Grey Cup

Good thing Darryl and Dad were on hand in Toronto to guard the cup before it's fate was sealed and it heads BACK TO SASKATCHEWAN!

It wasn't a pretty game, but the Riders won, and all of Saskatchewan has gone nuts. It is very fun to be around all the excitement.

Go Riders Go !!!

This child is no relation to me, but rest assured, I have photos (similar) of all of my kids in Rider Gear, sadly, they were all taken in the dinosaur age of FILM, and PAPER...... hence I'm not sure how to get them posted.....

Anyway, you get the point, this is kinda how we do it here in Saskatchewan.... we are crazy for our pro football team, even when they are not winning (which is usual), but we really go nuts when they, say get in the play-offs (you should know that 3/4 teams get into the play-offs)...... Glory of all Glories, we won the west this year, and on Sunday will play for the National title, the Grey Cup......

It's exciting to be in Regina right now (really, I'm not kidding), the entire city (well, I'm guessing it is the entire province) is on fire with Rider Green........ The game is in Toronto...... my dad and Darryl are actually THERE (Hello boys, hope you are having fun!) It's a BIG DEAL around here.

Joanne

P.S. on me..... I'm doing OK, I won't be attending any Grey Cup parties, but I am recovering from the last round of chemo, which kind of knocked me back a bit. Still working with the back and shoulder pain .... I begin massage therapy Monday and am hoping that will help. I think I spend too much time in bed, although that is just the reality at the moment. Anyway, I'm hanging in there.........

Beauty

I received this beautiful orchid plant back for my birthday October 19 (which is when this photo was taken). Amazingly, it is still alive, fresh, unwilted, and every one of those little buds you see has blossomed into another beautiful bloom. Just amazing. I received it from my Aunt Lorna Mae and Uncle Tom, and I am especially thinking of them and all of their family this weekend.

It is a cold, snowy, grey day here, not what could really be consdered beautiful, but I find that these days, when I wake up, almost every day looks beautiful to me, maybe that is one good thing about being in somewhat rough conditions.

I did have chemo on Friday (good news, I recovered from the pnuemonia enough to go ahead)..... it was my 8th of that drug mix, and likely the last, as a body can only stand so much of the one drug. It's a little scary for me as I am at least staying stable on this one..... fear of the unknown is always hard to cope with. However, I always know that no matter what, there will be beauty to see in every circumstances.

Best wishes to all of you - I'll be laying low for awhile, just the usual post-chemo recovery, and I am sad to report that I am still trying to manage a very painful back and shoulder. I begin massage therapy on Monday, and am hoping that will help or at least find what might be exaggerating the pain I've been having in that area all along.

Here's to the beauty all around us, and in each of us. Joanne

Doing Well

This was me, from several weeks ago, when Mom and I were making pesto from the basil we grew in our front yard! I was all delighted to be up "cooking", but unfortunately, the trend did not continue, as you all know, I've had a few challenging weeks lately.

Anyway, I am doing pretty well now, recovering from the pneumonia. I am still quite tired but mostly I feel pretty OK, and the pain I was having is now under much better control, I'm taking more morphine now, and it seems to be doing the trick !

Good news from the whole pneumonia/hospitalization thing - the scans showed that the disease is still stable! Also, when I was sent to ultrasound to drain the fluid in my lungs (to see if it was infected), there was not even enough fluid there for them to drain! Considering that a few months ago I had a massive pleural effusion going on there, it really shows the success of the chemo I have been on. I'd be even happier if I was able to be up and around more, doing more "normal" things, but I must say that once I accept the limits of my fatigue and breathing, life is really very good.

Michelle and Craig are coming home this weekend for the long weekend, and we are excited to be seeing them again, looking forward to a nice family weekend.

Best wishes to all of you, and thank you for your continued interest in me and my well-being!

Joanne

Happy 16th Birthday Brian

Gord and Brian are headed out to the last "Riders" game of the season. It's a "Brisk" prairie day today, hence the numerous layers of clothing!

And yes, it is hard to believe that my "baby" turns 16 today. I am so proud and grateful to see what a really wonderful young man he is turning into. He is intelligent and thoughtful and he is coping very very well with the stressful circumstances life has already thrown his way. He also has a very quiet and almost dignified way about him, which he definitely did NOT get from me, but it is very rewarding to observe anyway!

I'm very grateful to be home from the hospital on his birthday, an unexpected gift for me !!!

Cheers to all, and thanks for all the good wishes!

Joanne

Home From the Hospital

I wasn't expecting to be discharged before the weekend, however, my blood counts rebounded and my fever has been eliminated, so here I am back at home! While in hosptial I received a couple more units of blood, as well as the IV antibiotic, and I will continue with oral antibiotics for several days.

My next chemo will be pushed back by a week to give me extra recovery time, so I get a little bonus "break" from the chemo grind.

Not much else..... I'll be resting lots and laying low while I recover from this latest little bump in the road !!!

Joanne

November 1, 2007

Hacker Gord is back with a new message from Joanne.

Joanne went back to hospital on Tuesday night with an elevated temperature. After a night of waiting in an isolation room she was admitted to the Cancer ward at Pasqua Hospital on Halloween morning. After several tests and several more hours of anxious waiting, we finally found out that she has pneumonia. Luckily it was caught and treated early (even before it was known exactly what it was). There are only a couple of small spots so things aren't as bad as they could be. She is resting well and hopes to be home soon. Unfortunately she will have to stay in hospital for at least a few days.

Thanks to Eileen for all her help.

Hacker Gord