WWYD? Update!

[Pea-n-Me]

It is a tough situation. I hope things continue to go well for him.

 

[ronandannette]

It is a tough situation. I hope things continue to go well for him.

Thank you. I’m not sure they are going “well” exactly; his metastasis is very advanced and I’m not really clear on what is even the most optomistic prognosis at this point. We have learned a lot about pancreatic cancer in a short time and the most positive thing they’ve reported is that his tumour type is the “good” kind. The European doctors were astonished that the oncologists here didn’t even bother to perform further diagnostics to establish that. I guess it didn’t matter; they offered no means of treatment so why waste the resources? One of the specialists apparently called our healthcare “medieval”. It’s sobering.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Thank you. I’m not sure they are going “well” exactly; his metastasis is very advanced and I’m not really clear on what is even the most optomistic prognosis at this point. We have learned a lot about pancreatic cancer in a short time and the most positive thing they’ve reported is that his tumour type is the “good” kind. The European doctors were astonished that the oncologists here didn’t even bother to perform further diagnostics to establish that. I guess it didn’t matter; they offered no means of treatment so why waste the resources? One of the specialists apparently called our healthcare “medieval”. It’s sobering.

By going well I meant that there seems to be some hope. Pancreatic cancer is a tough one. But yes, there are some prognostics that make tumors in certain areas of the pancreas somewhat more favorable than others. It must be interesting for all of you to see another system of health care delivery in action. And by tough I meant not only the disease itself, but that it's hard to maintain this type of alternate health care for more than a short time, probably, and then he has to go back home, getting the type of care he received originally. (Not judging, just going by what you're saying.)

 

[Music City Mama]

@ronandannette, how is your friend doing?

 

[ronandannette]

Thank you for asking @Music City Mama. Oh my, it is a roller-coaster ride. Last Friday he was doing poorly enough that their daughters rushed from Calgary to Vienna to be at his bedside. The evidence was that he had entered liver failure. Our recent information is that he has rallied somewhat and has resumed chemo although nobody is specifically mentioning a prognosis right now. The greatest risk when they decided to go to Austria was that he would go into rapid decline and not be able to make it home. We (and scores of other people) are so sorry not to be with them. I know his wife is surviving on grace alone - being away from home and having things deteriorate, having to advocate for his care as well as live in unfamiliar surroundings is extremely difficult for her. It's good that the girls got there although their plans are totally up in the air as to when they might be able to return.

By going well I meant that there seems to be some hope. Pancreatic cancer is a tough one. But yes, there are some prognostics that make tumors in certain areas of the pancreas somewhat more favorable than others. It must be interesting for all of you to see another system of health care delivery in action. And by tough I meant not only the disease itself, but that it's hard to maintain this type of alternate health care for more than a short time, probably, and then he has to go back home, getting the type of care he received originally. (Not judging, just going by what you're saying.)

He was not offered any therapy here - nothing except palliative care. The specific protocols he's received in Vienna that are not available here (or at least not remotely possible in the timeframe needed) are bio-genetic testing of the tumors so the chemo cocktail could be targeted for efficacy and iv curcumin infusions.

The chemo drugs themselves are available here and presumably, if he makes it back, they will be continued as necessary, although how long it might take is anybody's guess. The circumin is of course available orally as a dietary supplement. Originally his course of treatment at the clinic in Vienna (6 3-day rounds of chemo) was to have been completed by the end of September and they planned to return October 7. At this point, we shall see.

 

[Dentam]

I just found this thread. I've known so many people affected by cancer, it's just awful. I wonder if you have an update on your friend? Sounds like today was the day they were scheduled to come back home.

 

[ronandannette]

I just found this thread. I've known so many people affected by cancer, it's just awful. I wonder if you have an update on your friend? Sounds like today was the day they were scheduled to come back home.

Thank you kindly for asking - the outcome of the odyssey to Vienna was very disappointing. Neither the chemo or the complementary therapies came close to shrinking any of the countless tumors although somehow they did manage to arrest the liver failure. The treatment was grueling and our dear one suffered greatly, not to mention the stress his wife endured. At one point the doctors felt his death was imminent and their daughters as well as several other family members and friends caught last-minute flights to Austria to be there.

He did not die, nor did he regain enough strength to resume treatment. The doctors there managed to get him stabilized enough to endure a 14-hour flight home in a private air-ambulance at the breathtaking cost of $107,000.00. Pretty sure they mortgaged their house for that because the trip to Vienna and the fee-for-service private treatment there cost all of the $100,000.00 we raised and then some. Frankly, although we would never second-guess any decisions made by people in this situation, many of us are reeling.

They returned home to Calgary a week ago and our friend is in an in-patient cancer-care center where he is holding his own but not receiving chemo or any curative therapies. He has well outlasted the 7-week prognosis he was given initially in July. We pray for miracles - nothing short of one will beat this disease. They will begin evaluations next week (after our Thanksgiving weekend) to determine if he should move to a hospice facility or go home with 24-hour palliative care. I guess we'll probably never know whether or not the advice from the European oncologists was too optimistic or if the original pronouncements from the local specialists were too pessimistic or if our good Lord just had other plans.

 

[Music City Mama]

Thank you kindly for asking - the outcome of the odyssey to Vienna was very disappointing. Neither the chemo or the complementary therapies came close to shrinking any of the countless tumors although somehow they did manage to arrest the liver failure. The treatment was grueling and our dear one suffered greatly, not to mention the stress his wife endured. At one point the doctors felt his death was imminent and their daughters as well as several other family members and friends caught last-minute flights to Austria to be there.

He did not die, nor did he regain enough strength to resume treatment. The doctors there managed to get him stabilized enough to endure a 14-hour flight home in a private air-ambulance at the breathtaking cost of $107,000.00. Pretty sure they mortgaged their house for that because the trip to Vienna and the fee-for-service private treatment there cost all of the $100,000.00 we raised and then some. Frankly, although we would never second-guess any decisions made by people in this situation, many of us are reeling.

They returned home to Calgary a week ago and our friend is in an in-patient cancer-care center where he is holding his own but not receiving chemo or any curative therapies. He has well outlasted the 7-week prognosis he was given initially in July. We pray for miracles - nothing short of one will beat this disease. They will begin evaluations next week (after our Thanksgiving weekend) to determine if he should move to a hospice facility or go home with 24-hour palliative care. I guess we'll probably never know whether or not the advice from the European oncologists was too optimistic or if the original pronouncements from the local specialists were too pessimistic or if our good Lord just had other plans.

So sorry things didn't go as hoped. I'm glad to hear he is back in Canada now, and hope he and his family and friends find peace over the coming weeks.

 

[Dentam]

I'm sorry also. Very glad he is home now.

 

[ronandannette]

Inspired by the discussion of updating threads, I thought I'd re-visit this one. Just reading back through it and realizing that the initial discussion started just a little over a year ago. It seems like it's been forever and at the same time just yesterday.

Our dear friend rallied a little once he was released from the hospital and enjoyed a very festive Thanksgiving at home where he was able to carve his own turkey and rake a big pile of leaves for a backdrop to what would be their last family photo shoot. There was a stretch of good days where he was able to be out and around and he milked every one of them by seeing as many friends and loved ones as he could. He was even able to make it back to church on two successive Sundays, where he had pastored for 20 years. Being able to see him "home", if even just for a final farewell, was precious to all of us. By mid-November he was bed-ridden and it was his wish to remain at home, where he was attended 24/7 by close friends and family. He passed into glory in early December. They rented a concert hall for his funeral and over 1,000 people from all over the world attended in an overwhelming outpouring of love and gratitude for his life. We miss him every day.

We were all very concerned about his wife, daughters and parents in the aftermath of such a prolonged, intense experience. In a completely shocking turn of events, his Mother died suddenly in early February. His oldest DD had gotten engaged just before he passed away and planning the wedding was a bittersweet distraction for his widow, who put on an lovely event in July. His youngest DD graduated from University last spring and will enter a classroom as a teacher for the first time next week.

And then we got a little "update" of our own. Seemingly out of the blue, two weeks ago we received a group e-mail from the widow. She has accepted a marriage proposal from a man she met in April - the wedding is in October. Wow - we did not see that coming. With the exception of two couples she felt particularly close to, no one but her daughters had any idea she was even dating. She's made it clear (albeit very graciously) that while she has loved every minute of the past 25 years, her sights are now set on a future in a "new direction" and her intentions are to move away and start over. We don't actually know how to react. She is, of course, legally and morally free to re-marry and does not need or want any opinions or advice. We all wish her well but under the circumstances it's hard not to be worried and in a weird way it feels like another loss.

 

[macraven]

I had been reading this thread since it started

Many thanks for the finale update

She had a beautiful marriage and hope the new one that starts in the fall, will be just as wonderful

Who knows but maybe her husband told her while he was near the end for her to keep on living when he is gone?

I’ve told Mr Mac to find a companion if I pass on before he does

 

[ronandannette]

I had been reading this thread since it started

Many thanks for the finale update

She had a beautiful marriage and hope the new one that starts in the fall, will be just as wonderful

Who knows but maybe her husband told her while he was near the end for her to keep on living when he is gone?

I’ve told Mr Mac to find a companion if I pass on before he does

We've got no way to know what was said between them but without question he would want her to be happy and cared for. There was a thread about this a while back and I'm firmly on the record as being one who does not believe a surviving spouse has any obligation to either stay single or re-marry, just because the departed one wanted them to.

Our biggest concern is how quickly and quietly this has all happened - from meeting to marriage in 6 months. She comes from a very sheltered background and has only had one romantic relationship. She and her deceased husband met when she was 19 and was 22 when they married. They both came from solid, intact homes. Her intended is divorced and has 4 boys aged 14 to 21. There will be a lot of step-parenting left to do, and speaking from experience, that is crazy-hard even when you actually understand what you're getting into. Her girls are older but even so, will need to "blend" and share their mother in ways they never expected.

That said, she has certainly observed her share of difficult relationships and personal heartaches through her many years of ministry. She is smart and capable and we pray she is making a good and wise decision. We wish her well and are resigning ourselves to the idea of having her removed from our lives but again, we will miss her something fierce and regret that part of it.