P90 X

Sharon and I just completed day 4 of the P90 X program (Yoga X). I found sore spots and weak spots in my back. A guy sure finds out how weak he is after starting this program. I've also noticed that after just 3 days I'm already getting stronger and more flexible because I'm able to do more of the exercises and my form is better.

I thought yoga was going to be easy. I thought it was just stretching and bending. Was I wrong. I probably sweated more today than I did on the previous 3 days of exercising. Some of the exercises were too hard for me, I could only do a couple of reps. The AB exercises were killer. I kept breaking out of form because my stomach was on fire. I'd do a few, stop, and do a few more. I know I'll get better as time progresses.

The balancing exercises were hard, too. I could get my leg up, but I couldn't get it as high as the guys on the DVD. I know that will come, also.

Vic and Harold

Sharon and I drove Vic to Kalispell on Wednesday, July 29th, to see how his cancer treatment had worked. Vic was diagnosed with cancer in February and he underwent several treatments at the Rock in Kalispell. His treatment involved filling the bladder with some form of substance and rotating his entire body to ensure the substance covered all areas of his bladder. The substance must have been very toxic, because he had to be very, very careful when he used the restroom. The results of his treatment were positive. The doctor told him there were 3 red spots in his bladder and they will continue to monitor them (we didn't confirm what the 3 red spots meant). Vic's next appointment will be in 3 months, if all goes well at that appointment he will be rescheduled for a 6 month appointment. We're all crossing our fingers.

I drove Harold to his last radiation appointment on Monday, July 27th. It was his 20th and final treatment. He finished the treatment without fan fare or special celebration. He did get a recognition award from his doctor and that made him feel good. Now, he has to wait for 3 weeks before he knows how the treatment worked. He goes back on September 18th to learn the prognosis. I gave him a handshake and congratulated him for completing all 20 treatments. Harold feels better, physically and mentally. He said he's ready to get back to work.

Mom

I haven't been here for a long time, since May. A lot has happened since that time. Three people very close to me were diagnosed with cancer, all within a month of each other - my mother, my wife's step-father, and also her father.

Mom was diagnosed with gall bladder cancer in February. By the time the doctors found the tumor it had grown into her liver and was blocking the ducts that drained the liver. It was the blockage of the bile ducts that offered the first glimpse that something was wrong. My sister Karen had gone to visit Mom one morning and noticed she had a yellow tinge to her skin. She told Mom, "I think you might have a hepatitus infection, Mom." She immediately took her to the hospital where doctors initially thought the same thing. By the end of the day, after running tests and doing blood work, the doctor broke the news that Mom had cancer. Mom was quickly scheduled for an operation to install a stent in her liver.

A few days later, doctors had placed the stent in Mom's liver that allowed the bile to drain. It wasn't a routine operation, though. The first doctor attempted to insert the stent through the lower portion of the liver but couldn't. A second doctor was called in to help. With one doctor threading the stent through an incision in the top of the liver, the other doctor came up through the bottom of the liver and pulled the stent down into the drainage ducts. The operation was a short-lived success. One week later the tumor had grown through the mesh stent and blocked the ducts again. Another operation was performed and the stent was reopened.

Mom was placed on chemotherapy and began her struggle to fight the very aggressive and fast growing cancerous tumor. Over the next few months mom grew weak and was rushed to the emergency room several times to receive fluids. She would dehydrate, have low sodium levels and low potassium levels. She steadily lost weight as her appetite waned and she grew weaker. The doctor's prognosis was grim, he suggested the family be called together.

Mom fought the cancer for five months before it finally got her. Amazingly, during even the most agonizing periods of her battle, she was more concerned with other people than she was with her own well being. She had voiced her concern for her children to my older sister, Kim. She said, "Kim, I'm ready to go if the Lord wishes it. I'm comfortable with that, but I'm worried about you kids." She was also concerned about Sharon's father and step-father, asking how they were doing, saying, "I'll say a prayer for them."

Mom passed away at 10:22 A.M., on June 24, 2009. She was surrounded by all her children, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren. Mom took her last breath in her own bed, in her own house. She now rests with her grandson, Anthony, in a beautiful wooded cemetary with the soothing sounds of a nearby fountain.