Blue Hues

Blue is the colour that is a theme during the rest of my time between chemo rounds 4 and 5.

Blue Mountains

Tuesday, May 24, Barbara and I headed for the Blue Mountains to visit three sets of friends: two from my Springwood Baptist days and one from our early Petersham Baptist Church days.

Mid morning we visited with Rosemary at Buckland Retirement Village, http://www.buckland-rv.com.au/ to where she moved nine months ago.  Her husband was minister at Springwood Baptist in the 1970s.  We have not seen Rosemary since those days but my brother has kept in touch.  We had a wonderful time catching up on the years, learning about each other’s families and walking around some of the Buckland facilities.

Lunchtime we visited with John and Joy in Leura.  John was the minister at Petersham Baptist when we first attended from 1986.  John and Joy had a thirteen year ministry there that finished in 1989 but the friendships they developed with members of the congregation continues today.  We shared news of our lives, activities and our families.  Last year we were in France at the same time but our paths did not quite cross.  We shared experiences of our trips in Europe.

Late afternoon we visited with Ian and Robyn, friends from Springwood Baptist days, now living in retirement near Lithgow.  We learned of their new life in retirement, which includes being involved with scripture teaching and children’s club work.  We talked of our weekend in Mudgee and they talked about enjoying the local scenery, drives and towns throughout the Lithgow, Mudgee and Bathurst area.  When I mentioned my Blowes, which I pronounced ‘blows’, purchases Ian advised staff pronounce it as ‘blouse’, which maybe is appropriate as the do stock some women’s clothing.

In our socialising of recent times it has been very interesting discovering how people are living in retirement or semi-retirement.  There is a lot of variety, volunteering and various activities that people choose to do.

One of my requirements is to keep up the food intake to feed the higher metabolism caused by the chemotherapy.  This was readily achieved on Tuesday with breakfast at home, morning tea at Rosemary’s, lunch at John and Joy's, late afternoon tea at the Hills and dinner at home.

Meanwhile, on the way home from the Hills at Lithgow we dropped in to see Lesley and Stephen.  Why?  Because I had kept the three Blowe’s bags, thinking they were my purchases but found one was full of Steve’s washing!  So, we returned the washing, gave them the anniversary card that I forgot on Friday and a disc of the Mudgee Magic photos and enjoyed a cup of tea.  I promised Steve I would polish my RM William’s boots, which I did on Wednesday.  Steve loves the product and recommends you follow their instructions and look after their product properly.

Blue feelings

In talking with Rosemary we talked about her husband Doug, who died 19 years ago at the age of 64.  Doug suffered from severe asthma and, to gain relief, took cortisone daily.  Cortisone is a strong steroid product that relieves the asthma but likely reduces one’s life span due to the effect of the steroids on various body organs that lead to their not functioning as well.  This is what occurred for Doug.  As I was listening to Rosemary, I thought of my own prognosis of 2 to 5 years to live.  I was told this when I was 60 meaning I might live from 62 to 65 years but now I am 61 it means 63 to 66 years.  I realised my prognosis is in Doug’s lifespan.  I felt this seems too young.  So, having had the CT scan the next day, Wednesday, it will be interesting to learn the results on this coming Monday and its impact on my predicted life expectancy.

In recent times we’ve enjoyed people visiting us and we them, I have reflected on the ebb and flow of conversations.  Those that are most uplifting tend to be where there is a good sharing of the airtime; that is, each of those present spend a fair share of the time telling their stories and thoughts and asking questions.  Those that are less rewarding are where conversation tends to be dominated by one or two of the participants.  We miss out on hearing from others and often there is not much opportunity to ask questions.  Now, I can be one of those that talks too much, especially when I am excited about something.  So, my reflection reminds me that I want to monitor my conversation, listen well and ask questions to find out more.

Blue cheeses and other delights

Our social lives continued.  Thursday I walked into the city to have lunch with friends, Joan, Louise, Rosemary and Bill from the Securities Institute, which was a client from about 1984 (and continues as a client through becoming FinSIA and then selling the education arm to Kaplan Professional).  Enjoying our delicious lunches, we caught up on what each of us are doing.  Four of the five are semi-retired, continuing to work on part time bases and enjoying the freedom of more time to spend with family and friends and explore the suburbs in which we live.

Friday lunch I enjoyed lunch with our neighbour Graeme and Friday evening Barbara and I fellowshipped with the EFSNG group at Judith’s place.  A highlight was learning of Jocelyn’s work with patients suffering from cancer arising from materials such as asbestos.  Her team is involved in leading edge, radical surgery and Jocelyn’s role is to work with the patients, their carers and families, briefing them on their journey ahead, keeping in touch with them during their treatment and then following up afterwards.  Jocelyn’s love and commitment to her work and patients is inspiring.

The Little Blue House

Saturday and Sunday we enjoyed staying with Hugh and Barbie at their weekender, The Little Blue House in Hardys Bay on the Central Coast (1.5 hours north of Sydney).  It is a cute, old-fashioned, weekender cottage with one-bedroom and comfortable living area in the main part and the bathroom and a second bedroom area out the back.  It is right on the water and is available for rental through Raine and Horne http://www.raineandhorne.com.au/properties/8240 .

When we arrived for breakfast, the sun was shining on the new front veranda.  Though the clouds rolled in during the morning, the four of us had a wonderful time walking along the foreshore with Muffy, their dog, enjoying good coffee at one of the excellent local cafés, walking up to a local lookout which gave a superb view of the area, playing scrabble and doing the regular and cryptic crossword in the Saturday Sydney Morning Herald.  Sunday was inclement so we spent the time inside.  We talked of many and serious things.  Sadly they heard the news of the death of one of their friends, a neighbour in their where they live in Lapstone in the Blue Mountains, who died from cancer.  We played our third game of scrabble – Barbie was winner of all three games!  Hugh and Barbie are very word knowledgeable.

We have known Hugh since the late 1970s when he was a leader in the Glebe Christian Youth Club and also lived with us for several months during 1979.  We lost touch but found each other at the Sydney Town Hall a number of years ago when we were at a Stations of the Cross concert by the Sydney Song Company at Sydney Town Hall.  That is when we first met Barbie.  Spending the weekend together we came away closer friends because we all shared and learnt so much more about each other.

Mudgee Magic

Our weekend in Mudgee about 3 to 4 hours drive over the Blue Mountains west of Sydney was so good that you are receiving a blog entry sooner than expected.

Queasy

As seems to be the norm, Thursday, the day after my chemotherapy I felt the queasiest.  Good to feel more settled on Friday.  We got ready for our weekend away; our first weekend away since learning the extent of my cancer.  I did some office work while Barbara worked at the Op Shop in Petersham.

Long journey west

Ugh - that horrendous Sydney traffic meant that it took from 3.15pm when I left home pick Barbara up from the Op Shop in Petersham till about 5.15pm to reach Lesley and Stephen's place in Emu Plains on the western outskirts of Sydney - two hours to travel 50 kilometres (31 miles)!  Thankfully we had a much better run from Emu Plains to Mudgee http://www.visitmudgeeregion.com.au/j/index.php, which is about 230 kms (145 miles), arriving around 8.00pm.

As we ate Barbara’s home cooked vegetable soup we toasted the weekend and Lesley and Stephen’s 33rd wedding anniversary.

Jessica’s Cottage

We stayed at Jessica’s Cottage http://www.mudgeeguesthouse.com/ , a self-contained, comfortably furnished, three-bedroom home, situated on a small farm about 5 kms south of Mudgee.  Late Saturday afternoon we wandered around the property, circuiting the vineyard, laying in the hammocks and me taking photos.  Saturday night we toasted friendship and enjoyed champagne, wine and beer, various cheeses from Mudgee, Milawa, and Margaret River (3Ms), local superb chicken liver paté, olives and local Turkish bread.  Sunday morning was beautiful, fresh and sunny and I was out again with the camera.  You can see photos of the cottage and its surrounds as well as other Mudgee photos at http://gallery.me.com/davidheyc/100098 .

Shop-a-holic

Saturday morning we journeyed into Mudgee and went to the Farmers’ Markets, which are held on the third Saturday of each month: great choice of high quality produce and product from local boutique farms.  They also have great coffee.  We supported the local economy with buying coffees, jams, sauces and cheeses.

Next we went to Blowes, a menswear store chain operating in central western NSW.  I entered the shop a slob and emerged well-groomed.  I don’t like shopping much but I enjoyed buying good quality clothing and RM Williams boots at reasonable prices with excellent service provided by the store manager, Peter, and his staff.  I provided a real boost to the local economy.

Robert Oatley Winery

We wiled the afternoon away with a delightful lunch at the Robert Oatley Winery http://www.robertoatley.com.au/home/ to the north of Mudgee, where most of the numerous vineyards and wineries are located.  We tasted a variety of white wines to choose the wine to accompany lunch.  Barbara purchased a couple of bottles – more support for the local economy.

Leaning Oak Cheese and Winery

We visited Leaning Oak twice.  We tried on Saturday around midday but arrived with the fire engines that had come to extinguish the fire that occurred in the ceiling of the cheese and wine shop.  The staff and a customer had already extinguished the flames before the fire engines arrived but firemen checked up in the roof. 

So, we visited again late Sunday morning and this time we were successful.  They mainly make goats cheese with some cow cheese and sheep cheese when in season during spring.  We enjoyed talking with the Frenchman who is on an extended one-year holiday and working visa.  He learnt to make these kinds of cheeses as a hobby in France and is now assisting in the cheese making at this farm.  He gets along well with the animals, introducing a number to us, and then guided us through sampling and purchasing in the shop.

Departing

We enjoyed lunch at a local pub, visited Cleaview Estate Winery http://www.clearviewwines.com.au/ where Barbara bought two bottles of their local sparkling chardonnay, returned to Jessica’s Cottage, packed the car and headed for home.  In Katoomba we enjoyed afternoon tea at an eclectic Common Ground Café, corner Katoomba and Waratah Streets.  The décor is like you’d imagine for the Hobbits in Middle Earth while the food and coffee is good.

Andy Smith’s art exhibition

On Monday afternoon, Barbara and I went to Andy Smith’s art exhibition at Primrose Park Gallery, Matora Lane, Cremorne, Sydney (open for a couple more days).  Andy is a friend from Glebe Uniting Church days in the 1970s and has taken up painting (using acrylics) in the last four years.  We now have three of his paintings as while we were at the exhibition, Andy gave us a painting he did of my photo of Eilean Donan Castle http://www.eileandonancastle.com near Dornie in the west of Scotland that we visited with Josh and Kate in 2007.  Andy’s website is: http://www.ajmsmith.com .

Chemo Round 4

Chemotherapy Round 4 – Monday 16 to Wednesday 18 May has been the easiest so far.  In this update I talk about meeting with the doctors; beginnings, continuings and endings; days 2 and 3.

Meeting with doctors

I wrote a three page letter to Dr Lisa Horvath (my oncologist) summarising my journey so far and listing some questions.  From 9.15 to almost 10.00 on Monday I met first with registrar Dr Deme(trius) Karikios and then with both doctors.  Deme perused the letter discussed, my questions and examined me.  He tapped with his fingers around my lower abdomen and listened through his stethoscope finding the bowel to be acting normal.  He listened to my chest through the stethoscope and found no signs of asthma.

I discussed the following questions with Lisa and Deme:

What are my blood tests taken before each round of chemotherapy showing?

Blood counts are normal for red and white blood cells and my iron levels are normal.  There is evidence of some improvement in the liver function.

When will the CT scan be done to see how my treatment is progressing?

CT scan wanted on Wednesday or Thursday before chemo round 5.  I have booked for 8.00/9.00 am, Wednesday 25 May at the Alfred Imaging Centre (where they bulk bill direct to Medicare and I do not pay anything).

What concerns, if any, do you have about the hiccups and tingling fingers in chemotherapy round 3?

No real concerns but some useful suggestions.  I mentioned that I had stopped taking Nexium at chemo round 3.  Nexium helps the digestion and Lisa said take it, which I am now doing and I do not have hiccups this round.  The tingling fingers probably relate to becoming cold and I have found that washing them under cold water brings on the tingling.  Suggestion is to wear gloves when outdoors or indoors and it is cold.

Is it OK to continue with the gardening work?

Yes.

A doctor who works in the Sydney University department where my daughter is based gave her four bottles of Himalaya Liv.52 tablets and recommended I take them to assist my liver.  These tablets are said to be herbal based and have no adverse interaction with the chemotherapy.  What are your thoughts on using these tablets?

Their view is that there is a lack of empirical evidence to show that such treatments actually help.  Some herbal treatments (like spinach tablets) do adversely affect some chemotherapy.  Doctors from south and south-east Asia do tend to recommend such treatments.  Lisa suggested I could try the tablets (after this round) and if they help keep going but if they are adverse, stop.  She also suggested ginger tablets as there is strong evidence these do assist and so I will get these.

I think I will need a card when flying to explain about my port-o-cath because I think it will set the metal detectors off at airports and other security checkpoints.  Do you know what sort of card I need?  Do you know where to obtain it?

Should be no need for a card as the port-o-cath is plastic.

What is your current assessment of my progress?

The indicators are things are going well.  The CT scan, which will be discussed at the next chemo round, will show the degree to which progress has been made.

Beginnings, continuings and endings

Monday was a day of beginnings, continuings and endings (in reverse order).

While I was at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Barbara attended Malcolm’s (our friend Lee’s brother) funeral.  It was a sad, moving and uplifting experience with several hundred people present.  A large part of the almost 2 hour service was the reading of Malcolm’s letters and statements covering his suffering from pain, his love of family and friends, Christian faith, etc.  The calibre of the man, his tolerance of difficult circumstances, his deep Christian faith and confidence shone through.  His funeral was a fitting ending of a life well lived.

Sitting opposite me was an outgoing, fellow bowel and liver cancer patient, Ingrid.  I comfortably sit in my chair reading my book, doing puzzles and talking with the nurses when they monitor and change the treatment satchels.  Like, fellow patients I prefer not to talk to other patients.  I think we do not want to share woes.  However, Ingrid talked with a man near me and with me a little from time to time and quite a bit when her treatment had finished and her daughter arrived to take her home.  Ingrid was in for her 18th treatment.  She is on her third lengthy period of chemo.  The first started around February 2010.  I gather the middle session was not so effective.  She mentioned she volunteered to be part of a trial of a new chemo drug that was so ‘effective’ that it made a 9 centimetre hole in her bowel, creating and abscess.  Treatment reduced it by half and was followed by an operation that removed 45 centimetres of her bowel and she now has a bag.  Ingrid looked well, was very optimistic and said how much she had learned on her cancer journey and that the journey included many good things.  Hers is an encouraging story of continuing optimistically through cancer treatment.

Our third oldest and his partner announced their engagement.

Day 2

I felt well and had a quiet day.  Enjoyed the first episode of Stephen Fry in America http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00f2dfv .  Stephen Fry is a well-known British comedian and actor in television and movies and host of the BBC series QI.  In 2008 he made a six part series on the US where he visited every state in the Union driving a London taxi.  The first episode is the north-east down to Washington DC.

We had an engagement celebratory dinner.  We started with a toast of champagne and canapés in the front room followed by a vegetarian main course with pasta and dessert of luscious sweets from a patisserie in Balmain in the dining room.

Day 3

Felt queasier today, which is the usual but I had forgotten this because I have felt so good lately.  So found it a bit annoying.  Went to the hospital and had the chemo bottle removed early afternoon.  Then walked through Sydney University to do some banking and walked on to Broadway shopping centre where I enjoyed a decaf coffee while I read an Associations magazine published by my friend John Peacock http://www.associations.net.au/ .  Watched two more episodes of Stephen Fry in America viewing episode 2 on the Deep South and episode 3 on the Mississippi States.

Now it is Thursday morning and I am listening to the Beatles, Yellow Submarine, 1999 version and Beatles – 1, as I finalise this blog entry.

Travelling Well

My journey between chemotherapy round 3 and round 4 has been amazingly good.  I still find it hard to believe.  I am feeling very well!

Chemo side-affects

Thursday (after the chemo) was my lowest day again.  The tingling fingers sensation occurred on several more occasions for about three days.  Lost my voice to a degree (as had happened on other occasions) like I had laryngitis and the asthma continued to be a bit troublesome.  However, between Thursday and Saturday my voice returned to normal strength (for first time since starting treatment) and my asthma returned to normal, which means it doesn’t bother me.  In fact I changed from Seretide back to the milder Tilade.  (I take one puff in morning and one at night.  When the asthma was more troublesome I sometimes took medication four times in day, including Ventolin.)  My energy levels rebounded very quickly so that by Saturday 6 May I felt more energetic than I have since Christmas.

Gardening

Between Saturday (6 May) and today, Sunday (9 days) I spent an average of two hours on seven of those days working in the garden: chopping down two palm trees, removing two stumps, moving soil, demolishing most of a raised garden brick wall and cleaning cement and mortar from a number of bricks so as they can be reused.  In addition, I am walking further including walking to Leichhardt and back on Saturday and to Pyrmont today.  I (and Barbara) am still amazed that I have felt so well.  I only had one short afternoon sleep and that was yesterday.  I did no more gardening work today as my body was telling me it needed a break.

Individual journeys

I have become more and more aware how each cancer sufferer has their own very individual journey.  I am fortunate and very grateful that my journey is so positive so far and acknowledge the love, positive thoughts and prayers of my family and friends.  Many of you have shared journeys of other cancer sufferers that have been healed or had significant remissions.  But it is important for us to remember that this is not so for everyone.  And I want to share one such story.

In my ‘travelling well’ entry of 17 April, I mentioned our friends Lee and Michael visiting for dinner and Lee sharing the story of her journey with her brother, Malcolm as he was travelling with untreatable cancer of the oesophagus.  Malcolm died last Tuesday and the funeral service is being held Monday 16 May, the first day of my chemo round 4.

My understanding is that Malcolm, feeling unwell, having difficulty eating and with pains in parts of his body went to more than one doctor seeking help.  The doctors thought he was well and told him so.  It was some time before further investigation was made and the cancer of the oesophagus was found.  By that time it had spread so far through the oesophagus it was inoperable.  He was offered chemotherapy but advised it would not do that much and so declined.  Thus he was looking at making his final journey on this earth.  Naturally the medical profession aimed for it to be with a minimum of pain but there were a few instances where problems occurred and needed to be addressed.

As Malcolm progressed from a robust, healthy looking individual to a skeleton he lived mainly in the downstairs at his parents home and occasionally at the hospice.  His family and certain close friends tended to him and prayed with him.  He looked forward, not backward, based on his beliefs.  He did not blame anyone for his situation.  He faced his situation positively and with his strong Christian faith.  He planned his funeral in great detail.  He was inspirational to those around him. 

Now his family and friends are grieving and for his parents it must be especially sad because we as parents expect our children to outlive us.  One of my treasured memories is of walking with my Aunty Phyl on the last six weeks of her life.  She was 95, aware she was dying, and ready to move on.  She was amazingly open and we had conversations about her coming death, her funeral, our lives and her legacy to her family and friends.  It is very special when you can have such a close walk with a person facing death so openly.  I think that Lee and others around Malcolm will have such memories to reflect upon, which will enrich their memories of Malcolm.

Like Lee and Michael’s sons, Nathan, Joshua and Isaac said, I am glad that ‘Mal is free of pain and with The Lord now’.  I think Malcolm lived well; Malcolm died well.  It is not a matter of right or wrong, good or bad, winning or losing the fight against cancer; for each of us it is about how we choose to live our journey.  Each person’s journey with cancer is an individual journey.

Socialising

Again, Barbara and I or just I have socialised with family and friends:

• Thursday lunch at Pam and Allan’s
• Friday the Liz, Chris, Lorraine and Geoff coming for dinner
• Monday afternoon David joining us for afternoon tea
• Tuesday midday, Palace Cinema, Leichhardt, watching ‘Mrs Carey’s Concert’ documentary, deservedly awarded 4.5 stars by some reviewers – story of MLC school staging a concert in the Sydney Opera House every two years – a must see movie http://mrscareysconcert.com
• Tuesday, Jillian joins us for a delicious dinner
• Wednesday lunch at Katharine and Phil’s with Judy coming too
• Thursday lunching at Clovers, Booth Street, Annandale with our neighbours Joy and Graeme
• Friday late morning tea with friend Barb at Bellevue House, Blackwattle Bay, Glebe, by the harbour
• Saturday afternoon tea with Steve on Norton Street in Leichhardt
• Sunday breakfast with Allen, Dianne and John (working colleagues of many years standing) at Savichees www.savichees.com.au bottom of Harris Street in Pyrmont

61st birthday and Mothers’ Day

Sunday, 8 May, I turned 61 and Barbara celebrated Mothers’ Day.  It was very special.

My brother flew over from South Australia joining us for the day.

Most of us played yahtzee www.yahtzeeonline.org , my brother and I played 12 games of backgammon http://backgammon.org (winning six each, he had led 5 to 1) and most (especially the men) played a new game, Perudo www.perudo.com.

Our children provided lunch that consisted of entrée of cheese and champagne, main course of roast lamb and vegetables (cooked Jamie Oliver style) and dessert (afternoon tea time) of lemon tarts topped with creamy soft meringue.  Mine had a candle in it!

My birthday and Barbara’s Mothers’ Day present from our offspring is that we will be having professional family portraits taken.  I had only thought about this a few days before as they had a portrait done of the four of them in 2004.  I was looking at hanging one of those portraits in the dining room and was thinking it would be wonderful to have a new one.  Now we will – the perfect present!

Chemo Round 3

Monday May 2 to 4 was my third round of chemotherapy.  Again, I have generally felt well throughout the three days with my appetite remaining healthy and having energy.  In fact, my weight has increased by one or two kilograms over the last month.

On Monday at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney Cancer Centre, I could not help but notice that some people suffer quite a bit in their treatment.  At one stage, all but one of the twenty odd chairs for those receiving chemotherapy were occupied.  Two people near me had to have catheters inserted for the chemo to be provided.  I do not need this because I have a port-o-cath.  Over time, I understand, it gets harder to find veins to insert the catheters in.  The lady next to me had to have a second attempt to insert a catheter and it was inserted in her lower thumb area.  She winced very noticeably and moaned a bit.  The gentleman opposite me also experienced discomfort when his catheter was inserted.

My Monday at the hospital was the quickest so far due to my being prepared for treatment while the chemo was still being prepared.  This meant that I was at the hospital from 8.30 am to 3.15 pm and I was home by 3.30 pm,  whereas in the first two rounds it was 7.00 pm and 4.45 pm respectively before I arrived home.

On days 2 and 3 at home I did have about six bouts of hiccups each day with two of the bouts lasting a couple of hours.  I also experienced tingling in my fingers – twice on Tuesday, four times on Wednesday and am experiencing one as I draft this entry.  Numbness in the fingers and toes is one of the possible side effects.  At this stage the tingling passes and my fingers feel OK and this is what I want to happen each time.  I am holding to the prayer of the chemotherapy bad effects being minimised and the good effects being maximised.  I entertained myself for part of each day by watching the 12 episodes of John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers.  You can find out about this famous British comedy at http://www.fawltysite.net/ with this site’s linked to others.

Today, Thursday, after a good night’s sleep I am feeling well except for the tingling and a bit of queasiness, which seems to be the most noticeable the day after the chemo treatment.

Socialising and Other Activities

The time in between chemotherapy 2 and 3 (which is this coming Monday to Wednesday) has been very enjoyable.  I have been well with improving energy levels over the last eleven days.  My only discomfort has been feeling queasy – a feeling of mild indigestion that tends to ease the further from the last round of chemotherapy.  I do burp and fart more and have more trips to the bathroom but these are small matters compared with what some people cope with while undergoing chemotherapy.

Saturday April 23 – lunch at our second son's fiancé's family home.  An enjoyable time was had by all.  Later that afternoon, my friend Murray and his partner, Rachel, visited.  Murray was the human resources manager at one of my clients.  He is the most dynamic and different HR person I have ever met.  He was an enabler of people throughout his organisation and fostered the coming together and connecting of people to enhance the organisation’s performance.  Murray had his own encounter with cancer two years ago.  Among our discussion, he mentioned that if he had to do it again he would ensure he ate and drank more.  Now, the eating and drinking can become a chore at times.  I will make sure I follow Murray’s advice.

Monday evening April 25 – in the evening, family dinner with some friends from Petersham Baptist Church times in the late 1980/early 1990s.  Barbara had prepared a delicious and hearty stew as the main course.  These friends now have families of young adults and teenagers.  It was wonderful for the fifteen of us to be together.  By adding an extra table we were able to all eat together in the dining room.  With the loss of hearing in my right ear, I find it hard to hear conversation in a group and so found it easier to converse before and after the meal when we were in smaller groups.

Tuesday and Wednesday we travelled to and from Boomerang Beach (south of Forster on the lower north coast of NSW) and stayed at Don and Lorraine’s home.  Our friends (and former small group members) Simon and Diana and their children from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were visiting Simon’s parents.  They usually come at Christmas and we have seen them at Boomerang Beach almost yearly in recent years.  I have also visited them often in KL during work visits.  In fact I have seen them four times since last December (twice at Boomerang Beach and twice in KL).  When Luke was two we somehow connected with each other in a deep way and this connection then extended to Erin.  I have seen Luke and Erin enough times that this close connection has remained.  They give me the loveliest cuddles when it is time to part.  This time Luke said ‘Get well, soon, Uncle David’.  I promised I would do my best.

Thursday April 28 there were three social engagements.  One of our daughter’s long time friends from school days joined our family for breakfast.  Penelope lived with us for three months when they were in Year 10, while her mother and brother were overseas.  This created a close bond with our family.  At lunchtime we went with Phil and Catherine to the Persian Room in Harris Street Ultimo (our neighbours Joy and Graeme took us here two weeks earlier).  We had delicious Iranian food, sharing the four different main courses and a small platter of desserts.  During the afternoon, we received a phone call and then late afternoon a visit from John and Phillip Tully.  John was staying on the Central Coast with Phillip for a couple of weeks.  I had visited John and his son David at their home on the Gold Coast.  We had not seen Phillip since he left Glebe as a teenager when his family moved on from Glebe Uniting Church to the Gold Coast.  We enjoyed catching up and sharing with Phillip about each other’s children.  So Thursday was a very special day with friends of a wide age range.

Friday I attended ESFNG small group for an evening meal and watched parts of the Royal Wedding.  Barbara stayed home to recover from the busy week of socialising and relaxed watching the Royal Wedding on our big screen television.

Saturday we hung some of my family pictures and three artworks of our Tamworth friend Alison in the dining room, played some Yahtzee and did the crossword puzzles from the Sydney Morning Herald.  Our youngest came for dinner and stayed with us overnight.

Sunday May 1, one of my cousins and his wife visited with us for afternoon tea catching up on each other’s lives.  Family members came and went.  All but our two living in Edinburgh made sure they saw us soon after they heard the news of my cancer.

So, I have travelled well and enjoyed the last eleven days between chemo treatments.

Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy

Recently I have received two worthwhile PowerPoint slide sets from friends John and Alison, and Pam and Allan, respectively.  Cactus_Blooms.pps is a series of photos of cactus flowers and it is amazing how many different and beautiful flowers there are.  Japanese_Azaleas.pps is a series of photos of a Japanese azalea park in full bloom.  Cactus Blooms has ‘Tips for a Better Life in 2011’ and Japanese Azaleas has ‘pearls of wisdom’ from Andy Rooney.  Both contain worthwhile and uplifting messages.

You can download Cactus Blooms at http://www.4shared.com/document/9OWQE0D_/Cactus_Blooms.html.  Click on the blue ‘download now’ button and then click the ‘download file now’ on the following screen (it takes 20 seconds to appear).  Then you can click on the PowerPoint slide show once it has downloaded.  (You probably need to have Microsoft PowerPoint to view it.)

You can download Japanese Azaleas at http://www.4shared.com/document/aqp-IzOw/Japanese_Azaleas.html and follow the same process as for the Cactus Blooms.

Cactus Blooms includes a slide with the message ‘Live with the 3 E’s: Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy’.  As you know, I have led an energetic and enthusiastic life.  One of the discoveries on my present journey is a heightened sense of empathy.  I think most of us only tend to understand suffering and difficulties in life when we encounter them ourselves.  This has been true for me.

Having cancer, I have realised that I know a number of people that have struggled with health issues and other difficulties all their lives but I did not appreciate how successfully they have lived in trying circumstances.  One such person is a close relative and her husband.  I wrote to her and expressed my appreciation for their example of living positively in difficult circumstances.  They told you about their health issues in a matter of fact manner and then moved on in their conversation.  I received a wonderful letter in reply, and I quote:

‘Like most people I’ve had my moments over the years of thinking “why me” & the only answer to that question can be “why not”.  As we all know life never has been easy or fair for the majority of people.  What has been my saviour has been the love of family and friends & the blessings ..... have been our children & grand-children. They are the greatest gift of all & right now for you & Barbara, & over the years, your beautiful children are what makes everything so worthwhile, especially [in] the tough times.’

Our friend Leonie in a recent email, wrote that in looking at cancer that it ‘is a fight that noone really loses.  Everyone who takes part wins some sort of prize’.  One of my prizes is an increased awareness of those I know and love who have lived with difficulties for long periods during their lives.  Either talking with them or writing to them, I have learned of their depth of character and wisdom that I doubt I would have discovered without my current circumstance.

Point of No Return?

I have been reflecting on my current journey.  I realised that when I drove to Byron Bay to work on Friday 18 March, visiting relatives on the way and then staying a few days at the Gold Coast and visiting relatives and friends, that I was sicker than I knew.  It was just after the endoscopy and colonoscopy on the Monday.  On reflection, I noticed pain in my liver, particularly at night.  I used warmth to make it feel better.

Now, after two rounds of chemotherapy I have no pain in my liver and in the last week have felt energetic.

I think I might have been close to a point of no return.  I think my liver was deteriorating severely, which is supported by my oncologist asking me to start the chemotherapy one week earlier than first scheduled.  I feel that if I had gone much longer without seeking medical assistance that the liver would have deteriorated too far to be helped by chemotherapy.  Naturally, I could be wrong with this self-assessment but the great improvement between how I was feeling at Byron Bay and the Gold Coast and today is stark.

I feel that the combination of the chemotherapy (medical assistance), positive thinking (mine and your human input) and prayers (spiritual input) have transformed my situation.  I am glad I did not pass the ‘point of no return’.