Cloud ring

We live in a house with "northern exposure" and have a beautiful view of the "North Shore Mountains". My wife and I never get tired of the ever-changing scenery - even though we have lived here for 36 years. Many a morning and evening we sit in our living room to watch the play of light at sunrise and sunset.

The pictures shown above were taken on the evening of Aug 4, 2007. From our point of view, the sun has already set, but it is still illuminating these clouds from below. Here's another one:


















This sunset picture was taken earlier this year, also from our front window.

If you're interested in some more "view" shots, Here's the link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mimiandpapa/sets/72157594393515729/

Dereks' evening out

I'm sure most of you who read this blog do so because, when Derek is temporarily incapacitated in his fight with the cancer, I post information here. So it is with some degree of pleasure that I point you back to his blog (http://www.penmachine.com/), because Derek is blogging more regularly again. It is also good to know that more substantial food, and an occasional drink (http://www.penmachine.com/2007/08/know-your-limit), do go down well with him, even though he has to watch the interactions between drink and medication. He can use all the calories he can get.

When adversity strikes, you really learn for whom you care and what is important.

Dereks' amazing mind

You can accuse me of being biased, and, being his dad, I'll cheerfully admit it. Derek has put another post on his blog (http://www.penmachine.com/2007/08/my-love-is-vengeance), and, if you read it, you'll likely agree that the theme of this post is totally different from that of his other recent posts. I'm constantly amazed at the depth and breadth of Dereks' interests and knowledge. I can't even pretend to know what Derek is talking about in that post (my interests are quite different from Dereks' and that regard), but what astounds me is that he seems to be able to divorce himself mentally from his current medical problems and concerns.

Derek and I went down to the hospital to talk to the surgeon (Dr. Phang) who removed Dereks' cancerous rectum. Derek wanted to find out whether his current symptoms need some attention. Dr. Phang told us that what Derek is experiencing is quite normal. He said that the recovery will be lengthy, and painful episodes will still occur with some regularity. Derek will take some Tylenol 3 when necessary to combat those. On Tuesday, he will meet with the pain management experts at the BC Cancer Institute for further information in this regard.

My relief, and I'm sure Dereks', too, is palpable. While having to go through this is no fun, it's obvious to me that this information is contributing to Dereks' renewed interest in blogging about other subjects.

My wife and I are very proud of him.

Getting rolling

As you all know by now, Derek is not too strong right now, so walking is a chore, rather than a pleasure. We have a wheelchair in our family, which has had some use in the past. I picked it up from our downtown storage this afternoon to make it possible for Derek to be rolled to places other than the immediate surroundings of the house, where he then can go walking. The Metrotown Mall is not far away (and it's a big mall), with many interesting shops and many people, where he can have a meal or coffee. We also have a nice park in our neighbourhood. Additionally, the wheel chair is light enough to put into the car, and be taken to areas farther away. Vancouver is a beautiful city; there are many interesting spots.

I'm sure that all this will lift Derek's spirits. He already sounds much happier.

Flat line today

You'll have noticed that Derek's not been blogging lately. While he is eating more and more each day, he still feels very weak and gets tired very easily. He does try, though. This afternoon, he went for a one and a half block (slow) walk, and he just took another one in our garden and in the back of the house. Nonetheless, he doesn't feel any better than yesterday.

I think that this can be expected. Derek's body has been subject to a major medical assault. His weight loss cannot be made up in short order. The restricted diet he has to follow limits progress in some ways. Recovery rarely occurs in a linear fashion, there are ups and downs.

It's easy to talk this way, because when you feel the way Derek does right now, this is all academic talk. It's painful as a parent to see him labour to do any of the things he used to do easily - Derek feels this most of all, no doubt. For Derek, the time must seem interminable.

Of course Derek, Airdrie, Marina, and Lauren have our unquestioned support. It is depressing to think that we can't speed up his recovery - time is the only healer.

Sometimes you get sore

Literally..... Derek has developed a bedsore from all this lying on his back. It's something he can handle, but it does affect his sleep. Otherwise, he's eating more regular food, and intends to go for a walk later on. There will be a home care nurse visiting tomorrow, to make sure that Derek is progressing and to deal with whatever issues Derek has.

A little while ago, my sister and brother-in-law dropped by, and we had a beer. Derek joined us (he can't have any beer yet), and ate a fair bit of ice cream, and we had an animated conversation about various things; food and colon cancer, mainly. My brother-in-law has just recovered from a very similar bout with colon cancer, so the discussion was "authoritative". You sure can see that, at the bottom of it all, the only things that count are still the basics: health, food, family, and a roof over your head. It sure gives you a sense of perspective.

A day of rest

No doubt Derek is appreciating the "home" feeling - no hospital noises and the feeling of having his family around. He is eating more. He and Airdrie went for a short walk outside the house to the end of the block. Derek knows that excercise and any physical activities promote healing, so is doing as much as he can. Naturally, this is still tiring, and so he also has to rest.

I haven't seen a post in his blog for today. Maybe he'll blog a little later.

In any case, it's great to hear his voice around the house again.