Oct 22 - Ted off to Jolly Olde...

Ted has gone to England for two weeks to visit with his 87-year-old mum who is still recovering from her two surgeries late last year. After losing 30 lbs, she was down to 6 stones (under 100 lbs) and has been struggling to regain the weight. After a hip replacement, she now walks with a cane but still lives alone in her two-story house at the top of a hill, so is doing well. Since coming here wasn't an option this year, Ted is spending a couple of weeks taking her out on daily jaunts, finding new gastro-pubs, catching up with both families and friends in and around London. A good break for him. He cleaned our whole house the day he left. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful caregiver.
Meantime, I am working hard at my recovery. My mouth is still a problem and eating is a challenge but another series of anti-fungal medication and upping my vitamin and mineral intake, esp. zinc, seems to be helping. I eat a lot of fish and seafood, easy to get down and minimal chewing involved. Soups, stews, oatmeal, smoothies - story of my life. As I don't look like Kate Moss yet, I am obviously winning this battle.
Friends have dropped by, call and send me daily cheery messages so I am well cared for in Ted's absence.
It has been a beautiful fall, today is going to be +21 although only +4 overnight. Our snowshoe hares in residence - a baby one in the back and adult one in our front yard - are beginning to turn white. Just the ear tips staying black now! So cute. Did you know the reason they can run around all winter is because their feet never touch the ground? They grow long hairs on the soles of their feet so they skim over the ground and therefore don't lose body heat. The back legs are enormous. They are putting on weight like crazy getting ready for the cold months. They sense safety in our residential neighborhood, although we hear coyotes in the park some nights, so danger is never far away. They can easily outrun any dogs here.

Oct 14 Positively Pink Outlook

Attended a one-day workshop on BC and learned some amazing facts. A long day, but worth it. Went with friend Morag MacLellan, and Janice Thomson, also traveling a similar BC treatment route, now starting radiation. Peer support is so important to share info. Interesting research is emerging to help survivors plan our future. Alcohol is now shown to be a significant marker for breast cancer, an average of a drink per day doesn't seem to have much effect but three a day average (that's a fair bit of booze...) bumps incidence up to 30%. Also being overweight is another increase factor but exercise definitely improves our odds. Not hard to see what should be in the future plan is it? Desserts are out, more than one drink a day is out and a regular exercise program is in. Not exactly rocket science. Tai Chi and walking, here I come.
Tonight I will attend the Norseman Ski Club sign-up for weekend trips. I plan to ski the first weekend of 2008 at Lake Louise and see how I make out. I have so much support in that group, can't fail to do well.

Run for the Cure - Thanks Elvira! - Message of hope

Calgary had an amazingly successful annual CIBC Run for the Cure for Breast Cancer on Oct 3. My beautiful Peruvian/Canadian friend Elvira Z ran for me and I am very grateful to her. This year they have raised $1.7 million to date. Elvira ran with a team from her employer, the Calgary Herald. We are so fortunate in Calgary to have so many sponsors and community supporters of the cause. Why can't we find a cure for this awful disease? It is coming, but not fast enough for some of us.
I attended an all-day workshop on BC last Sunday. Great progress is being made, especially in the pathology. We have a new auto- miscroscope in our path lab at Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary, the only one of its kind in Canada - the HistoRX. It gives precise measures for identifying tumors, and screening for optimal therapy.
As pathologist Tony Magliocco described it - "amazing technology." His last slide showed his two young daughters - he aims to help find the cause of this awful disease to prevent them ever having to worry about it. Great people working in this field. It improves our prognosis no end.
The HER2 cell discovery was made in 1987 and it took 15 years to create the antibody. I am now reaping the benefit of that research as my cancer is HER2 positive, being treated for a year with immunotherapy, an artificial protein. A message of hope for me indeed.

Oct 18 - Feliz Navidad this year

I have booked tickets to Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific Mexican coast for Christmas and New Year. I won't have to decorate a thing this year, the boxes can stay in the basement. Our dear friend, Tikal's Auntie Nancy, is giving us the use of her new condo there any time we want to go down. So we have taken up her offer and will leave Dec 18 after my treatment on 17th and return Jan 2. The Mexicans kow how to fiesta and Christmas is special so we will look forward to a new cultural experience this year. My friend Theresa will be there at the same time with Sheldon, so we will look forward to a rendezvous with them.

Oct 13 Giving Thanks in the Okanagan

Had Thanksgiving week in the Okanagan valley in BC, camping one last time in the VW Westfalia. It will be sold in the spring as we bought a new Mercedez Diesel engine RV, which we'll drive to the Okanagan to pick up in November. End of an era and hopefully the beginning of a new one. Arizona/Alaska/Newfoundland - here we come! Maybe we will even get a trip to the west (wet?) coast in spring too.
Spending another week in wine country with Uschi and Dieter (and dog Freddy) was great. Lots of wineries and nice restaurants, including chateau Cosandier on wheels. I slept in the cosy pull-out sofa in their trailer while Ted enjoyed one last stay in his beloved VW van. Mostly nice weather than headed home and holed up in a 3 star hotel in the mountains en route after the weather headed south. It was warmer in Calgary!
I then got back in harness with planning meetings for 2 days in Edmonton on one of my boards - The Alberta Council for Disability Services. A fruitful meeting and good to be able to participate again.
We celebrated the Moon Festival at our Chinese Friendship dinner the day before we left for BC. It was our AGM and I was again elected president as nobody else wants to take it on. Moon Cakes brought in from Hong Kong were great.
My 3-month session with oncologist Dr. Lisa Pickering yesterday was all good results. She is also helping find remedies for my still sore mouth, a vestige of chemo treatment. I have healed well from surgery and radiation but need therapy again as the arm lost some of its range of motion with the heavy radiation schedule.
Ted is off to UK for 2 weeks on Tuesday to visit mainly with his mum and family. My date book is filling up fast but I'm trying to pace myself as I am still quite tired when I try to fill whole days with too many plans. I am certainly not back to normal yet. But I do have some fuzzy wuzzy hair and am braving it without wig or hats now.