Rallying for the Finals

Today begins the last full week of treatment! This was cause for some celebration, which was quickly stifled by early morning nausea, but regained celebratory momentum as the day continued. First thing this morning Pop met with the radiation doctor who was amazed at the health that Dad is keeping up. He sat back in his chair and raised his eye-brows. "Well we're certainly impressed," he expressed, "normally folks are in a lot worse shape. Keep doing whatever you are doing." Mom and Pop looked at each other. "Well I guess I'll keep laying around," Pop mumbled under his breath with a wide smile. Truth is, he has been doing extremely well this past week. This is two weeks in a row that he has had an appetite, and even had enough energy to go out for some walks on the road. There are spells where he is extremely tired, and will sleep for hours on end, but it is good to see his body resting. He needs the rest as his body deals with the battle raging internally. The burns are doing okay since they have started him on another medication to keep the wounds from opening-up. Rather than open sores on his back, it has dried the affected areas to a tolerable level. With the weather being so beautiful the end of last week, Pop would take walks out to the end of the driveway in the mornings to grab the paper, and would try to save up energy for a walk in the evening after supper. On Friday and Saturday he tried to lay extra low so that he could make a trip down to the Buck on Saturday night. Now, for those of you who are not from Lancaster County, the Buck is where they have Monster Truck rallies, tractor pulls, demolition derbies, mud-boggin', and tough truck competitions at an outdoor arena (if you can call a set of grand-stands an arena). To say that it is a back-woods, country-lovin', heck-of-a-good-time, is an understatement. Pop and the boys love the festivities, so we wanted to see if he could make it out for the evening. Sure enough, he was feeling decent enough to make it down to southern Lancaster County with the whole family. Even Emma had her first introduction to the life of high-octane fuel and horsepower! Pop spent the evening wrapped in his work sweatshirt, laughing at the announcers, and yelling over the noise of screaming engines. It was a great way to end the fifth week, and seeing him in the stands having fun with the family was a moment to hold on to. Pop's improved health makes us stop and fall to our knees. It is not by human hand that Pop has been feeling better, but by the hand of the One who created the stars, and who knows us each by name. It is to Him that we owe our gratitude (don't worry, we still love all you doctors and nurses who serve as His hands and feet here). To Him we say, "Thank you."

Up and Moving

Well, to be honest, this past week has been one of almost normalcy. Pop has experienced ups and downs in his energy level, but no major set-backs or complications have occurred. It has allowed for him to get into somewhat of a routine...wake-up, go to radiation, come home and eat a little something, take a nap, walk around doing what little work he can without Mom scolding him, try to eat a little lunch, take a nap (Pop would not be happy if he knew that I was telling you that he takes so many naps, because laying around is one of his pet-peeves), sit on the porch and get some fresh air, have a bit of supper, and a little while later it is about time for bed. Some days he is able to eat more than others, so we try to monitor how his nausea is doing for the day. As we near the end of the forth week of a six week regiment, we see that Pop is holding to his character. If the fight comes down to will-power, none of us are worried, but the physical side of the fight unfortunately is not up to him. On Tuesday Mom began noticing irritation marks on Pop's back. The next time that they went in for radiation, Mom asked about the marks. The nurses confirmed what Mom had been speculating, that the marks are radiation burns, and that they need to be closely monitored. It is moments like these that we realize the power of the instruments, and drugs, that he is taking. When Pop walks in and out each day from being hit with radiation it is hard to imagine this invisible ray is doing anything. However, when the burn marks start occurring from the inside-out, reality becomes visible. So, as the end of week four winds down, we have plenty to be grateful for, and little to complain about. We will continue to lift our eyes to the hills to see where out help comes from, and we'll stand beside Pop as he fights onward. We pray that his body continues to hold-up to the treatment, and that he keeps the grin that he wore all night as he played with his grand-daughter Emma.

A Nice Mother's Day Gift

This afternoon Pop was finally discharged from the hospital. The doctors are a bit puzzled as to why he was spiking temps, but again they mentioned that things are rather unpredictable with a tumor in that region of the body. Either way, it was good to see him back in his own bed, looking out the window at empty bird feeders (oh shoot...we need to fill those up again). Pop is feeling better than Friday, and with perspective, is hanging in there extremely well. The doctors were pleased with how he is holding-up to the barrage of treatment, and are glad to see that he is not waning or tiring in the fight (although this doesn't come as a surprise to those who know him). So, the 4th week will start tomorrow with radiation first thing in the morning. While the hiccup came, it didn't change his schedule at all, and we are still running according to plan. With the early morning coming, Pop quickly retired to the comfort of his own bed. We are glad for each day spent at home, and pray that the coming week brings strength, hope, and perseverance. Leaning on the One who has created all things, we know that these are obtainable.

A Slight Hiccup

Since the beginning of the week was so eventful, Wednesday and Thursday Pop spent playing catch-up. He slept a lot, and was able to just keep the nausea at bay. He was able to make it to the porch a few times to soak-up some rays, and to watch the pair of Baltimore Orioles that have made their home at the farm. It is amazing how slowing down a bit can bring about many small joys. Pop has enjoyed watching the tractors pass back and forth over the rolling farmland, as they plant corn and soy beans. It takes him back to when he was a boy growing up on the family farm in Halifax. The warm air, a steady breeze, plenty of flies (oh wait...that's not supposed to be one of them), and bright sunshine, have made the last few days beautiful for getting some fresh-air. Around 3am on Friday morning, Pop awoke with terrible stomach pains that lasted for about 2 hours. Once it seemed that they had subsided, it was time to get ready for his morning radiation appointment. The radiation went well, followed by a good meeting with the infection control doctors, and it was off to the Cancer Center for some liquids. Then we hit a speed-bump. As they were taking his vital signs at the Center, it was noticed that Pop was running a temperature over 100, and his blood pressure was rather low. So, the decision was made to admit him to Lancaster General Hospital. Now, today is Mom and Pop's anniversary, and Mom was out to breakfast with her sisters when the doctor's decided that he needed to be admitted. Thankfully (sarcastically of course), us children had the pleasure of calling and telling Mom the news. While it was disappointing, we tried to make the most of an unfortunate situation, and we all came into the hospital and spent the afternoon here. When evening came, we realized that it was "First Friday" in Lancaster (a local arts and business festival), so the children took Mom out to walk around the city, and to grab cheese-steaks which she has been craving. We are hopeful that Pop will go home tomorrow, but we will see what each new day brings. So far things are looking positive, and his temperature has broke. We will continue to pray that his temp stays low, and that the nausea that has pestered him throughout the day will subside. Well, the lights are dark and a familiar snoring sound is filling his room. As a family we always look forward to hearing this consistent drone, as we know it to be a good sign he is sleeping soundly.

Back On His Feet

It has been one week since we last updated, and Ken is going strong. The middle of last week was a slow-point, where Pop was nauseous and sapped of energy. So, on Friday they decided to give him a bit more powerful medication that helped fight the nausea and gave him more energy. While the affects of the medication certainly increased his energy level, they also gave him insomnia. He could sleep for 10-15 minutes, then would be awake for an hour. As long as he was resting, it was okay that he wasn't sleeping. Saturday morning found Pop feeling good enough to go down to CV and watch the Donegal boys play tennis. It was a beautiful morning, but as the day heated up the humidity became too much. We left the matches early to retire to the farm, where Pop was able to re-energize and have a relaxing day. The next day was much the same, and with the festivities occurring in Maytown, the family made their way into town to hear the Matt Goss Band. As long as the outings are short, it has been good for Pop to feel mobile once again (I guess the drive to and from radiation every day just wasn't cutting it). He has been laughing again, and it is good to hear his familiar humor starting to come back. He jokes around more, as it is easier for him with the healing process of his incisions. The increased energy, and humor, came back just in time for Mom's birthday yesterday. It was a unique birthday that was spent largely at the Lancaster Cancer Center (who we now think of as family). In the evening, however, we had the unique opportunity to partake in a meal with everyone sitting around the table together...yes, even Pop. His appetite has returned, and even more remarkable than that, he has been able to eat solid food again! It is a wonderful sign, but doctors are wanting to be conservative with quick conclusions. As a family we understand where the doctors are coming from, and we're okay with not knowing all the answers. Seeing Pop eating the meal last night was reminiscent of days past. He ate a plate-full of food, and even had a piece of pie for dessert. When the meal was done, he still had a bit of energy so we decided to take a walk up the road. Pop hasn't walked that far in a long time, but with the cool weather, a full stomach, and family by his side, he walked the entire way unassisted. It made us all smile seeing him walking hand-in-hand with Mom as the sun was slowly sinking. They were care-free for a moment in time, as the situation surrounding them melted away. It was another glimpse of God's goodness, as He provides strength and hope, love and mercy.