Whew - made it through another week!

What a week! I hardly know where to begin, so I'll just start at the beginning.

Monday was Dick's Dr. appointment to get the results of the Sept. 29 MRI. Just as we expected, the news wasn't good. The tumor has nearly doubled in size since the mid-June MRI. This was no surprise, since his symptoms continue to increase. We all had lunch together at one of Dick's favorite restaurants in Fairfield before the appointment, and then went our separate ways. We ladies did some shopping and Dick & Nancy went to visit with his oncologist.

Tuesday was an awful day. I awoke hearing my brother crying in the next room. He had spilled an entire bowl of cereal in his lap and all over the couch, and was so distraught. My sister and Mom were helping to clean up the mess, and he sat weeping at the other end of the couch. And the day went downhill after that. It was sad, too, because it was Nancy's birthday.

Later at lunchtime Dick was having extreme difficulty figuring out which buttons to press to use the TV remote (they have DirecTV and it takes an technological degree to use the remote - It has a buzzillion buttons and is VERY complicated). He tried and tried and TRIED, and we asked if we could help, but no. He had made up his mind he would conquer that darned remote himself - but without success! Finally, in absolute frustration he threw the remote across the room and hobbled to his bedroom. Later he tearfully attempted to apologize to us for losing his temper . We just loved him up and assured him that his frustration is totally understandable. He consistently does remarkably well at putting up with all the frustrating assaults to his dignity. I know I couldn't do half as well!

Wednesday was some better, but we were on pins and needles constantly on the alert to be ready to grab the remote and figure out where he wanted to go with it before he got too frustrated. It's bad enough not to be able to speak the words formed in your thoughts that your brain can't make your mouth verbalize. He's becoming a prisoner in his own skin - how awful for him! It gives me claustrophobia just to think about it.

Thursday was a tough day because he was especially weak and could barely walk at all. He loves to visit and take treats (table scraps) to the six little hens that live next door, and he loves to cuddle with the two yappy little Chihuahuas that live there, too. My sister took him to see the chickens and practically had to carry him there and back. It isn't far, but he was exhausted and his right foot just wouldn't work. That may well have been his last visit to the chix and pups next door. It seems like every day he's forced to give up something more.

Today was chemo day. Dick & Nancy left the house at 8 a.m. for a 9:30 infusion appointment in Vallejo. We got a call at 1:30 this afternoon saying they had just begun the infusion, delayed all morning by lab tests and paperwork. We were concerned that the long day and the effects of the medicine might be disastrous, but (praise God!) he was in good spirits when they got home, and didn't seem to suffer much in the way of side effects from the chemo. Again, PRAISE GOD!

They are trying a new conglomeration of chemo medications which we hope will shrink the tumor and give him a little more time with us. We have also learned that they are conducting clinical trials for a brain cancer vaccine, of all things, that extends the survival time for brain cancer patients. We are going to look into that to see if he could possibly participate in a clinical trial for the vaccine.

The exciting thing at the end of the day was that there's a huge wildfire burning just a couple of miles from my brother's house. Dick & Nancy encountered the fire trucks on their way up Howell Mountain heading home. There were huge scary flames leaping from along the roadside licking at their car (a little convertible with a full gas tank!). The fire was started by a truck that had accidently run off the road at a sharp hairpin curve. The last we heard (breaking news) one home has already been consumed and folks are being evacuated. We have each packed a little bag with a change of clothes, clean underwear, our prescription meds, and our laptops are ready at the door to grab on our way out, in case we have to evacuate. Google "Napa Valley wildfire" and see what you get. We aren't afraid, but we want to be ready, just in case.

So... It's been an extremely stressful and intense week. I told my daughter that I fall into bed each night like a wet noodle. I'm exhausted, and then I don't sleep well! But I'm not complaining. This is where I need to be - where I want to be. We are definitely needed here. Without our help, Nancy would either have to quit her job or hire someone to stay with Dick all day while she is working (which they could NOT afford). And there are even tougher times ahead - we are fully aware of that. Dear Lord, please give us the strength to face whatever lies ahead!

MY TEXT FOR TODAY: James 1:12, 16-18 (The Message Bible)

"Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life."

"So my very dear friends, don't get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures."