Three Seasons in One Day

Monday 6 June is Three Seasons in One Day for me:

1. Fall (autumn) meeting with Dr Adrian (Dr Kate is in Chicago at a conference) and nurse Jin.  Barbara and I learned that the experimental drug is not working.  Thursday’s CT scan showed the cancer is growing and small new ones are appearing.  So, I have ceased taking the experimental drug.  In two weeks time I hope to begin taking Lonsurf, a new drug yet to be registered on the Australian PBS system.  At present the pharmacy company is providing it free to patients such as me.
2. Spring attending a lunch of Arthur Young people, mainly partners from the late 1980s.  Many of these people I had not seen since I left Ernst & Young in January 1991, twenty five years ago.  It was an enjoyable trip down memory lane.  AY/EY was the springboard to my own business that Barbara and I ran for twenty four years till February 2014.
3. Summer attending our youngest son’s graduation ceremony tonight.  He has attained a PhD for his research on the AIDS virus.  After the ceremony we will enjoy a dinner with some family and friends.  Truly our children, their partners and our grandchildren are summer to me.

Monday 6 June has been three important experiences in my life.  Naturally, it is hard finding out the experimental drug did not work.  It has thrown me a bit but I am glad I went to the Arthur Young lunch.  I am looking forward to tonight’s graduation and dinner.  Life goes on.  Rather sobering to have such different experiences in one day.

The next hope for stopping the cancer is Lonsurf.  In March 2011 when I was diagnosed with inoperable colon and liver cancer, the prognosis was one to five years of life.  Now five years later I am amazingly well with my liver and kidney still functioning normally.  The prognosis is now about one year of life subject to any of the drugs working.  Lonsurf and the experimental drug did not exist five years ago.

An amazing number of you have been praying for my healing.  Thank you.  My disease is taking its course – my health has declined considerably over the last five years.  The cancer though checked for a while on some occasions, continues to grow.  I am fortunate to be at the longer end of living for someone in my situation.  I am now finding it awkward to receive messages about being healed by God when the evidence is clear that this is not occurring.  I do not mind if you think this is my fault because I lack faith.  I think that most claims for ‘God’s healing’ would be disproven if subjected to scientific empirical testing.  Rather I think that my friend Allan’s view that ‘God is with us through life’s journey’ is more likely to be true.

Over the last five years my health has been an up and down journey.  Overall I am enjoying a good quality of life.  The BezCan Project at Bezallel and Canaan Schools in Kamuli, Uganda has provided an uplifting outward-focused activity for the last three years.  I am sure it has made an enormous difference to my wellbeing.  It is my passion.  My vision is to be able to complete building Canaan School and rehabilitate Bezallel’s infrastructure.  Much has been done but my guess is about another $1 million is needed.  For me this is much more important than my life – 850 children plus their families, staff and others benefit.  I would much rather you pray for The BezCan Project, especially that my colleagues and I working on this project find people willing to donate and the money is used wisely.  If you are able to help in this or introduce me to those who can, then together we are changing a small part of the world for the better – see The BezCan Project website.  Contact me.

Roof is on smaller classroom block at Canaan School