Fall Update

At this stage in my cancer adventure, no news is good news.

Not that I am about to share some bad news or anything but the fact that I haven’t posted since February is a good thing.

Yes, I am still alive.

I am still having the same chemotherapy treatments every 2 weeks and, contrary to the expectations of my doctors, it still appears to be working.

Back in August I had another CT scan (previous one was January) and the results were unsurprising. There were a few new lesions on my liver which is to be expected considering my reduced dosage and the fact that I have had several skipped treatments due to weddings, holidays and COVID-19. My lungs have shown no growth which I found rather interesting.

My CEA levels still seem to be trending downwards but they are so delayed (4-6 weeks vs. 1 week in previous years) that it is harder to get a good read on the trends.

My oncologist seems to be champing at the bit to get me into a trial he is running. It sounds interesting however I won’t be allowed breaks during the trial and the trial doesn’t seem to have a finite duration.

There doesn’t currently seem to be a good reason to switch to this new treatment and given the restrictions I am not sure I want to join the trial, at least not until I have no other option.

I am still tolerating the treatments fairly well. I now seem to have a little constipation which makes my bowels’ behaviour even more exciting to predict. My rash comes and goes as does my hair but it’s my normal.

We are managing. I thank God constantly that I am alive and get to enjoy my family.

Please continue to pray for us.

• Pray that my cancer doesn’t get any worse.
• Pray for Leanne who is obviously very busy looking after us all.

Family Update

We took a short trip to Science North in Sudbury in early July and dragged my mother along.

We are planning to head down to Myrtle Beach to FINALLY execute my meticulously planned Myrtle Beach trip I created back in 2018 but had to cancel due to Hurricane Florence.

Poppy is starting to talk and continues to get into all sorts of delightful mischief. My nickname for her is Grumpy. She is not usually that happy.

Magnolia has been my little helper lately. “Can I help you Daddy?” Leanne says I can’t have a favourite kid but at the moment she is a notch above the other three.

Daisy’s artistic talent is growing as is her sense of humour. At Fair Havens this year she entertained us all at a family campfire with her extensive repertoire of voices which she used to sing Poor Little Bug on the Wall. I have never been prouder of her. This was a stark contrast to the previous year where she hid behind a lawn chair for a good portion of the event.

Harry is currently obsessed with geography. He is constantly creating maps, flags and learning about all the countries of the world on his own.

Leanne is back to work at the library. It’s a nice quiet little break from our wonderfully chaotic household.

I have been extremely busy with my business. I recently incorporated, hired an employee and sold another company.