A View from the Treehouse

Whaaa's hoppening?

A birds-eye view of the last 4 months of our lives may give enough background for a better perspective about whaaas hoppinin in March of. 2009!
We moved into our “new to us” older home in November, ’08.

We’ve been married 47 years. It’s said that the longer a couple is together, the more they look alike. This picture was taken 10 months after I had been diagnosed with Carcino-Sarcoma, a rare aggressive cancer. The leaf lettuce looked so much like Warren's mustache that I couldn't resist!

In the updates titled “PUP” (People Under Pressure)I’ll share some thoughts and actions we’ve taken through this time of being diagnosed with cancer. Perhaps they may be of encouragement to anyone going through a big C’s diagnosis!

Rewind with me now, to November 2008, just a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving. Neighbors to the north of us, whom we’ve grown to dearly love, moved in at the same time. With horse trailers, their children moved them in lock, stock (get it?), and barrel. Now mind you, we’re talking at the end of a cul-de-sac, horse trailers, moving vans, and an ant hill of activity! For a week beforehand, we also had painters with their sundry trucks and ladders trying feverishly to prepare the tree-house level of our home for us to move into.

All of this happened at the same time that the neighbors lying to the west of us (who work full-time outside the home), were trying to beat the inevitable Nov. weather to get some lovely landscaping done in their yard! No wonder these busy neighbors have not come to welcome us to the area! They may have figured, “be scared, be very scared!”

And the activity has not stopped! We should have posted a sign that read, “Take your turn, entering the twilight zone; enter at your own risk!” Two days of moving, working with gentlemen who had probably never tried to haul a weather sensitive 8 foot Norfolk pine and it’s more sensitive owner to its protected corner of the house had to further wear on the neighborhood. Then another neighbor who lives two doors North with several of our friends, invited all-ALL of the movers and us to their home for a respite- a yummy homemade soup and sandwich lunch. I mean, who would not worry about the condition of the neighborhood!?

Not to be outdone by the month of November, cacophony continued in December, beginning with a not so typical array of technicians-electrical and mechanical to fix “things” and then painters to finish up “things”! Deb, Mary Ann, and Sara were planning to be here before Christmas to join in our “Thanksmas” (Thanksgiving and Christmas) celebration of God’s goodness! Due to weather complications, however, Sara had to go back to Oregon before Deb and Mary Ann arrived here.

Deb, Mary Ann, Ruby their Spaniel, and Henry their cat, all cozy in their packed car from Winnipeg, created their own fun atmosphere on the 18th. The weather had been decent for them, but on the 19th, a fury of ice and snow plundered us. Deb was outside with Ruby as Ruby romped and relieved. Warren then, had decided to see what was hoppinin’ with them. Descending down the treacherous stone steps to our back yard, he slipped, tried to stop his fall with all of his weight, and tore both tendons in his knees. That’s one way to drop to your knees, but usually the context is worship and prayer! From too long a short distance away, Deb witnessed the drama and in vain tried to get to him before he crashed.

Long story short, he couldn’t move, 911 was called, and our neighbor lady to the north with staff in hand (literally because of the ice) saw and heard the siren and came to pray with me! Surgery that afternoon, two leg braces, walker, 2 canes, and 2 months later he is above the curve, his doc has said! Warren calls therapy “terror-apy” but smiles because he knew all too well that he would have an intense recovery!

Because Deb and Mary Ann both teach at the University of Manitoba, their schedules were flexible so they graciously adjusted their plans to be with us a longer time... Deb could be here through New Years and Mary Ann and her mom Carolyn could be with us at Christmastime. A more thoughtful gift from all of them could not have been thought of! Added to that extravagance, several families came to furiously and feverously work on a puzzle straight from the underworld (!) and delight our home atmosphere with joy and humor. It was a preciously memorable holyday celebration even through Warren’s incapacity.

When our trials overlapped, people could not have been more kind. A family brought a delicious chili lunch with trimmings and joined us after church one Sunday. The gentleman commented that this home is so similar to our other one that it's almost as if we squashed it down and pulled it apart.

brick, wood floors, beams - brick, wood floors,beams


That’s one reason that the transition from home to home has not been too difficult.





Another family has encouraged us beyond measure as they’ve worked tirelessly to unpack, arrange, and dump debris.
2 of the 4, sometimes 5 of them working together, what a gift!



Other folk have invited us to their home for breakfast or dinner. Those invites brought a spring to our winter step!

Later in January my next Iowa City check-up was sobering! The sarcoma was back in 4-5 places in my abdomen. Our family again regrouped and decided that Deb and Sara could come back home together for another “Thanksmas”! The $200.00 round-trip ticket from Oregon was such an encouragement from the Lord for Sara and for all of us.

Their work week with us cannot be described adequately. If I would find a video of a crew of people doing electrical and carpentry work, buying building supplies for us, going grocery shopping and preparing meals but most of all sharing time, and having fun “pitch” games (in which Warren shot the moon and made it-never mind that they won more games!) and would fast forward the action, it may convey the accuracy of our week with them. I told Warren that we don’t have enough money to pay for such a vacation! And in the midst, one family brought in food and stayed to enjoy the evening with us. What a testimony of God’s love and how thankful we are for Him and His people!

In addition, on Wednesday of the week, at a friend’s suggestion, we made a trip to her mom’s Victorian home where her humorous, 82 year young husband, who teaches high school students and had never met us, plopped down in the back-seat of our van like we had known each other forever. He seemed delighted to give us a tour of the Amish woodworking shop and country-store close to their home! It was a tad disappointing to us that the men in the woodworking shop did not use old tools (because our unrealistic expectations were that we’d see them using antique time intensive and labor intensive tools but they use the modern labor saving ones powered by a central power source! We enjoyed their humor through posted signs though! The sign reads “ If you object to logging, try using plastic toilet paper.” At the countrystore, the sign read, " If you shoplift the Dutchman may not see you but God will."

After our daughters left, two families took two nights of their week, prepared meals for all of us and worked in our home to further unpack boxes and to deal with live, furry, black critters seen on the ledge of our kitchen soffits! Again, long story short, we had only heard about the mice from a dear friend who had cleaned the soffits! We knew it was true after we put sticky mouse traps (painter’s suggestion) up there. The effectiveness of the measure was proven when Mary Ann was here for Christmas and out of the corner of her eye she saw something black move up high in our soffits! “Wha was that?” she screeched startling the whole breakfast clan gathered for a quiet start to our day! From that time on it was warfare against these invaders!

That is until the Cap’n rescued us and outwitted them with caulk and agile limbs! VICTORY!! We have not seen a mouse since! I told Warren that he didn’t need to remember the screeching from my own lips when we had seen them previously. One had even fallen from the soffits onto the counter and frantically ran with trap in tow and another had been stuck with full-body on the trap. With the latter, I jumped around, fearfully dragged a ladder to the ledge, cautiously aimed a sanitary wipe over his head and when that didn’t work, lobbed several of the wipes over him so I could grab the critter securely with a grabber device! (this scene occurred with the brave one of the two of us in leg braces left wondering how this could be such a fiasco! ). No more scenes now with Cap’n!


PUP (People Under Pressure)
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Again, let’s rewind further back to Nov. of 2007 before the cancer diagnosis. The only symptoms that I had were that I had very minimal bright blood spotting. We thought that it might be a chance thing until it happened again at the end of Dec. That’s when Warren said that I had to get to a gynecologist and that’s why I went in January. Without Warren's background, I would not have thought a thing about it!

After the doctor visit, Warren and I received a letter from the university about the aggressive cancer that tests proved I had. Looking at him incredulously, I had just read a letter that explained that the results obtained from a pap’s smear showed that the cervix was clear of any growth. How could that be? “The carcino-sarcoma was higher in the abdomen, so both descriptions are accurate”, Warren explained.

That dramatically began our 2008 and now our 2009. Because of “that”, God through His Word, the Bible has been the telescope from our tree-house, showing us more of a clear perspective of our lives through our “pressure.” He has focused our thinking so that priorities are more prominent, just as we have a more distinct image of the birds in our yard through our natural telescope.

How do we or how do People Under Pressure, cope? For us, I will plan to update and address this issue through our exposed lives around the middle of each week. This will depend on the severity of the treatments and their effect on us of course.

Feb. 25th, ’09, I was infused with the last of the second series of chemo. See pics of infusion intrusioners!!! We all appreciate them!

March 5th, I was tested in Iowa City to determine if the tumors had shrunk. Praise God all but one close to the spleen have disappeared! This means that I'll continue with the present course of chemo. Otherwise, if they had not shrunk or disappeared, another form of therapy would have had to be determined. Thank you for prayer for opportunities, wisdom, & joy through the journey!

1. Under pressure we find out Who or what we rely upon. .This is our most critical choice.
Prov. 3:5,6 “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not unto your own understanding.”

I read about a young lady written up in USA Today, who died from cancer and longed to know from her death bed if there was more she needed to know before she died. She had no understanding about Jesus saying, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”. John 14:6 Her husband did not believe or could not tell her about Romans 3:23, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” and the “Wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 She needed to know that “…unless you repent (turn from sin) you will all likewise perish.”, Luke 13:5 and John 1:12, “For as many as received Him unto them gave He the right to be called children of God, even to those who believe on His name.” Eph. 2:8,9 makes it clear that God extends this gift for those who would receive it, “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”
I almost cried reading the article, because no one had told her.

2. Please get to your doctor for you and your families sake-if you are post-menopausal and have bleeding.
3. Surround yourself with encouraging friends. Share your joys-they will be multiplied. When I laugh my blood pressure goes down!-it’s TRUE and I’m serious about laughing! I asked the nurse Thursday to tell me something funny-she said, 'I've never been asked that!' Well, she did and consequently when she took my blood pressure it was 115/
4. Be honest with close friends and accountable to a few. Sorrows shared are divided. They may have good suggestions which doctors may not have mentioned. An example for me was when I had such pain with my first chemo and a friend suggested that I try “Tiger Balm” which was available over the counter. It relieved me considerably. Also if the pain is so intense that tears are running down your cheeks like mine was after my first infusion, tell someone who may be able to help. We’re not meant to live in isolation. I did for a long night of pain and was miserable being a needless martyr!
5. Beloved, you may only have a thimble sized amount of energy and may need to be in an isolation booth at church but praise God you and I are living-not dying and none of those restrictions make us- they only reveal us! God’s not finished with us yet! Isn’t that encouraging?
6. Every day, pray and consider someone who might be encouraged by you and how just a note, an e-mail, or a call might make their day! When we meet other people’s needs our own are met.
7. Take any excuse to laugh! March 1st ’09, the “ruf” stuff of chemo had done it’s number, but I wanted to get a load of wash done. As I entered the laundry room, the dryer was humming and I knew I had not started it. I asked Warren about it and he simply said, yes, that he took the clothes from the washer and put them in the dryer! I said, well, they had not been washed-and we both laughed! That’s one way to shorten the job of doing the clothes-don’t wash them first-just throw them in the dryer!
8. Be your own advocate. Let your fingers do research through the internet regarding your diagnosis and treatment. Listen to others who have done research. Through this process however, know or find out if answers were found through extensive research or is it simply an opinion without basis.
9. Give attention to what your body is telling you. Fatigue is a huge factor and your body needs rest. If your body is aching to lie down, admit it, and please get rest.
If one of your docs suggests a procedure and it has not been scheduled graciously inquire –don’t assume that it will happen!
10. Ask questions. Sharpen your mind by probing the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your whole process.

11. Exercise your body when you possibly can-even if you look like Yul!. We all know it’s USE IT OR LOSE IT!




















Meow

I thought I’d say Joy-filled Easter in a foreign language.