Thanks go to our friend, MC, who held C’s hand at the doctor’s today. The biopsy was ‘normal.’ There definitely isn’t any cancer. There may even be no polyps. The doc will do a scope procedure to make 100% sure.
Prayer was Soooo appreciated. Thanks to all who helped with prayers.
We dread these close calls, these near-misses, these trips to defcon 1 followed by an unceremonious stand-down. It sucks. And the thought of ignoring these things only to lose my wife to cancer sucks infinitely more.
C arranged a day trip rafting on the White Salmon River for the family. It was a much-needed day of play and family bonding, to be sure.
We drove up to White Salmon, Washington, and followed the river upstream to the town of BZ Corner, where Zoller’s Outdoor Odysseys (www.zooraft.com) has their headquarters. We got there plenty early, so we ate some lunch and relaxed. When the time came, we – and about 25 other people – were given orientation, suited up in wetsuits, helmets and booties, and loaded into rafts at the put-in.
Keenan was the guide for our raft. R, M C and I made up the bulk of our raft. Our new friends, Nathan and Lisa filled out the crew. Keenan is a middle school teacher; perfect to handle a boat with 
two elementary school aged kids on the crew!
We put Lisa and Nathan in the very front. C and I took the middle spot; R and M hung out in the back row, right in front of Keenan. Now, Keenan wouldn’t let the kids paddle through the class 4’s at the top of the route, but he was full of geology, history, and ecology information. The two precocious kids just devoured his steady stream of facts and information. We saw lava tubes, drank spring water, took the raft into a cave, spotted an osprey nest, and all other manner of cool things on the river.
Now, C and I have rafted this river once before. About two-thirds of the way down (you can see it on the map above) is a rapid labeled Husum Falls. This is a 12 foot vertical drop waterfall just under the bridge in the town of Husum. The rafts can take the Falls when the water is slow, like it is in late August. C and I had never taken the Falls plunge. So we were eager to do so. Unfortunately, liability prohibits ZOO from taking those under the age of 18 over the Falls. R and M had to shuttle out of our raft, and walk around the falls. That news really angered R. He pouted for a while. Nevertheless, Keenan held us back until he was sure the kids would be stationed to watch us all defy death with a waterfall plunge.
Of course, the whole family had just watched Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull the night before at Laurelhurst Park. Remember the scene where they all go over the waterfalls (three times!)? That was on our minds. But, hey! Ours was only 12 feet!
When the time came, we paddled cross current, and into the channel. We paddled HARD to get as much speed as possible. Then, at the last second, Keenan told us to “GET DOWN”. We all dropped down low, grabbed the handles, and rode it out.
The raft went over pretty gracefully, really. As the nose dropped first, the raft bent in the middle. As soon as it could, the stern snapped up to make the raft straight again. That gave the back row of riders (C and I) and the guide a bit of a catapult effect. We all stayed in the boat, but C did pop out of her hunker. When the raft hit the bottom, she foundered, submerging completely and getting poured full of water from the Falls. It takes a couple seconds for the raft to regain its buoyancy and start moving downstream, but that’s just fine. It’s worth savoring the success.
At the bottom of the Falls, the kids were transferred back to our raft. C was elated. I suspect she really needed to have a personal victory – a conquest – to raise her spirits. Things have been so darned challenging lately. M was excited by our adventure; R was clearly pouting that he had to stay out.
Well, Keenan had a plan to make it up to the kids. From Husum Falls down, the rapids are pretty tame and predictable. In fact, you can sort of play around in the rapids. So we did!
There was “Ride the Bull”, where one sits on the bow of the raft with ones feet hanging over the front. You look like a hood ornament up there. Naturally, you stay in that position as you ride the rapids for a thrilling ride. R and M did a bit of that. R was too preoccupied with pouting, though. M rode the bull for the rest of the trip, however.
And, there’s a rapid (Zoller Zap on the map above) that is easily floated. M wanted to float down the rapid, so I joined her. We jumped out of the raft at the top of the rapids, got our toes sticking out in front of us, and floated the waves with our feet pointed downstream, holding hands. It was fun! M is such an adventurous sort. She loves this stuff. Keenan pulled M back into the raft; C hauled me back into the boat. Yep, we milked that trip for every participatory experience we could muster.
Dinner was a slow-paced gnosh at a patio restaurant in Husum where they serve greek food and let a Bantam rooster serenade the guests with his crows.
We definitely needed a day like this one. Because, tomorrow we find out about the biopsy results…
So, I’ve heard a rumor that My mother-in-law might be getting married after all. She’s been in Alaska all summer, with her beau. The smoke signals say they’re getting married on a boat, on the ocean, before they come back to Seattle for the winter.
I hope the utmost of happiness for her.
The timing and location seems to make it very difficult for any relatives in the lower 48 to attend the ceremony.
C’s doctor called her today with news. That the doctor called was a complete surprise, as we’re not through the two-week wait on biopsy results.
We’re not all done yet, but the news has certainly changed to something else. Here’s what we now know:
C gave me this news as I arrived home this evening. Now, four hours later, I’m thinking more clearly than I have in days. I wonder why that … oh, I know why. I seem able to breathe once again.
It has taken me most of this week to get unemotional enough to write this entry.
C is working quite closely with her oncologist right now, and not really in a good way. Now, I don’t want to be alarmist; I want to convey my upbeat attitude about this, but… four years after C completed breast cancer treatment, the docs are having another look. And *not* at the original site.
Now, according to the docs involved, odds are very high that we’re just talking about ‘polyps’ – just like those you hear about on the news as elder politicians are released from Bethesda Naval Hospital after having a routine outpatient procedure to remove them. Happens all the time. Polyps are benign and generally routine. Polyps also have an increased likelihood of occurring when you take the specific post-cancer meds that C happens to take. So, really, polyps should come as no surprise.
But… and this is where I don’t want to get alarmist – there is a small but real risk that it’s not polyps, that it’s a malignant tumor. Benign polyps are a statistical shoo-in for someone without a history of cancer; For C, though…odds of a metastatic tumor are somewhat higher. Afterall, she’s defied the odds before, and her cancer had made it into the lymphatic system back in 2005. It’s like the cold war; we’re on constant low-level alert. Then, any time any thing that ‘could be cancer’ comes up, we all go DEFCON 1 and get edgy about everything. Can’t help it – cancer cells are the enemy and they just might be rattling their sabres at us.
If, God forbid, it is malignant, then the treatment is some pretty aggressive surgical removal. Again, relatively routine abdominal surgery, but somewhat more drastic in nature. No chemo, no radiation. Just surgery, and a 98% survivability.
We’ll know the biopsy results in a bit more than one week.
So, C will likely undergo a procedure in September. Chances are, it’ll be one of those routine outpatient procedures. But… but… but…..
Many Baha’is will know this prayer. One key sentence (in italics) makes up a Baha’i song that has been used quite a bit in the Oregon community (and I suspect much more widely than just Oregon)
All praise be to Thee, O my God, for the things Thou didst ordain for me through Thy decree and by the power of Thy sovereignty. I beseech Thee that Thou wilt fortify both myself and them that love me in our love for Thee, and wilt keep us firm in Thy Cause. I swear by Thy might! O my God! Thy servant's shame is to be shut out as by a veil from Thee, and his glory is to know Thee. Armed with the power of Thy name nothing can ever hurt me, and with Thy love in my heart all the world's afflictions can in no wise alarm me.
Send down, therefore, O my Lord, upon me and upon my loved ones that which will protect us from the mischief of those that have repudiated Thy truth and disbelieved in Thy signs.
(Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 207)
My children – unbidden by others – have been singing this prayer at all sorts of times throughout the day. They understand the uncertainty; they’re pouring into the family’s pool of energy with prayer, song, and their full, abundant hearts. For that, I am deeply grateful.
Armed with the power of Thy name nothing can ever hurt me…
Regardless of the imperfections of their parents, these two young people are emerging as wonderful, caring and world-changing individuals. I’m proud of them for the loving courage they’re bringing to this.
and with Thy love in my heart all the world's afflictions can in no wise alarm me.
Following up on my blog post from back in January about the NYFed’s economic models [link to previous post]. Recall this critical statement from that report: “there is almost no possibility that the economy will be in recession by the middle of this year according to the Fed's model, which has accurately predicted the last 7 recessions, back to 1960.”
So here’s what’s in the news today, as the economic numbers for the exact middle of the year start coming to light. From CNN Money:
“Economic indicators index jump [sic] 0.6% in July according to the Conference Board, in the latest sign of possible recovery.
“An index of economic indicators rose in July for a fourth straight month, in another sign that the recession is bottoming…
“The Leading Economic Index rose 0.6% in July, after a 0.8% increase the previous month…
"The indicators suggest that the recession is bottoming out, and that economic activity will likely begin recovering soon…
“The Leading Economic Index is based on 10 components, six of which increased in July...
“This index reading is the latest sign of a nascent recovery. Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve released a statement that said the economy is "leveling out." The central bank cautioned that activity will remain weak in the near term, but it marked the Fed's most bullish assessment of the economy in more than a year.
Looking at the NY Fed’s data now, we’ve gone from a 40% likelihood of an upcoming recession in Nov 2007, to 4% in February 2009 (when I originally posted), and nothing higher than 1% probability since February. Projecting out into next year, the number drifts down to a 0% in April, 2010, then stays there to the end of the projection.
There is still much to be diligent about. The real estate issues are huge weights on the current economy. Nevertheless, things seem to be going as projected after all.
Because, today, I could use a little more magic in my life.
And, a 40 year celebration of the Haunted Mansion
