Snowy Illinois

Hello All.

Julie and I are here in snowy Illinois and have been for the last month. Sorry that I haven't been very good at keeping you informed of our whereabouts. I promise to do better. As you can see from the picture above though, I have been busy at something. I've been growing hair and for good measure have added a beard. It's a work in progress, but it is progressing. My weight remains stable, and I've actually gained a few pounds while we've been here.

I have been receiving Tomotherapy radiation treatments twice a day at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Zion, Illlinois. (There is a link to CTCA on the left side of the page under "Links.") You can learn more about Tomotherapy by going here. These treatments were twice a day for the first three weeks we were here, followed by a week off. As you might imagine, I felt quite tired most of the time during those weeks, but have managed to bounce back some this last week.

Next week I begin Brachytherapy, which consists of two treatments per week. Each treatment involves inserting a radioactive isotope in my esophagus for about five minutes or so. This is an operation with anesthesia, though it is outpatient, so hopefully won't be too bad. You can learn more about this procedure by going here. I will probably have four of these sessions, three between now and Feb. 18 and one more in March, with a possibility of a couple of extra sessions should I need them. As of now we don't know whether or not these treatments are helping with the cancer, but we should know more in a few days.

Mostly, Julie and I have been going to the hospital every day, having breakfast and lunch there, getting the treatments and then coming back to our room at the Radisson Hotel, which is actually just over the border in Wisconsin. We've met some very nice people at the hospital, some of whom have the same type of cancer that I do, and their encouragement and support have been wonderful.

Somehow the weather gods have seen fit to decree this Winter as one of the coldest and snowiest in recent memory in this part of the country, so I have been brought back abruptly to my roots in Michigan. For example, the high temperature today is forecast to be 5 degrees with winds around 35 m.p.h. and a windchill of minus 35. Julie, as a Maryland and Virginia girl, has never experienced a Winter like this and doesn't want to again.

It's been a somewhat stultifying time here -- imagine spending 45 days in a motel room. Fortunately, we have a small suite which consists of two rooms, so we're not on top of each other all the time. We have a very small refrigerator, a microwave, and have bought a hot plate, so we are somewhat self-sufficient in our room. We also each brought a laptop, lots of books, and a DVD player with DVD's. Julie has also knitted me a much needed scarf and has almost finished a sweater for herself. We haven't killed each other yet, and in fact, have been getting along very well. There's something about serious illness which puts your priorities in perspective, I guess.

Our "Palace"

Living Room

Kitchen and TV

Bedroom

However, we are eager to get home! We miss our family and friends, we miss Kiki, and we miss our house and the river. Right now the plan is to return home on Wed., Feb. 20. We will do a quick repacking, then head to Florida. My mom and dad have invited us, and sisters Susan and Beth with their husbands David and Joe for a ten day Panama Canal cruise. We leave from Ft. Lauderdale and make stops in Aruba, Cartagena (Columbia), the canal, Costa Rica, and Jamaica. Needless to say, we are very excited to be making a 180 degree change from northern Illinois to family, warm weather and relaxation. Bring on the good times!