Article on Robin Published

Hi,

The Ottawa Citizen published a great article on Robin today, Sunday January 08, 2012.

The link is:

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/Robin+Goodrich+Assertive/5963233/story.html

Her obituary was also published in the Victoria Times Colonist and Edmonton Journal

Links:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timescolonist/obituary.aspx?n=robin-louise-goodrich&pid=155350893

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/edmontonjournal/obituary.aspx?n=robin-goodrich&pid=155350288

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Full Information on the memorial service can be found below. (see previous blog)

January 14, 2011 -- 1:00 - 3:00 PM; Reception to follow
All Saints Anglican Church, Westboro (Richmond and Churchill)

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Thanks to everyone for sharing their photos - it's wonderful to see other people's photos of her from different periods in her life.

All for now.

Geoff

Memorial Service and Other News

Hello All,

Here, belatedly, is an update on the memorial service and other topics.

The Memorial Service

Time:               1:00 - 3:00 PM; Reception to follow

Date:               Saturday, January 14, 2012
Location:         All Saints Anglican Church, Westboro
                        (1 building west of Corner of Churchill and Richmond,
                           Opposite Mountain Equipment Coop.)

Parking may be scarce in Westboro midday on Saturday, so you may wish to carpool, use public transit (Westboro Station is the closest Transitway stop; #2 Bus gets you to the door), or arrive a bit early to find parking on side streets, etc.

We are planning to have part of the service (or reception) open for people who would like to share their memories or thoughts about Robin.

Publications

Robin’s brief obituary was published in the Ottawa Citizen December 20-21, 2011, and appears online at:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ottawacitizen/obituary.aspx?n=robin-louise-goodrich&pid=155125752

I have also asked for obituaries to be published this week in the Edmonton Journal and the Victoria Times Colonist  – links to follow.

Finally, a journalist from the Ottawa Citizen called me to do a follow-up story on Robin, and it may be published next weekend – more on that later.

Photosharing

I have set up a site where those who are technically minded (or with tech-savy friends/relatives) can view and post images of Robin. I have uploaded some older family photos of Robin from her parents archive (sent to us by Gord, selected by Colleen, and scanned by Blacks!).  I hope to download all the images that others post to add to my collection for a slide display at the reception for the Memorial Service.

If you are uploading pictures, please create a new album, with a descriptive title, noting who loaded the pictures:  e.g. “Pictures of Robin from Vicky”.  I am making all the albums public (as opposed to private or password protected.) Note that the full-size images can also be downloaded too – so others can get copies of what you post.

The site is: http://www.photobucket.com

Username: RobinGpics

Password: robinesque

To simply view pictures, you don’t need to log in, and can go to the site:

http://s1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa466/RobinGpics/

Donations:

In lieu of flowers, Robin wanted people to make donations to:

The Canadian Foundation for the Children of Haiti (CFCH)

Donations can be made by cheque or money order, mailed to us at:

CFCH

11400 Seafield Crescent
Richmond, B.C.  V7A 3J2

If people would prefer, you can visit the website at www.cfchcanada.ca  and make a donation via Paypal.  (Under the "Helping Financially" tab, select "Make a Donation" and use the Paypal link to make a gift electronically.  (To make a donation via Paypal you will need their e-mail address - info@cfchcanada.ca )

The Foundation supports the following activities in Haiti:

·         two orphanages (Rainbow of Love & Haiti Home for Children);

·         a home for children with disabilities (Hope Home);

·         a general hospital (Hope Hospital);

·         a school in a rural area in south west Haiti (Mussotte School); and

·         are currently raising funds for a new school at the Children's Village in Port au Prince.

That's all for now.

Geoff

Events -- Update from Geoff

Hello all,

I have information about two events:

1.) Gathering

Robin's family invites you to drop by our home to visit this Monday.

Date: Monday, December 19, 2011
Time: any time between 2-8PM
Place:  444 Mansfield Ave.
 [You can only get here by turning North off Richmond Road (just west of the Keg Restaurant, between Churchill and Woodroffe.]

  We will be providing cookies, coffee, tea and wine.

We look forward to seeing you and sharing our thoughts and feelings at this difficult, yet special time.

2) Memorial Service

We are planning a more formal memorial service / celebration in the new year.  The tentative date is Saturday, January 14th, 2011.  This seems to be the best date for several family members and friends who are travelling  --  but we have yet to determine whether Geoff's church and hall are available.

So pencil in the date, and we should confirm the arrangements in the next day or two.
Check in with this blog for more details.

Love,

Geoff and family

Sad News -- Update from Geoff

Hello all,

Robin died peacefully in her sleep last night. She had faded rapidly over the weekend, and was mostly unconscious this week; but she did smile occasionally - when she saw a familiar face, or when we turned the lights on the Christmas tree.

Thank you all for your love and support: this has sustained Robin and all of us over many months.

We will be posting information on this blog regarding the memorial service and other events shortly.

Love to all
Geoff and family.

Settling In Back at Home

Hi Everyone,

We really appreciate the cheerful e-mails and phone calls and the gentle reminders to get caught up on our blogging. So here goes (from Robin’s perspective:

My health has definitely shifted, and not in a good way. I am grateful for very short visits, (about 30 minutes max) but love getting e-mails and letters of any length, (but you may or may not get a response from me).

Geoff and Ada are nursing, feeding, helping, and making bread. Franck is my physio guy. We all want, and plan for me to stay at home, but this requires a lot of work and everyone is pretty tired. My fatigue levels are very high, as would be expected at this stage of my cancer.

A terrific food team has ben organized to bring in meals from time to time; you know who you are. Thank you.

Community and palliative care has been superb. Ottawa is a good city to die in, but I still cannot quite accept that this is happening.

Where is that miracle I need? Oh right, that miracle has already happened - I’m still here, much longer than anyone expected. And I am very grateful for this chance to really connect with my family and friends and to express our love for each other.

I have had a wonderful, fulfilling life. No regrets, except maybe that Geoff and I might have travelled more, with or without our kids.

I am not in pain, but the opiates are making me groggy and forgetful.

All for now, Robin

Update from Geoff

Robin is finally home today and doing much better -- yeah!!!

More news later.

Geoff

Update from Geoff

Hello all,

This was going to be the good news post, but there has been what we hope is just a minor wrinkle in the plan.

In the last few days, everything had been improving steadily:

- Robin was walking further every day;
- her pain levels were not increasing, and the medications were working effectively;
- her new hip was healing well.

So, everything was set for her to return today. Home care and equipment was all arranged, and transportation to home was scheduled for early this afternoon.

This morning Robin called me on the phone as I was driving to the hopital, to say there was a change, and "I've got my own 'Dr. House' situation" - which defintiely piqued my curiosity.

Last night, Robin woke up around 4AM with a lot of pain in her swollen leg, and it appears she likely has developed an infection. They have begun tests, and are treating with antibiotics, and upped the pain Meds. They are also double checking to make sure it's not a clot - not likely but they are being thorough.

We are all agreed she should stay on until the infection begins to responds to the antibiotics and begins to subside - but her situation is stable enough that the Doctors said she could return home now if she was really keen.

So our road is still full of twists and turns. Much as we usually choose the backroads and challenging scenic drives, we could use a stretch on cruise control down a straight, 4 lane prarie highway!

Till later,

Geoff

Update from Geoff

The last couple of days have been busy and difficult.

All the visits from professionals were still a bit stressful for Robin, as they were interrupting her rest. While they were all trying to be helpful, it has been easier now that hospital staff have worked with us to reduce and streamline these visits.

Robin's care is complicated because she's on an orthopedic wing, where she is geeting excellent care for her hip, but her primary needs are more related to pain management. The hospital's excellent palliative care team has been brought in, and they are coordinating closely with our doctor from the community care system, which is great.

Robin is making progress getting around, but each day is different. She will be staying in hospital for at least a few more days, and possibly moving on to a rehabilitation unit, with the goal being to return home when she has greater strength and mobility.

So things are OK, but with a bit of tweaking on managing pain, more rehab, working together with all the professionals, and planning for the help and resources we will need on Robin's return, they will be even better. Robin really values the supportive emails and comments on the blog; and we all appreciate the great support we've been getting from friends and family. Thank you!

Geoff

Update from Geoff -- It's Back to Work!

While yesterday was a quiet day for Robin, today the hospital hummed with busy professionals back from the holiday weekend.

Today Robin met:

-a keen red-haired intern who startled her awake at 7:30, briefly announced she would be ready to go home "soon," and then left. It was all a bit abrupt. (While Robin's doing well with this new hip business, no one else who we saw today talked about departing soon ...);

- Her physiotherapists arrived and persuaded her to walk the 50 feet to the nursing station and back - excellent progress and quite tolerable pain levels;

- an occupational therapist who reviewed our home equipment, resources and routines. She realized we were fairly well set up, but made some helpful suggestions;

- a social worker who chatted to Robin for half an hour to make sure we were OK;

- all the regular visits from nurse with Meds, taking vitals, and other care;

- and a visit from our favorite oncologist, Dr. Hopkins.

Dr. Hopkins is one of the saints in our lives. I'm sure in some other parts of her life, she has her share of human foibles, but to us she is firmly set on a pedestal. She has been by our side since the beginning of Robin's cancer odyssey, performed two surgeries, and has helped us explore every avenue of medical treatment Robin tried or considered. We cherish her. It was a really good visit, even if we were discussing the latest scan results, which, while expected, were almost uniformly discouraging on the cancer front.

We've also been quietly upgrading - Robin got a private room yesterday, as well as replacing her old bed with a fancy high-end bed that is better at "Trendelburging" - not really a verb, but keeners can look up the noun.

So all in all a very busy, but tiring day.

Love, Geoff and Robin

Robin Trendelenburging

Trendelenburg, not Trendelburg -- have to learn to spell.

Update from Geoff -- The Great Escape

Photo evidence of Robin's almost successful escape from the Big House. Foiled because the Ottawa Bus system is not as accessible as we'd hoped.

So Robin was hoping to restart her blogging, but has found she doesn't have the energy for composing entries up to her usual standard. Not willing to compromise quality, but wanting to keep friends and family informed, she has graciously allowed me to continue to post updates for her.

Sunday, the day after surgery, Robin was up walking a few steps - and then agreed to Franck's suggestion that we take a tour outside the hospital (see photo). She enjoyed a great home-cooked meal of turkey (Karen Markham) and mashed potatoes (Yige and Eshete), - SO much better than hospital food!

All in all it was a good day starting to get back on her feet, but a bit exhausting.

Love to all,  Robin and Geoff

P.S. Another blog will follow this afternoon/evening, with more current news.

Sneak update from Geoff -- sock Puppet seen in wild!

Updates from Geoff - 4

Well Robin is back in her room after surgery. She seems far too cheerful, obviously not shy about pushing her pain pump!

Ada has put socks halfway on her feet, (originally because they were cold) but Robin has launched into an impromptu foot sock puppet show. Grumpy Geoff reminded folk about not twisitng the foot after hip surgery, no matter how good one feels.

My days as stand-in blogger may be limited. Robin is expressing doubts about my judgement, and reasserting her rights to editorial control.

So long for now, Robin, (or I, if she let's me) will update soon.

Cheers,

Geoff

Updates from Geoff - 3 -- Good News so far

I spoke to the surgeon, and he said everything went well. I hope to see Robin in recovery in about an hour.

Updates from Geoff -- 2

Hello all,

Robin just went into surgery at 11:40 AM. She was nervous but her usual brave self.

I should have news 3-5 hours after the start of surgery.

I will post an update then.

Let's all pray things go well.


Geoff

Updates from Geoff

Quick update.  Robin is in good spirits all things considered.

The pain meds are working quite well, although at this dosage they leave her fairly groggy.

Surgery is now forecast for Saturday.  If all goes really well, she may be out of the hospital 5 days later.

Even in the hospital, She remains tethered to her trusty iPhone. She is enjoying reading emails, even if her replies are shorter and less reliable than usual.

I will write an update again tomorrow, likely after the surgery.

Thanks to everyone for the good wishes and your offers of help. 

Love, Geoff

PS she still looks Marvellous!

Foiled Again

Well things did not end up as we hoped.

The expedition started well. The yurt was fantastic: beautiful fall leaves, us cozy as bugs--- shaping up to be a very sweet little holiday. However it was shorter than planned because on the morning of day 2, I fell while walking down the road and broke my right hip -- cracked the top of the femur, just below the ball of the hip joint. So it was a big emergency and now I am getting hip replacement surgery sometime in the next 24 hours.

So I will be having quite a time.

We will keep you posted as best as I can. Geoff and the family are busy being supportive, keeping the house running and making visits to the hospital, and I am conserving my energy for surgery: so we may not be available as much as we'd like for phone calls or visits.

Emails and comments on the blog will be appreciated, even if I can't get back to all of you.

Thanks for all the support you've given me.

Lots of love,
Robin

The Latest: September 2011

Sorry folks, I have been such a slacker! Moving from a glorious summer into fall, seeing friends and family, and of course, the ever-present and blessedly vigilant team of medical helpers- it has been downright hectic!
But underneath the many tender moments, the laughter, the sharing, this disease is finally staking its claim, discouraging symptoms are showing up and piling up. It's time for me to re-direct my energy away from ducking and dodging and into - what? Coping. Holding hands. Helping each other. Saying thank-you. We shall see, I guess.

Everyone continues to be so brave. I am stupendously well cared-for, you know who you are. Without all of the support we have had, I would not have made it this far, I truly believe.

So of course, we are off to sit in the woods (in a yurt!) in Gatineau Park Oct 5-7, then we are checking in with my oncologist, then I have a few more blogs planned, talk soon.
Love, Robin

Quick Update July 20 2011

Hi folks:

We continue to feel so privileged by the persistent and loving support of friends and family, you know who you are - thank you. Geoff is slowly getting his injured back in shape, on top of organizing the house and dog and spending time with me, not in that order. Ada's clavicle is healing, she is also helping around the house, and has decided to take a break from working in August to stay close. She has some great ideas, like renting a cottage nearby for a few days. Franck is pitching in, being the only truly healthy family member, as well as working part time modeling and working part time in a local retail clothing store. We have had great visits with out-of-town guests, so grateful to see you.

My health is deteriorating, but nothing drastic so far other than reduced mobility (left leg lymphadema and nerve pressure). My medical team has yet again swung impressively into action to help with pain management and other practical supports, and I am trying another long-shot treatment (letrozole) to help slow tumour growth. I am tired - "anytime is nap time": my favorite fridge sticker. Sometimes I am totally overwhelmed, by a glance or a song or the view of our garden, by all the beauty in my life. With help, I am having a good summer, full of laughter and sharing and those pure moments we all need and recognize when they happen.

Happy Dad's Day!

This is my tribute to Geoff and to my Dad. It is late because of course, we were busy celebrating!

Geoff and I have had our share of parenting wonder and conflict and fatigue and all those steps that one has to take to learn to trust and rely on each other. I knew when I met him that he would be a good father. And a good balance to my nature. Who else would kept me steady and on track when faced with major challenges affecting the whole family? I tend to jump into "dealing with crisis". Geoff keeps the big picture in mind - "where do we want to be in 20 years as a family?" Plus he is a veritable fountain of entertaining or useful talents - origami, dog training, general fixit and computer support, camping and canoe mastery, recorder playing (gorgeous tone), indoor and outdoor gardening - the list goes on. I really hope our kids are picking up Geoff's curiosity and capacity to follow his passions.

And my dear Dad: I am so grateful for your constant love and gentleness and attentiveness. All the family outings and camping holidays, the chauffeur duty to piano lessons, your quiet presence at the kitchen table as we tested our opinions about life and values or just plain argued. Your steadfast grip on what really matters: your love and loyalty to mum, your pleasure in music, especially Big Band, and of course, the CBC.

Photos taken by Cousin Linda - thank you!

Saturday June 4: Grateful for friends and family

We've had quite the week: Geoff started out his plan to spend more time at home by putting his back out accidentally, which included a trip by ambulance to the Carleton Queensway Hospital Emergency department. He is now resting at home, with strong medication, and trying to walk a bit and do light exercises. Ada also had a calamity - she fell badly on a sidewalk in Montreal last weekend and broke her clavicle - so she is in a sling and in pain. I am more or less OK, using a cane around the house and a wheelchair for distance, and getting massage treatments for the lymphadema that is causing swelling and pain in my left leg. I am a bit whacked from chemo this weekend. This leaves Franck as the only healthy human in a house full of gimps!

Friends and family have come through in spades. I had a wonderful, cheering visit with Robin Pike from Sidney, BC. Greg Golding picked up Geoff from the hospital. Kurt Walther spent a whole day cooking up food for days. Eshete and Yige Hailu brought lunch and soups and helped drive me to appointments. Others have called or sent supportive emails. My cousin Linda arrives today and knowing her, will be pitching in whole heartedly and will keep us laughing. Mum and Dad sent a joint email - this is a breakthrough for Dad!

We are so fortunate to have the network we have here in Ottawa and elsewhere. I am feeling the grace and kindness of our friends and family very deeply these days. Some of you have heard this metaphor from me before - I think of you all as a giant trampoline - that I can bounce off, have fun with or lie down and rest on if I need to, where I feel safe just being myself. So grateful for all of you.

Love
Robin
PS The potatoes are up, also my first planting of beans, lettuce, swiss chard, snap peas. Both squashes and the zucchini are up. The cherry tomatoes are thriving. I need more herbs. Life, in all its promise and beauty goes on and sears my heart.

Visiting my parents, Clive and Ada, in Edmonton

June 9-16: It is beautiful here in Edmonton: that hot, early-summer, big prairie sky. Magpies and blue jays. Mum's homemade bread. Dad's breakfasts. Colleen, my sister from Port Alberni is here to help and her cheerfulness is so welcome. Gord and his daughter, Grace, and her boyfriend, Houston - more breaths of fresh air. Cousin Vern Flaig dropped by on his massive motorcycle, looking good.

My mum commissioned a piece of music for me. She took the poem "Your Laughter" by Pablo Neruda which was read by Carrie at our renewal of vows ceremony, and had P.J. Perry, renowned saxophonist, put it to music with a professional reader. So touching and heartfelt - thanks Mum! So many echoes of our family in this - our love of music, the generous gesture, the originality we all possess. Gifts from our parents that make me weep with love and gratitude. Another example: Gord and I are going to discuss the possibiity of an award in my name to be established at his high school in Stettler, Alberta, where Gord is the Industrial Arts teacher.

I can barely cope with the layers of love we enjoy and the loss we are suffering. But my family is there for me. We hug, we laugh, we eat together, sit outside, talk about our families and Colleen's wonder grandchild, Carys, and next moves on our respective journeys. I have been so fortunate to have this family. We are well-grounded in the stories (now legends) that they shared about their lives, in the hilarious family camping trips, in the exposure to arts and music, in the sacrifices our parents made to ensure that we had what we needed to go forward in our lives, in their support at critical stages well beyond childhood. It all comes down to their values and our freedom to express our own values, which are turning out to be not that different in the long run.

I am not the only one dealing with difficult situations: Colleen struggles with diabetes; and my parents are considering the next logical step, a supported living residence in their neighborhood. A big decision, but one we hope will keep them together and in good health, with less risk of health catastrophe. My parents have a lot to handle, more than they should at this time of their lives. But I am confident that Gordon, Carrie and Colleen can help them through all this. It is hard but necessary, to shed my role, (the bossy oldest sister) but I am sure everyone can cope without me being right all the time.

Family Photos from Edmonton

Sister Colleen

Houston (sp?) and brother Gord

Dad

Mum

Grace (niece) and her Dad, Gord

Happy Mothers' Day

Just in Time for Mother's Day

Here you go folks, a photo of our favourite son and favourite daughter, Franck (will be 18 in July) and Ada (21). This photo was taken at our renewal of vows ceremony last summer. I am very proud of both of them - they are interesting people, solid values, real talents in lots of areas.

Being their mother is one of the greatest pleasures of my life. There is so much fun in parenting - and I have been so lucky in Geoff, my parenting partner. I am also so grateful for our extended families - the welcoming warmth that our kids know they can count on from their grandparents, aunties and uncles. And grateful for our other extended family, our friends, who have watched us all grow up together and have opened your hearts.

I have been incredibly lucky to share my life with Geoff, Ada and Franck.

Health update: Trying another chemo

Greetings all:

My recent radiation (Wednesday April 4) was straightforward: it should hopefully shrink a pesky tumour that is squishing a nerve in my thigh and forcing me to cut back on my precious walks by the Ottawa River. This could take a while to "work", in the meantime I have refreshed my pain cocktail mix and I am not in any serious discomfort, just tired.

May 24 - update: the radiation treatment has not worked as hoped, and my mobility is definitely compromised. Basically, I have to use a wheelchair as much as possible or pay the price - a swollen and painful left leg. Of course I plan to complain vociferously to my fabulous and very caring medical team. But I might have to accept this, a real quality of life setback.

On Friday May 6, Geoff and I met with Dr Laura Hopkins. We thought it would be an "exit appointment", given the rather discouraging opinions of both the clinical trial oncologist and my radiation oncologist. Shouldda known better.

Dr. Hopkins has been my treatment oncologist most of the time. She knows me well and she is always prepared to search out and offer whatever seems reasonable.

She had a treatment to offer, a known chemo drug, but experimental for my type of cancer, on a hunch that it might slow down my tumor growth. It will not cure me, but it might buy me a few more months. And it does not sound that difficult: IV infusions every 2 weeks. The drug is Dacarbazine. I've set my criteria, that I want to still be able to enjoy my summer, and she has promised to respect this priority. I would have a CT scan every 6-8 weeks, to see how it is going.

So I am giving it a whirl. First treatment was today and it went smoothly. I will keep future updates short and hopefully sweet.

My whereabouts and dates coming up, random thoughts

As promised: Here are some key dates coming up that will affect my availability.

May 9-16: Edmonton to see my parents and my brother Gordon and sister Colleen

May 31- June 1: in Ottawa - my friend Robin Pike, who lives in Sidney BC, hopes to visit, from Victoria. Robin is a dear, dear friend - we have known each other from undergraduate days in Victoria. A fearless and deeply perceptive person.

June 4 - 7: Ottawa. My cousin Linda Sangwine will be visiting us from Mission, B.C. Linda is a gifted massage therapist, devoted Auntie to Franck and Ada, and solid soulmate to me. Thank you Linda! Your timing was perfect.

June 10, 9 PM: Forsyth's world premiere of Ballad for Canada and Beethoven's 9th at the National Arts Center.

June 11: lunch time celebration with Oliver family of brother-in-law's birthday. Many of you will remember David's masterful management of the heirloom yard glass at Geoff's and my renewal of vows ceremony last summer. A man of many, many talents and a huge heart.

July 1 - 9: Ottawa - Caroline (Carrie) youngest sister, and Bill Anderson, bo-law, will be visiting from Vancouver. They love our bloodhound.

July 7 - 13: Ottawa - Michael Oliver, son of Jamie Oliver and Juanita Poletto, on an internment in New Orleans (nicely played), here to represent the entire Australian wing of the Oliver clan. I love a full house.

July 9 - 10: in Ottawa - Celebrating with the Oliver/Brown families and friends. A beloved nephew, Philip Oliver and his lovely fiancee Kathleen Brown are getting hitched. REALLY looking forward to this!

July 18-21: in Ottawa - Leesa Flynn, another dear friend from Victoria, will be staying with us. Laurel Laignen will also be joining us. Between them, they have stuff on me that goes way back.

I will keep updating this calendar.

Proposal - Posting YOUR stories about me and my family or other topics

It would be fun for this blog to be a shared conversation, where folks could recall, recommend or even rant a bit. In other words, there is no need to restrict your comment on whatever topics I happen to post at any particular time, although comments are of course welcome. Also book reviews, hot tips on cafes with good terraces, local treats and events. movies to avoid or enjoy, etc.

And if you have a particular story suitable for public consumption about me or my family, feel free to share if you wish at any time. Many of you have got me laughing with these recollections, and a shared laugh is even better.

Today is looking like a good day

It's warm out, I hope to do something wild and crazy like go for a walk. Our gardens are starting to burst forth with tulips, daffodils, crocuses, scilla (sp - tiny blue flower). I am trying to figure out a low-maintenance veggie garden strategy. The piano is beckoning - I can still play some of my classical repertoire, slow movements only. Enjoy.

My first entry.

Hi family and friends,


I have started this blog so that I can keep you all better informed as I head into what may be the "home stretch" of my three years+ of cancer (uterine leiomyosarcoma, stage IV). 

You have all been patient and loving and I would not be facing this nearly as well without all the support we have received.  I know you all want to do what's best for me and my family, and this blog will be a way of letting you know what we need and to give you the latest developments, without exhausting ourselves.  I am putting some thought into how best to balance my desire to see everyone, and the need to conserve energy, given that my stamina is weakening.  There will be more about this in future postings.

The latest medical info is that I have been dropped from a clinical trial that was being run out of Toronto.  My tumour growth has been too agressive, and my liver is in particularly bad shape.  My lungs are more or less fine, and I am not in any pain (good drugs for that!).  I will be getting a little blast of radiation on a tumour that is bugging me, on May 4, at the Ottawa Hospital, and I have one more visit to Toronto to provide final blood test results on May 15-16.  In between these dates I will visit my folks in Edmonton, dates to be determined.

The biggest change at this time is that there is no reasonable treatment available to me, even experimental.  I would not qualify for another clinical trial.

What has not changed: I can still walk and read and enjoy visits and dinners that do not run too late.  I am really looking forward to our garden and canoeing on the Ottawa River and I am thrilled that Ada and Franck are both home for the summer.

And now, for a complete non-sequitor. Here is a picture of the upstairs orchids that Geoff had blooming for me when I got home from Toronto (pretty sweet , eh?):