January 29, 2019

Good News! Our prayers have been answered in the way in which we had hoped. Ron met with the radiologist in Victoria this morning. The PET scan showed the cancer is confined to the esophagus. Ron will begin radiation/chemotherapy around February 11 or so. After 23 treatments he will likely have about a month before the BIG surgery to remove and repair his esophagus. In the meantime, he will probably be getting a feeding tube placed, as he's still shedding about 2 lbs per week and has difficulty swallowing.
It has been a long day today - 6:15 am ferry off island and the 5 pm ferry back. It will be nice to be home for the next couple of days.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

January 24

And the waiting continues. . . This post is mostly about the lack of  any "new" news to share.
Rons now had a lung function test, blood tests, and a PET scan. We will meet with the radiologist, the oncologist, and confer with the thoracic surgeon next week and should have a clearer picture of the road ahead.
It is hard to watch him melt away before my eyes. He has lost another 6lbs and is now a little below his "ideal" weight. He looks forward to the liquid diet being a thing of the past.
We were blessed on the trip to Vancouver for the PET scan. We spent a total of about 45 minutes waiting for the 4 different ferry trips. Twice we drove straight from the ticket booth into the ferry. That meant we got home before 10pm- an unexpected bonus. I was concerned we would cut it close to missing the last ferry to Gabe at 11. Fortunately all of the ferry costs we're covered for us.
We also managed to get through Vancouver rush hour traffic in the driving rain and darkness without taking out any of the black-clad, daredevil pedestrians. (Another bonus)
We both basically slept the whole next day away. I will post more once we know more. Thanks to everyone for the continued prayers and support.

January 1st, 2019

I'm not really sure where to start, but we are looking at a tough road ahead right now.
Christmas was a very quiet affair here this year. We had a major wind and rain storm come through on the 21st and take out a bunch of trees and power lines. The girls and Michael came down for the weekend and we were able to play a few games and work on puzzles together by lamplight. We got power back at our house on Christmas Eve. Ellie brought us a big turkey that I cooked on the barbecue. We didn't do any gifts this year and just enjoyed one another's company .
As many of you know, Ron has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer.  He's getting a PET scan near the end of the month to see what stage it is and if it has metastasized anywhere else. In February we'll know whether he will start chemo and radiation in preparation for surgery or, if the cancer is inoperable then it will be solely chemo and radiation.
We haven't really shared any of this information with his mother yet because we need to go to her with as much information as possible. We are all dreading her reaction to his diagnosis.
In the meantime, he is on a liquid diet and has dropped more than 50 lbs so far. He's not in any pain, but tires easily and is frustrated about the swallowing issues that so severely restrict his diet.
I go from feeling teary and sad, to useless, to overwhelmed with the upcoming processes. It's so hard to watch someone you love endure all of this and be unable to make it easier or better for them somehow.
Fortunately, we are in Canada where he can get the care he needs without losing everything we own. We have also been blessed with a long visit from my mom while we get our heads around what our"new normal" will be for a while. I am also really grateful for the plan of salvation and keep reminding myself that whatever happens, Heavenly Father loves us and things will work out how they are supposed to.