I want to start this update with a very sincere “thank-you”
and a bit of an apology. I’ve been quite overwhelmed the last few weeks
with the support we have received from family and friends. Words are
simply not enough to express our gratitude. It is my sincere desire to
respond personally to all the emails we’ve been receiving, but it may take a
long time, so I’m sorry. This is one of the areas in my life where I’m
feeling very far behind!
Since my last update, my physical recovery from the surgery
seems to be on course. I had a CT scan last week, and yesterday the
oncologist said it, as well as another test they ran (CEA – doesn’t
mean much if it’s high, but is a good sign when it’s low) both suggested the
cancer is gone. So, the last four sessions of chemo are done to wipe out
any microscopic remnant in an effort to prevent the cancer from
returning. I’m hoping that the long break from chemo will mean that it
will be a little more like starting from the beginning, rather than picking up
where we left off, especially in terms of tiredness. I have some real
concerns about the tingling/numbness in my hands and feet (causing me to have
trouble with buttons and make a lot more mistakes when typing, which is a real
concern given what I do for a living), but so far I’m thinking it’s better to
avoid cancer recurrence than to worry about the tingling.
On other fronts, our finances are still not sorted out and
continue to be a serious concern. It frustrates me how slowly that’s
going, even if a lot of the time it’s our doing (or lack thereof). As Sue
says, though, we’re both limited physically and/or emotionally right now.
However, the depression seems slowly to be getting a bit
better. I’ve had a few really wonderful days lately that have
helped. One day last week I got to see my son play a hockey game and
then, thanks to a friend’s generosity in providing tickets, got to take him to
a Flames game. Then I got to spend two days with my siblings who came to visit
from Manitoba. The four of us took a trip to Banff, and it feels like a
very long time since I’ve been that happy.
To top things off, God seems to be answering prayers for us
in ways that we feel we hardly deserve (e.g. getting a vehicle to replace our
van (watch Sue’s blog for
that story), having a $2,000 bill we didn’t know how we’d pay and receiving
exactly that amount as a gift from someone we’ve never met)! God is good!
Until next time...
