Tuesday March 9th

Our hearts are heavy today as we learned of the death of Carol Marasco. She was a beautiful lady.....Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family....
The last time I saw Carol was in Dillons, we had a nice visit about school and our kids. The last thing she said to me was that she loved Dave and I both and that she wished that she could make things better....then she hugged me and kissed my cheek. If you love someone tell them.....Life is a gift that should not be wasted.
Love and blessings to all and especially to Mike, Holly, Matt and Jake whose lives are forever changed.

Monday March 8th

Dave had his first Cyber Knife today, it lasted 3 hours. He fell asleep so I guess it was not too tramatic! He has appointments Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.....wow what a busy week.
Joan and John Blazek took him to a BB game at Koch Arena tonight. Chris and Bailey came over and ate dinner with us and they went too. I stayed home with Morgan (my granddog). It was a good night to stay in.....raining....
He continues to do well after the therapy, just tired. He does not complain.....wish I could do more for him......
Blessings to all.......

Saturday March 6th

Dave went to Cheney this morning with Kip and Leeann to shop for cars. He was really tired when he got home....slept thru the entire KU game, but it was worth it!
This evening we out to eat with Dave and Karen, Cayte and Matt....we went to Shorty Smalls, since that is where Chris works...had fun, but he is sound asleep and snoring as I write this blog....it is GOOD to see him tired for a reason.....We celebrate the fun days!!
Blessings to all.....keep those positive thoughts coming our way!

Friday March 5th

Dave woke up this morning feeling restless and wanted to do something. He called our neighbor, Dave Warn, and they headed out to Dave's storage shed in Goddard, where Dave Warn worked and Dave P....visited. It was good for them both because they have always been "partners in crime" and they both miss those times together. He is really wiped out tonight, but it was so worth it for him to be out and about today!!
Dave has been the one person in my life that I could always turn to for comfort. He has such inner strength and that quality has gotten us thru the obstacles that we have faced the last 25+ years. It is that strength that I continue to see every day as I watch him fighting the cancer and all of the pain and humiliation that the disease imposes on him. Christy Whipple sent me a quote today on facebook that I thought was worth passing on:

"The depths of the mind can fight like an armada unexplained by science".

That is what I witness every day.....may God be loving and kind in His decisions for our future......
Blessings to all.......

Thursday March 4th

Today was a really long day...it was our "chemo day". We left home at about 10:00 and got home at almost 3:30. Not only did we have chemo. but we had labs, and a consult with our dr. as well. I shared my concern that chemo and radiation could possibly cause nausea (and all that goes with it). With Dave not being able to walk, caring for him would be a nightmare for us both. Our Dr. reassured me that he really did not think the chemo was going to have that side effect due to the doses being administered. He feels that we should continue this round (2 more Thursdays) and then reassess after scanning. Those scans will give us definite answers as to whether the chemo is working. We can then decide how to proceed.
Dave was exhausted when he got home and slept most of the afternoon and evening. He will most likely sleep most of the day tomorrow as well.
On a positive note the wheelchair ramp was a real help!! It took at least one of my worries away.
Blessings to all.....lets hope for more beautiful weather this weekend!!!

Wednesday March 3rd

Dave went to the game in Augusta last night to watch Kip's Mavs play basketball. It was a man's night out, he went with our son and John Blazek...I think they all enjoyed the time over and back without "Blondy or Nurse Ratchet"....although I don't know how that could possibly be.........
We went to the Cyber Center this morning and Dave has been fitted with a "bed" that he will lie on for the radiation sessions...we have appointments next Monday and Wednesday. The last radiations did wonders to help his pain level, and hopefully these will add quality and improve his abilities as well.
It is increasingly hard for Dave to get around, and falling has been a big worry. I called Edd LaPlant yesterday to see if he had the time to build a ramp in the garage.( Edd put the stone on our house this summer, we got to know him and we really enjoyed the time that he spent here with us.) Edd was in our driveway this morning when we got home from the Cyber Center with his partner Pari Ungles. They put their other jobs aside and by 11:30 we had a ramp! What makes this so noteworthy is that neither of them would accept any money for doing this for us. It made me cry....we have had so many wonderful people helping us thru these days..A ramp may seem like a small thing, but I can hardly get Dave down the 2 steps of our house to get him to our car. This act of kindness will enable him to go with me when I run errands....he won't be so home bound, and I won't be afraid of dropping him! I don't know how to thank these men enough...but ...if you need some remodeling, tile, cement, building of any kind done....call me and I will give you their numbers. They are good at what they do, and as you can tell they are good people!!
We go in for labs, chemo and dr. consult tomorrow. It will be a long day. Our days are becoming increasingly more difficult. Dave and I pull from our faith and we have always found a great deal of strength in one another. Cancer will consume everything in your life if you let it....but we try each day to do something "cancer free"......We watch a movie, or play cards, sometimes just sit on our deck and hold hands....these are valuable moments for us.....so sometimes we find it necessary to take our phone off the hook......our time together is that important. It does not mean that we are unappreciative of your calls, but there are times when we just don't want to talk about cancer....that is why I blog.
All of you are blessings in our lives, we are dealing with alot right now, we need your friendship, but sometimes we need our privacy as well. I hope that you will understand this...

Monday March 1st

We had an appointment with our radiologist this morning. Although the last series of radiations did some good with respect to Dave's pain, we are going to step things up a bit by using cyberknife radiation in hopes of shrinking the cancer even more and hopefully making it possible for Dave to walk again. The dr. is making no promises, but this is the best shot we have at making things better. The dr. also went over the scan reports with us. The MRI of the brain shows involvement in several areas and of course the spine shows the most involvement which we knew. I know that it is hard for Dave to hear these facts, but he continues to stay positive.

Maize South began their track practices today and Dave was determined to be there. Our neighbor has loaned us a wheel chair which we packed in the car and he was able to go ...it was good for him to be with the kids and his fellow coaches! Hopefully he will make more of the practices now that he has the wheels to do so.

Our neighbor (Dave Warn) also brought over a scooter which really has some get up and GO....we are blessed to have Dave and Karen as our friends and our neighbors, they have been such a source of strength and understanding thru all of this....

John Blazek, our son Chris, and Dave are heading to the MSHS game tomorrow night...GO MAVS....so Dave is resting up tonight. We are both really tired. The phone is off the hook and we are getting some well deserved rest. The reality and the stress of these drs. appointments take a toll on us both.

Blessings to all and know that we appreciate all of your prayers...and your support....