What a Week!

Things started out good last week with a day spent at Caesar's trying to win one of the $500 every 20 minutes prizes, put in 8 hours their and no luck, no loss either cause for this contest all you had to do was swipe in with your players reward card and wait! But you did have to be there to win.

Just a massive amount of bikes at the
WFCU Centre where they began.

Had a good time this past Sunday volunteering at the 2012 Ride for Dad in support of Prostate Cancer. Brenda and I were set up out at the final stop of the Ride at the Ranta Marina in Amherstburg, ON. There were just over 800 bikes and riders registered this year, and I'd have to say at least a couple hundred "unregistered bikes took part as well.

The never ending parade of bikes
as they passed by our place.

We didn't have to be out at the Ranta until 2pm so I got to see them from my balcony as they passed by my building. I was quite a site, and it brought a tear to my eye, to see so many come out to support the cause, just awesome. After arriving at the Ranta, we got our volunteer shirts, however we were put on standby as all the jobs were currently filled.

So about 3pm we grabbed a bite to eat, and it was while we were eating that they found something for us to do which was great! We ended up directing the riders after they arrived to go to the blue over head canopies to have their poker cards validated before the went in the entertainment / dining tent. Everything went well, and the early tally of funds raised that day was just over $54,000.00. Nice job people!

So we move on to Monday and another shot at Caesars for $500 every twenty minutes. Again no luck, figured for sure they'd call my name as I had to leave for a couple hours to go to Spanish class over at the Hospice! But, no they did not call my name while I was gone either. My son Travis  and my good friends Rick & Bonnie were there too and listened for my name while I was gone. The did try to pull my leg about it, but I was on to them right away.

Then comes Tuesday and my appointment with my Palliative Care doctor. After going over how things were working with the new medications it was decided to up the dose of the pain killer he put me on by 3mg. So not so bad a day there, and everything appeared to go OK.

Wednesday, I had my appointment with my social worker and dietitian at the Cancer Centre and everything went well with my social worker, but not so much the same case with my dietitian. I filled her in on what was going on and how I felt about things and that there may have been some weight loss. Well, turns out there has indeed been some weight loss, just over 20lbs in a few weeks time. Like I told her, I feel like I'm full most of the time and most nights have just a bowl of cereal for dinner. She will be having a chat with my Oncologists about that.

Similar to what mine look like right now.

Maybe that is why there seems to be an increase in size of the lymphnodes and why new ones are popping up. I'm losing weight so they are showing up more and not really growing like it seems they were. Well if that were not enough, when I woke up Wednesday morning it felt like I had developed some kid of rash on my side. Once I took a look in the bathroom mirror I was 99% sure it was not a rash and was the dreaded shingles, not really a cancer patients friend. So I went straight to my family doctor after leaving the cancer centre and sure enough shingles it is! Now I'm on 1000mg of Valtrex 3 times daily to get it in check.

On other news, Brenda had finally gotten a call in the past couple weeks about a job interview. She went to the interview and passed it only to be told the positions had been filled and they would contact her next time they hire, and that she's first on the list. Not holding out on that and she's still actively seeking employment and putting in lots of resumes.

That's about it in a nut shell for now and will keep ya posted.

p.s. Don't forget the fundraiser, it closes July 1/12, you can donate by clicking on the GIVE button at the top right of this page. Thank You.

Five Month Check-up.

Today will be one of my regular check-ups with my Radiation Oncologist Dr. Schneider at the Windsor Regional Cancer Program. It's been 5 months since my last check-up and I'm feeling confident.

Me, Dr.Schneider and Brenda at Relay for Life 2010

Although the check-up visit today is for the Squamous Cell Carcinoma which was found in my throat just a couple of month prior to the DLBC being found, Dr. Schneider will give me the full look over. He treated me for that cancer which was my first, and then he also treated me for my fourth cancer which was the first diagnosis of the NLPH.

Although these follow-ups may seem at times to have become routine there is nothing routine about them. Let's face it your there to follow up on a cancer that could return at any time, although I don't worry too much about the SCC, I do worry about the current progression of the NLPH that I am dealing with now, which is my fifth cancer!

The Lymphnode  on my jawline.

Even knowing that I do have a current diagnosis and that I can judge by the node on my jawline, I still always ponder the question; when will it be time to pull the trigger and start treatment? Being in a state of watch & wait, knowing what your dealing with and what lies ahead for you, can be very stressful at times.

My treatment options for when the time comes are currently few, and there are a couple that my Medical Oncologist and I have discussed and have ready to go when the time is right. But that is it, when is the time right? She has told me the the ball is in my court and I can make the call to pull the trigger to start treatment at any time.

Watch & wait is difficult. You know you have a life threatening illness, you know it's progressing day by day, even though it may be indolent, and you have the power to start treatment at any time, but don't. I don't because I have discussed the situation with my oncologist in full. We have gone over the options, I have gotten a second opinion to be sure where we stand.

The situation is this with the Watch & Wait approach, we are waiting for things to progress a little further, to a point where I start to exhibit one or more of the "B" symptoms. That is when I am told it would be the best time to start treatment, as the outcome would be no different doing now than it would be doing it once the B symptoms start to appear.

So this is why I watch and wait, and also because I had just finished a period of time where I was pretty much in active treatment for four years, and totally wore out from it all. So rather than start treatment again so soon and run all those toxic drugs through my body again, which is only going to weaken me more and who knows how much more, a little? a lot? or even may just too much.

I'll continue to take my chances with the watch & wait approach, keep up with these regular check-ups, the next one of which, will be with Dr. Kanjeekal my Medical Oncologist, who I will see sometime in September. So between the two oncologists I see, I actually get a follow up approximately three months. I can also call in if I think there is something that pops up and I think is urgent or requires attention sooner.

So as you see even though these follow-ups can have the appearance and feel sometimes of being "routine", there is nothing routine about them. After all it's me and my life in their hands and mine. Nothing routine about wanting to live another day, week, month, year, or even years.

Correction note, Re; The Perfect Storm

Seems I was initially misinformed with regards to one of the statements I made in my last blog.

The situation with regards to having to "sell" my pre-paid funeral arrangements is false. In fact pre-paid funeral arrangements are considered an "exempt asset"  with regard to claiming assets which you may or may not have to "sell"

The "exempt asset" limit in our case would be $7.500.00. I have copied the actual statement with regard to assets and exempt assets directly from the Ontario Disability Supports program page and here it is;

"Examples of assets


Assets are property, possessions or money that belong to you or your family. Here are some examples:


cash
money you have in bank accounts
stocks and bonds
Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP)
vehicles
property (for example, land or a house)
trust funds
any other assets that you or your family own.


Some assets are exempt


Some assets are "exempt" - this means they do not affect your eligibility for Income Support. Here are some examples of exempt assets:


the home you own and live in
your primary vehicle (the one you use the most, if you have more than one)
trust funds derived from an inheritance or life insurance policy, up to allowable limits
the cash surrender value of life insurance policies, up to allowable limits
pre-paid funerals
Registered Education Savings Plans (RESP)
Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSP)
necessary household and personal items, such as furniture and clothing.
These are only a few examples. There are many rules about the treatment of assets while you are receiving Income Support.


Your Ontario Disability Support Program worker can help you figure out which of your assets are exempt. That's why it is important that you report all of your assets to your worker.


Asset limits


There are limits to the amount of non-exempt assets you can have and still remain eligible:


for a single person, the limit is $5,000
for a person with a spouse, the limit is $7,500
the limit increases by $500 for each child.
When you can go over the limit


In some cases, you can get approval to save money over and above your asset limit. For example, you may save money to buy an item or service that you need for your health or for your disability. Talk to your Ontario Disability Support Program worker."


The fact remains however that I believe that the step of having to apply for Ontario Disability Support via Ontario Works is a wasted step in the case of an obviously documented disability and is a was of Government money. Unnecessary wages and time for all those involved at Ontario Works.

Their case loads are overloaded now, and to add this "unnecessary" step is just more stress on them not to mention the wasteful spending on the Governments part.

My apologies for any inconvenience the misinformation may have caused.

Tim.

The Perfect Storm

Yes my friends, as the title of the entry suggests, "The Perfect Storm" has occurred. My current predicament has put me in a position to call it just that.

With my employer sponsored LTD benefit expiring, along with them unexpectedly cutting my remaining benefits, health, dental, & eyeglass, then took it that further step further to "end" my employment with them. As that wasn't enough Brenda is finding it very difficult to get back in the workforce after not having to work the past 17 years and her age.

One of the suggestions has been for her to take a course to get "retrained" for a career. She had a deal all set up through "WEST" ( Women's Enterprise Skills Training ), however after filing online and doing all the required steps to get into the course, which by the way was a Government paid course, she was asked to come in to finalize everything and that's where she hit a brick wall.

Upon arriving there, they took one look at her and said, "oh your Canadian and not an immigrant". Seems this course was only for visible minorities and new immigrants to Canada, and she was denied the course!! Just how is that fair that you are born and raised in a country that has a government sponsored training course to help you get back in the work force yet you don't qualify because you are born and raised in that country! Baffles my mind.

We called our local provincial government representative's office to inquire about this and voice our disappointment  in the requirements of this program, and we were told they would look into it and get back to us. That never happened.

Next suggestion was to apply for welfare "Ontario Works" and they may provide assistance to get back into the workforce. To add to this, I was also told by ODB "Ontario Disability Pension" that if I wanted to apply to them in order to "top up" my CPPD Canada pension disability benefit, I would have to apply through Ontario Works as well.

Well, this seems to be another brick wall, but we are probably going to have to take a try at it anyway, however the brick wall I speak of is one of the requirements for Ontario Works.It is to provide all paper work and information you have for any "cash value life insurance", as well as any "pre-paid funeral arrangements". That is were I draw the line so to speak.

Why I ask, must I have to "sell" a prepaid funeral arrangement purchased and paid for over 10 years ago, and use those funds fist according to their guidelines before qualifying for assistance from them. I  do not see the purpose or reason in this, especially with my current health condition. To do that and then have to "repurchase" that package again would,cost double or more what I paid for it 10 years ago, and we would most likely lose our spot which was picked out to be close to family at the cemetery! Just does not make sense to me, or even be a reasonable request.

Am I wrong on this? Is my thinking of this considered greed or being "too good" to have to follow that rule? I'm not sure what the majority think about this, however, everyone I've spoke to about it does not feel I am wrong in thinking that. Don't get me wrong, I do not think I am above or better than anyone, more like the opposite, but it has caused me some second thoughts about applying.

By applying this may also turn into an avenue for Brenda to get sponsored retraining to get back in the workforce and as well I would get my CPPD pension "topped up" which would then at least we could make it month to month and take some of the pressure off.

Today I will call my local representatives again to see why they have yet to return my calls regarding having to go through Ontario Works first to get Ontario Disability, which is just a waste of time and money, as that is ultimately where I would end up anyway. This whole step would save hours and hours as well as dollars paid for those hours on the Government end of it and save me months and months of time to get through the process. I have a confirmed and well documented disability which will qualify me, so lets get to where I should be and save the government some money and me some time in poverty land!

I'm sure that even if I were to not have to go through that step and be able to apply directly to Ontario Disability, I'd still be looking at waiting any where from a couple months to nine months time or more, this is what I was told by a case worker when I called them with a previous file number to inquire about applying again.

Also we will start putting together the "long" list of documents required to apply for Ontario Works and start that process and see where it goes. Our position on "selling" our pre-paid funeral arrangements will NOT change however, so this may or may not work. Time shall tell.

I would also like to take this time to thank all of those that have given to the "Give Forward"  "Help Tim Hammer Lymphoma" fundraiser that my good and generous facebook friend Kimberly Caamano has put on for me, and also for the "hug" notes. I am very humbled and thankful for the donations and the kind words you have all sent.

For those who want to donate you can use the widget from Give Forward at the top right of this page to do so. Just click on the "Give" button. Also you can leave a hug message as well by clicking on the "read more" at the bottom of the widget which will take you to the main page where you can click on "hug" at the top of the page. Thank you again to all of you who are participating.

To use a couple of quotes from online friends, we are "still choosing hope" and will "never surrender".

Grievance news, and a Fundraiser

First I must start with an act of generosity and kindness that goes well beyond what I could have imagined. This past Friday I learnt that a friend I have met and got to know on Facebook, had set up an online fundraiser through Give Forward in order to help Brenda and I get through the tough times we are currently facing.

My friend Kimberly Caamano

Kim has been an online friends since November of 2010, which was shortly after I had seen Roger Waters, "The Wall" live for the first time. It was through our interest in Roger Waters that our friendship developed by sharing stories, photos, and just talking about anything Roger Waters or The Wall. As well she has sent me some mementos from one of The Wall concert's she attended.

After some time I also learnt that Kim worked in the Pharmaceutical industry, and she was quite up on cancer drugs and clinical trials which obviously was an interest of mine as well. We have shared many stories, photos,  video's, etc. and as well information about cancer drugs.

To say I am humbled by what she has done here is an understatement, and I am honored to have and call her a friend. Thank you just does not seem to be enough, Kim, Thank You for doing this for us!
If you'd like to donate something just click on the Give Forward widget to the right side of this page.

Now to move on with the latest on what's happening with the grievance I've filed with my union against the company I work for.

I finally got through to my National Representative from the union who is handling my case and had a chance to get updated as to what happened at the meeting she had with the company a couple of weeks ago. It seems the main topic of the discussions were around the termination and the fact they did not pay me severance pay nor were they even going to.

During the discussion around this, they felt that should there be severance pay (which by the way is required under the Canada Labor Code which we fall under as a trucking company) it should only be up to the point I went off on disability. The union has informed them they have to pay me severance pay from the day I started till the day they terminated me.

Severance pay under the Canada Labor Code is two days regular wage for every year of service, which in my case would be 20 days pay! A real slap in the face when you consider that if my company had fallen under "Provincial" labor laws, I would have been entitled to one weeks pay for every year of service.

However, during my discussions with the Rep. I stated that this was not what I was looking for, and that I feel I first of all had my health and dental benefits wrongfully terminated, and as well that under both the Canada Labor Code or event the Provincial Labor Laws they can NOT terminate my while I'm on sick leave or disability leave. She informed me that beings I will most likely not be returning to work at any point that they could, and I informed her I could not find anything in the code that would allow them to do that.

My main point of view and feelings are that I should be reinstated to an employee on LTD status and that my health and dental benefits be reinstated as well. I am completely aware they do not have to reinstate my disability pension as it was clear there was a five year limit on that.

They claim that since I am no longer in receipt of  my long term disability pension, they no longer have to pay my remaining benefits, which is what I disagree with. I am still in receipt of the life insurance policy which was part of the LTD package, and as well, I am still in receipt of my Canada Pension Plan Disability which had for the past four years, along with my employers LTD benefit, formed the total benefit I received, as the employers benefit deducted what I got from CPPD dollar for dollar, which made the total I received the same as the employers benefit. Therefore I have only lost a "portion" of my disability package which I feel, means I am still in receipt of LTD which entitles me to my remaining benefits.

My gut tells me that the union is not going to proceed to the arbitration stage which is where I feel I will be proven to be in the right. I informed my rep. this, what I want is for my employment as well as my health and dental benefits to be restored, period.

Should that not happen then the company will need to pony up a whole lot more than 20 days pay, they also would owe me an additional two weeks pay for improper notice of termination as they did NOT give me the required two weeks notice of termination and not a penny less! They are getting off cheap as my benefits are more valuable to me than that pittance.

The only thing I got out of that call really is there would be more discussions. No dates were given, so I guess I'll just have to check in periodically to see whats happening. For some reason the grievance procedure time limits don't seem to apply in this case, and I don't understand that either.

Enough of the grievance issue talk, I'm sure for a lot of you it's repetitive of past blogs and boring, but it's mainly to catch you up on what's happening and for those reading for the first time. On to other things.

Since my last posting I've seen my new family Dr. and did a urine test analysis and the results are there is no infection and there was a very small amount of blood in the urine. I had also seen him for some pain I had in my lower right back, felt like kidney area, and the pain , for a period of time was unbearable, took the breath right out of me and almost put me on my knees.  He has also set up an ultrasound appointment for me to rule out kidney stones, which he feels it could be. All I can say is the urination issues came about the same time I started the Cymbalta. By the way, I am now back up to the full 60mg dose after speaking with Dr. Giddings at the cancer center. He does not feel it's related to the Cymbalta either.

My next visit with either my family doctor or oncologist, whichever I see first, I am going to request a prostrate exam just to rule out anything there and to give me piece of mind. Been more than five years since I've had one anyway. I am also going to discuss with my oncologist doing another follow up C/T scan as it's now been about five months since my last one. Again something that will ease my mind more than anything. Just want to make sure things to get to far out of line from where I should be with this watch & wait.

So for now just waiting for any new grievance news and for my next medical appointments.

Two upcoming cancer related events coming up in the next couple weeks to mention.

First is the 6th Annual Jeff Burrow's 24 Hour Drum-a-thon For T2B. $10.00 admission. The event starts at 12 Midnight (late Friday night May 11th) and wraps up late Saturday night (2AM Sunday morning) Live music for 24 hours with your favorite local bands, 50/50 draw, door prizes, special guests, and more .ALL proceeds benefit TRANSITION TO BETTERNESS. Please visit: www.t2b.ca

This years event is being held at Johnny Shotz Billiards Bar Cafe located at 13037 Tecumseh Rd E, in Tecumseh ON.

Secondly is the 2012 Annual Ride for Dad taking place on Sunday May 27th starting from the WFCU Centre in Windsor finishing at the Ranta Marina in Amhurstburg ON after winding through the county click here to see map of the route.

Brenda and I are volunteering for this event again this year. Last year we stamped riders cards the the Rhine Danube in Leamington,ON. However this year we will be volunteering at the final stop which is the Ranta Marina in Amhurstburg, ON. Looking forward to a great event again this year and hope to see some of you local riders there!

That pretty much sums it up for now, will update as it goes.