 |
| December 2010 |
You don't always see them
but you know they are
always there"
(old saying)
Somewhere in my file of photos I have another picture where Jon and Dave are with Elaine and I. We are young and our life as couples is just beginning. Do you think I could put my hands on that photograph for this blog- not a chance.
Jon and Dave have been friends since grade nine. They were both 'Prime Nines'. Nine fellows who cemented a friendship that spanned forty years. Elaine was there from the beginning. Dave and Jon lived together through their university days.
Dave and Elaine stayed in London, Ontario. We would see them occasionally when they were home and though busy we knew what was happening in each of our lives.
They arrived on our doorstep soon after Jon was diagnosed. Elaine was an inspiration to Jon. She had been living with cancer for a long time and she was still bubbling with enthusiasm for her life, her kids, and her man. Dave was an inspiration for me. I was struggling with staying strong and he showed me how it can be done.
When 'the shoebox' was first advanced it was Elaine who sprang to mind. Then quite by accident I discovered that Elaine's fantasy was Hawaii. I was in a conversation with Deanna (also in the picture). I could hear Jon whispering in my ear, "What are you waiting for? Put that 'shoebox' to work."
Here is Elaine's story. Your narrator is Dave:
March 27/12
Hi Shannon,
I hope this letter finds you well and you are enjoying the fine spring weather we have been having. Last week was so wonderful here that I rode my bike to work last week in shorts no less! We understand that you spent some time in Florida watching jake golf and, hopefully, enjoying some time for yourself as well. Ken and Deanna keep us 'in the loop' on a fairly regular basis. We have had a fairly quiet time since we saw you in January and, ironically, the day you came was probably one of the worst we weathered all winter. Elaine has been convalenscing and is feeling more energetic with each passing week. In fact, her last series of scans and MRIs were very good, so much so, that she has been given the go ahead for having the surgery to reverse her colostomy and repair the associated hernias that have developed. The surgery is scheduled for June29th and Elaine couldn't be more excited. Given the surgery goes well, we are hoping to book our trip to Hawaii. I haven't heard whether my sabbatical has been approved but I have been assured by several sources that it will. When approved, this will allow us a great deal of flexibility for booking our trip... likely in the fall. We will be sure to let you know and we want to thank you again for the generosity you have shown us!! You can count on pictures and text of an island adventure!
I recall from your visit that you wanted a brief history of Elaine's battle with cancer. It started twelve years ago when Elaine was diagnosed with breast cancer, in the summer of 2000. This was followed by surgery and six months of chemotherapy. Elaine was cancer free for eight years before the breast cancer returned, this time attaching itself to the lung. This time the cancer was treated with chemo for six months followed by six weeks of radiation. The treatment was deemed successful! In the winter of 2010 it was determined that Elaine's "breast cancer" had moved to the brain. She had surgery in April. Shortly after her brain surgery she was diagnosed with a perforation of the bowel and a surgery led to the installation of a temporary colostomy. In May, Elaine started six weeks of radiation on her head. We enjoyed a little over a year before it was determined that Elaine's cancer had reappeared in the brain and this lead to her most recent surgery, this past November. No further treatment has been prescribed at this point in time although there are several options that have been explained to us going forward. At times the whole situation seems surreal and as I am sure you can attest too, it certainly changes your 'philosophy on life'. We live in the moment and try not to worry the 'little things'.
Well duty calls... I have enough marking to choke a horse...but I did want to extend another invitation for you to come visit, perhaps this summer and maybe with Toni and Paul or Ken and Deanna or both for that matter! Take care and we will be in touch and I promise much sooner than it took me to pen this note.
Love,
Dave & Elaine
Jon believed in 'paying it forward'. Today would have been his 57th birthday. We miss him.
No comments:
Post a Comment