Don Wood

Lillian, great pictures! I feel I know you two better now. Thanks for sharing. Don

And a good one it is, Nancy.

Good, good, good, Dave.

Shelly, I'm glad your dad is home. I know he is happier there. I don't know about your dad, but when my wife is cranky and bossy, it usually means she is feeling better! I hope things get better for all of you. Hang in there. Don

Hi, Beth, and welcome to the little family here. My wife, Lucie, has Stage IV NSCLC, originally with five bone mets. She was given 8 months. Presently, she is a 15 month survivior, and doing fine. Her last PET scan shows things looking pretty good. We have learned to live day to day, but to have goals and work toward them. Lucie just got a laptop computer for Christmas and is learning to use it. We have a goal to visit Scotland in May. There's a lot of info and support here, so don't be reluctant to posjt. Blessings. Don

Joe, Lucie was treated with taxotere along with cisplatin for about 6 rounds. It worked well. The side effects attributed to taxotere: (not all at once, thank God): fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, thrush mouth, skin irritation, fingertip and toetip necrosis (including blackening of the nails), hair loss, plugging of eyedrains so plenty of tearing. Not everyone gets all these, and hopefully you won't, but we ran the gamut. It was worth it, though. Best to you. Blessings. Take a sleigh ride around Belle Isle for us. Don

Carlton, Halleluiah! Celebrate! Don

Prayers coming for DaveG.

Happy New Year, one and all! Don & Lucie

Happy 2004! Don & Lucie

Estelle, wonderful news! You are going into 2004 with a bang! Celebrate! Don

You are in the right place and most welcome. This is a good place for venting, info and support. Since your son has lung cancer in the liver (from your description), he would be Stage IV. Of course, you need to hear that from the oncologist. My wife is Stage IV with mets to the bones. You son is the age of my kids, so my heart goes out to you. Hang in there and let us know where we can help you. Blessings. Don

Shelly, my heart aches for you. It isn't FAIR, is it? No! I hope the beast is not visiting again, but, if it is, I believe you have the strength and experience to see it through. I'm with you. Don

Tam, this is not to excuse your dad's bad behavior but just to put it in perspective. Your dad, as you said, was used to doing pretty much what he wanted to do and left everything else to your mom. Now, as well as facing the death of his life companion, he has to run a three-ring circus -- do his things, to her things and take care of her -- all at once. It becomes overwhelming. I have had screaming fits just to release the tension. In addition, I think males are poor in coping with illness and giving compassion and love. It is a lot for your dad to learn all at once. Try to be supportive of both of them, and refrain from anything that would make the situation worjse. This is a hard road for all of us to travel. Find someone you can vent with on a regular basis, and, of course, please do come here and vent, share, ask questions. That is why we are here -- to support each other with caring and understanding. Best to you. Don

Annie, my heart hurts for you. I'm glad you got your visit in. My prayers are with you both. Don

Liz, you are most welcome here. Vent or share anytime. Hang in there! Don

Debbie, I am so sorry your mom has to endure so much. Hospice told Lucie when her mother was dying to give her permssion to "go". Sometimes they do hang on for whatever reason. My prayers are that your mom be released of her pain and suffering. God's grace be with you all. Don

Ginny, good to hear from you again. Lucie has had PT after each trauma -- staph infection, chemo and radiation treatment, pneumonia. Since the mets are in her bones, she has also had PT for hand, neck (spine), hip, etc. Happy 2004! Don

Welcome to the board, MJ. Look forward to your posts. Happy 2004! Don

Molly and Mandy (our Beagles) send their best regards to Clover. Don

I am definitely the lazy river/hot tub type when it comes to water parks. Ten years ago, Lucie and I took our three adult kids to the San Antonio area for a week of fun, which includes a water park. I made the mistake of going down one of those high slides. That was enough "thrill" to last me a lifetime. I need never go again. When I came shooting out the end, the attendant looked at my face and said, "Wasn't what you expected was it, sir?" I said, "NO!" Everyone laughed but me. I leave the slides to the heartier types. Don

May you always be "in tune"! Don

I have never been one much for New Year's resolutions. But Lucie and I do have the goal to visit Scotland in May for about a week. We went to England, Ireland and Scotland for two weeks in 2001, but were only in Scotland two days (Edinburgh), so we pledged to go back to Scotland. So that is one of our goals. Santa gave Lucie a laptop computer for Christmas, so her goal is to learn how to do E-Mail and visit websites. Perhaps I can convince her to look in on us here. I definitely need to lose about 15 lbs. Happy 2004 everyone! Don

Pam, I am so sorry your dad and you and your family had to live that nightmare. Thanks much for sharing his story with us. Whenever you want to vent or share, please do. And let us know how we can help you through the grieving process. Blessings. Don

Heather, great news! What a way to celebrate Christmas and the New Year! Don