Don Wood

Last year this time, Lucie was in the hospital with dehydration and bacterial infection. Later in the month, she came down with a staph infection that went systemic and she almost died. We spent Christmas in ICU. We didn't think she would be here this Christmas, and we are so thankful she is! We have much to celebrate. It seems appropriate to share at this time a beautiful story that happened to us this time last year. As I said, Lucie was in the hospital and I was tying up the loose ends for Christmas. I was eating by myself in a restuarant Lucie and I frequented. We knew the waitress very well. We always asked for her. We took an interest in her and her life. Well, she knew Lucie was in the hospital, so she asked me if all the presents were wrapped. I saind, "Yes, except for the ones Lucie bought for me." Without hesitation, she said "I can do that -- I can wrap them." So I took her up on her gracious offer. She came over to the house that Saturday with her sister-in-law and wrapped the presents. She brought a basket of fruits and nuts, some cookies and some soup for Lucie! I had tears in my eyes that this lady would give us such a great gift of herself. That act really helped make a very difficult Christmas one to celebrate and reflect on what was good. Who says there is no Santa Claus?! We are so blessed.

You're a good caregiver to your dad, Adam. I think you are right on in your thinking and doing. Have a great holiday! Don

Ray, do what you need to do, good buddy. Have a great holiday season. Don

Jason, I am so sorry you lost your dad, and so fast. My heartfelt sympathies. Don

Hi, Sharon! Your dad is an inspiration for us all. Have a great holiday. Don

Jay, bone mets can be treated. My wife originally had 5 different bone mets and then another one in June. With chemo and radiation, they have been handled so far. Radiation was done on those mets that either were giving her much pain or were in a place that threatened the integrity of the particularl bone. So not all bone mets got radiation. She will have a PET scan next week. Earlier bone scan showed nothing new except a small tumor on one of her ribs. It is not bothering her at the moment. She has had rib tumors come and go. Best to you. Don

A number of months ago, while Lucie was in the midst of chemo and radiation treatments, a woman approached me at Wendy's where I was having lunch alone. (Lucie was taken by a friend to treatment that day.) The lady said, "Pardon me, but you are usually here with a woman who looks like she is taking chemo treatments. Is she your wife?" I said, "Yes, on both counts. She is being treated for non-small cell lung cancer." "Well", she said, "my husband died of lung cancer less than two years ago." I asked her to join me and we got acquainted. The next time I met the lady at Wendy's, my wife was with me. So the three of us shared stories, and we have now become fast friends. The woman noticed that I had a Christian fish symbol on my car, and so we have shared out faith as well. She made a cross-stitch book mark for Lucie, and we gave her a fish symbol for her car. She has sent cards to Lucie and me from time to time, wishing us well. We see her about once a week at Wendy's. Recently, the lady bought a house, and we decided to give her a house warming gift, since we have been so blessed to have her in our lives. We brought her a door wreath and took her to dinner. Then she gave us a tour of the house. We had a great time! We believe God put our paths together to help each other heal. This lady is truly a blessing in our lives. We have much to be thankful for. Don

I would opt for the chemo, but I am neither an MD nor you. No one knows how much time they have, with or without the chemo, and the chemo could attack cancer where the radiation didn't go. Radiation is to a specific area and chemo is more general. It is a gamble, no assurances either way -- you have to make up your own mind and go with it. Best to you in your decision. Don

Nancy, hang in there! As caregivers, we do get overwhelmed from time to time. Take care of yourself and David. Keep us posted. Don

Andrea, sorry about your mom. My wife is NSCLC Stage IV and is now 14 months from her diagnosis and doing well. Keep hope. Don

Hi, Barbara! Good to hear from you again. Good for you that you are doing some "normal" things and getting on with your life. Have a great holiday! Don

BethAnne, sorry about your mom. My wife is 66 and presently is 14 months from diagnosis and doing fine. Her lung cancer went to her bones, and the chemo/radiation has taken care of it for now. It is best to take a day at a time, but to have goals to work toward. It is great you want to be your mom/s caregiver. As such, you need to take care of yourself as well -- keep healthy both in body and mind -- so you can be the most help to your mom. Seek out someone you can talk with on a regular basis to vent your frustrations, fears, etc. And this board is a great place to vent as well, plus get support and info. Best to you. Don

Neat! I had a good chuckle.

I am saddened at Greg's passing. My prayers are with the family. Don

Good to see you back on line, Norme. Glad Buddy is back home. I wish you all the best for the holidays. Don

That's great, MO! Have a great holiday. Don

Beautiful! And so true!

Carleen, I have thought about you and Keith often and am so glad to see you back. Thanks for the update. It sounds promising to me. I love the new picture of you two. We are going to have Christmas at our house also, per request of Lucie. We will have some of the food catered and others will be brought by various people. We are also having a friend come in and do the decorating for us. God's grace. Don

ATM, sorry about your grandmother. Yes, people do survive this. My wife is not your grandmother's age, but she is on Medicare. She has survived 14 months now since diagnosis and is doing well. I think I would get a second opinion on the chemo. Good luck. Don

Don, I am glad your wife is going with you. You are right that you need a second pair of ears whenever you are talking with doctors about treatment options. My prayers are with you in your decision making and in your treatment. Don, too.

Kelly, so sorry you have lost your dad. My prayers are with you and your family. Don

My wife was losing function in her left hand and then pain followed in the arm. She went to her regular doc and he sent her to a neurologist. The neurologist did an MRI of her back and found the tumor. Then on to the onc. etc. Don

Alriiiiiiiiiiight, Sandy!

Lynne, sounds like you've got a plan. Glad Dean is home. Don

Right on, Shriley!