith to answer this question for herself, which, she tells me, she will do sometime.
As I see it, her attitude is great and her faith in Jesus is strong. She is actively confronting her illness by reading the literature and has heeded advice given by Mark's girlfriend, Luisa, a nutritionist, and has made changes to her diet. Parents, brothers and sister are all very proud of her and the way she is tackling this latest challenge in her life.
How are the rest of us taking this?
I will only answer for myself: My Christian faith has suddenly become even more important to me than ever. Each member of my family has become more precious to me. My work ensuring we produce quality software for the healthcare industry has taken on new meaning as I realize that I can help, albeit in a tiny way, other "Judiths" in other families. I feel deep appreciation for all the expressions of support from friends and family.
Blow by blow diary of events leading up to the diagnosis:
Jan 7, 2006. Sat
Judith was concerned with a lump at the side of her neck. Being a Saturday, Ingrid went with her to the local Walk-In Clinic - a great Canadian medical institution that does not need an appointment and is good for keeping emergency wards for emergencies. The doctor there suspected Cat Scratch Fever and ordered an X-ray. We set up an appointment with our own GP.
Jan 16 Tue
Armed with X-ray went to see our GP, Dr Chernick, who happens to be a South African also from Johannesburg. He ordered blood works and booked Judith to have an ultra sound which she had Jan 25.
Feb 1 Wed
Follow-up appt. with Dr Chernick. After reviewing tests he referred Judith to ENT specialist, Dr Finkelstein. Appt. set up for Feb 28.
Feb 14 Tue
More lumps had developed so Ingrid & Judith dropped in on Dr Chernick while they were in same building. He had a cancellation and was able to see Judith almost immediately. He contacted Dr Finkelstein with a view to expediting appt.
Feb 16 Thu
Dr Finkelstein saw Judith and did needle biopsy
Feb 28 Tue
Consult w. Dr Finkelstein. Needle biopsy results were inconclusive and an antibiotic was recommended. Second ultra sound was ordered for Mar 14.
Mar 21 Tue
Judith had ultra sound. This had been postponed at her request so that she could visit Queen's University with a friend on the 14th.
Mar 31 Fri
Dr Finkelstein. Results of U/S were inconclusive. There was further development of swollen lymph nodes despite antibiotic. Surgical biopsy ordered.
April 19 Wed
Dr Finkelstein performs biopsy under anaesthetic at same day surgery, Southlake Hospital, Newmarket.
Apr 27 Thu
Dr Finkelstein. Biopsy results inconclusive - nothing ruled out however. Ordered CT scan and Gallium scan. The following link will tell you all about a Gallium scan. http://www.bchealthguide.org/kbase/topic/medtest/hw214778/descrip.htm
Biopsy specimen sent on to U of Toronto medical labs for further tests.
May 1 Mon
Southlake Hospital. First part of Gallium Scan: injection of agent.
May 4 Thu
Southlake Hospital. Gallium Scan.
May 10 Wed
York Central Hospital. X-ray & CT Scan.
May 11 Thu
Dr Finkelstein. Further tests on biopsy specimens had found Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
Judith referred to oncologist, Dr Zibdawi.
May 12 Fri
Judith and Terry meet school (Dr John Denison, Newmarket) vice-principal, Ms Bregg. She is very sympathetic and understanding, herself a cancer survivor, and promises school will accomodate Judith's treatment needs without prejudice to the finalization of her academic year.
See school website: http://denison.fdns.net/
May 18 Thu
Dr Zibdawi, Cancer Clinic, Southlake Hospital. Consultation. Explains to Judith and Ingrid probable course of treatment and some implications. Orders bone marrow test. Judith chooses to have this next day.
May 19 Fri
Judith, Ingrid and Terry all go off to Dr Zibdawi, Cancer Clinic, Southlake Hospital. Judith has bone marrow aspiration (drawn off with needle) and biopsy (section cut with knife) under local freezing. For more info see:
http://www.lymphomation.org/test-bmb.htm
During consultation afterwards Dr Zibdawi confirms that Judith has stage II Hodgkin's Lymphoma with sites in the neck, under left armpit and a "borderline" bulky mass between the lungs. Should the bone marrow test come back positive then it will be stage IV.
What is next?
May 24 or 25 (Wed or Thu)
Results of bone marrow test.
May 29 Mon
Judith has first chemo-treatment at Southlake.
June 9 Fri
Dr John Denison High School Prom.
June 12 Mon
Second chemo-treatment. Thereafter fortnightly for a total of, hopefully, 8 treatments in all (also called 4 cycles). This will be followed by a course of radiation. The oncologist may determine that 6 cycles are necessary but we are all praying that will not be the case.
June 28 Wed
School graduation ceremony.
How is Judith taking this?
I will answer this only very briefly as it is more appropriate for Judith to answer this question for herself, which, she tells me, she will do sometime.
As I see it, her attitude is great and her faith in Jesus is strong. She is actively confronting her illness by reading the literature and has heeded advice given by Mark's girlfriend, Luisa, a nutritionist, and has made changes to her diet. Parents, brothers and sister are all very proud of her and the way she is tackling this latest challenge in her life.
How are the rest of us taking this?
I will only answer for myself: My Christian faith has suddenly become even more important to me than ever. Each member of my family has become more precious to me. My work ensuring we produce quality software for the healthcare industry has taken on new meaning as I realize that I can help, albeit in a tiny way, other "Judiths" in other families. I feel deep appreciation for all the expressions of support from friends and family.
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