Smiles, Events, and a Big Turn!

Well a bit has happened since my last blog and it is time to update! Since I wrote last time about Dora's Lymphoma Smile Project getting under way in Newport Beach, Ca. She finally made her way into Detroit and to Windsor were she spent 5 days, spreading smiles and awareness to the people or Windsor and Essex County.

Kerry, Me & Peanut Jr, and Dora!

When I arrived at the Amtrak station in Detroit with my brother Jamie and my Son Travis we were met there by fellow Lymphomaniac Kerry Rivard-Allor and her husband Roy! So glad to get a chance to have finally met up, especially when we live not so far apart. After a short chat with Kerry and Roy, Dora's train finally rolled in. She was easy to pick out of the crowd getting off the train with her lime green flowers in her hair and the surgical mask, which protected her from infection on a crowed train. We basically went back to Windsor after talking with Kerry and Roy and getting some photo's with Peanut Jr.. We got her all checked in at the Hilton where she could rest and be ready to go the next day!

RCMP Musical ride about to enter the ring!

Day 2 seen us off to the  (WETRA) Windsor Essex Therapeutic Riding Association's stables out in McGregor On. area. We were there to see the RCMP Musical Ride which just happened to be in the area for a fundraiser for WETRA. Joining us was Brenda and her mom Arnelda. Dora was able to capture many smiles and photos of the event which also included the Canadian Cowgirls show. Unfortunately there was an incident later that evening while uploading the photos from her camera to the computer and ALL photo's taken this day were lost for good! So unfortunate as I had even taken photo's of her with some of the people we knew there as well as photo's with one of the mounties in full dress reds!

Windsor Spitfires vs Plymouth Whalers @ WFCU Centre.

Day 3 in the early afternoon we were able to take in a Windsor Spitfires vs Plymouth (Mi) Whalers exhibition hockey game at the WFCU centre. Joining Dora was myself, Brenda, my Brother Jamie, his stepson Matthias and we met up there with my Uncle Don and his grandson Jim and his friends. So today Dora was able to capture many smiles for her collection and no lost photos this time! A fun time was had by all even though the Spits lost the game.

Day 4 turned out to be a wash with the weather and turned into a rest day.

(Click on this link to see various photo's of Dora's visit with me in Windsor!)

Day 5 and Dora's final day has us picking up Dora at the hotel as she had to check out by 1pm and bring her back to my apartment where we spent the afternoon chatting till Brenda got home, and then we went out to dinner and then off to the train station where we seen her off to continue her journey to Washington D.C. and then home to Catonsville, Md.


Saturday September 15th Brenda her Mother Arnelda her Aunt Louella and myself paid a visit to The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn Michigan to take in a special exhibit that was on there. "Titanic The Artifact Exhibition 100th Anniversary 1912 - 2012."

I have to say it was an amazing experience to be amongst such treasures, yet take in the tragedy of it all as well. An eerie felling indeed. The exhibit itself took about an hour or so to go through, so much too see. After the tour through the exhibit we moved on out to the Henry Ford Museum itself as after all these years living just across the river I'd never been to the museum! I will be going back, again so much to see and such little time. I'm including a link here to see some of the photo's that we took on our visit there to the Titanic exhibit as well as the museum. (Click here for photo's) There are few photos as there was a no camera policy so I was only able to sneak in a few pictures!

Now to back up a bit to the Big Turn! The day after Dora left I had a follow up with my Oncologist to go over the results of my latest C/T scan. The scan itself show growth that was normal and expected as usual so nothing new, however I still felt something was not right. Dr. Kanjeekal asked as I was about to leave when my last blood work was. I told her it had been about a month, so she asked that I stop in at the Lab and have blood work done on my way out. No need to wait around for it, if there were any issues she would call.

Well, the next day her office called! there was indeed something wrong and my blood work was indicating a very low Haemoglobin count and also a very low Platelet count as well. The next day, Friday I felt horrible very light headed, weak, no appetite as usual, just not a good feeling at all, so much so I called my CCAC home nurse to come by. While here we took my blood sugar reading which was 3!! very low! my blood pressure was low too! I went to see my family Dr. and we adjusted some of my medications to try to help with all of this.

In the mean time my Oncologist booked a bone marrow biopsy for me, as well she was doing a referral to see my ENT surgeon Dr. Elbreki in order to do a surgical biopsy of the lymphnode on my left jawline.

Also as Health Canada has now approved Bendamustine for use in Canada an application was made on my behalf under compassionate grounds to have the drug made available to me for treatment once we get the results of all the biopsy's back. I was approved the day after the application was made! Thanks to Debbie Gammon at the Cancer Centre for all the hard work she does to get these kind of approvals for patients here in Windsor and Essex County.

So bottom line is that it is time once again to start Chemotherapy treatments.

Thanks to each and everyone out there who is a part of my team whether it be my Medical Team, Support Team or even my Legal Team for taking the stress of fighting my Employer's harassment (Morrice Transport) and my union (CAW Local 195) for their misrepresentation Hopefully I can get this legal stuff settled and behind me before I get too ill.

Now to focus on fighting this battle with cancer and try to put it behind me for the 5th time in 5 1/2 years!