Back home

We had a wonderful family Christmas with our kids--which we truly spent at a real "stable"--the horse-boarding stable "Twin Pines", where Tim and Kim live and work!!

It was warm and cozy inside, although the weather outside was unseasonably warm for the prairies at the end of December!!

On Christmas Eve day we enjoyed a fabulous turkey dinner with Kim's mother's family in Regina.

The Christmas Eve service at Tim and Kim's church was wonderful, but proved to be a little too much for a very tired little girl!

A few of the family experienced a one to two-day flu bug, but thankfully Kim wasn't one of them!! She had her first chemo two days before Christmas and felt pretty normal until extreme tiredness overtook her on the third and fourth days following chemo. There were lots of us around to help, so she was able to rest when she needed to.

The most "touching" present that was opened on Christmas morning was the gift that Tim made for Kim. He took a few horseshoes and nails and re-shaped them to form symbols for FAITH (a cross made of horseshoe nails), HOPE (the breast cancer ribbon complete with a touch of pink on the nails in the horseshoe!), and LOVE (a heart of course!). He then twisted wire to write the three words under each symbol, then mounted them on some bead board, and framed it into a wonderful wall-hanging.

Of course Christmas morning was all about the kids and the excitement of opening their stockings and presents. Star Wars "stuff" dominated the boys' "haul" as well as Nerf guns, and the girls loved their dolls and "little ponies", etc. But I think they both would have liked their own guns too!!

Kim crocheted slippers for everyone and no two pairs were alike!! David's fit his zany personality just perfectly!

Enjoying an abundance of food and precious time with one another filled our week.

We came home tired, but very happy and so thankful for God's goodness to us as a family this past year. BOB's time away was shorter because of needing to get back for dialysis, but he was able to miss one treatment with no negative effects. And chemo is suspended now until there is an indication that the tumour is growing. He really is feeling quite well, just more tired than he'd like to be!!

We've had a couple of days' rest, and now we're preparing for the arrival this evening of my sister Barb and her husband Buddy, who are flying up here from Texas for four days. Then we'll have another two days' rest before Bob's sister Lois and her husband Duane arrive from South America for over a week. All of their children and little granddaughter are coming as well for a few days. Excitement will abound I'm sure. Thankfully the guest suite in our condo complex is available and they will have their own quarters down the hall from us.

My brother JIM saw his radiation oncologist yesterday and was encouraged regarding his cancer. There's a strong likelihood that all of the cancer was removed through the aggressive treatment he received and the following surgery, so he won't be engaging in any further treatment for now. They will monitor his condition by occasional PET scans. The everyday challenge is being able to "ingest" enough to keep his weight and energy up. He can only eat small amounts at a time so must continue to supplement his diet with protein supplements given through his feeding tube. This takes a few hours each day. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

And KIM will be getting chemo every third week for the next four to five months and will lose her hair quite soon. She's a very brave young woman whose courage and faith in God amazes us. Tim also is facing this challenge with incredible strength and confidence in God, but he needs our prayers that he will be able to carry the heavy workload at the stable and the extra demands of family life.

At the end of this year our hearts are FULL of joy, gratitude, and expectancy as we approach a new year that God has already planned for us and we are confident in His loving and sovereign care.

Well, believe it or not "that's all folks!""--at least for now!!

Many "Beds of Roses" this year!!

Bob and I won't be sending out our traditional "Bed of Roses" Christmas greetings, although this year the experience of spending lots of time in "bed" is more accurate than ever!!!

Our family will be gathering in Regina at Tim and Kim's for Christmas, so the many beds will all be full of Roses!! Billy and Manny look so forward to joining Colby and Carson sleeping in bunk beds together, and Gracyn and Mykenna will move into the toy room to escape the "boy cooties"!! Since Barbie also lives in Regina, there are enough beds between her condo and Tim and Kim's home for all of us.

Kim will begin her chemo treatment two days before Christmas!!! She was hoping that it might be delayed until after Christmas, but that wasn't to be. We will all give her lots of help and try our best to be in good health to prevent Kim from catching any germs.

My brother Jim is still recuperating from his dramatic surgery in November and learning to eat many small meals a day, as he feels full after just a few bites. He and Kim are considering whether he will have another round of chemo in the new year. Please pray for direction and continued healing.

This will be a very special Christmas to savour as a family with lots of love, joy, and thanksgiving filling our hearts. I know that this year each of us has had a fresh encounter with the living Christ, and celebrating the wonder of His birth will take on a deeper significance than ever before. He came to be Emmanuel--"God with us"--and our experience of His very real presence this year has been amazing!!

Here is a picture taken of Bob and me last week, the very day he had surgery to insert a "graft" in his arm whereby he'll have a more permanent vascular access to dialysis. Doesn't he look great? We are full of gratitude to the Lord for bringing us to the end of this year with more strength, joy, and peace than we ever could have imagined a few months ago. GOD IS SO GOOD!!

Have a "joy-filled" Christmas,
Bob and Carol

Going on a Mini-Holiday!!

It’s a beautiful sunny winter day here in White Rock, and Bob and I are getting ready to drive into downtown Vancouver for the weekend!! We’ve been invited to a banquet there tomorrow evening at a classy hotel that happens to be right across the street from the WorldMark complex (a Time Share). A couple of weeks ago we decided to see if there might be any availability to stay overnight tomorrow night since it’s always a very late evening and finding parking is always a challenge.

Amazingly we were able to book ourselves in for both tonight and Saturday night. SO . . . we’ll be having a mini-holiday!! These are the kinds of vacations that Bob and I will have together now that he really can’t travel. Even going to Regina for Christmas has proved to be a challenge because the hospital there won’t be able to give him access to dialysis!!! This was a big disappointment when we got the word on Wednesday, but we’ve made an adjustment to our plans and he will still be able to go, although he can only be gone for four days instead of eight. Bob’s nephrologist has given him clearance to miss one dialysis treatment, giving him a four-day window. We were able to change his flights at quite an additional expense, but we’re thrilled that he’ll still be able to go!!

On Wednesday BOB finally had the surgery to insert a “graft” in his left arm that will be a more permanent vascular access for dialysis. He came through the procedure well and we were able to even drive up to North Vancouver for dinner with some friends that evening. He’s nursing his left arm quite a bit and taking Tylenol 3s, hoping that his arm will be well enough to play the piano for a Carol Sing at our church on Sunday night!!!

And here’s the latest on KIM. She saw her oncologist on Tuesday and will begin chemo within a week or two. She’ll have chemo once every three weeks for the next six months. It isn’t a lovely prospect, but we’re all so grateful that her prognosis is very good, especially since there weren’t any cancer cells in the lymph nodes that were removed. She and Tim will be hosting Christmas this year so we will all be helping as much as we can and also pray that nobody will be sick and pass any germs around.

JIM continues to recover from his surgery and is adjusting to eating very small meals and trying to keep his weight up. He fills up very quickly and doesn’t have much of an appetite, so this is a challenge. He and Kim will see his oncologist next week and will find out what kind of treatment will be followed.

THANKS again for your love, support, and prayers. God is so wonderfully providing all that we need and giving us much joy and peace on the journey. It’s so comforting to know that He loves us so much and is in control and He’s working out His good purposes in ways we could never have imagined!!

GOOD NEWS!!

Tim just phoned us a half hour ago with wonderful news. He and Kim had just seen her surgeon and received the news that no cancer was found in any of the lymph nodes that were removed. Consequently she will only need chemo, no radiation. They also found out that just six out of the twenty lymph nodes under her arm were removed, meaning that she won't need to fear having lymphadema to the same degree . . . AND she can resume her normal activity!!! There's no doubt that she'll be out in the barn tonight . . . and dancing a few jigs with Tim and the kids!!

We are rejoicing and full of thanks to the Lord!!

It's beginning to look . . .

. . . a lot like Christmas!!

Although we'll be spending Christmas in Regina with all of our children, we wanted to "deck our own halls" for the Advent Season. We're still awaiting word whether BOB can have dialysis in Regina. The Renal Unit at the Regina General Hospital is currently undergoing extensive renovations, and it's proving to be a challenge to fit into their somewhat chaotic system. He may even have to go to Moose Jaw for dialysis.

Bob was hoping to have his final chemo treatment yesterday, but his platelet count was too low. So he's officially completed his first full round of chemo and won't receive it again until there is evidence that his tumour is getting larger.

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JIM has been home from the hospital since Wednesday and has been enjoying homecooked food and the ability to actually eat and drink with greater ease than he has for weeks. His recovery has been remarkable according to all of the medical staff.

Just before Jim's discharge, he got the results of the pathology tests. My sister sent us the following update: "The doctor said that of the many lymph nodes that were removed, ONE came back with traces of cancer cells. He also said that treatment with chemo for this is controversial. The pathology of the tumor revealed that it was wise to have removed it, because the chemo/radiation treatment had not killed all of the cancer cells in the tumor. Jim and Kim will meet with him early in December to discuss the options. Between now and then they will be developing a list of questions to ask to clarify what Jim is facing and help them determine the course of action that has the greatest potential for success. We are very thankful that the tumor has been removed and other information has been gathered as a result of the surgery. Please pray for wisdom to know what questions to ask and what course of action to pursue and peace that only God can give during this uncertain time."

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In a few days KIM will get the pathology results from her most recent surgery. Thanks for your continued support and prayer for all of these needs. Someone once said that there are just two approaches to God in prayer: pleas for HELP and words of THANKS--and we are engaging in both kinds these days, and finding God to be abundantly faithful.

Giving Thanks!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Today, and every day, we count our blessings.

I arrived home from Regina on Tuesday at midnight. It was so wonderful to be with our kids and grandkids. KIM is recovering from her surgery and still awaiting news of the pathology report which will indicate whether she'll just have chemo or will need radiation as well. Their church family and stable community have been giving them overwhelming support--especially in providing an abundance of delicious meals, much encouragement, and lots of prayer. I hardly had to do any cooking!! It was so heartening to see how well Tim and Kim and the children are doing.

Winter arrived on the prairies so we enjoyed a nice warm fire in the fireplace--in addition to all the warmth of love that filled the air.

It's hard to get four children all together for a picture, but watching TV on Saturday morning provided the perfect opportunity!!

Grammy enjoyed being smothered with hugs and kisses!! One of the greatest joys was having all four children crawl in bed with Grammy early in the morning!!

Barbie made Kim a cozy blanket with the breast cancer logo on the fleece.

Here are Gracyn and Auntie indulging in Barb's 40th birthday pie!!

Tim loves to stretch out on the couch for a little snooze whenever he can get the chance in the middle of his busy day working in the stable. Mykenna (or Kenna, as she calls herself) makes the very best "comforter"!!

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JIM astounded everyone with his amazing recovery after such extensive surgery. He was discharged from the hospital yesterday, just eight days after his surgery. Since Monday, he's been eating and drinking with no trouble at all, although he says that he gets full much sooner. This is a HUGE answer to prayer!!

Kim's surgery

KIM's surgery went well yesterday. I arrived just a few minutes after she and Tim got home from the hospital. She is really quite the "trooper". The pain was pretty bad last evening but is better today. She never complains and continues to function as though things are quite normal, although she's tired. Now they await the pathology report to determine whether she'll just get chemo or both chemo and radiation.

JIM's doing quite well, according to all of his doctors and nurses, although he will be in ICU until Wednesday before being moved to a general ward for about a week. They will make sure that the attachment of his esophagus and stomach isn't leaking and that the fear of any complications is over before transferring him. He will also be awaiting the pathlogy report. Recovery will take a few months.

BOB saw his oncologist yesterday and she's pleased with his progress. His tumour marker decreased again from 11 to 9.5. He asked her what the optimal number should be or whether they look at the "trend" more than the actual number. Dr. Le said that the number isn't nearly as important as the trend, which in Bob's case is continually decreasing.

We are SO thankful to the Lord for how well all three are doing--and grateful for your love and prayers. This has been quite a journey that isn't over yet. Thanks for your companionship on the journey.

Kim has selected a few verses to frame and hang in their home that as a constant reminder of God's loving presence. One of them is Joshua 1:9

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not lose hope. I am the Lord your God. I will be with you everywhere you go."

What a wonderful promise AND reality!!