Wednesday, January 25,2012

Hello Family and Friends.
I know many of you have been wondering what has happened to my daily posts and I hope you haven't been too concerned that there has been a problem of some kind.  No problems, just not much change and I've been recovering from my own surgery. On the 12th I had arthroscopic surgery on my knee to clean up some of the irregularities and arthritis caused by the fracture last year and he also took out the hardware.

In the meantime, Chris has completed his 25 treatments of radiation therapy and after he takes his last bunch of pills tonight he will have completed the initial 42 day course of chemotherapy.  While his hair has gotten quite thin, he still is by no means bald.  He has done well with keeping food and drink down but complains that nothing really tastes good, (actually doesn't taste at all) or tastes bad.  So we just keep trying to find something that works, oh except for Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal which he does seem to like and he sometimes has for breakfast, lunch and dinner!  Currently he is trying to get rid of a cold and nasty cough that has had him feeling really extra cruddy the last week or so.  He is scheduled for another MRI on Feb 7 and a follow up with oncology on Feb 8. 

Over the last couple of weeks we have been blessed with meals from our sweet neighbor Sue and more from Karen.  My brother Mike and sister-in-law, Wendy came down for the weekend the day I had surgery so my mom and dad were able to get away to see Arlo's brother and sister-in-law, Chet and Kathy in San Marcos.  The visit with Mike and Wendy was really nice and we really appreciate all the help they gave while they were here.  It was good for Chris to be able to ask Wendy some medical questions and to get her opinion on things related to his treatment.  Chris's brother Greg calls to check in every day without fail unless he is here checking on us in person.  The love those two share is an awesome thing.  He has been a steady support for me and the boys from the start and I don't know what we would do without him here with us.   

On Sunday, Arlo and Norma packed up the 5th wheel and headed out to Indio for the week to attend a Bible conference with Chet and Kathy as well as Bernie and Jane and a few other friends who are down for their annual winter stay from Idaho.  This is the time that Arlo and Norma should/would have been in Indio themselves for the annual winter stay but chose to stay with us instead.  Today, Ryan drove out to Ontario to pick up his Auntie, Colleen and she and I just returned to the house from a trip back out to pick up Randy.  I guess we'll be going back out there again tomorrow since Randy's luggage didn't make it with him to Ontario and is somewhere between Denver and here.  :-(  Lois is on the calendar to make a visit tomorrow and Lisa is on for Friday.  All in all should turn out to be a great week.

We are coming up on 3 months since we learned that we were dealing with cancer.  In some ways the time has gone by quickly, in others it seems to be dragging on forever.  There have been so many ups and downs from the beginning and it still truly feels like a roller coaster ride that just won't stop.  It's good to know that we have family and friends on the ride with us, holding our hands, wiping our tears and waiting along side us.  Thank you all for that love and support that gives us the courage to stay on the ride - whether it is going up, up, up or down.
Love, Chris, Janet, Sam, Ryan and Jonathan          

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Since the beginning of this journey we have been thanking "everyone" for the support and love that "everyone" has shown us.  There is no way that we can know who "everyone" is who have been following along with us and praying for us as well as providing love and support for our family members.  This realization became even more clear to me today when I got a call from my sister.  Colleen shared with me the gift she received from the wonderful people she works with at Chesapeake.  Neither Chris nor I have met any of her co-workers, staff, friends but because they love her, they showed their love for us by purchasing a plane ticket and coordinating with Randy for the two of them to come back to spend time with us later in January.  I cannot begin to tell you what this means to us and how thankful we are for the blessings that just keep coming.

Chris and I were able to spend a bit of time with Allan and Melissa this evening...another one of our blessings as well as the texts from the Taylors tonight and the phone call from the Lavoies last night.  Our Fitty Cruise companions are major blessings.

For those who are wondering, Mom and Dad are still here with us.  Dad has been in charge of getting Chris to radiation therapy and Mom has been in charge of making sure the medications get dispensed.  Mike and Wendy fly in tomorrow evening for the weekend so Mom and Dad are taking advantage of their visit to go to San Marcos and spend a couple of days with Uncle Chet and Aunt Kathy.  Looking forward to a nice weekend for all.

Signing off for the night.  We pray that we can be even the tiniest bit of a blessing to you that you are to us.  With so much love and devotion to you for all that you are to us, CJSRJ    

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Hello Friends and Family,
Spent a lovely afternoon with Chris today.  Went to radation therapy, then to lunch and finally stopped by my office for a little bit.  chris enjoyed the outing but is tired tonight.  Tomorrow he goes for a follow up with the neurosurgeon.  Not expecting anything earthshaking. 

So just to clear things up, over the last few days I have been neglectful in writing on the blog.  Mostly because there really hasn't been anything that has changed and also because I get a little tired in the evening and don't get to it if there isn't anything really important to share.  So, just to be clear and make sure that everyone is on the same page, I want to let everyone know that if there is no blog update made over a day or more, it is safe to assme that things are moving along as expected.  If there is any change or something important comes up that everyone needs to know right away, I will be right on the blog to share the information.  Otherwise, don't worry that something has gone terribly wrong and I haven't had time to write about it. 

thank you for your concern and worry that something was happening that you were not aware of.  We appreciate your love and concern.  We love you all so very much!!

With love,
CJSRJ

Monday, January 9, 2012

Hello!  I know I've been away for a little bit.  there hasn't been a lot going on that is new and different to report.  Chris looks like he is getting better every day.  His hair is still falling out but not at the same rate as it was.  He saw the neurologist on Friday who was surprised to see him looking so good.  that was good to hear.  Chris is bored to tears.  TV is horrible and he doesn't really have any hobbies besides golf and things that take up too much energy for him to attempt right now.  Visits from friends just to hang out and talk is good though I think. Dan came by for a bit last week and Lisa came by on Friday and brought delicious dinner.  Greg came over on Saturday so Mom, Dad and I could go to Victoria Gardens for a little shopping trip.  Sunday we met Ron and Kathy at Nick's burgers for lunch and were joined by Gina and Buster too.  What a really great lunch,  we thank all of you for inviting us to spend the time with you.  Karen and Christian sweetly brought by tamales for us.  Clemencia came by today for a couple of hours and talked with Chris which does make him very happy.
 Yum, love tamales (as long as I don't have to make them.)  lol

Thank you for continuing to pray.  We pray that the requests going up to God hourly/daily/etc.keep coming and we will keep adding to them as well.
Love you all, CJSRJ

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Everyday seems to be a little better and thank you to my dear friend Dusty, aka Dr. Rigsby, aka Mr. Mayor for telling me the reason why Chris is so much better this week than last week is because the treatment is working and is killing off those bad little cancer cells.  That's the best news I've heard in a couple of months!  That means the prayers are working too.  We'll keep doing the treatment and praying, you all keep praying too and we'll get there!!
Love with all our hearts,
CJSRJ

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Pardon me while I pick up a few stray hairs off the keyboard...they seem to be everywhere, except where they belong...on Chris's head.  :-(
Very active day today.  Started out with a visit from office mate Dan which was thoroughly enjoyed.  Took several walks around the yard, then walked from the parking lot into the radiation therapy office and then back out again.  Was beat by the time he got home though and needed a brief nap to recharge.  I had a really nice visit with my sweet high school friend Val this evening.  Really terrific getting a chance to catch up.  Chris feels like he is getting better and less confused which Arlo agrees with (and so do I).  Just pray that this improvement continues day by day.  
Oops, Chris is back up again and looking for me to come to bed.  Guess I better get in there so he can get to sleep for the night.
Love you all, CJSRJ

January 2, 2012

Happy New Year.

Everything is pretty much status quo yesterday and today.  Back to therapy again tomorrow afternoon.  Chris continues to lose his hair, remains less fatigued and is more stable on his feet.  That's pretty much it for tonight.  Check back tomorrow to see if there are any changes.

Thank you for your continued love and support.
Love you all, CJSRJ