Merry medical Christmas letter

First, please don't miss Jody's journal just below mine. It's good that we were both inspired to write today. I guess we both felt the love and wanted to express it today. Also, on my part, I've been waiting for my DSL provider to get a new modem to me so I could get back on the internet.

It was great that so many of us were able to assemble in the little town of Oregon, Il. on Saturday, Dec. 2o. Those who could not come were missed but between a generous luncheon spread (at Maxsons Buffet on the grand and glorious Rock river) and a gathering of the Egan and Rice clans at Michelle's house afterwords it was a day that made my heart feel good. We were very lucky that we caught the only day of good weather in the last week.

I hope that everyone is as well as can be and you are getting what you want for Christmas. I'm sure that for many of us that is the same thing. I know that my current recovery from my symptoms is the best present I could have received for Christmas.


Most of us are celebrating the holidays with all the joy and love of our families. Meanwhile, someone we may not all know, John DeStefano, Bette's husband and Joni Batchen's brother-in-law is recovering from major back surgery having just come home after weeks of physical therapy. They are cousins from the Ronayne family where our grandmothers (and for some of us our mothers) came from. Please give John a thought and a prayer over the holidays as he tries to deal with the pain that can't ever be far from his consciousness.

Family Gathering

Well, we had quite the busy weekend... The Egan clan came from the four corners to see my dad and it was a wonderful time! Jim and Christy were out from Colorado; Jenny came from Maryland; Brian and Sarah drove in from Tennessee; Tom, Tracy, Jake, Max, and Abby came in from up north; Steve and Vicki drove in from Rolling Meadows; Michelle, Al, Krista, Kevin and Marty and I were there of course, as well as the guest of honor, Mike, and my mom. Tracy was there as well, but unfortunatley Matt had to work and was missed... Patty and Harley and Mitch and Brit were snowed in up in Wisconsin and they were certainly missed as well.

We had good news to share as the latest chest x-ray showed no changes in my father's cancer, and that is the best Christmas present any of us will receive!!!

To all who came, thank you for such a lovely day! Please forward any pictures that were taken to my personal email so I can post them on the blog and facebook.

Love to all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
Jody

Happy Holidays!

Well, it is officially December and all of the money in the world is still dried up. And it's five months since my big surprise. At least for now I am done with chemo and I am just taking my daily oral medication. I have a message in to Dr. Schultz because my cough hasn't gone away for four weeks. I am eating well, (watch me eat a meal and prove it to yourself) and sleeping well but I still can't get up in the morning and get to the fitness center.

I have joined many of you by signing up for Facebook to receive Jeni's photos. This is a big step for me since I have never joined a social networking site before. What are the advantages and what are the security concerns?

It is December eighth and I am now 71 years old for sure. Getting older is not better, but as long as I am hanging around with Carolyn I am willing to put up with it. She has had to pick up some more of the workload around here where I might have dropped it recently and she has made no complaints. One of these days when my excuses start sounding lame, I will have to take back some of it.

Oh, well, I am sending this missive off to you, one and all; I will check in again after my appointment with Dr. Schultz next Monday, Dec 15.

Love from,

Dad, Gran'pa, brother, uncle

Mike

Mike's triumphant return; ta da! (fanfare)

I'm back! The funny problem I had for about a month was caused by the treatments I've been receiving along with chemotherapy. It's a variant on what they call "Chemo burn" and can cause your skin to break out almost anywhere; which is why I was lucky. I only got infected in my hands. Of course that caused me to miss several pickup basketball games with Barak Obama, but he's old news anyway.

I am gratefull to Jody for keeping everyone up to date and keeping the communications open.

On Monday, Nov. 17 I saw the Oncologist, Dr. Schultz, along with the team (Carolyn, who comes for the moka coffee, Jody, who is my doctor's star visitor and Michelle who is the adult in the team).

Dr. reviewed the results of last Thursday's CtScan and said my condition is "stable", which, I guess, means that the treatment is holding the cancer at bay. For now, I can stop taking chemo and rely on the oral treatment that I take every day to prevent the cancer from becoming active again. Meanwhile, they will take chest xrays every 30 days and Ctscans every 60 days.

But enough about my fun and games, Al has started his new job as a Fire Lieutenant (see pictures below) and Marty is working about 90 hours a week. Krista and Kevin are doing great. Meanwhile, Carolyn and I are enjoying Paradise here in Oregon, Il. If you haven't been to Oregon, you need to stretch you imagination to understand the perfect 1970's beauty of it. Probably, nothing has changed here in 30 years and that's too soon.

Thanks, everyone, for letting me check in with my update. Please stay in touch.

Mike, (dad, gran'pa, uncle, brother), I love you all and look forward to seeing you soonest.

More Updates

Lt. Alan and Michelle Greene
Krista retiring Alan's FF badge

Kevin pinning on Alan's Lt. badge

Hi all,

Well, Lizzie's hubby ended up with the sniffles, so we have rescheduled our visit for this coming week.

Michelle said my dad's hands are looking great! I am going out there tomorrow, so I can see for myself. He had a CT Scan Thursday of this past week, and we get the results of the test on Monday. My parents, Michelle, and I will all make the journey to the doctor to hear; it's a family affair.

Hopefully with the continued improvements, he will be typing on his own soon. I am posting some of the pictures from Al's pinning so you can all enjoy.

Love,

Jody

A New Direction

Good morning all,

Liz is on her way out with the boys, I will post some photos later on today or tomorrow. Michelle will be joining us for lunch today as she has not met Will and Charlie either.

Since my dad's hands are still healing and he is unable to type just yet, I would like to invite everyone to post words of encouragement, a prayer, or just a simple hello. I think he would really enjoy reading everyone's thoughts.

He is back on the trial drugs per the doctor, every other day instead of every day like before. This will be closely monitored by the doctor and we have another CT Scan scheduled for next week to see his progress internally. The doctor will be checking on his hands when he goes in for the results. He is also scheduled for an EKG next week.

We look forward to reading...
Love,
Jody

Continued Updates on Dad

His burns are healing, slowly, but that is expected as his immune system is compromised from the chemo. He is alternating cortaid, emu oil, and utter balm to help the dryness and itching. He wears cotton gloves to avoid accidentally hitting his hands and also to keep the moisture in. My best friend Liz is coming out next week to visit with her two boys, Will and Charlie, and we are all looking forward to having that energy in the house. My parents have not met the boys yet, and they are too cute for words, so a great time will be had by all.

Dad has a doctors appointment Monday to see if he is ready to continue the trial drugs, which he most likely will.

Hope everyone is well. Much love,
Jody