by Judy Handley | Jun 24, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 246, Year 9: Hallelujah
Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Weather: Sunny with a High Temp in the low 80’s F
Location: At Home with Bruce and Jane Woodin, Falmouth, MA
We’ve had a couple of days in the past week when I just wanted to shout ‘hallelujah’ in response to Mark’s improvement. But today was the ultimate ‘hallelujah’ day. Mark met with his surgeon, Dr. Ferrone, and then with his oncologists, Dr. Kwak and Dr. Hong, and got great reports from all. Dr. Ferrone went over the surgical procedure and the pathology report with us. The cancerous tumor was totally removed, lymph nodes from the area were removed, a slice of pancreas was taken for biopsy purposes, and a five inch piece of colon was removed. All were biopsied and only the tumor was positive for cancer. She feels like she got it all because, as she put it, “There’s not much left in there.” The chyle leak has all but stopped, so the drainage tube was removed and the twenty metal staples from the incision were removed. She asked Mark to continue on a low-fat diet and said she would see us in three months. Low-fat is sure better than no-fat, so we were happy with that. We then met with both the oncologist and radiation oncologist. We were anticipating that they might recommend follow-up chemo or radiation, but they just want Mark to come back in two weeks for a base-line scan and then again in October for a follow-up scan before we sail south for the winter. They both expressed how pleased they were that Dr. Ferrone was able to remove the tumor. They mentioned again that the team of doctors they work with thought it would not be possible, so they were elated that Dr. Ferrone was able to work her magic. Getting that tumor out was the only chance that Mark had of possibly really beating this whole cancer thing. With the tumor out, he has the chance of a total cure. If the tumor could not have been removed, he would have been on maintenance drugs for the duration. We are so thankful for the dedication of the doctors at Mass General and we are so thankful that we are here where we can get that kind of care. We understand how cancer works and are aware that it could rear its ugly head again at some point, but the best therapy is to not dwell on that and to go on with life as though none of this has ever happened. So that is what we plan to do. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah! As I write those words, I can hear the congregation in the Methodist church in Tonga singing that song for their new king. We felt so privileged to be there in 2006 to witness that event and the sounds of that memory lift my heart—just as the words of the physicians at Mass General today lifted my heart. Whoever thought that hearing something is ‘negative’ could be so joyous, but hearing ‘negative’ in relation to a pathology report is joyous. Hallelujah!
by Judy Handley | Jun 24, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 245, Year 9: Cleaning, Planting, Playing
Date: Monday, June 23, 2014
Weather: Same, Same—Gorgeous Summer Weather, High Near 80 degrees F
Location: At Home with Bruce and Jane Woodin, Falmouth, MA
Today was another low-key day. Jed is still on full-time single-dad duty, so I went to Windbird this morning to do a little late spring cleaning. I guess I’ll have to call it summer cleaning since it is officially summer now. I finished up around noon and went to pick up Mark and we then went to Heather and Jed’s. I really needed to spend some time in the garden doing some late planting, so Mark went with me to stay in the house and listen for Ollie to wake up from nap. This gave Jed the freedom to go outside and play soccer with Jonah and work on the pirate ship project. He is building an addition to the tree house that will turn it into a tree boat. Mark, Ollie, and I walked to pick Sam up from school and then Mark and I headed home via the grocery store. We wanted to have tacos for dinner so we needed no fat cheese, 99 per cent fat-free turkey (instead of beef), and white corn tortillas that are almost fat-free (and taste terrible). The tortillas were so bad that the whole dinner was just not as good as we had hoped, but it tasted somewhat like tacos. If Mark has to stay on this diet, I guess we’ll adjust, but I’ll make home-made fat free tortillas next time.
Early tomorrow morning we head to Boston for Mark’s post-surgery check-up. Since the chyle leak has stopped draining, we are hoping they will remove the drain. They will definitely remove the 20 metal staples from his stomach and hopefully they will tell us that he can go back to a normal diet. This no fat diet is challenging. We’d be very happy with low-fat, but we’ll just have to wait and see what they say. Mark will meet with his surgeon and then he will meet with his oncologist and radiation oncologist who take over his care once the surgeon releases him. We have no idea if they will be recommending chemo or radiation as a follow-up to the surgery. So we are obviously anxious to hear what all the doctors have to say tomorrow. Once we are done at Mass General, we will go to the airport to pick up Heather who returns from her trip to Florida tomorrow afternoon. We are so anxious to hear all about her trip, so I know we will talk all the way back to the Cape. And I know Jed and the boys will be so glad to have momma back home.
by Judy Handley | Jun 22, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 244, Year 9: Lazy Sunday
Date: Sunday, June 22, 2014
Weather: Yet Another Gorgeous Day, High Near 80 degrees F
Location: At Home with Bruce and Jane Woodin, Falmouth, MA
Mark and I have had incredibly lazy starts to our mornings the past couple of days. Mark needs to sleep in and I have used the excuse that if I got up, it would wake him up. By the time we got up today, took showers, and had breakfast, it was moving on toward noon. Mark decided he wanted to go to Windbird to run the engine to charge the batteries, so we took off and first went by Heather and Jed’s to see how Jed was doing with the boys. They, too, had a laid back morning and had been outside playing for less than an hour when we arrived. But it was time for lunch. The big boys ate in the backyard so they could continue playing, but Ollie came in and sat with Granddad to have lunch. We got him down for nap and then we took off for Quissett Harbor. I dropped Mark at the boat and went straight back to Heather and Jed’s to do nap duty. That just means staying in the house so I can hear when Ollie wakes up from nap. But by the time I got back, he was already up. It was a shorter nap than usual, but after he spent a good amount of time on daddy’s shoulder, Jed put him in his swing, and I sat there and pushed him for a long while. While I was doing this, Jed was cutting low branches off the backyard trees and Sam and Jonah were building hide-outs and forts out of the leaf-laden branches. Jonah asked me to do a video of them in the fort waving hello to momma, so I did that. And then it was time for me to go back to get Mark. All on his own Ollie asked to go with me. I checked with Jed and he said that would be fine, so off we went. Ollie got to drive the dinghy boat, we picked up Granddad, and headed to Bruce and Jane’s. Ollie and Granddad took a walk together and then Ollie got to play with Siggy, Bruce and Jane’s dachshund. I called Siggy a ‘wiener dog’ and Ollie giggled. Then he would say ‘wiener dog’ and giggle. Maybe giggle is the wrong word. Ollie’s giggle is really a deep belly laugh that is infectious. I think Ollie has quite a sense of humor for a two year-old, but then I am a bit biased. When I took Ollie home, the 6 pm World Cup was just starting—USA versus Portugal—and Sam and Jonah were glued to the TV. I know they must have been very disappointed that the US didn’t win, but at least we didn’t lose as the game was a tie.
So things here are going along smoothly. Jed and boys are going great and it sounds like Heather is having a fantastic experience with the folks from Aquarius Reef Base. And Mark continues to get stronger each day. I couldn’t ask for more. Life is good.
by Judy Handley | Jun 21, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 243, Year 9: Happy Birthday to Jo
Date: Saturday, June 21, 2014
Weather: Another Gorgeous Day, High in the mid-70’s F
Location: At Home with Bruce and Jane Woodin, Falmouth, MA
Summer solstice and our daughter-in-law’s birthday arrive on the same glorious day each June. The official arrival of summer on Cape Cod is always a joyous occasion and I love that Jo’s birthday comes at the same time. Happy birthday, Jo! We hope that your first summer living in the Pirate Camp is a perfect one. Jo called this afternoon to thank us for her birthday gift. Unfortunately I was not here, but Mark had a nice conversation with her. They compared recovery notes from her C-section with Ziggy to Mark’s recent surgery. And it sounds like Mark is right on track. Today was not as golden as yesterday, but that could be because he took a walk and went a little too far. I don’t have an accurate distance, but I would say he walked at least two miles. As a result he was a little shaky tonight, but otherwise everything is still going great.
Other happy news came from Heather. Yesterday she arrived in the Florida Keys to start her weekend of interviews with NOAA’s Aquarius Reef Base scientists and crew. She was not sure she was going to get to dive with them, but today she hit the water. Aquarius is either the only or is one of very few underwater marine labs dedicated to scientific research in the world and today Heather got to visit the lab which is 66 feet underwater. She must be so excited. We followed a link on her Facebook page and saw a photo of her jumping in the water. I loved her comment on Facebook, “Among the things I learned today: It’s really hard to feel professional when you’re wearing wet shorts.” Hopefully Jed will hear from her tonight and I’ll have more to report tomorrow.
Jed and the boys miss Heather, but are doing great. Sam did throw up in the middle of the night, probably from the stomach bug that we have all had, but he was fine this morning. And Ollie had a good first night without momma. I went over this afternoon to be in the house while Ollie was napping. This gave Jed some time to be outside working on a construction project and it then allowed Jed, Sam, and Jonah to leave for Sebastian’s birthday party even though Ollie was still napping. Sebastian lives one street over and is one of Sam’s very best friends, so they didn’t want to be late. Once Ollie got up from his nap, I walked him over to the party and then I headed home. Bruce and Jane’s son Eric was visiting today and a good friend of Jane’s joined us all for dinner. We had grilled scallops, steak, chicken, and veggies along with corn-on-the-cob and baked potatoes. We welcomed summer in grand style!
News Flash: Just got an email from Heather with photos of her in the moon pool—one of the levels of entry into Aquarius Reef Base. She got to go on to the porch, but not into the living spaces today.
by Judy Handley | Jun 20, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 242, Year 9: One Giant Leap for Mark
Date: Friday, June 20, 2014
Weather: Gorgeous Day, High Near 80 degrees F
Location: At Home with Bruce and Jane Woodin, Falmouth, MA
Mark and I slept in this morning and when we woke up, Mark was feeling great. He went for a long walk and had a spring in this step. The pain level has gone way down and he has been able to cut the pain meds in half. So there is light at the end of the tunnel. He felt good enough in the afternoon to go to the beach with Sam, Jonah, Ollie, and me. We have no idea why he had this instant turn around, but we won’t question it. Recovery takes time and evidently he put in his time and was rewarded today. We celebrated by having sushi for dinner. Not sure it was zero per cent fat, but it sure was good!
Heather left for Florida this morning and Jed started his first of five days of single-dad care. He took Jonah and Ollie to Sam’s field day at school this morning. When they got home around noon, I arrived to help out. I put Ollie down for a nap and Jonah and I worked together in the garden in between playing soccer. Jonah and I picked Sam up from school and then came home to pick-up Ollie. I then took all three boys to go get Granddad and we all headed to the beach. We went to Chapaquoit Beach which has a beach side and a tidal marsh side. The boys chose the tidal marsh and were delighted to find friends there. And I can’t remember seeing kids have so much fun. They galloped through the shallow water, squealing with delight every time they caught a different kind of crab. Sam set up a science lab on his body board and trailed it along behind him through rivulets of water running through the marsh grass while Max and Jonah caught crabs to add to his bucket habitats. Max’s sister, Isabelle, came to join them, and the four of them explored even further into the marsh land. It is a very safe environment which gives the kids the freedom to roam while always being within sight or hearing distance. All this time, Ollie frolicked along behind the big kids. Since the water was above his knees in places, I followed along behind him while Granddad watched the show from his beach chair. This was the second day in a row that we have celebrated the coming of summer in grand style, so we are now ready for that longest day of the year.
by Judy Handley | Jun 19, 2014 | Cape Cod USA, Sailing Logs Year 9 |
Day 241, Year 9: The Captain Visits His ‘Ship’
Date: Thursday, June 19, 2014
Weather: Partly Sunny and Cooler, High in the 60’s F
Location: At Home with Bruce and Jane Woodin, Falmouth, MA
Late in the morning, Jonah, Ollie, and I drove over to Bruce and Jane’s to pick up Granddad and take him to Windbird. The boys were very anxious to play with Siggy, Bruce and Jane’s dachshund, so we spent a bit of time doing that before taking the Captain to visit his ship. On the way out to Windbird, Ollie suddenly decided that he wanted to drive the dinghy and that became his obsession today. He has not shown much interest in the past, but now he wants to be the Captain. Mark had better watch out!
Even though he is still struggling with pain issues, Mark was able to get into the dinghy with no problems and made the trip out to Windbird just fine. He also had no trouble climbing aboard and he really enjoyed his afternoon on the boat. Jonah, Ollie, and I stayed for lunch and then headed home so Ollie could nap. After nap, we picked Sam up from school and the boys decided they wanted to go to the beach. We decided to go to the beach in Quissett Harbor so we could pick up Granddad, but the boys had such a good time that we didn’t make it back to Windbird until 6 pm. And of course, Ollie had to drive the dinghy out to pick-up Granddad and then back to shore. Sam and Jonah are now going to have some serious competition.
So far Mark has escaped this stomach bug that hit Jonah, then Ollie, then Heather, then me, and then Detta. It did little damage to the youngest and oldest, but those in the middle were hit hard. Heather and Detta were hit hardest. Most of us are back on track now, but unfortunately Detta is having additional issues and ended up in the Portsmouth Hospital ER tonight–nothing major, but certainly not a great way to end her school year. Detta, we are thinking of you. This little bug has wreaked havoc, but I am truly hoping that it has run its course. It is certainly not something Mark needs to deal with right now and hopefully he has been spared.
Heather is off to Florida tomorrow for a five day business trip that involves a lot of snorkeling and (hopefully) diving time. I want that kind of work! Jed will be home with Sam, Jonah, and Ollie all for this extended weekend and we’ll be there to help out when needed. The boys have never been without momma even for one night (except for Sam when he was a baby), so hopefully this glorious warm weather will keep them busy with summer activities and Heather will be home before they know it.
