So today the hope and faith we were looking for did not quite turn out the way we would have liked. First stop of the day was at Brenda's lawyers office for a mediation hearing with the other parties insurance company. When we first sat down with the lawyer he explained to us how they would try to intimidate her into early submission with a low settlement.
When Brenda's lawyer put a number in front of us, he told us it might not be what we had in mind but was what he thought might be fair, as far as we were concerned we were exactly on the same track. Brenda was not looking to break the bank but just to get a fair settlement that would put us in a position to replace our vehicle with a brand new one. Something neither one of us has never done is owned a "brand new" vehicle.
After four hours of the mediator going back and forth with offers and counter offers, we finally "settled" . Not anywhere even close to where we thought we would end up but Brenda just wanted it all to be over and after a good discussion with her lawyer and the mediator, we decided it would not be worth taking a chance at going to trial and getting less or even nothing at all! We can tell you this our dreams of owning our very first "brand new" vehicle were gone, just not going to happen with the settlement we got.
Ontario insurance laws totally blow by the way, you see, they, the insurance company your suing, gets the first $30,000.00 of any lawsuit filed against them. Yes, you read right, they get the first $30,000.00 as a "deductible". Then there are the lawyers fees, mediators fees, disbursements, and taxes. I guess you could actually end up owing them money!!. So we headed home licking our wounds and kicked up our feet for an hour until it was time to leave to see my oncologist to find out my fate next.
So, the question is this. Do we do something now, or do we do a watch and wait and do something when things have progressed to a more advanced state. I'm told the effect would be the same, and that if I did it now and put my body through all that chemo and what it does to you, then say, had to do it again in a short period of time it would most likely wear me down quicker. So why not wait and do it when it is more needed and save my strength to fight a battle that might be tougher.
Well, I know you are all scratching your heads and screaming WTF!! Yeah, so am I. I guess there are many arguments there, I know I had a few, but there is some sense in it all. I also have to note that my oncologist is backing what ever decision I make. Treatment now, treatment later, she will do either I just have to give the word. She is working on some things for me and is not throwing in the towel so to speak. She is actually looking at a clinical trail over in Detroit for me, and is going to do her best to get me enrolled in it. It is an SGN-35 trail and something she presented to me even before I showed her what I had come up with. I know of SGN-35 and it has showed great results to date and holds great promise. Now, just to get me enrolled.
She does want me prepared either way so I will be working more closely with my social worker at the cancer center to prepare for anything that my come of this. She also took the information I presented with regard to some other treatments that are holding great promise, and is going to be taking a closer look at those as well. So the ball you can say is in my court.
A lot has happened today, and it's a lot to digest. So we will do this, we will take some time to consider everything that is being proposed. I know I have a great group of you out there that are looking out for me as well. Brenda and I are fortunate to have you, and we consider each and everything that you put forth to us. We also present it to my team at the cancer center for consideration. But just for now we are going to take some time and think it all over while enjoying life and maybe even a well deserved vacation that has been put on hold too many times!
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