Erica on the swings

Goodbye to a Mellon Thumper

I was just watching the news and I saw a story about a website called "Thumping My Mellon". It was done by a man named Terry Harper. He had a form of cancer and posted a blog. He put the good and the bad in it. He recently died and his final blog post was dated June 2nd. I can relate to some of the sentiments that he expressed. For those who are extra sensitive, it's probably not a good idea to read the next paragraph. But, if you can handle it, I really can relate and reading his posting will probably give you a good insight to where my mind is usually at. Of course, being his final post, death comes into play. I'm not planning on dying anytime soon, but the notion of cancer and death is never far from my mind. I guess it's just the nature of the illness that it's impossible to ignore these things. Part of his final blog post is quoted below. Best wishes and big hugs to all,

Tim

A quote from Terry's final blog post:

"I never viewed this disease as a “gift” or that I was on some kind of “journey.” It just was. There was no way of knowing how this thing appeared in my brain so I tried not to waste any time or energy wondering what I should have or could have done differently. That would have been an exercise in futility. I think I recall one of my doctors telling me early on that there was no way to determine the cause of 98 percent of primary brain tumors. I was probably in the other two percent that didn’t forward one of those damn chain E-mails to my eight closest friends. I can’t deny there were times when I felt down about the whole situation. Hell, who wants to die in their mid-40s? Not me. All things considered, I would rather just be going about my life with Lee Ann at my side, watching Dale and Jace grow up and live their lives…and hopefully getting our tile roof replaced one day. I have no idea what lies beyond. I do know that if love transcends the boundaries of life and space and time, I have amassed more than enough to carry me safely to my next destination. And I hope that I have left enough behind to help light a path so that we may one day meet again. And especially to Lee Ann, Dale and Jace…wherever you go and whatever you do, be happy and know that my love will always be with you. Forever. I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without the three of you in it. It was a great ride."

Happy June

Hi all,

I'm happy to report that my mouth is much better. For the last month or so, it's been really bad. Finally, last week, things started to turn around. I can now go back to beef jerky and lemonade. :)

What else? Well, on the health front, I met with my oncologist this week. Things are looking very good. Still no new cancers showing up. He put me in for my next CT scan. It's been a few months, so it's time to get scanned again. Also, it looks like Robin and I will be doing the Chino Relay for Life. Look for more details on that one as the event gets closer.

As for the family, everyone is doing well. Rumor has it that some kids were teasing Erica at school saying that if you touch her you'll get skin cancer. From what I hear, she calmly and coolly told them that you can't get skin cancer from touching someone and that her father has colon cancer--not skin cancer. When we asked her about this whole thing, she was very nonchalant about it and seemed to have taken the whole thing in stride. She constantly amazes me.

Last weekend we went to see Steve and Nancy in Idyllwild. Erica, Robin, and I took a hike up the South Ridge Trail. I'm guessing that we hiked about a mile or so (each way). We took some great pictures along the way. I'll post them to FB.

Best wishes to all,

Tim

Happy June,

Painful Week...

It turns out that this was a pretty bad cancer week. I big the inside of my lip on Monday night. It was probably the worst that I've ever done that. On top of that, I got some pretty bad mouth sores. Both the mouth sores and the lip bite were on the same side of my mouth, so that whole side of my mouth was just one raw pain magnet. Ouch!

On a good note, I had a great time at The River. My in-laws have been inviting me to join them there for years. I finally took them up on it. We fished and camped in their motorhome. I was able to donate some of my extra money to the local Indian casino.

On Friday, I was fortunate to help with an event at Erica's school. I handled the tech end of things. The event was called the Wickman World Summit. Sixth grade students have partnered with a company called Kiva (www.kiva.org). Kiva is a non-profit that provides micro finance loans to individuals. For example, a goat farmer in Eastern Europe may need a small loan (hence the term micro finance) for more goats. This person can go to Kiva for that loan. Often loans are delivered by a courier on the back of a motorcycle to the recipient. It really neat stuff.

At this event, we connected via Skype to other countries. We spoke with Ghana, Azerbaijan, San Francisco, and a foreign embassy in Washington, DC. We used Skype for video chat and audio chat. Also, Jane Goodall and a woman in Thailand sent in videos that they recorded.

It was a truly fantastic experience.

The Mystery is Over

The first time I went on the Erbitux, I had a wicked face rash (just ask anyone who was at my 20 year high school reunion). I was red and my face felt crispy. The second time I went on it, my scalp was affected. It was yucky. Basically, my head was in a continual state of scabbiness. When the scabs came off, so did patches of hair. It wasn't much fun. I should note that it was NEVER painful--it was just irritating.

I've been wondering how this round of Erbitux will manifest it's side effects. I started back on it on Wednesday. I woke up today with a big nose-pimple (not a pimple with a big nose, but a big pimple on my regular nose). I also have little tiny pimples all over my bald head. So, it looks like this time it will be a head and face rash. Woohoo! There is a good side to this--they say that the rash is a sign that the medicine (Erbitux) is working. I'm not quite sure how this will play out with being bald and needing to shave my head. I anticipate that there will be a bit of an awkward phase (whether bald or with hair). Hmm--I like being bald, but maybe it's time for some funny hats or a rainbow wig. I wonder if I can find one of those Gallager hats that have the hair built in...

Long Time No Post

Hi All,

I've been busy lately. I hope you're all doing well. For the last month or two, I've scaled back one chemo drug. It's Erbitux--the one that causes the rotten face and scalp rash. I also switched to working only 1 day per week. The idea was to rest up a bit and get a little recovery time.

I meet with my doctor tomorrow and I plan to ask him to put me back on my Erbitux. It may be rotten, but it kills cancer and keeps me alive. So, Erbitux goes back on the menu.

All is good here. Robin and Erica are doing well, I'm enjoying work, and life is good.

More exciting blog post and Facebook posts to come.

Big hugs to all,

Tim

Another Uneventful Chemo

I had a nice morning at chemo. The nurses were great, the IV was slowly dripping, and I got to have my Benadryl nap. Now, time to go lay down and get some rest.