6/5/14 Good news on the CT scan front!

Steve here. 

Today was the much anticipated, and equally dreaded CT scan.  We were delighted to get great news on the follow up CT scan which Gabrielle had this morning.  The scan went off without a hitch and then we killed time waiting for our appointment with Dr. McGonigle by wandering over to the nursery at Northwest Hospital where I got to meet my great nephew, Jericho for the first time.  Molly even let me feed the little nipper which was a big treat for me.  Last time I held anything that weighed so little was when I reached for a Talking Rain bottle (something I admit to having a slight addiction to).  Yep, Renee told me that when Jericho was born, he weighed exactly the same as a 2 liter Talking Rain bottle.  OK, on with the “even better than meeting Jericho” news…

We were ushered in to the exam room, complete with a lovely field of lavender displayed on the ceiling, so recipients of Dr. M’s exams would have something pleasant to look at.  Fortunately, no exam today, as we were there for, as Joe Friday would say, “Just the facts, Ma’am.”  It took a while to get the results, as the CT scan hadn’t been read yet.  When they did come in, Dr. M. had a big smile on her face and said that this was great news.  The previously seen spot on the liver was gone.  That’s the word she used: “gone”!  Just had to say it again, as it was such a delight to hear.  Also, the largest lymph node (near her stomach and pancreas) had shrunk from over 2 centimeters to about 1 cm…that’s a reduction by over half!  We don’t have the full report as it hadn’t been dictated yet, but that’s about the size of it.  We left on Cloud 9, unless there are any clouds higher up the cloud scale than that, because we were on them.  Hugs all around and a very emotional time, knowing that this was some great news after such an unpleasant setback a couple of months ago.  So, I guess the chemo is working and she’ll continue with more of the same for the time being.  Next dose is scheduled for after Father’s Day weekend, so we have a bit of a respite there.

We are all so thankful for your prayers and kind thoughts.  Gabrielle told me that everyone she used to work with at Seattle Pacific gathered for prayer for her right at the time of her CT scan…way to go, guys!  I have also gotten countless messages from many of you telling me of your continued prayers, lifting Gabrielle’s health up to the throne of grace.  It is truly humbling to be the recipients of so much kindness.  We are all dedicated to follow the great example you have been to us, and look for ways we can reach out to others in a similar fashion.  That’s what it’s all about: community, mutual support and kindness.  So don’t be shy about asking for prayers for your own needs.  We are happy to step into that ol’ prayer closet for you. 

Another bit of great news today, which is a little aside…and no, it’s not that Talking Rain is on sale somewhere, though that would be good too.  I just got word this morning that I passed my family practice board exam which I took back in April while Gabrielle was frolicking on Maui (see prior blog posts).  As some of you know, this was a huge stress as it only comes around once every 10 years and is quite time consuming to study for and take.  It is also expensive, costing well over $1,000 to take.  Now I’m done with it for another 10 years.  Very thankful to be done with that.  You don’t have to call me Sir or anything like that, though it’s fine if you do.  They call him “Sir Paul McCartney” after all, and he never passed a board exam. 

And so now, Gabrielle is resting on the couch.  The bone pain has just kicked in from the Neulasta shot she got on Monday and she also has a touch of…how do I put this delicately?  Well, let’s just say that I got sent to the store for some Imodium and let you fill in the gaps.  I guess that’s what swigging a liter of barium contrast material will do to you.  She is quite worn out and reading a library book called The Thin Woman which she says is pretty good…nice relaxing fare on a sunny afternoon. 

So that’s it for now.  I’m still walking in the clouds.  Now, get out
there and enjoy the sunshine! 

Friday addendum.  It goes without saying that the first recipients of our prayers are with the individuals and families involved in yesterday's shooting at SPU.  We are numb from it all.  So sad and cause for much prayer. 

6/2/14 Happy June!

Dear Friends and Family,
 
Gabrielle here.  It's a beautiful, sunny Monday morning and I am so thankful for the gift of life today--and for a free day with nothing on my calendar!  I get to rest, do little errands, read, walk, and if I have enough energy, I plan to make "Greek Cod Gabrielle" for dinner.  Yummo!

Last week was a whirlwind.  I did a "bit" too much, though all of it fun.  In the last four days I have had single chemo, gone to see the ballet Giselle, cheered on the Mariner's, enjoyed dinner and canasta with our neighbors, gone boating, and attended a beautiful wedding.  I loved it all (except the chemo), but boy, am I tired. 

A little glitch occurred on Saturday.  The day after "day 8" in the chemo cycle, aka single chemo day, I am supposed to go into the hospital outpatient surgery center to get my neulasta shot to build up my blood counts.  They called me at 1 to be sure I was still coming at 2:30.  I showed up at 2:30.  They put me in the chemo chair, took my blood pressure, and said they would run to the pharmacy to grab the medicine.  They returned (two nurses) saying the pharmacist had the order but forgot to order the drug and there was none in the hospital.  Very frustrating. 

So first thing this morning (Monday), I went into my own oncology office and got the shot, but now my triple chemo is going to be pushed back by five days until the 17th.  The three days of bone pain from the shot will be on Thursday, Friday, Saturday this week, so I will plan accordingly.

On a very happy note, my little grand-nephew, Jericho, was born to my niece Molly last Thursday while I was watching Giselle!  He came a month early, weighing 4 lbs, 3 oz.  He's in the infant ICU at the moment, with an oxygen assist.  To feed him, they put a tiny bottle nipple in his mouth, then squeeze in half a syringe of milk into the nipple for him to learn to suck out.  Please pray for him to gain weight, breathe well on his own, and have a safe, healthy transition home, which may be as soon as this coming weekend. Pray for Molly too, as she is a single mother and needs all the help she can get.  By the way, Jericho is the cutest little miniature baby you every did see! 

Looking ahead to this week, I have a huge prayer request for Thursday.  I have completed three cycles of chemo and Thursday at 9:45 I get my contrast CT scan to see if the drugs are working or not to shrink my cancer.  We meet with the doctor at 11:30 to go over the results.  We all have pits in our stomachs because most of the time, scans don't seem to produce the happiest news.  Please pray for some encouraging news on Thursday and for God's peace to rule in our hearts and minds this week.  Thank you!!

One other important piece of news is that both Renee and Daniel are now officially moved back home!  Hooray!  It is such a joy to have them here with us so we can support one another on this cancer journey.  I will say, our house is a bit of a disaster zone at the moment with stuff from both their households scattered about as we try to assimilate three homes into one.  If you stop by, just ignore the chaos!  Also, I'm pleased to report that Daniel finished his first year of med school last Thursday, acing his finals (90-100% on all) and he is now officially an "MS-2."  Today he began his summer job at Children's doing research with the pediatric otolaryngology team.  They will be studying laryngeal clefts in infants.  Questions?  Ask Daniel! 

Thank you for all the kindnesses that came our way this last month.  The cards, meals, flowers, desserts (!), etc. have been SO appreciated.  I am not going to name them one by one anymore, as I am too afraid of missing someone.  But believe me, we have been so blessed to know you are walking this journey with us and supporting us in so many loving ways.  Thank you again and again!

"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you."  Isaiah 41:13

Much love to you all,
Gabrielle

5/24/14 Chemo update

Hi, friends.  Steve here with a brief update...
Gabrielle had her dreaded triple chemo yesterday which was an all day affair.  It took an extra hour on the front end because there was a backup in the lab mixing concoctions for other patients (and you'da thunk she'd go to the front of the line by now).  After that, she needed an additional drip of magnesium as that's a tad low.  But after all was said and done, she rolled home about 5:00 PM and the first words out of her mouth (apart from the much anticipated, always dreaded, "wipe your feet") were "let's go for a power walk as I've been sitting all day".  So off we went!  I could barely keep up with her.  I don't know what Dr. M. but in the juice she gave Gabrielle, but I could use some of that pep about now.
We are delighted to report that Gabrielle's CA-125 has dropped!!!  As a reminder, it had a low of about 12 after initial diagnosis of around 130.  This recent recurrence saw a rise to 16 then to 20 in early April.  Right now it is around 14...a drop of 6 points (yep, I'm a math whiz), which is very encouraging.
So the plan is for another single treatment next week and we'll see how things go after that.
Need to dash along now.  I will leave a more complete blog to Gabrielle when she gets rolling.  As for me, I have to dash off to get my haircut then go for a brisk dip in the sound.  I'd tell you more about my adventures at the barber shop, but they have absolutely nothing to do with chemo, so will remain taciturn on the subject. 
Cheers.
Steve

5/10/14 Yes, we have no chemo; we have no chemo today....

Dear family and friends,
Steve here.  Try singing the title to the tune of that silly song about bananas and you'll get it right.  Of course you have to be at least my age to remember that song.  Anyhow...
Sadly, Gabrielle's lab tests revealed that her cell counts were too low to get another much needed, eagerly anticipated (and dreaded at the same time) dose of medication yesterday as we had planned.  That's the second time she's been "too low".  I'm not liking this limbo stick game of how low can you go (sorry, another reference to an old Calypso song).  So instead of getting the medicine, she got a shot of Neulasta which stimulates the bone marrow to squeeze out extra cells.  From what I gather, it is significantly more potent than Neupogen which she had been getting periodically up to this point.  I understand it is a tad on the pricey side, so much so that they won't let us give it to her at home.  She had to go in and get it at Dr. M's office yesterday.  It is associated with about three days of pretty significant bone pain that will most likely kick in today or tomorrow (happy Mother's Day).  But for now, she is doing all right.
This has been a rougher than average week, post chemo and all.  She has been nauseated every single day and had very little energy which has been unlike her.  Yesterday, we went for a delightful walk around the neighborhood (her first in three days, which for her is very unusual).  It was the highlight of my day, walking and doing my best to keep up with her.  I always enjoy my walks with her as we have a chance to walk, talk and enjoy the scenery (lots of wonderful spring flowers out in the neighborhood...love those rhodies!). 
On our walk, among other things, we had a chance to catch up and reflect on the many blessings we have and I would like to share them with you, though I am sure that I am leaving some out.  If so, I apologize for the oversight.
First of all, she had enough energy to attend a Children's Hospital luncheon yesterday with Renee as guests of Luanna at her table.  Gabrielle remarked on how Bill and Luanna are very dear friends and I agree.  They even sent cards home for each of us.  Gabrielle had a chance to visit with some of her former colleagues and friends (not "former" friends...they are still that!), though elbow bumps only.  No hand shaking or hugs with her counts so low.  She had a wonderful time.  She was absolutely beaming about the event when I got home. 
Thanks to Loretta for bringing amazing lemon rice soup yesterday which was oh so tasty.
Thanks to our niece, Katia for shipping us the most amazing pots that she had made, one of which was turquoise...the ovarian cancer color.  They are now gracing our fireplace.
Thanks for meals from Sandy, Mary, Bryan and Kristin, Dean, Stohn, Joan, and Alison.  You guys are keeping us amply fed and it's such a blessing to not have to stress so much about what to buy, prepare, and clean up for dinner now and then!  Oh--and the most amazing chocolate cake you have ever tasted walked up the hill with our friends/neighbors, Laura and Jerry, and we have eaten every last morsel!  Just pop those anti-nausea pills then cut a nice slice of cake and add a dollop of vanilla ice cream. A taste of Heaven!
We appreciate the cards and letters of support, cheery e-mails and many prayers on our behalf.
Thanks to Pastor Blake for taking me out to breakfast at The Pancake House (they do breakfast good up there).  He was kind enough to offer up a prayer of absolution such that the calories didn't count...I like that. 
We also are being increasingly made aware of how precious a gift it is to have the community of friends to walk this journey and have a renewed sense of our desire to pray for and help others.  That's been a blessing too...to be able to reach out to others as the needs arise.  I am especially looking forward to "ministering" to Tom by inviting myself down to his boat someday and firing the engines up and making sure the batteries don't run down.
Oh, and thanks to Matt and Ami for putting up with my marginal boating skills and agreeing to ship out on this, my second annual shrimping venture.  It would have been miserable pulling those pots all by myself.  And thanks for buying me lunch at Maggie's Bluff while the shrimp pots soaked.  Speaking of soaking, we got soaked on the outing but had a lot of fun.
Well that's it for now.  I want to end by wishing you all a wonderful weekend and especially want to send warm greetings to all the mothers out there:  Happy Mother's Day.  To my mom, Abby.  To Gabrielle's mom, Gloria, and to Gabrielle...three of the best moms I know and to all the other moms as well.
Till next time, please keep those prayers coming.
Love,
Steve

5/6/14 Post-chemo update (can't think of an interesting title)

Dear Family and Friends,
  Gabrielle here.  I am very pleased to report that after three days of neupogen shots in my stomach last week to boost my immune system, I was able to get my triple chemo day drugs on Friday!  Oh, it was a L-O-N-G day.  It took six hours from start to finish.  First the blood work and waiting for the lab results.  Then the pre-meds--anti-nausea, steroids, things to help me not react badly to the chemo, etc.  Then the first chemo drug.  Then the second chemo drug.  Then the third drug that helps prevent blood vessel growth to feed tumors.  I was blessed to have both Renee and Daniel with me and as you might have guessed by now, we played Scrabble (I won at the very last second by adding an "S" to Renee's word "quads" and it crossed a triple word score.  Woo hoo!).  We also watched the old movie "The American President," which Daniel had never seen.  I came home so happy to have received cancer-killing medicine--but I was truly wiped out.
  Since then I've had a lot of nausea and fatigue.  And still some depression.  It's tough adjusting to all this again, and my days can get long and a bit lonely.  But we continue to do three things:  Keep our eyes on Jesus, order our days well, knowing how precious they are, and look for joy in each day. 
  Today's joy came in the form of a lovely walk/prayer time in the sunshine, and "deep and real" conversations with some dear friends and family members.  It also came in the form of dinner being brought to us by Dean--that we are just now going to enjoy! 
  In closing, remember when I told you during last year's chemo that the chemo kills off hair cells?  Well, the hair on top of my head is still clinging to life, while the hair in my nose is gone.  The hair in one's nose plays a crucial role of keeping the snot where it's supposed to be--in your nose--most of the time.  Take home message--never, never bend your chemo nose over the tray of salsa, avocado, and chips you've just set out for your family for Cinco de Mayo!  Gross!!!
  Thank you for all your kindnesses--meals, cards, flowers, treats, and most important of all, your prayers.  You are precious to us.


Love,
Gabrielle

4/29/14 Aloha--I'm home!

Dear Friends and Family,

I just got home from Maui at 11:30 last night.  I had a wonderful week away!  God blessed me with pretty good energy and I was able to snorkel every day (crystal clear this time of year--like being in an aquarium), walk (and lie) on the beach, sit by (and swim in) the pool, and enjoy good books and conversation with my sister, Marti, and good friend, Kristi.  It was sunny and about 82 every day.  The sunsets from our condo deck were amazing. 

One special thing that happened was that I hoped we could spend one night at the Grand Wailea Hotel, to enjoy their waterpark-like pools and slides, and their blue and white striped umbrellas and chairs on gorgeous Wailea Beach.  I spoke with a woman at the front desk named Daisy.  I told her about this special trip on my break from chemo and she lowered the room price for us by a LOT, she waived our parking and resort fee, and she upgraded us to a water view and deck room!  I told her she was my angel--it made me so happy!  We had two great days enjoying the hotel's amenities and Marti and Kristi let me spend the night there alone when it was time to sleep--so I could get a really luxurious rest.  Ahhhh.  It was heavenly.  Oh, and courtesy of Steve, we girls enjoyed Spa Day at the Grand Wailea with exfoliation, massage, and lots of soaking pools, saunas, and steam rooms!  :-)

On my flight home, I met another angel.  My flight attendant was a Christian and she was so kind to me and asked my name and said she would be praying for me.  She gave me a big hug when I deplaned (sp?).  Like my chemo nurses ordered, I wore masks on my flights both ways to and from Maui, and it turns out that it was a good thing I did.  Why, you might ask?

Well, this morning Renee, Daniel, and I all showed up for triple chemo and they drew blood for my labs.  The labs came back with counts much too low to get chemo.  I need one of the counts to be 1,500 and it was only 500.  Had I not worn those masks, I might have pneumonia by now with counts that low!  I was kind of depressed on the way home from the hospital, as I know that the chemo is what will keep me alive and thus, I need to be able to get it!  But today, God has been with me and given me a perfect, sunny, relaxing, and encouraging day that has restored my peace.

I had NO energy today after the trip and travel day yesterday, so Renee, Daniel, Riley (Renee's girlfriend), and I enjoyed a picnic Renee made in the sunshine on blankets in our back yard.  We ate and laid around reading, talking, and doing crossword puzzles.  Half-way through the picnic Daniel jumped up full of energy and cleaned off our patio and deck, did some gardening, then cleaned the kitchen.  He's taking a break from med school today after two hard exams yesterday!  Fine by me!!

In the midst of lazing around the backyard, I opened a lot of cheerful mail!  Cards from several of Daniel's med school classmates arrived, including one that they all signed with class photos enclosed!  What caring future doctors he is privileged to know and study with.  There were other great cards from Steve's brother John and dear friends, one containing an Amazon gift card so I can get Kindle books!  And my friend Bill Moyers (yes, the famous one you can watch on PBS) sent me a hand-written note and a DVD of a special he did on the hymn, Amazing Grace.  It's his favorite special he's done and said it reminds him of me and my testimony.  Steve and I met him in Mexico and had lunch with his wife and him.  They are lovely people!  Then I received the nicest e-mail from Dave McKenna, who was president of SPU when I attended school there. And lastly, sweet Mary Nygard brought us a wonderful dinner with gourmet ice cream bars for dessert--perfect for my throat! 

So a day that started out in sadness, unfolded with joy, love, peace, and renewed hope.  Just like the Lord, don't you think?  My Psalm today was Psalm 10.  Verse 17 says "You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry."  If you are also going through something hard today, I know He is listening to you too, and that encouragement is just around the corner!

Heartfelt thanks to you all, my prayer warriors and faithful encouragers.  You are the eyes, ears, hands, and feet of God through which He speaks compassion to our family during this very difficult time.

I have one special request before I close with some Maui photos.  I was wondering if you would consider sending a card to Steve, Renee, or Daniel in the next couple of weeks.  So much of the focus is on me during cancer, but they are suffering too, as you might imagine, and could use a boost of encouragement.  It would help them to know you are thinking of them too, and praying for them.  If God lays this on your heart to do, thank you SO much!  And if that's too hard for you right now, please say extra prayers for them.  Thank you! 

With so much love and gratitude for you all,
Gabrielle

This is my favorite snorkeling spot--the Ahihi-Kinau Marine Preserve.

Dinners on our deck, with Kristi's magic touch on the BBQ!

Ulua Beach.  A great reef for snorkeling--and bobbing around with your $5 floaties!

One of the many pools at the Grand Wailea.

Kristi in front of the dolphin fountains at the Grand Wailea.

Marti holding up the MOUSE we caught in our kitchen!  Gross!!!

Warm, gooey cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing, raisings, and mac nuts.  Yummo!

Marti and Gaby modeling our Grand Wailea Spa totes!

Beautiful lobby of the Grand Wailea.

Me, "swimming" with the dolphins.  LOL.

4/21/14 Off to Maui (her, not me)! Aloha!

Steve here.  Just a quick update:  Gabrielle is going to be hopping on a plane early tomorrow morning for a much anticipated getaway to Maui with two other persons of interest.  I can't be more specific as it might be a violation of HIPPA, though am not sure about that.  Does HIPPA extend to keeping confidential the details of how many lava flows someone is sipping by the pool while her husband stays home and does his best to stay out of mischief?  Anyhow, she'll be off in the sun and loving every minute of it (I hope).  I think the most difficult decisions she'll have to make all week will be things like  if it will be mahi mahi or ono in the fish tacos or whether to go to Big Beach (big fun!) or Little Beach (not sure what's over there).  Anyhow, she'll be out of the loop for the next week, so there most likely won't be any new updates.  Of course, that could all change in a heartbeat if she has an adventure like going on a spontaneous turtle ride or strolling up to George Clooney who might be staying nearby (who knows?).

We had a wonderful, restful weekend which was especially nice because it was Easter and Gabrielle didn't have to have chemo on Friday.  To pay for it, though, she has to have a triple dose of it the day after she gets back.  Yesterday featured brunch with the moms (Gloria and Abby) and a nice visit from Marti and Merle.  I especially liked the fact that Merle regaled me with his coyote hunting adventures among other things...imagine the skill of this guy...nailing one while barreling down Highway 167 at 65 mph!!  He is such a talented guy: one eye on the road, one for the scope, three fingers for the wheel, one for the rifle trigger, one for texting, two or three to hold his latte and one remaining middle finger for a friendly wave to all the tailgaters trying to horn in on the fun.  Wish I coulda been there! 

But back to Gabrielle.  After all, this isn't "Merle's Wild World of Hunting" or "Steve's How to bake a cherry pie" blog.  Gabrielle continues to be fatigued and is constantly fighting a sore throat, not from illness but from the chemo affecting the cells in her upper throat.  Makes it hard to talk (but not eat ice cream).  Continued prayers for energy and healing are much appreciated.

I will update any newsworthy items that may arise.  Till then, have a glorious week.  Enjoy yourselves and rest safe and sound knowing that there is one less coyote on the prowl for pet cats and such in the vicinity of Kent.

Oh and a quick addendum:  thanks so much to my mom for sending the most AMAZING chocolates over from Oh Chocolate!  They look fantastic and may be a tad too delicate for Gabrielle to pack into a suitcase, don't you think??  And thanks to Erin for dropping by with one of Gabrielle's favorite salads from Anthony's and a very nice chat over lunch.  She feels very much loved.  Oh, and that salad and those chocolates have given her some energy...she and Daniel are out walking to the store for dinner.  I hope they remember to bring some home...I'm getting hungry and am doing my best to let Gabrielle eat most of the chocolates.  I wonder what coyote meat tastes like.