Loving Life

                                                                           February 23, 2011

                I asked Terence this morning

"what does living above cancer mean to you"? 

Without hesitation he answered;

  "appreciating every breath and  

genuinely loving life and everyone in it".

Good advice for anyone!

 

Party Pants!

Life is short, wear your party pants!

Sherry, February 21, 2011

Terminal cancer has attempted to define our lives.  As we've struggled for some some sense of normalcy and consistency (which becomes elusive at times), we have a tendency to live in the throes of sickness....the effects of the pain becoming all consuming until we lose all sense of thriving.

 What a sad commentary on life!

We lighten things up & have regular family dance offs!

Life brings suffering in it's own time, why  should we practice?  

Life is short, wear your party pants!

  

Don’t we want to experience delight every day? 

We have to not worry about what is around the corner. I am now trying to do that to every extent that I can. 

Terence & I and grand kids, Bella & Ethan

Right now Terence feels very good and that is all I will deal with. 

We're planning for the short term future; we're getting ready for our trip to Montana and Wyoming this summer.

As far as Terence's cancer is concerned he has an oncology appointment and another treatment in a few weeks and that is all I care to think about the topic.

Grand daughter Isabelle

Wow oh wow oh wow is all I can say. 

Don’t put off the stuff that matters to you. 

 ~Sherry

We’re just trying to live above it all and enjoy life regardless.

A play date with my grand daughter Annie

Trying to focus- and regain some normalcy.

After a rough week, we’re still trying to re-focus and attempt to regain somewhat of a normal life. 

Why was this a tough week? Terence’s main meds don’t mix well with the Ketoconazole (he takes it 3X day). His body didn't adapt quickly enough and so- pain, allergies, swelling, extreme fatigue and nausea were all unwelcomed guests in our household last week.  He spent too much time the last 2 weeks on his feet.  Moving, repairing and getting us settled into our home (quickly~ because I was going into surgery and would need three weeks to recover. He didn’t want me to concern myself with any domestic duties during recovery so he worked hard to get it all done before I went into the hospital).  Though he’s paying for it now,  he has the benefit of peace of mind!

I am in recovery and doing quite well.  Still can’t vacuum or lift, etc. but that’s where the daughters come in.  Callie and Nadine have been dynamite daughters!  Helping around the house, taking over chores, allowing us to rest and get well.

 They also make us EXERCISE! And having an exercise physiologist for a son-in-law, you better believe that we get lots of encouragement in that department.  Callie also put us on a work out accountability program that Nadine handed out to the family!!!!! It’s working. I started (albeit post surgery SLOW) on Sunday, Terence is yet to get on, he’s been a little dizzy and nauseated, but he’ll start again soon too.  This is a part of our attempt to live a normal life again: exercise, grocery shop, fix it projects etc. etc.!  

 Yet another cancer friend/person I know died.

See what I mean about trying to live normal??? 19 months ago, I didn’t know anyone with cancer, and certainly didn’t understand the pain that accompanies such a diagnoses.   I don’t think we’ll ever be the same people again. We will always and forever have compassion. We remember how painful it was and has been to our family when Terence first got diagnosed.

Our first year was horrible in that we didn’t know how to handle cancer and we weren’t very well versed in the cancer culture.  The second year is unfolding a little better, but not without it’s own trials.  The marathon we’re running gets tiring so we’re learning how to ‘pace’ ourselves in this new life-style.

 Year #2 with cancer is focusing on living above cancer:  trying to live a normal life, (i.e. not allowing cancer to dictate our daily schedule and consume our minds).  Some days, that’s almost impossible, but then there are days that we just have to choose to relax and have fun  in order to escape the overwhelming-ness of it all!

Terence is planning on going spring bear hunting in Montana this April (with his brother).  Though that sounds very normal (for him anyway) the fact that he has cancer makes a trip like that not-so-normal……the logistics of the long drive + medications and physical limitations turn a normal trip into a small medical mission! We’re also planning a family trip with Nadine, Mike and the kids (to Mikes home town in South Dakota and a drive into the Montana wilderness this summer).  Again we'll have to determine the logistics of mixing cancer with long summer drive.   We hope to cap off our summer plans with another road trip with Eric, Callie (and maybe Andrew) to Yellowstone and our hometown, Kemmerer, Wyoming.  Another trip that requires  the planning and management---- a complex task; caring for a cancer patient while traveling takes extra time and effort.  Not normal. But we need to do this and need to enjoy it.

 We’re just trying to live above it all and enjoy life regardless. I guess that’s becoming normal!

  

At the end of the day, we whisper a prayer to the Lord and give thanks for our lives..... normal or not!

~Sherry

All I need to lift up my day!

By Terence


February 9, 2011

I think the thing that blesses me the most about my wife, is when she smiles.

Life hasn’t been the easiest for her lately; with a husband with advanced cancer 

and she recently went through  her own surgery……but one thing is for sure, my wife is not a quitter, nor is she an unhappy person. 

Everyday her eyes shine and her smile breaks through some of our toughest days…… that’s all I need to lift up my day.

Terence