Equal Time

Now, all of you readers of this blog might have gotten an incorrect impression that needs to be dispelled......Wes is an equal opportunity pet-kisser and does not practice species discrimination in any way. Case in point:

Exhibit A, Circa 1977. Cat name: Smokey

Now, you may think that by the backwards tilt of the ears (the cat's, that is) and the scruched up eyes that Smokey is dreading what's headed toward her....but believe me, I was there, this cat loved kisses. This was actually Smokey's way of smiling.

Fighting Weight

Well, today the next stage of the fight begins in earnest......daily radiation and chemo meds that could choke a horse. And of course all of these things have to be timed appropriately with six meals a day, fluid but NOT TO MUCH fluids, exercise but NOT TO MUCH exercise, lots of rest BUT NO LAYING DOWN with food in your stomach, on and on.

One thing we have to make sure of, that he gets enough good nutrition because he probably won't feel like eating much. So it means kind of switching gears with what Mary Anne has been doing the last two weeks, which is basically feeding him good food constantly, as much as he wants. He's put on about 10 pounds. We hope to keep as much of that weight on him as possible throughout his treatment.

It's amazing how strong he's gotten since coming home from the care home. His balance is almost 100%, he can walk comfortably around the house on his own, even take the doggies out for "pee breaks" and yesterday when I got to the house he has scooping poop in the yard with a shovel...no problem. He even walks the dogs with Mary Anne.

He's really enjoyed getting phone calls from so many of you. I set up an icon on the computer so he can get to his own e-mails now. He's very interested in reading them. He's not much for typing, he says he hits the keys way too hard (like an old manual typewriter). I imagine he might give it a try again some day on his own without all of us clustered around him watching his every move.

Please keep praying that the Temodar and radiation kicks the cancer cells' butts so Daddy can enjoy a remission, he's still got a lot of things he wants to do!

Homecoming!

The video says it all:

Heading home soon!

Well, this weekend found us in another activity in preparation of Daddy's homecoming. Mary Anne and her daughters Meaghanne and Julie joined me at Walnut Whitney to work with Daddy and his physical therapist. Kari (physical therapist) went over a number of mobility routines with us, so we will know how to coach Daddy in the safe manner of getting up, in the car, sitting down, walking, etc. He got into the van from both walker and wheelchair with comfort and ease. He still rushes things a bit and he needs to be reminded to hold on, etc. But he's strong and stable, we're thankful for that!

The big day is scheduled for this Tuesday. Daddy has two doctor appointments that day, we've decided that after we will check him out when we pick him up for the first one, we'll bring him home after his first appointment. I know he's looking forward to being back in his old familiar surroundings, I know I would be!

Music Man

Well, Sunday at the family home found all of us preparing the house for Daddy's homecoming. Lots of cleaning up and organizing. We were pretty pooped by 3:00 or so. Before we drove home Bob and I of course went by to see Daddy. He was just finishing up Bingo in the activity room when we got there (he won two games!) and decided he would give a go at the piano. This was his first attempt, and it was absolutely amazing to watch him. The brain is a marvelous thing, as Daddy continued to play I could see him "remember" tunes, his fingers were nimble, and as he perservered I could imagine the new connections being made in his brain, right before my eyes (and ears!). The folks in the activity room really enjoyed listening to him, clapped and asked for "just one more" before he went back to his room. I took a bit of video, I've uploaded some of it:

Not bad, huh? On the physical end, although you see him in a wheelchair, he's actually walking quite a bit, and he told me how the physical therapist has been working with him. He stood up from his chair to walk to the piano, but he was chastised by the activities director, I guess that's against the rules! He sat back down and wheeled himself over using his legs on the ground instead of his arms. As you can see from the pictures and video, his spirits are very good.