Blessed in the Midst of Stage 4 Cancer

Year's end, Christmas and six months since venturing into the world of blogging * brings a time for reflection, for thanksgiving, for praise.  🙌 From  oncology professor to  occupational therapist, social worker to sister, elder to palliative care expert, GP to Google(!) the bleak advice turned our eyes toward a heavenly home. Yet we are here together, participating  in a living miracle.  Instead of farewelling our dear husband, father, son, pastor and friend we are enjoying earthly experiences impossible six months ago!  Joy in gathering for grandchildren's birthdays  🎂 with Grandad!  🎈 Joy in the presence of our sons and daugthers mixed with gladness over love out-poured and sadness upon parting. 🚙 👋 🛫 When Ruth and family returned to WA to pick up their car and caravan, tears expressed the possibility of a final goodbye. More recently, with the wonderful improvement in Dad's condition, Naomi's departure held the hope of future vis...

During Geoff's first week in hospital, the development of double vision was a clear sign of the cancer's invasiveness. It seems that a tumor in the base of his skull causes pressure on a vital nerve impeding the movement of muscles essential for focussing. While the combined effect of targeted drugs attacking cancer cells and reductions in medication has resulted in resolution of many early symptoms, the diplopia has continued. The more Geoff's condition improved, the more aware he became of the limitations due to the diplopia and the more determined to find a solution. Research led to the idea of specialised glasses. The Lord had another miracle in store! After four trips to the optometrist, including two very long appointments, Geoff is happily seeing ONE of everything! H is new glasses for general use have prism correction which aligns the two images detected by his eyes. The only drawback is that prism isn't compatible with multifocal lenses so when Geoff took off h...

The incredible love shown by each one of our children in their own unique ways according to the capacity of their circumstances has been a blessing beyond our hopes or imaginings. This post highlights some very practical demonstrations of their care, ensuring minimal ongoing home maintenance for us. Three years ago in collaboration with our sons, Geoff launched into unchartered territory, taking on the role of spare-time owner-builder for the construction of a carport. Positively impressed by the planned father-sons project, I happily agreed to the idea, not realising that building a carport would involve remodelling almost every square metre of our block. 😲 Geoff's diagnosis came when the carport aka garage was built but the chaotic yard would have rivalled a worst-imagined building site. From removing outside junk and culling indoor clutter, to stonemasonry, landscaping, welding and painting our children willingly tackled ... ... and tamed the backyard ... ... the skyline jobs...

Encouraged by the positive prognosis shared previously on the blog , we plunged into activity, optimistically facing the daily ups and downs.( Activity Amusement & Adventure ) After barely two weeks, pain arose in Geoff’s left side which gradually worsened until it became entirely debilitating. ( Meandering Medical Musings ) Amazingly, recent changes in treatment have achieved the best outcome healthwise since Geoff’s diagnosis. ( This post )   Liver Mets Lead to Lorlatinib Early in November, a long-awaited CT scan on Geoff’s chest, abdomen and pelvis, provided the first direct comparison to the dismal picture of his initial cancer diagnosis four months earlier. In light of the inconclusive results from the last brain and spinal column MRIs plus the knowledge that continued treatment on the second generation targeted drug, Alectinib, depended on clear evidence of it’s effectiveness, we had hoped the CT scan would show definitive improvement. Disappointingly, although two of the...

Encouraged by the positive prognosis shared previously on the blog , we plunged into activity, optimistically facing the daily ups and downs.( Activity Amusement & Adventure ) After barely two weeks, pain arose in Geoff’s left side which gradually worsened until it became entirely debilitating. ( this post ) Amazingly, recent changes in treatment have achieved the best outcome healthwise since Geoff’s diagnosis. ( Liver Mets Lead to Lorlatinib )   Meandering Medical Musings When the pain in Geoff’s side became so severe that driving to emergency wasn’t a viable option and cumulative doses of hydromorphone had brought no relief, I called the ambulance. It happened that all vehicles were attending to life-threatening night-time emergencies, so after giving me advice regarding pain management, Geoff's case was handed over to other healthcare providers. Thus began a stressful week as I tried to advocate for an effective solution. One difficulty arose because Geoff could partially ...

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! From the heights of hope to the depths of despair, God has carried us through the shadows, and graciously lifted us into the sunshine again. Praise His name! Encouraged by the positive prognosis shared on my October blog post , we plunged into activity, optimistically facing the daily ups and downs.( this post ) After barely two weeks, pain arose in Geoff’s left side which gradually worsened until it became entirely debilitating. ( Meandering Medical Musings ) Amazingly, recent changes in treatment have achieved the best outcome healthwise since Geoff’s diagnosis. ( Liver Mets Lead to Lorlatinib ) Activity Amusement & Adventure Two months ago, unpredictable episodes of mild delirium were continuing to impact Geoff’s thinking and his ability to approach and complete tasks. Entering into his sense of uselessness or frustration was heart-rending: “I...

Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings Yet not welcome any pain? Shall I thank You for days of sunshine Yet grumble in days of rain? Are You good only when I prosper... And God only when I’m well? You are good when I’m poor and needy... You still reign in the deepest valley You’re still God in the darkest night Oh let Your will be done in me In Your love I will abide Oh I long for nothing else As long as You are glorified (extracts from the song by Mark Altrogge) Appointments with the oncologist have gradually settled down to a regular monthly occurrence. Arriving at the cancer centre we check-in at the desk then wait for a while. Soon a nurse assistant measures Geoff’s weight and vital signs. Back to the waiting room for a while. Next the oncology registrar calls us in for a preliminary consultation. After a while the oncologist enters, usually followed by the lung cancer nurse. Working together as a team, they review Geoff’s present health and consider directions for ongoing tr...

“I think I’ve turned a corner!” declared Geoff to his parents when they visited just after Sliding into Shadows. A very different type of slide became his confidence-booster and a spirit-lifter for all of us. Geoff dusted off the old projector, opened his archive of meticulously labelled transparencies, and patiently arranged page after page of cardboard-framed history into magazines, ready for a family meander down memory lane. Beginning with a few ‘pre-historic’ photos taken half a century ago, the amusing images and Geoff’s clear recollections filled our hearts with hope and joy. How wonderful to share in laughter and see the long-buried sparkle shining again in Geoff’s eyes! A few months ago, reaching Geoff’s 59th birthday had seemed an impossible milestone. Blue skies and sunshine set the scene for our special day of celebration. Falling on a Sunday brought the added blessing of gathering in person for worship with our church. Afterwards, Geoff took initiative in speaking with fr...