I was going to do a post asking for prayers for our friends Dan and Katie but I don't think I could possibly say it any better than Dan and his wife Katie. Dan is experiencing a recurrence of bone cancer, this time in his lungs. We are all praying that Dan, Katie and their two children!


Pathology results…
Well, the results were not good enough to be in the title. My pathology results showed that both nodules have metastatic synovial sarcoma. Tomorrow Katie and I have meetings with my surgeon for my post-op follow up, and then in the afternoon we get to discuss my treatment options. Most likely I will be taking part in a clinical trial. Basically I don’t know much anything beyond what Katie found snooping around on the internet.
Obviously this is not the way I wanted to start 2011, but I (physically) feel great. Today was narcotic free, and I got some great fresh air on a walk around town, and should be able to get back to work soon as long as my surgeon gives me the go-ahead.
I feel, and I know from the reactions of the few people I have told that this news is really blunt, and jarring. I don’t think it’s possible for it to be anything else but that. But over the past 4 weeks, I have had plenty of discussions with Katie and myself about how life will go on, and it will be ok, even if it is bad news. So it is. And I am ok with it. I have had 100 different emotional reactions, or scenarios about this in my head, and when I step back and look at them all from a distance, the best way I can see to process all this is if I can be at peace with myself and what I am, and not let it get the best of me (in theory). There have been plenty of times when I have been broken down through this, but I still believe that bringing my mental “A” game is the best way to get through this with success. My acupuncture treatments continue to be great for me, and my mental motivation to get through this.
That’s it for now, hopefully we will have more direction after tomorrows meetings.
Take it easy,
Dan
(What Dan hasn’t included in this posting is how great he is recovering from the lung surgery. We had an unexpected trip to the ER last week in the middle of a snow storm. All of West Hartford’s finest arrived at our house at 7:30am for the snowy ambulance transport. The kids handled it in stride, and enjoyed a fantastically fun day at our neighbor’s house. I spent the day at the hospital with Dan and some of our other neighbors dug us out, and another drove me to the hospital, and another drove me home. I think we are a really good example of “It takes a village.” Despite an overnight hospital stay, Dan has been feeling great and figuring out ways to get around his lifting limitations…for example pushing laundry baskets up from the basement instead of carrying them. I can’t say I can complain, I am pretty excited that he’s interested in doing the laundry. We’re really ok, we are continuing to cherish each day and live our lives. This is absolutely just another bump, it might not be our last (although I really hope it is), but it does not define or even consume us. We have faith; we have love, and so much support. We have been given an incredible gift to truly get behind the idea that every day should be special and meaningful, and never taken for granted. So even though tomorrow is going to be filled with a lot of conversations and facts that will most likely put our emotions and brains into overdrive, Dan and I are going to enjoy 4 hours in the car together, and dinner at a snazzy sandwich shop…because as important as the medical input we are going to get tomorrow is, what is most important is spending time with the people that you love the most and creating amazing memories from even the most overwhelming moments. Love, Katie)