Where Has The Summer Gone (2)

OOPs, I hit the post tab and inadvertantlly posted. So this is a continuation. Please read the blog after this one, which is really the blog before this one.

Back in February the Neuro-Radiologist spotted a problem with my vertebral artery. To make a summer-time long story short, this 'problem' is under control and any risk of stroke has been minimalized. I did get to experience an angiogram at UCSF in June. At that Joyce shared with me that she has had enough of playing nursemaid to me and that she really hoped that would be the last surgical procedure that she would have to support me through. I hoped that would be the last as well.

In June I started my annual checkup process with my GP - Dr. Ghewalla. He has been my doctor for nearly 20 years, so he has seen me through a few life experiences. Anyway, part of the process was a "stress test". This is a way for them to see how your heart reacts under excercise. All was proceeding well, they said my heart had great capacity. I know, that is a surprise for my long-time friends. I said it must be a side effect of the chemo - radiation. :) Well, as my heart was recovering from the test I experienced PVCs. Its an extra beat the heart takes between its normal beats. I saw a look in their eyes I had seen before, a look I didn't care for. So, we scheduled me for a echocardiogram stress test. Its where you go through the stress test and when your heart reaches a certain heart rate, you jump (literally) on an exam table and the technician does an ultra sound of your heart. Kinda cool. Well, it seems my heart is OK. Structurally sound, good blood flow and no leakage. Another part of my body the doctors have signed off on.

I had the last part of my annual physical today - the colonoscopy. What fun that was. I know many of you have had this joyous procedure. I now can compare all of these things and share my experiences with those I am helping to support through SPOHNC (more later). I was told the prep work was more difficult than the procedure. And you know what, they are correct. My procedure came back "normal". Normal is a great word in my life these days. As I was waking up from the procdure, Joyce was there for me. We laughed about the promise after the angiogram. The good news is neither of us need another one for 10 years. We decided we would do them together in 2019. Cheers!!!

Last week (September 2nd) I called my good friend Todd Brookhart. You may recall, Todd and I are brothers in cancer. We also share the 2nd of the month as our end of treatment anniversary. His is April 2nd, mine is September 2nd. Through the summer Todd experienced many of the struggles I had experienced after treatment. It was Todd's 5 month anniversary. He had turned a corner and been able to quit taking the last of his medications. It was so great to talk to Todd and hear him feeling so positive about life. He has been a wonderful gift in my life, and I believe me in his.

I mentioned above a thing called SPOHNC (Support for People with Oral Head and Neck Cancer - pronounced suponic). It is an organization that, as its name implies, provides support for my brothers and sisters (through cancer) out there. I am not involved nearly as much as I would like, but have shared my experiences through emails. One of the things I have struggled with over the last 6 + months is why have I lived and others I know have died? I just can't believe in a completely random world. It saddens me and it really makes me think. I believe there is a reason all things happen - it just may be difficult to see. I hope one of the ways I can crete meaning in my life is helping others with oral cancer.

In summary I am completely healthy and life is as normal as life can be. I hope to see each of you in the coming months.

Where Has The Summer Gone?!?

Can it be that my last posting occurred in May? Probably not too surprising to those of you that know me.

Last I posted I had just experienced my first anniversay from my original cancer diagnosis in May 2008. Since then I have experienced a few more first anniversaries. Dr. Yom laughs with me at all my celebrations. I tell her it is a way that I remind myself just how truly blessed I am. I experienced such a wide range of emotions this summer. Emotionally I relived that very dark period of time of July and August 2008 when I was treated for my disease. I have worked hard to remember all of the wonderful aspects of that period, while trying to replace all of the physical and emotional pain. It is such a unique experience. I would never want to give up all of the wonderful things of that summer, I just wouldn't want to have a recurrance of the cancer that led to all of it. I think a lot about this.

I have nothing but great news to communicate on the health front. I just had my one year checkup and Dr. Yom continues to be amazed at my wellness. I believe that she has had a great deal to do with it, but I also believe each of you, through all of your thoughts and prayers and postive energy were a big part of it as well. I also believe the special support I received from Michael Wagner and Katherine Czesak was integral to achieving my wellness. My evidece is anecdotal, but in the end what elase matters? If you have anyone that might benefit from their help, let me know and I will get you connected.

On tangential health matters I have a couple of things to report. When I went in for a scan back in February, the neuro-radiologist spotted a problem

Update - May 28, 2009

Another MRI Scan; more good news. I had my 9 month follow up scan yesterday at UCSF. Joyce and I followed it up with a visit with Dr. Yom. In a nutshell, everything looks great. Dr. Yom said I have better oral health (less residual side effects) than she expected do to the size of my tumor and the extensive nature of my treatments. We now are on cancer furlough until my one year anniversary from treatment - late August / early September.

Speaking of anniversaries, we "celebrated" the one year anniversary for my diagnosis with cancer. Niels came to Walnut Creek (I don't use the word home, because Eugene is now HIS home) for the weekend. He wanted to be here for the long weekend to see some of his old friends and to take his truck back with him to Eugene. Last Saturday (May 23rd) was a very interesting time for me. I clearly had/have mixed emotions about the whole thing. There certainly were many pains we experienced with my diagnosis and treatment, but I am learning every day that it was truly a gift. I am so much better physically and emotionally than I was pre-cancer. Not that I didn't already know many of these things already, but it was as if I needed a mid-life wake up call. Well, I got it and I hope to not go back to sleep. Anyway, it was nice to celebrate by having a very normal weekend.

I hope to be better about my blogging moving forward.

Pay It Forward - A Friend in Need

Over the course of the last few months I have gained a new friend - Todd Brookhart. I was "re-introduced" to Todd by another friend, Mike Volan. Mike knows us both and new of my journey with cancer. Todd was diagnosed late last year with the same cancer I HAD. I have spent many phone conversations answering Todd's questions and discussing my experienes with Todd. I have told Todd that it means more to me than it could possibly mean to him to share my experiences. In a very small way I am "Paying it Forward". It feels wonderful to feel like I am helping in some small way. I know my experience with Todd is one of the many reasons I am cancer free, I just know it!

Todd is beginning treatment today and is very likely being radiated for the first time as I write this email. One of the things that meant the world to me was all of the visits to and comments on my blog during my treatment and recovery. We all live busy lives, which is truly a blessing. If you have a chance please visit Todd's blogg and post a comment at www.tbnbb.blogspot.com. I can't tell you how much it will mean to him.

Be well,

Glen

"NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE"

Joyce and visited Dr. Yom this morning. Many of you have inquired of my health over the past month since my last posting (Thank you). I believe my consistent message has been - I hope the medical data (scan, exam, etc.) would be consistent with how I have been feeling, WHICH IS GREAT! Well the scan came back "perfect" in Dr. Yom's words and after she examined me, she said she was very happy. Dr. Yom does not mince words, so when she is happy I am very happy. My throat is looking very "normal". I have never been so happy to be normal. I asked her about remission. She said it was not a term that she or doctors in her field use very much. In the same way they really don't use the word cure. Instead of remission they speak in terms of "no evidence of disease". Instead of cure after five years they speak of "statistical unlikelihood of recurrence".

There are several dates I will forever remember that are connected to this wonderful path; May 23, 2008 (cancer diagnosis), August 29, 2008 (end of radiation therapy), September 2, 2008 (final chemo infusion) and February 17, 2009 (no evidence of disease). I also look forward to February 17, 2014 (statistical unlikelihood of recurrence).

As we were leaving our meeting with Dr. Yom and finishing up our hugathon, Dr. Yom said "now go live your life". It really struck me, and I intend to do just that. My family and I cannot thank her and UCSF for all they have done for us. They will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Continued Progress

It has been a month or so since my last post, so I thought I would take a couple of minutes away from work to make a new blog post. Yes, my work level continues to increase. I am up to working on average 6 hours a day. I still enjoy a nap most days when I get home in the afternoon, but that too is decreasing.

I HAVE FINALLY WEANED MYSELF OFF MY MEDS! This is huge for me as I definitely draw an emotional link between meds and being "sick". So, if you see me and I am a little irritable, please bear with me as I have been on some form of pain medication for about six months.

I have another contrast MRI in a month and follow that up with seeing Drs. Yom and Courey. In kind of a sick demented kind of way I am looking forward to seeing Dr. Yom. I am we as a family truly care for her.

Each day is a blessing. I am learning to enjoy those days that I feel great and get through those challenging days. And you know what, I am having many more of the former!

Be well,

Glen

This is fantastic news. A great holiday season for all who care so deeply for Glen and his family and company!  

Jim Kelley

I Am A UCSF Tumor Board Graduate!

The news is great! Even though my scans continue to be a little "squirrly", the consensus by the tumor board is I no longer need to be monitored by them. It is sufficient for my progress to be followed by Dr. Yom, Dr. Courey and Dr. Dubey. Even better, I get to go a whole 8 weeks without having a scan, a scope, a finger in my mouth and down my throat, etc. This is wonderful news!

Let me fill in a few details. Joyce and I met with Dr. Mark Courey and his "Fellow" yesterday. They let it out of the bag that Dr. Yom had done a preliminary "read" of my MRI and that she sent Dr. Courey an email that said it looked "good". One of the things I love most about Dr. Yom is her honesty with me. To my knowledge she has never minced any words with me, even when times were there toughest during the middle of treatment. Also, the appointment with Dr. Courey was very brief, yet thorough. He ended it by saying that he would see me in two months. Hold it, why would I see him in two months? Well, he explained to us that when someone reached my level of recovery, that he liked to see them every two months for a year, followed by once every three months for a year, followed by once every six months for a year and then once every year, for well forever! I was hoping to hear this, but really didn't expect it until today. Joyce and I met with Dr. Yom this afternoon and as always she we discussed my case open and honestly. She stated that I was a 9 after my first MRI, had reverted to a 6.5 after the PET-CT Scan and that I had returned to about a 7 now. I am used to Dr. Yom being "conservative" in her appraisal of my wellness, but this was a surprise after what we heard from Dr. Courey. THEN SHE EXAMINED (SCOPED AND THE FINGER DOWN THE THROAT THING) ME! Well immediately after sticking her finger down my throat her whole demeanor changed. She revised her numerical appraisal of my status to at least an 8 and she said she was "HAPPY".

Any time Dr. Yom is happy, we are very happy.

Be well!

Getting Started With a Big Week

This morning I had an MRI at the UCSF - China Basin facility. Other than a "blown out" blood vessel on the first try at the IV, the MRI was "uneventful".

I do have a feeling about this scan. I don't know what it is, but I just really have been feeling very positive about the results. I haven't had to see any "cancer" doctors in 3+ weeks and I am just feeling like we will be getting good news. It is kind of a weird deal, but I really think I am making progress because I am not expecting to make progress. I have been attempting to live each day as it comes, cherish those days when my energy is high and my pain is low and just get through those difficult days. The result, as best I can tell is I am having less difficult days. Dr. Yom and Dr. Dubey both told me separately at my last visit with each of them that my pain was something that just might not go away. It took me a few days to process, but I just decided that I wasn't going to let it rule my life. I decided that if I have pain, I would just medicate (Vicadin or Oxycodone) around it. And I began to eat more things and just medicate. Well, funny thing is after we got home from Oregon, I quit needing the Oxycodone. And I occaisonally forget to take a Vicadin and I get through it.

I am enjoying many more foods and even tasting some of them. Frankly, I have been nervous about being in social settings that involve food / eating. This past Friday we had our Holiday lunch for TY at Flemings in Walnut Creek. I did have a little pain that night from the rough textures, but all in all it was great. Then Joyce and I were invited by some of our friends to join them for cocktails and dining out. Both of these times have added to my confidence. I just look forward to the day (I hope) where I will be able to enjoy the taste of food as I once did.

So, tomorrow we see Mark Courey and Wednesday we get the results from Dr. Yom. The results will be what they will be. I truly believe this and am at peace with it! But I just have a feeling. I just hope it is not indegestion from all the new foods I have been eating!

checking in

Several people have recently commented that they have not seen a post recently. I guess I could say that the good news is we have been busy with "life" and also that there is no new news to speak of at this time.

So what have we been doing you ask? We had the pleasure of joining our friends the Johnstons from Monterey in Oregon over the Thanksgiving holiday. We headed to Eugene in time to meet some of Niels' dorm friends and take them to a much appreciated hamburger dinner. Blair stayed in the dorm with Niels and attended classes with him on Wednesday. They had a great time together. Glen and I spent Wednesday purchasing our feast materials and then we all headed to the coast for a wonderful four days of rest and relaxation. We love the Johnstons because they don't care if we stay in our pajamas till 4pm! It was a great vacation and so wonderful to have Niels with us.

Upon our return to Walnut Creek we just started right back into the hectic life. Glen is working longer hours now. Work is pretty busy this time of year. He is very worn out when he gets home, but I think that the work is satisfying. Blair continues to stay busy with school and friends. She's looking forward to the possibility of doing some more volleyball coaching this winter.

I had quite the extended birthday celebration. First, Glen, Blair and I had a quiet evening at home on my birthday. We all enjoyed being back at home after our week on the road in Oregon. Then my dear friend Diane surprised me with a "surprise" party at Left Bank. It was wonderful to gather together a group of women who all have a special place in my heart for their role in both my professional and personal life. And Diane really made it a great evening. Finally, last weekend I had the most wonderful birthday celebration in Healdsburg. Several of my friends joined me for an extended "girls" weekend in a rented house in the vineyards. We did what girls do...laugh, shop, spa, drink wine, eat, laugh, shop...you get the picture. It was such a great weekend. Again I am struck by the continued kindheartedness and thoughtfulness of our friends. It seems that their generosity of spirit and caring is boundless.

Friday is a big day for us as Niels will be arriving home for the holidays. We don't expect to see much of him for a few days, but that is fine. When he's home, we will cherish every minute. I know that Fred is looking forward to the return of his bedmate. He loves Blair, but his first roommate was Niels and boys will be boys (even "dog boys")!

Next week Glen repeats his MRI, sees his UCSF surgeon, and meets with Dr. Yom. It will be a busy week for him in the city. We continue to be hopeful that this will be the appointment in which we get the "see you in 3 months" message. Keep sending your positive energy this way! We'll let you know how it goes late next week.

Happy Holidays to all,
j

It is a JOURNEY!

Joyce and I went to see Dr. Yom this morning. As most of you know I had a PET-CT Scan on Monday. Our greatest hope was that the results we'd receive would be a "Clear" scan. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

A little background will help to define where I am now. When I had the MRI done at the 8 weeks mark, it showed that the primary tumor (Tongue Tumor) was progressing very well and that it led us to believe that the Tongue Tumor was "gone". What did show up on the MRI was an irregularity with the three Lymph Node Tumors. So, the PET-CT Scan was scheduled to check on the Lymph Node Tumors. One other thing we learned today, MRIs are more effective in looking at the Tongue Tumor, while the PET-CT scan is more effective with the Lymph Node Tumors.

So, specifically the PET-CT Scan showed that the Lymph Node Tumors are fine (healing as expected), but that the Tongue Tumor did not look good (not progressing as expected). We are disappointed with the lack of a clear report, but understand that my health is truly a journey. What this means is that I will not get a 3 month reprieve from my doctors, but will have another MRI at the 16 week mark (Mid-December) and that I will get to see another member of my medical team that I haven't seen since the diagnostic stage - ENT Surgeon, Dr. Mark Courey. Upon reflection this is a good thing as it will mean another set of eyes will be looking at me. I trust Dr. Yom completely, but as she said this morning, it is a good thing to have all my medical team following my progress.

I have learned that medicine is so much more of an art than a science and that you can often get conflicting information. We are very hopeful that the MRI is correct for the Tongue Tumor and that the PET-CT is correct for the Lymph Node Tumors. It is the likely result and what we are counting on.

Be well!

family...

I was just reading Diane and Jim's blog (it's linked on Glen's blog) and I was so happy to see that they'd had a successful trip to Yosemite...and I was a bit envious I must admit! It got me to thinking...I should tell you all about our trip to LA to see my family!

None of us have been down for way too long, so with the long weekend and all, it seemed like the right time. We picked up Blair from school on Friday (okay...a bit early), jumped in the car with Fred and were in LA by 7:00 pm. It was wonderful to share dinner with my whole family (well, most of the LA ones anyway). My sister Chris, made an old-time family favorite for dinner, Karen and Page opened their doors (again) to us all and we really just kicked back, relaxed and caught up. Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous fall LA day - just a hint of a Santa Ana wind, clear skies and such a fresh smell in the air. (They really have cleaned up the air there!) We hung out in Karen and Page's back yard most of the day. Fred became quite proficient at "fetch" with my dad and me. (That's something, because my dad really doesn't like dogs...but they love him!) After another evening of football on tv (that Cal/SC game) and a leisurely meal we headed to bed early in preparation for a run home on Sunday. And that was it! Quick. but worthwhile. And it's a good thing we went last weekend, because I hear that LA is not fairing too well this weekend!

So...Monday is Glen's next big day. We're not sure when he will get the results of his PET-CT scan. But you'll be the first to know when he does!

Enjoy the incredible weekend (at least it's amazing here!) We're getting ready to clean out the garage....ahhhhh....life returns to "normal"...slowly, but surely!

j

sooner rather than later...

Hello Friends of Glen!

Glen is scheduled for his PET-CT scan on the 17th of November. Not sure what the schedule will be for the reading of the information and the receiving of the report...but keep him in your thoughts for another "all clear" report on the 17th!

And yes, he is slowly recovering every day. We actually went to LA for a quick trip last weekend. It was great to see my family. We usually make a quick run during the summer, but for obvious reasons that didn't happen this year. Glen did quite well traveling so we know that he will totally enjoy our Thanksgiving with the Johnstons in Oregon at the beach. Can't wait to see Niels!

Stay tuned after the 17th for another report!
j

quick note

Just wanted to let everyone know that Glen did go see Dr. Yom on Thursday to try to figure out a way to lessen the throat pain. Of course she took the opportunity to examine his neck/throat. One thing she is very clear about is that she trusts the "feel" of her exams more than some of those fancy tools the hospitals use. She told Glen that in one week since his last exam, his lymph nodes feel completely normal. She also scoped him. (That's the really fun "camera down his nose" tool---eeewww!!!) It too looked mostly normal, or what he says is his "new" normal. That's what we wanted to hear!!!!! She had told us last week that the nodes might be swollen because they are doing their job...apparently, she was right...again!

So...now we wait for the PET scan-probably later this month....
j

PS We're watching the Cal v Ducks game right now...not quite sure who to root for (actually Glen is rooting for Cal - it's me who's conflicted)...such a dilemna...

And there's more good news...

Glen received a call today from Dr. Yom. She said that there was no reason for him to come in tomorrow because the Tumor Board (the head radiologist had returned) agreed that there was no reason for surgery at this time!!!!!! Glen requested that he have a PET scan 12 weeks after treatment (late November) so he can be sure that he has that clean bill of health that he's been working so hard to achieve.

So...while Glen is not going in to see Dr. Yom tomorrow to hear about the tumor board recommendation, he is going in to see her to discuss the throat pain he is experiencing. He has a constant sore throat. (He says this word "sore" does not adequately describe the pain.) The only thing I can compare it to is a really bad case of strep throat that won't go away. So he's going in to see her tomorrow to discuss his pain management options. He's thinking that as the mucous dissipates, the throat is more exposed and it just will take time for it to heal, but in the meantime he's trying to get back to work and his life and the pain is very wearing on him. "It's just the next phase of the recovery" according to Glen...oh my, he's becoming so patient!

So...this too shall pass, but in the meantime, let's celebrate the big victories!

Thanks to all!
j

October 23, 2008

I will start at the end, then fill in important details below. In Sue Yom's opinion I AM CANCER FREE.

Ever since the end of my treatments (September 2, 2008), October 23, 2008 has been a day I have focused upon. 51 days post treatment and today we received our first difinitive information on the effectiveness of the long hard ordeal called treatment. I appologize for the possible disjointed nature of this email, but I am exhausted both physically and mentally.

When we met with Sue Yom this afternoon the first thing she told us was that the Tumor Board was unable to meet due to the unavailability of the head of radiation oncology. So any prognosis delivered today was Sue's personally. However, she is the most knowledgable of my case and she was the one that has physically treated me. So, she has the most knowledge and will be the one presenting my case to the Tumor Board. Her bias is one of patience versus aggressiveness.

I have also learned in the cancer world that they speak in double negative language versus affimative statements. For instance, they would not state at this stage of my treatment that I am cancer free. They would say something like there is no evidence of cancer in my throat. As an accountant I very clearly get the distinction. It is one that is used in my profession.

And the lst preamble - I will biforcate the two areas that I was diagnosed with cancer; my tongue and the three lymph nodes in my right neck.

So, what was the news we received today. There is no evidence of any cancer in my throat. It is still abnormal due to the swelling that still exists on the right side, BUT NO EVIDENCE OF CANCER. The three lymph nodes have reduced in size to the largest being less than 1 cm.

We spent an hour and a half with Dr. Yom and we love her for that. We were able to get a ton of questions answered, the last of which was did she think I was cancer free and if so when could she tell me diffinitively. Her first answer was she could tell me in 5 years. I said I wasn't looking for "cured" at this point just her opinion as to whether the treatment was effective in eliminating the cancer from my body. She said that she could tell me that at the 6 month stage with relative certainty (March 2, 2009). BUT, IN HER PROFESSIONAL OPINION I AM CANCER FREE. Now there are various caveats, but Sue has always been very honest with us and Joyce and I have learned to trust her. After all, I have put my life in her hands and quite literally they have saved my life. For this I will be forever greatful.

The Tumor Board will meet next Wednesday and we will meet with Sue again next Thursday. It is possible that the Board, as a group, may decide that I should have surgery on both my left and right neck to remove the lymph nodes. Sue does not support this, but they make decisions as a group.

I am overjoyed by the news today and want to thank each and every one of you for your support (in whatever fashion) over the course of the last 5 months (to the day - I was diagnosed May 23, 2008). I am certain that I could not have survived this ordeal without your support. I love you all.

waiting...

We've had comments from people that they don't like checking in and not finding anything new. It's just that there really isn't anything new to tell you! Glen has spent the month of October slowly regaining his strength and "re-entering" the world. He is eating a wider variety of foods, though his throat revolts most of the time. He is spending more time doing things - he's cooked a little, runs some errands, went to the golf course yesterday for about an hour, celebrated with the firm at a "two-fer" baby shower and generally is rejoining us all...slowly.

As you know, tomorrow morning he goes in for his mri and then on Thursday afternoon we get to meet with the incredible Dr. Yom. Glen actually went and saw her last week because he had to have bloodwork done and he wanted to ask about his sore throat. She basically told him to live with the throat pain...it will eventually go away and endure the mucous...it continues to be annoying. Dr. Yom was very pleased with his progress...she scoped him and did the physical manipulation of the lymph node in his neck. That news has made this last week a bit easier to get through.

Now as you know, I've gotten in the habit of filling you in on the kids. Blair found her homecoming dress today so she go to the dance next weekend! She's doing great in school. We are very proud of her attitude and successes. Her job coaching volleyball at the middle school has just ended. It was a great opportunity for her. We hear from Niels - mostly by text - but he seems to be enjoying school. He says that homework is not too bad, he really is enjoying his art history class and he's playing a lot of sports with his friends. He even asked me not to send junk food because they were all trying to live a fairly healthy lifestyle! What have they done with my son???!!! We, of course, can't wait to see him at Thanksgiving.

That's about it. I will tell you that right before I started this post I reminded Glen that everything was going to be great on Thursday. He said, "I hope so" and reminded me that it's okay for him/us to be nervous and sad...we can handle it...it's part of life. So until Thursday...keep those healthy thoughts headed Glen's way...and check the blog late Thursday or early Friday.

Best to all,
j

A Little Update Before the Scan

I thought I would take a minute to provide a brief update. As you all know I have an MRI on Monday (20th) followed by a meeting with my doctors on the 23rd. The UCSF Tumor Board meets on Wednesday mornings, thus the reason for the 3 day wait between the scan and the meet. I know it will be hard wait, but I do think I have acquired some patience through this process. Frankly, I find that my mind does not stray to far from the 20th/23rd. Thanks you for all your wonderful thoughts toward the scan. We will do our best to post the evening of the 23rd to let everyone know what we believe will be great news.

My life has started to return to me. I hestitate to use the world normal, as normal for me pre and post May 23, 2008 will likely share very little resenmblance to each other. Sure, I will do many of the same things, but this illness has had a profound effect on me and I sense that the way I view the world has changed in a fundamental way. I view this as a tremendous gift. I hope I am courageous enough to utilize this gift.

I am now spending a little time back at TY. It has been wonderful to be around the TY team again. I have been focusing on cleaning up various stuff that accumulated in my absence. I hope to return to client based work as my health allows.

We'll chat again soon,

Glen

News?

I am blown away by how many people are checking Glen's blog. (Or could it be that a few of you are just hitting it to mess with me??!!) What an incredible testament to Glen that so many friends, family members, colleagues and associates are keeping up with him. Would it be redundant for me to reiterate...we are blessed?!

I wish I had some really exciting news, but we are just sort of in the "take it day-by-day" holding pattern. Glen continues to make progress toward "perfect health." One exciting thing (and this will tell you about the level of excitement in our lives right now!) is that the irritating hang nails he has had for months seem to be clearing up! The doctor has told him that he just has to deal with them until his body begins to heal itself. So we take the fact that they are healing on their own to be a good sign that the rest of his body (the inside) is healing as well. WoooHooo!

I don't think that I have mentioned some of the wonderful remedies people have shared with us during these months. A good friend of Glen's brought by a large jar of pure coconut oil. It had been recommended by a friend of his as the only thing that saved his skin during radiation. All I know is that every time I open that jar I want a pina colada on a beach! The dear Vietnamese custodian at my school brought me a newspaper article from his community recommending that Glen drink pure aloe vera. Obviously, Vietnameses is not my first language, so Hien read the whole article to me and told me that he would find the stuff if Glen would drink it. Glen has been using aloe vera, but externally. Recently I saw that Trader Joe's carries 2 different styles of aloe vera to drink. I guess Hien had a viable remedy! Glen has also received tools for pain relief (use your imagination or perhaps think back to college) tons of reading material to help him spiritually and emotionally. Some of it just good plain fun reading, others were more serious in nature. Videos, magnets with "isms" to cheer him up, plants, flowers, meals, meals, meals, a homemade blanket, diet supplements...the list goes on and on...At the beginning of this I kept a list of all the wonderful things people had done and brought so that we could write thank you notes. I must admit that not only did I not keep up on that list, I lost it. So...please know that we are ETERNALLY grateful for your support throughout this entire 6 month blip in our lives.

Another group I feel that I have not thanked is the wonderful people I work with at Cambridge. My friends/colleagues have been incredibly supportive and understanding of my personal situation these last few months. At one point I walked into a meeting thinking that I had my act together and I burst into tears. Everyone in the room just wanted to know what they could do to help both at home and at work. No "sorries" for some of the stuff I let slip through the cracks. They all just figured out what needed to be done and kept everything moving forward. I must especially thank my friend/principal, Marie. She has been so forgiving and supportive. She has made it easy for me to do what I have to do to take care of Glen and the family. I know that it has made her job even more challenging to "cover" for me from time to time. She is truly a wonderful amiga. I cannot think of any school I'd rather work at than Cambridge. We have the best kids, families and staff. A HUGE Coyote Howl to you all! Thanks from the bottom of my heart...

I should probably update you on Niels and Blair. Niels seems to be loving UO. He called Glen the other day to check in. It appears that he's attending class and spending lots of time playing soccer, basketball, and beach volleyball. We're trying to give him his space, but we do miss him around here. Less than 8 weeks till we see him at Thanksgiving! Blair is doing well with her volleyball team. They record is 1 and 1, but she points out that the loss was to an 8th grade "A" team (they are a 7/8 "B" team) and they took them to 3 games, so it is a moral victory! She also would like us all to know that she has the highest grade in geology! (I hope our geologist friends, the Quillins read this!) She has moved into Niels old room (it's bigger and brighter) and is getting ready to paint it...purple...help me please! Niels will have her old room when he returns. I guess we should probably repaint it too! The work never ends. Oh...you're asking about Fred? Yes, he is "wonderdog" and keeps us all laughing. The other night I sat on the couch next to Glen to cuddle and congratulate him on his shrinking hangnails. Fred was outside, but saw the "move" and came bounding in the door, leapt up on the couch and planted his butt firmly on my lap, facing away from us. He's such a mama's boy. Okay...enough about the children...

Okay...anything else you want to know? Don't hesitate to check in and ask. Enjoy the wonderful fall weekend. I'll see if I can get Glen to post soon.

XXOO
j

Goals

It's been an intersting couple weeks. Glen wrote a bit about his difficulty last week - one of the most difficult days of the entire experience- at least for me. It's so hard to watch someone struggle and know that no words or actions will help. Glen has demonstrated such strength of character throughout this whole ordeal. Even in his darkest moment he pulled himself through by reaching out to the experts who he knew could help him (his therapist and the ever-positive Dr. Yom). As he continues his physical and mental recovery he takes the bull by the horns and I'm reminded of a statement he made at the very beginning of this experience - he has cancer, cancer does not have him.

Part of his need to pull himself out quickly came from the knowledge that Niels was heading to college in less than a week (from last week's "attack"). Glen desperately wanted to be well enough to manage the trip to Eugene and celebrate in Niels' new life. A week ago I didn't think there was much of a chance that he could make the trip, but you know Glen...don't ever bet against him. He did everything he could both physically and mentally to prepare himself for success and by Sunday night he was determined to join us. He called his mom and let her know he wouldn't need her to come down and stay with him....he was going to Eugene. We spent Monday and Tuesday with last minute preparations. (Truly all preparations were last minute because Niels left all of the packing till Tuesday!).

Wednesday morning we said our good byes to Blair and headed north. She wrote Niels a long letter and sent him off with a picture of the two of them. It was hard to leave her behind, but she did take wonderful care of Fred and the cats for us. (She tells us that Fred went to Niels' bedroom door and kept knocking to get in and check on him.) Glen did a great job on the long drive (8 hours) and even did some of the driving. Actually the first time he had driven since mid July was on Tuesday!

Thursday was move in day for Niels. We went to Niels' favorite travel breakfast place, Denny's and Glen enjoyed some pancakes and eggs. We drove to UO and got in the long car line for a parking place. Luck was with us and we immediately found a spot. We joined the hordes of excited freshman and nervous parents carrying load after load upstairs. Luckily for us, Niels' dorm has an elevator! He's in the newest dorm at UO. The rooms are spacious with loft beds to create even more space. It took us no time to set him up and off we went to Costco for the last minute important items - tv and refrigerator packed with water bottles! By this time Glen had had it and we took him back to the hotel while we made one more trip back to UO to unload the new items. I went back to the hotel and suggested that we take a ride out the Mc Kenzie river to pass the afternoon. We had already spent too long boo hooing about Niels and needed to get out and enjoy the fresh air. The tears were full of gratitude for the years we had raising him. We are so proud of him and excited for his future, but as you all know...it's such a major rite of passage and we know that he'll never be "ours" the way he was when he lived here in our home.

Friday morning we picked up a dozen doughnuts and returned to the dorm to give him a final hug and kiss. His roommate, Warren from San Antonio, came out to meet us. We thought that it was really cool of him to come out so early in the morning. It was great to meet him before we left and we appreciate his show of friendship toward Niels. Apparently the roomies have finished decorating because we noted the "Obama" poster in the window! We hugged Niels and shed another bucket of tears and then jumped in the car headed south. It was a long and bittersweet trip.

Blair was home waiting for us and we were so glad to see her. Poor thing...she's worried that our new "project" will be her and she's not so sure she wants so much focus! Truly we are so blessed by two great kids. As I keep saying...this is everything we've worked for...did it have to get here so fast?

I guess in closing I have to thank Niels for providing Glen the impetus to speed up the recovery process. I don't know that that's exactly what happened, but he sure has been improving daily this past week. Eating continues to be problematic, but he's trying more and more foods and is having some success. He will go see Dr. Dubey (oncologist) on Tuesday for an update on his recovery. He's taking on more tasks and responsibilities including helping Blair out by driving her to her new job in the afternoons! She is coaching 7th and 8th grade intramural volleyball at the middle school! We're very excited for her as we know how much she loves the sport. She will be challenged by those pre-teens, but it's all good!

Continued thanks to you all for keeping up with Glen through the blog. We are continually amazed by the response. You are all very dear to us - even if we're not sure who exactly you are out there!

j