Cancer doesn't take a day off...
Today is my birthday and I can't wait to spend it with Dad tonight. I couldn't ask for a better present.

Dad has been taking Provigil recently and it's really helped him to stay sharp. We are planning on Barbequing a Tri-Tip steak this weekend. Dad will give me directions on how to prepare it and Kathi and I will do the dirty work.

Also, we should have better transportation arrangements in place for next week. For now, I'm still lifting him manually.

Uncle Ron Saves the Day
After many days of arguing with the Insurance Company over non-emergency transportation and having it be denied... Dad's brother, Ron Beaton, came to the rescue.

Kathi had just gotten off another frustrating phone call with the insurance company when Ron called and offered to help. It was perfect timing and Dad said that "the cavalry had just arrived".

Kathi and I have been performing (daily) the difficult task of lifting Dad up and down, shoving him into the car, and lifting him onto the radiation table. Because Dad is not able to support himself in a standing position, I have to really grip him in order to lift. This has caused a lot of pain for Dad. A few days ago we heard a loud cracking noise when I lifted him. It sounded like it was coming from his ribs. Ever since that time, it has been very painful for Dad to be lifted. Now, thanks to Ron and his family, we can get non-emergency transportation for Dad and he can be transported properly (and I won't feel like I'm hurting my Dad anymore).

Thanks for sending the cavalry uncle Ron!

Another good site...
Brain Tumor Statistics

Update on Pops
Comparatively speaking, Dad is doing well. Kathi is taking excellent care of Dad and the swelling in his legs is going down little by little. We are back on schedule with the Radiation and Chemo therapy. Still no word on getting a nurse to help out at the house and getting transportation back and forth for treatment.

News flash.... Insurance companies don't like to pay for things.

We are definitely behind schedule on physical therapy because of the swelling. Dad is still not able to move his legs or his left arm with any confidence. His right arm seems to be the only lim that he can depend on.

The next MRI will be at the end of his radiation treatment. When the results come back, we'll know for sure if the remaining tumor is in remission or not.

MRI images from after the surgery
Topic: MRIs and Statistics
These images are similar to the frames found on the May 24th blog entry. If you compare the previous images, you can easily see where the surgery was.

From left to right, tumor view from bottom, then middle, then top.

Swelling
The swelling in dad's right leg seems to be coming down a bit.
His left leg looks fine. Today is the last day of radiation until Monday.
We are all looking forward to a weekend without visiting a hospital. Knock on wood.

So, since it's Friday and things are going somewhat smoothly.... why not post more pictures of baby Kyle?

Brain tumor news...
Good site.

Yesterday was great!
Mood:  a-ok
Dad was in good spirits yesterday and sharp as a tack. We left the house for the radiation treatment at 2:45 and we just hung out until about 10:00. I took Dad around the house in his wheelchair and he gave me several "missions" to accomplish for him.

These "good" days are far and few between, so I wanted to let everyone know that they still exist. Since we've started the radiation Dad has been getting some rough headaches. But, he's cool with it. He says that the headaches are just from the tumor dying (or melting like the wicked witch, as he describes it). He also said that if we see green smoke billowing from his ears, we'll know the witch is dead.

Transportation
Transportation back and fourth to the hospital has become the latest issue. Kathi is looking into getting a handicapped shuttle to come by the house and transport Dad to his daily appointments. For now, it's just Kathi and I.

Another recent issue is the swelling in the legs due to blood clots. Click on this link to learn more about Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI). Because the blood clots exist, it's difficult to have physical therapy and because he isn't getting physical therapy, blood clots will continue to form. We just can't win.

The good news is that Dad is home now and we have begun his radiation treatments. His scar from surgery is healing extremely well. Hopefully, his body will begin to start recovering and he will be ready for the Avastin treatment in about 6 weeks. As many of you know, Avastin (combined with chemo after surgery) has some amazing results. We are all praying that he gets the chance to use this miracle drug. Click here to learn about how Avastin works.

Dad is home now
Kathi and I took Dad home on Sunday. Quite a project. Dad's mobility has worsened. He has almost no support from his legs and this makes it very difficult for us to transfer him to his radiation appointments. But, we are making it happen nonetheless.

Today was Dad's first treatment of the Radiation and Temodar combination and he is now home in bed. Hopefully, the tumor is on the run like Osama Bin Laden, and fearful of the wrath to come. Our resolve to destroy this tumor and save Dad's life is unwavering, albeit difficult.

Dad will need to be transported back and forth for treatment a total of 32 times. I should be in great shape by then, almost as strong as Kathi! LOL