Don Wood

I'll have a Maguerita, of course!

Sorry your wife lost her battle. My heartfelt sympathies. Glad you had her with you for 6 more years. Don

A B C D goldfish. L M N O goldfish. O S A R goldfish.

I echo that everyone is different. Some want to know everything and others want to know as little as possible. I think one needs to respect both. Lucie's onc would not have volunteered any prognosis, but we asked because we wanted to react to it, get it behind us and move on. The prognosis (statistics) was, as Ry says, waaaaay off! It was nine months, and Lucie is now 28 months out and going strong. Lucie does not participate in this forum because she does not want to be overwhelmed with the info, the bad news, etc. She lets me do that, which I don't mind, and I give her what info, support from here she needs. It works out well that way for us. Don

Glad you two are finally going to do something for yourselves. It looks beautiful! Have a great time and a great anniversary. Don

No, there is no way I could prepare myself for losing my spouse, because I have no experience in that area. I have lost two parents, a brother and a sister, but losing my mate is a whole other story. Lucie and I have talked about it and prepared for it as much as we can. But I know that the reality will be overwhelming. I will have to rely on others to get me through. We both always thought I would go first, but now we know that that will probably not happen. I cannot imagine what a life without her would be like, but I do know my Lord and our family and all our friends will help me get through it. For now, I really don't dwell on it because I want to focus on our time together, however long that may be. Don

Beautiful! Speaks volumes. I know you're proud of him. When I had my 64th birthday, I asked each of my three children not to get a material gift but to write me a letter telling me what positive things they have seen in me as a dad. They did, and it blew me away. I was so touched and keep those words from each dear to my heart. I'm glad your son shared that with you, and glad that you shared it with us. It doesn't get any better than that. Don

Bill, if the lower back pain is caused by tumor, radiation might help. Also, is she on any pain medication to relieve some of this? Don

Normally, they put the portacath in the chest just below the collarbone. Lucie has one. I, too, want to emphasize that he must eat and drink, and I'm glad you are giving him a variety of things to drink. We found that having something every two hours worked better than trying to give a regular meal three times a day. It also cuts down on the nausea, at least it did in Lucie's case. Don

Hi, TAnn! I think what you are experiencing is normal. Lucie has not had WBR, but she did have radiation to the skull, and I have noticed that she asks me questions I have already answered. She also is slower remembering. I don't know whether it gets better or what. I do notice that her speech was a little halting at first and now it is getting better. Best to you. Don

Welcome, Valery! Glad you are here. Best to you, your mom and family. Don

Welcome! Glad this site has been helpful to you. Best wishes. Don

Great news! Congratulations!

Alriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!!!

LondonLad, so sorry you lost your dad. It is a traumatic thing no matter when in our lives it happens. I lost my dad and mom when I was in my early twenties. I decided then that I would be the best person I could be to honor their memories. And we have the memories of the good times we had. I wish you peace. Don

Rick is right. It is illegal. So we should respect his request to us. That can be discussed offline. Don

Tell your mom that my wife, Lucie, had an infection in her port-a-cath about a month after it was put in. She was in the hospital at the time and got a staph infection, which went systemic and almost killed her. The removal of the port left a big hole, but it closed up with time. She had to have another port-a-cath put in on the other side of her chest and that has done fine for 2 years. Lucie also had bilateral pneumonia Aug. 2003, and survived that. So maybe that will help your mom have hope and fight on. Best to you all. Don

Prayers for Nick.

You're a neat daughter, Kel. Just have to laugh at the error on the part of the building manager. At least, her heart was in the right place, even if her timing needs work. Don

Cute!

Prayers for your mom.

David and Karen, thanks for the update. Sounds like you have a good doc and a good plan. Don

My prayers are with you, Jane.

No one in Lucie's family had lung cancer, and she didn't smoke. No one in my family had prostate cancer but me. Now, there was plenty of heart disease in my family, including myself. Everyone has flaws that can be passed on. It's the nature of things. I agree -- stop beating up on yourself. Between Lucie and myself, our three kids could get all sorts of things. I believe that is why children of people with cancer suffer twice -- the thought of losing a parent and the thought of being vulnerable themselves. But that is the way things are. You could be clear of all disease and be hit by a bus or a tsunami. I hope you can let go of the guilt and concentrate on the positive. Don

Cute!