Dennis is going to get a P.E.T.

No, it is not a furry fourlegged one....it stands for Positron Emission Tomography, and it is a way of assessing the glucose uptake, oxygen use, and vascularity of individual cells. A nuclear medicine is added to glucose which is injected as an IV and then pictures are taken in what can only descibed as radiology donut machine smaller than an MRI donut.

Dennis and I have just returned from Seattle, where his latest MRI shows areas near the old tumor site that appear to have dye enhancements called flares. While some have come and gone, and many appear to have disappeared because they were scar tissue from past radiology treatments, this area is suspicious. The P.E.T. scan will determine if these cells are scar tissue or cancer.

In general he feels good. He was sad to see his nuero oncologist Dr. Lynn Taylor leave for Tufts University. She has been heading up his medical team and is one of the finest readers of brain MRIs ever-but Thursday is her last day so today we wished her well with a little Alaska salmon and jam, and then spent the rest of the appointment discussing his treatment options for the future-including how to work avastin treatments around his hunting trips and visits to the lower 48. We both got home to Alaska exhausted, but glad to be home.
Stay tuned, we'll let you know what we hear in a week or so. Keep those prayers and good wishes coming in, Faith and Dennis

September is here and so is Heather!

Youngest daughter Heather is here with her Dad and they have been fishing! So far the weather has given them a reprieve and they have had two good days on the water. Yesterday they saw humpbacks gulping krill, and today one of their lines had a banana peel on it as they pulled it out of the water. That is the way things go here in southeast Alaska. The fisherpersons have decided to sleep in this morning.

They have lots of plans for the rest of the week, we'll keep you updated, Love and cheers from us three!

August: Niece Bobbi Arrives from Utah!

Bobbi arrived for a week's visit-they did the zipline through the rainforest canopy, took a flightseeing trip into the Misty Fiords, went fishing and caught tons of salmon-and basically dodged the raindrops (they had some pretty nice weather days too!)

Meanwhile, I was at work, but did manage to make some kelp pickles and Dennis managed to pick huckleberries. The end of the summer is rapidly approaching.

Dennis is feeling good- as long as he has his naps. He is getting stronger day by day, getting ready for hunting season. I will be meeting up with him in Seattle as he is going down south by Alaska Marine Highway.

Youngest daughter Heather visits in a week so we are looking forward to that lots! More updates soon, Dennis and Faith