And now it's Phase 4, and into the future...

July 30 was my last set of Temodar pills to take. July 26th was my last Avastin infusion; the first of five sets of Temodar pills followed that evening. Now, at the beginning of August 2010, I have finished three distinct sessions in my battle with Glioblastoma multiforma, with three distinct victories. Phase 1 was discovery, test and removal of the glioblastoma from the upper left side of my brain, along with three weeks of post-surgury recovery, June 10 through July 19. Phase 2 was six weeks of heavy-duty application of radiation five days a week; Temodar every day; and Avastin twice, from July 20 through August 28. Phase 3 started when I went home August 29, 2009 and continued trips every other week to Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle for Avastin. In addition, one Avastin trip out of two also provided me with Temodar for a five-day application of heavy-duty pills. Phase 3 ended the 30th of July, 2010, as mentioned at the beginning.

In some ways, it seems like a very long time; in others it feels like no time at all. The one part that is always near the top of my consideration is that, without the help of a whole set of people, I would not be typing anything for anyone to read. Faith is at the top, with Scott and Scott, Gary, Jim, and Dr.'s Taylor, "B", and Malpass, among a whole pile of others, leading the list. Phase 4 started July 31, and I hope and plan for it to be a very long continuation of my life. I'll have MRI checks every three months for a while; then a switch to every four months; then to every six months. They did tell me at the hospital that I should plan on MRI's every six months for the rest of my life...just to be sure. And this seems like a very good idea. So that's the story, in a very short version. Chemotherapy has finished its work, and there is utterly no sign of cancer -- a feature I plan to continue, and appreciate very much. I am very grateful to everyone who has helped me; I am still alive and very functional because of the incredible and occasionally almost unimaginable amount and kinds of help we got, on my behalf. So, once again...thank you!

Other great events have also occured over the past couple of months, not the least of which was Erin and Glen's wedding! I got to walk her down the path and hand her to Glen...then all I had to do was watch for a few minutes -- then cook king salmon and halibut for about 40 people after the wedding. I caught the fish a couple of weeks earlier, through the grace and help of my friend Pat in Sitka, so these folks in southern California got a real treat for a wedding dinner.

Here are a couple of pictures...

They have returned from their honeymoon in Hawaii, and are busily moving forward in their life together. Heather, who was the maid of honor, among a plethora of effort, is resting from the effort of perfecting her sister's wedding events and working for the summer. School doesn't start for her until mid-September...the good news is she's coming up here for a week of early September fishing. Look out salmon -- some of you are going back with her!

So life is going on. Faith is hard at work, as always, and is getting about twice as much done as anyone should be able to expect. My contract with The Nature Conservancy is moving along again, and should turn out well later this summer. Hunting seasons are coming up, and fishing is wide open. Our life is in front of us, and we plan to enjoy it.

Again -- thank you.

Dennis

A Year Has Passed...

Today is the 15th of June, 2010. This day in 2009, my raging tumor in the left side of my brain was removed, and I was started toward recovery. I had been brought down on a medevac plane on the 10th, examined, and scheduled for surgery. I thought I had a pretty good idea what was required for repair and restoration, but I'm fairly sure now that I did not. Perhaps we never do... The doctors and nurses and the rest of the staff, along with my wife, children and many friends, have spent a tremendous amount of effort on my behalf, beginning on the 10th of June, 2009, and carrying through today -- and continuing into the future.

I've not been putting comments out the past three months, mostly because things are going very well. I don't much like talking about the issues I do have, which deal mostly with the inevitable results of continuing chemotherapy for the full regimen, while there appears to be no remaining cancer. The chemo does powerful work...more so with no cancer to attack. So the benefit is also a problem. But we've been dealing with the pains and the issues and I'm coming along pretty well. One whole bunch of better than I was just exactly a year ago, for sure!

So what's up in the future? I finish the Avastin on June 26 -- for the 26th set! The final set of Temodar starts on the 26th and goes through the 30th. Then I have MRI's every three months, with the first post-therapy one on August 23rd. All of the MRI's I've had since last September have shown no sign of cancer, so I have no reason to believe that will change. I expect it will take quite a while to fully recovery; perhaps in some respects I never will. In any event I have continued to improve in many ways; lose some ground in some others. One thing is for certain, though: I am far, far beyond my condition of a year ago. I owe much to many, and I have learned to be grateful and accept what I receive.

Thank you, all of you...those I know and those I don't.

Dennis, with Faith

It's Mid-March now...trying to become spring...

It's the middle of March -- the same time, more than 2000 years ago, that Julius Caesar was murdered by his colleagues in Rome. Somehow, we're not a whole lot better at dealing with issues within governments and societies. We are, however, quite a bit better at dealing with health issues, at least ones like mine. I suspect people in Roman times who acquired brain tumors for one reason or another simply passed on, without even knowledge of what was occuring. Now, I've gotten unimaginable amounts and kinds of help, at realitively modest costs. The greatest part, of course, is that they are working. March 8th I had another MRI, and the results are very positive. Just like the last couple that I've had, there is no indication of cancer. So things are going very well -- though continuing to take chemotherapy while having no cancer is a bit painful. Necessary, but painful.

We've been doing a little travelling in March, though hopefully everything but another trek to Seattle is done for us. we started on March 3rd, with a flight to Reno, NV. And no, we weren't gambling... The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, which I've been involved in since 1986, held its annual "Elk Camp" in Reno again, and we had a grand time there. Faith and I have gone together most years since 1992, so we have lots of good friends there, and develop new ones every year. After three wonderful days and a number of great meals -- inside and outside -- we flew to Seattle on Sunday, March 7 -- Faith's 55th birthday! Monday was a well-filled medical day for me -- MRI at 7:30; Avastin and meeting with the Dr. and Benaroya management in the morning; then collection of Temodar from Neurology in the afternoon. The MRI, just like the last two, indicated that all is well inside my skull, with no sign of cancer there any longer. So my recovery continues on its path! It was nice to get home that night, particularly considering that with the weather there were some questions about landing anywhere near home.

Now we are home, and happy to be here. There are a couple of local events coming up that we're getting ready for now -- the first is Big Brother-Big Sister's fund-raising bowling event. That's April 3rd, and Faith has a team put together called the Tongass Forest Team. There's always room to join, of course, and we're always grateful for contributions. Go to the web site at www.bbbs.org/bowlak, select sponsor a bowler, enter Faith and then Duncan in the boxes and then click search. The hotlink to the Tongass Forest Team is on the left of the name, and you can pledge on line to help us make our goal. We bowl with our team April 3rd. The following Saturday, April 10th, is our Friends of the NRA banquet, with a 20-gun raffle at the Mall the Friday evening beforehand. On Saturday we'll be busy all day setting it up; then enjoy a great banquet and event with old and new friends.

So things are going well with us...we hope they are with you as well.

Dennis and Faith

Travelin'...travelin'...travelin'...

We've been traveling around the country, it seems, for the past couple of weeks. And we leave mid-day today, back to Seattle, and while I come home Monday night after Avastin; Faith heads on to Anchorage for work. We started with a trek to Salt Lake City, to attend the Mule Deer Foundation and present information on Sitka black-tailed deer in southeast Alaska in a beautiful booth (created by Faith, I might add). That was February 10th through 14th. Two of our friends and associates came along to help with the booth and explain SE Alaska's needs for deer habitat restoration. The booth and all our efforts were tremendously successful, from all we saw and heard. Here's a picture...

Faith then flew home on Monday the 15th, while I flew south to Houston, TX on the 14th. Yes, it was time to go help farmers and ranchers west of Houston reduce the number of feral pigs on their properties. My good friends and hunting partners Gary, Chuck and John flew in from Colorado the same day, picked me up at the airport, and headed west. It was great fun in beautiful weather, and at the end of five days happy farmers were dealing with about a hundred fewer destructive porcines, while I was happily shipping over 100 lbs of organic, free-ranging, very tasty pork north to Alaska. A pic from my first ever hunting effort with a slug-loaded 12-gauge shotgun...

Now we're both home, and headed to Seattle today and Virginia Mason Medical Center tomorrow, for my 15th Avastin infusion. Only eleven to go after tomorrow! Being more than halfway done is a very very good feeling.

So we're headed out of the house shortly -- here's hoping you're having a great week too...

Dennis and Faith

Some fun in Ketchikan, and avoiding trouble in Seattle

I'll start with the fun...Faith got us into the Wearable Arts Show in Ketchikan again this winter, February 4 through 6. She created the image of a spirit of pictographs of the rock faces deep in the canyons, while I played the role of an Alaskan cousin of archaeologist Indiana Jones. We've done this several times, play parts as different as a fisherman chasing, and failing to ever catch, a seven-foot-tall Mother Halibut, and an old, leather-garbed 18th century trapper pursuing a furry black bear that turns out to be a certain gorgeous frontier lady. The people who watched it certainly seemed to enjoy us, and of course we had a grand time.

The other good happening in my life recently is the signing of my 2010 contract with The Nature Conservancy in Alaska. I've been working on a regular basis with them since 2008, and I really enjoy it. They are doing great work with the Tongass National Forest and others down here in Southeast Alaska, and I'm very happy to be able to help out and make a little extra income.

Sunday Feb. 7th we flew to Seattle for my 14th Avastin infusion, in really nice weather and feeling good that we were over the top and headed toward the finish. I had a really good nurse, Mark, and met with a newly assigned doctor -- Dr. Malpass. Everything went very smoothly, on that side. So the Avastin part went fine -- but, as we were beginning to fear from having heard nothing, the Temodar supply was not good news. Normally, every other Avastin infusion in Hematology-Oncology is followed by a quick walk over to Neurology, where I pick up the five days worth of Temodar and start it that Monday evening. Michelle or Piper acquire it from Accredo by Friday, and provide it to me on Monday -- which is a truly great service on their part. Unless, of course, the company supplying it from the East Coast is having "winter weather" and and doesn't send it out to them. And doesn't tell them until they call back on Friday to see where it is. Thankfully, the crew at Virginia Mason went after it, and over the course of very hard work Friday and Monday, managed to get authority to acquire it in Seattle, and located an appropriate and sufficient supply, in time for us to pick it up and drive to the airport to fly back to Ketchikan. We were very happy, if a bit stressed, to have it work out. For certain, we cannot thank the crew at VMMC enough.

And tomorrow -- we fly to Salt Lake City to attend the Mule Deer Foundation conference, where Faith will set up and operate a booth to provide information and attract support for Sitka black-tailed deer and the Tongass National Forest. Should be great fun; then on the 14th I leave for a week of feral pig hunting in Texas!

So life is good, if occasionally stressful. Thankfully, we're getting some very good help, which makes life a lot easier. Hope your life goes well too...

Dennis & Faith

Halfway there feels really good...

I want to start this long-overdue blog post with an apology for not writing one every week, for all of you interested in how things are going for us. Things are going so well for me that I don't think about telling people how well they are doing...maybe not talking about it so much is making me feel even better. So, for the next six months I will try diligently to tell my story more frequently. I do appreciate everyone's interest, so I will work at it.

On this past Monday, January 25th, I received the 13th Avastin infusion. (OK, I know I'm supposed to say Avastin/Placebo, but I'm getting enough feelings and reactions internally during and after the infusion that I'm quite certain I'm getting Avastin, and will likely keep saying so.) Since I'll have 26 infusions during the clinical trial -- I am now halfway through! Hurrah! I'm feeling better month by month, though I certainly feel the effects of both chemotherapies -- the Avastin and the five-days-out-of-twenty-eight dose of Temodar. Since my two most recent MRI's have shown that my brain has no sign of the cancer cells from the glioblastoma that was removed in June 2009, there are no cells for my chemotherapy to attack. The inevitable result is that they are affecting other parts of my system. Killing things, after all, are the reason for taking them in. So I work my way through that, but it is infinitely preferable to still having cancer cells reproducing in my brain.

And life is moving along very nicely in other ways too. I signed my contract for working with The Nature Conservancy as a contractor, just as the past two years. Getting back into working will help in many ways, not the least of which is earning pay. I'm doing a lot of cooking, too, as my appetites seem to have fully returned, and I have a freezer filled up with mule deer, with gifts on the side of elk and mountain goat. We've taken up using our treadmill regularly, too, as it is raining a lot and Faith and I are both trying to upgrade our exercise levels. Working well so far, too.

Travelling to Seattle every other Sunday has become pretty standard, and pretty comfortable. I've become very familiar with my medical work there, and with a batch of the nurses and managers. They know us by our first names and greet us happily, and we have great visits. We also have big trips planned in February and March. We're both going to the Mule Deer Foundation annual meeting in Salt Lake City -- Faith is running a Forest Service information booth there on Sitka blacktailed deer, and I'm running for the Board of Directors. I leave the ending Sunday for Texas, for a week-long feral pig hunt with friends. In March we go to Reno for Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. So our ventures and adventures should keep us occupied and happy.

Again, I apologize for not keeping you all better informed. Things are going well, so I shall try to keep that information level up too.

Here's hoping 2010 goes very well for all of us...

Dennis & Faith