Another brush with celebrity.

Sally went to the funeral of her aunt Pat and I stayed home with the kids so they wouldn't be a distraction. I didn't do much today because , I want to be in Three Toed Sloth mode. I want to make sure my blood pressure comes down before Monday. I want no more delays and want to be back to work with two Chemos done before then.My STD Ends on August 5Th but, I would like to be back a week earlier if possible. Not saying I want to leave my family to go back to work. I just want to be a part of Avery again.The pain that I have been feeling only really bothers me more at night not as much during the day. Slowly but surely getting better.

I know a long time ago that I mentioned my bucket list and only mentioned 4 things so far and will come up with 6 more, I have another one I would like to add.
6.) I would really like to learn an instrument fluently.When I was 13-14 years old I was taking guitar lessons. The first songs I learned was Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin and Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple. I was doing pretty good but than my guitar instructor's Husband got sick. So she started to cancel my sessions allot due to his illness.So finally I got frustrated ,so I stopped going. I was becoming quite the guitar playing. I was like a 2 year old Jimmy Page, totally awesome as far as 2 year old guitar player standards go. I guess because of that teacher it left a bitter taste in my mouth.So I never went to another teacher to learn and then my desire finally faded away.I wouldn't mind learning any instrument. I think learning an instrument is good for anyone. I would even learn the triangle.
5,) Since the cancer my athletic abilities have diminished greatly.I can't run or jump without some sort of pain. I know that I have had two surgeries in about a 5 month period and I know I need to make sure not to over do it. I really miss the times I was able to run around and chase Zachary and Kaity. Michael and I use to be able to just play catch and play Frisbee ,so because I get easily fatigued I can't do those things now, I could walk and do little things with them but hell, they are young and want to be able to run around with there dad without me needing rest to rest all the time. I know it will be a matter of a few more weeks and I will be able to do some of that again,but how much.I try to keep as much of the home life the same as I can ,they still notice and don't fully understand.I guess that is why I push myself so much all the time.It's hard always telling Zach that Daddy can't do that now. You can tell by looking at his face he is puzzled and doesn't understand.I really can't say why cause he knows that I am sick and it hurts him to hear Sally and I talk about it , so that is why I try to watch what I say around him. So I just want to be able to run around with all my kids like before I was diagnosed.

With all that is going on with the death of Michael Jackson,I have a little tibit of info to tell everyone that most of you don't know. Not that this is a huge deal, but I have met Katherine Jackson, the mother of Michael. I used to work at Sterk's foods in East Chicago in the Harbor on Columbus Drive. She came in the store with another lady wearing this mink coat.I use to follow people around the store allot if I thought they may be shoplifters.So here I am following these two around not knowing anything.As I was looking at them I saw some of my co-workers as well checking them out. I was good I have reinforcements if I need it. I was watching them for close to a half an hour or so. Then the store manager came up to me and said isn't that something.I said yes like they think we are stupid or something. He looked at me in this puzzled look and walked away.Than a lady that worked in the deli came up to me and said this is pretty wild having Michael Jackson's Mother here shopping. I looked at her for what seemed like an hour and I finally said yyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeesssssssss. When she checked out and left the store I hurriedly ran up to her and asked her for her autograph. She was very quite and only said sure when I asked her for an autograph.This happened about twenty years ago and I ended up giving the autograph to my sister Lisa. I don't know if she still has it or not.

I would like to ask everyone if they could pray for the daughter of Cub Pitcher Ryan Dempster. His Daughter Riley who was born on April 1 of this year was diagnosed with DiGeorge Syndrome.She cannot swallow and is secreting allot of fluid. She had surgery to have a Trachea and feeding tube put in. Ryan and his wife Jenny have to clear her throat of fluid since she cannot swallow on her own.So prayers that Riley will get better soon , please Thank you. This is not a Cubs or White Sox thing but,about a little girl who needs our prayers.

Thank you for visiting and God Bless.

No go!

Today I went to start chemo again. I was a little worried because I wasn't sure how my body would respond to it after having the break. I didn't want to be sick for the 4th. On the other hand I was anxious to get started again. I know I am moving in the right direction but going back to another 12 Chemo sessions seems like a step back. It was nice when I was able to say 6 down and 6 to go. I was hoping today would be 1 down and 11 to go. I didn't sleep very well last night. Took me a long time to fall asleep. Kaity woke up at 6 crying. Even though Sally got out of bed to take care of her I still heard her. The chemo appointment was at 8:30. When they went to check my vitals my blood pressure was very high. 150/110. The doctor was not in today but they paged him to see what they should do. About an hour later he called back and told them to give me blood pressure medication. I sat and waited and watched the clock go by. After the medicine they waited 30 minutes to check my blood pressure again and it was still high. So they gave me another dose. Sally asked me about my pain. I told her I was in a little discomfort. She asked if I took any pain medication before I left and I did not. I really am trying to take as little as I can without being bend over in pain. Sally went to the pharmacy and bought me a bottle of Motrin thinking the pain could cause my bp to be up. They checked my bp again and it was still elevated. They gave me a scipt for blood pressure medication and told me I need to and see the urgent care doctor. The urgent care doctor didn't seem very concerned about my bp. He said the pain could be causing it and that it had come down a little. I couldn't get the chemo though today. I had to reschedule. I thought about going back on Wednesday but I didn't want to be sick for the 4th. I am scheduled for next Monday to start chemo again. My blood pressure better be fine. I do not like delaying this. Ron said it high because I lost in a game of bags yesterday. I think it is high because I was with a Sox lover for 2 days and not to mention the Cubs lost 2 out of the 3 game against the Sox.

I was incredibly exhausted and wanted to go home and sleep. We didn't leave the doctor's until 11:30. All I wanted was my fluffy orthopedic pillow and my blanky. On the way home my dear wife informs me her mother needed my help in hanging a mirror. When we get there her mom wasn't home so we had to wait for her. I let Sally figured out where to place the nails so I wouldn't be blamed if it was off centered or cock eyed. After I got the mirror hung I was about to drop on my mother in law's new recliner to snooze when I hear "Honey you have a picture to hang". I couldn't hardly keep my eye balls open. I hung up the picture without a word. I perked up a little when I was made 2 sandwiches. I was glad to leave and go home to sleep. As long as you look at the picture and mirror with your head a little slanted they look straight. What fine work Sally did. Maybe that is her calling.

I got to lay down. I don't ever remember my head hitting the pillow. I was in dream land when I was abruptly woken up into my reality world. I had to get up if I wanted to go with Sally to her aunt's wake. So being the loving and supportive husband that I am I woke up to go. The wake was far from the typical one that I am use to. Not that it was disrespectful it was more like a social gathering. People were laughing, joking and talking in the viewing area. Also there was a table set up with cookies and brownies and a cooler full of beverages. At one point my mother in law asked us if we wanted any cookies. Of course I said yes and so did her daughter and grandson. We were snickering during the entire time. Not only did they have one table full of goodies she spotted another table with a bowl full of goodies, or were they. So she graciously walked up to the bowl. Pulled out some tissues from a box that was sitting next to it. She asked her sister if she wanted a cookie as she went to dive into the bowl. Her sister looked at her and said "Mary it's not cookies". While during the entire time we are watching her and laughing. It was a bowl full of potpourri. I' ll take the piece that looks like bark,yummmmmm.

We did some running around with the kids. On the way home we were talking. Sally mentioned in conversation about visiting a relative out of state. Zachary said is she goes he wanted to go with. He didn't want to be left at home because he didn't want to get "home sick". Sally said how can you be home sick if you are still at home. Zachary's reply was "uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh", "I would you miss you if you left". It was a good day in Chicago both Cubs and Sox won today.

Thank you for visiting and God Bless.

If you are hungry, I know were you can go.

Sally came home very late yesterday so we woke up late today( I stayed up waiting on her). Sally was at her moms with her sister Stacie setting up visiting arrangements for some family members that are coming in for the funeral. So we didn't get up until almost 12:30pm. Zach being the good brother he is watched his little sister while his lazy parents slept the morning away. We are proud of him cause we thought the house would have been trashed. To our pleasant surprise it was fairly neat. Sally gave him a few dollars for his effort.I am sure he will use the money for Lego Star Wars.Waiting on Sally to come home wasn't bad cause I was on Facebook Chat talking to my Niece Stephanie for about two and a half hours. So the time really went by fast and it was a really nice chat talking about all kinds of things from my big melon head to ghost(spirit) visitors. She made allot of mentions of my blog entries that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.It really makes me feel good with all the positive feedback I get from everyone.

I also called a man named Ronald this afternoon. He is a gentlemen that is the brother of a friend of my sister Dawn. My sister asked me if I would give him a call to talk. He has type one Leukemia and has been given 3 weeks to live when first diagnosed. He now has been doing Chemo for two months and was told recently that he is in remission. I was told when they found my tumor that I would of died in about two weeks cause it would have burst.So we both are in similar situations. I told him what I am going through and how it all started. I told him my Zachary saved my life. I talked to him for a little over a half hour. I said as long as you keep a positive attitude and surround his self with great friends and prayers.everything good will come in time.He is a really nice gentlemen that needs every ones prayers as well.I will try and call him again to see how he is doing. He has been in the hospital ever since this diagnosis and is suppose to be home before the 4Th of July

Later that afternoon the family and I went back to Ron and Lynn's for leftovers and that night there are going to be fireworks. I hope we made a dent in all that food. With all the food that was there I thought maybe all the neighborhood kids were going to show up like they do at our house. Again we all had a fun time playing bean bags and making fun of each other. Ron's daughter brought out her jump rope and I had a go at it.(look at above picture). I was able to clear the rope three times before I would knock off my new Cubs hat Michael got me for Fathers Day.So of course I would have to stop to pick it up. You have to pick it up to show it respect. A Sox hat on the other hand you can stomp on it as much as you want to. This is the only way to treat a Sox hat.After jumping rope I really had to stop and relax for a while. I was hurting so I know I had to take it easy. Later the fireworks started and they were very good. they lasted about a half an hour. As I was watching them, Zach came up to me and said "Daddy there is a mosquito on your ear". So to rid me of this pest he spits in my ear. What a good boy I thought to myself as I dried out my ear. He comes to his Daddy's aid again.What would I do without him.

I am going to end this now so I can get ready for bed. The Chemo is for 8:30 in the morning. Sally is going to the wake for her Aunt Patricia Malone tomorrow. It starts at 4pm at Ridgelawn funeral home 4201 w. ridge road. I will probably stay at home cause I am expecting to be out of it since its been a long time since my last Chemo session. Thank you and God Bless.

My mom still hasn't heard the results of her thyroid test. As soon as she knows I will let all of you know.

Party in Munster

The picture above is Michael well being Michael.

Today the family and I had to go to a good friend and Michael's God Father's house for his kids birthday party, He has three kids, two girls and one boy that were all born near the 4Th of July. The youngest boy and one girl are twins.It was a nice time for all that attended. There was plenty to do for all ages. There was a bouncy , bean bags game and plenty of food (that they will be eating until next years party) and beverages I took it easy and just did allot of sitting and played one game of bags. Sally and I played as partners with another couple. We did win the game 21- to 14.It was a good time considering the news Sally got this morning. Sally got a call from her mother that her Aunt Pat died. She has been sick for a very long time but it was still a surprise cause she was doing better.So my prayers will be with Sally's Aunt and her entire family during this tuff time. So please remember them as well in your prayers.I will post more info as it is known.


Zack and I are watching Stoogapalooza. Zach is a three Stooges fan just as I was when I was little. So I am going to end this blog so I can spend some time with Zach and also let my hand recuperate from yesterdays blog. God Bless you all and thanks for visiting my blog and come again.

Listen up all.

I spent about 90 percent of the day outside with the kids , not just my kids but the neighborhood kids as well. I cleaned out the garage again and kept an eye on the constantly moving Kaity. I took out all of the toys and riding stuff . That started a shark feeding frenzy. There was all of these toys for the taking. I made the mistake of going in the house to get something to drink. I came out and all of the toys were scattered throughout the neighborhood except for one of Michael's old bikes, and only because it had a flat.The boy across the street actually asked me if I could fix it. I said of course I could fix it , but I won't. Go away kid you bother me I said to my self. I hurried to get the garage done so I could close the garage. Locating all of the toys those gremlins took, took me another 3 hours to gather up. The kids and I finally went in the house just before 8pm.I thought I might have to plant some land mines to keep the kids away. I spent the rest of the evening taking it easy,

I wanted to write a little about how I got to were I am now. When I was little and living with my mom and step dad I did go to church. We didn't go all the time. My mom did instill good values in me but, church wasn't enforced when I got a little older. My mom was a good mom but, there were some issues that I will not get into at this time or any other.When I moved out and was on my own at 19 years old I never went to church. During this time I was having some trials and tribulations. It seemed I was always having car problems. I remember one time I was leaving to go to work and my Chevy Monte Carlo was gone.It was parked in the street in front of the apartment I was living in and my step dad owned.I was looking everywhere for this white and freshly washed car. I kept saying to myself oh no oh no. After looking for it on other streets and alley ways( I thought maybe because of my drunken stupor the day before I couldn't remember exactly were I may have parked it)I finally called the police.When I called and talked to the police operator she said it was towed. I said why, because they were doing street cleaning. Why wasn't I told of this. She said there should have been postings on the trees. I have no trees in front of the apartment I live in.I got my car back and saw that on the next block that had trees had the postings but not mine. Now back to my story. I meant and married a cashier that I worked with when I was a manager at Sterks in Hammond.I have dated girls before but this one was pursuing me like a Three Toed Sloth in a relay race against a Two Toed Sloth( three toed sloth are faster). This marriage never should have taken place.After almost 10 months of wedded bliss I had to kick her out along with her mood swings would give me whip lash.About 5 months after that , the honeymoon was over and we were officially divorced. A few years later I finally started dating Sally.( How we started dating is mentioned in a earlier blog) When we got married , we would always go to church. I did this cause I thought I was supporting her. During our marriage we had allot of problems to work through.It was a very hard first two years and I was determined to keep Sally as my wife. We always seemed to have money and other issues but always seemed to work through them.Lets not forget about my near death experiences, also mentioned in an earlier blog.What I truly believe in my case is God is trying to teach me a lesson and until you learn the lesson you will always have more trials until you learn from them. I believe the Cancer was the big lesson that I needed to learn from. I learned to value life more and not to take anything for granted. After being married to Sally for about 4 years or so I know that I needed to go to church.but that wasn't all that I needed.I wasn't home allot and was missing allot of time being spent with the kids .Always working and not being at home for them. Now with the Cancer I have been home now for the past 5 months and really enjoy the time with the family . I do miss the people at work but family definitely comes first.I always believed deep down that I would be all right. I am a firm believer in the power of positive thinking and to trust in God. I really have to say that I feel this is the happiest I have ever felt.I don't have a lot of money and living basically in a house that needs work but never felt happier.So in a weird kind of way Cancer has been very good to me. It has totally change my life for the better and to appreciate as much as you can and do not take anything for granted,or you will get a lesson you will not soon forget until you fix what you need to fix in your life.I am working on that right now and will always be . This is something that will always be on going. I am only human and can only try my best. Of course if my best isn't my best I am sure I will get another tribulation to work through until I get it right. So next time something happens and you say why me why me. Think of what you have to do to fix it and to remember God never gives you anything more than what you can't handle.So don't feel bad for me I have learned allot from my cancer and I hope that what I am going through is a learning experience for you as well. I am happy and want to do more for charity and going to the chapels in the area to pray makes me feel happier.The person who said being one with God makes you a more complete and happier person was not kidding.So remember prayer,God,great friends and a positive attitude goes on forever.

Thank you for visiting and listening to my babble but babble with a lesson never the less. God Bless you all and thanks for helping me be a better person.

Now I feel so much better!

This is Kaity making her Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich for lunch. She is so self sufficient. She will even lick the utensils clean.


This morning I went to the UIC to meet with the surgeon. I told Sally he better remove my staples or there would be trouble. Lucky for him he had my wish granted. There were two interns that looked at my staples first. Then the surgeon came in and said how ugly my stitches were. He left and one of the interns started to removed the staples. The doctor came back to recheck and once again said "Wow that's ugly" while looking at me. I asked him if he was referring to me or my stitches and his reply was "Both" and walked out. When I went to leave he told me he hopes he never has to see me again. Which I agree I don't want to have to ever see him again. Seeing him would mean the cancer is back. Sally and I were talking about his personality on the way home. Sally made the comment that he is a typical Michael. She said all Michael's are awnry and obnoxious. So I started to think about all the Michael's I know and I have to agree it fits all of them except for one (no my brother Mike is not the exception).

By the way Dan I just wanted to let you know my wife called you "a jerk" when she read your comment from yesterday. She said for you to watch out when you come over. She is going to spray you and take a picture for the blog. Just between you and me I think a picture of her being sprayed would be funny. I am going to have to team up the kids and get her one of these days.

I wanted to say just how polite Zachary is. The other day I was in the bathroom shaving and Sally and Kaity were out at the grocery store and Michael was out somewhere else. Zach was outside and came in to get something to drink. He had no idea I was inside cause , I was outside in the garage doing things earlier. Well anyway he comes in the house without knowing anyone is in the house. He lets out this loud burp and says excuse me. I thought it was funny knowing everyone was gone and he thought I was outside. So the only thing he could have thought he was saying excuse me to was our spiritual visitors. I don't know if it's me but, I usually don't say excuse me when I am by myself. I am going to have to put this in a poll. Zach has actually done this a few times. So I don't think it's because he thinks someone is around.

Thanks for visiting and God Bless.

Miracle on Indiana st.

So I went to see the oncologist today. I resume at least 6 more months of chemo treatments starting Monday. After the six months and nothing shows up in the scans I will have to decide more chemo as a precaution, partial treatments (which won't make me sick), or no treatment at all. That's 6 months away so I am not going to worry about that now. The lymphnode that was removed was indeed cancerous. Not that it was a surprise to anyone. However, 2/3rd's of the cancer had went away. The doctors are really impressed on how well my body is responding to the treatment with just the 3 months of it( Except for me, I always was a specimen of fine health until the Cancer made things a little more interesting)(Stop the snickering). Sally asked why my survival rate is only a 30-35% which was given by the surgeon. The oncologist said that the surgeon used old data. He doesn't like using statistics especially with new treatments being used. He once again explained that if this happened to me 3-4 years ago I would have not had a chance for survival and the latest surgery wouldn't have been an option. My life expectancy would only be about 2 and a half years. I am sort of a guinea pig with the new treatment so no one really knows for sure. However, the patients he has who are on the treatment as well as me have had much success and out lived their life expectancy. Also he mentioned the cancer wasn't spread through out the liver and in the lungs like a lot of stage 4 colon cancer patients. So he can't really say how long he thinks I have but he told Sally that I am not going anywhere anytime soon. Not sure how Sally feels knowing she will be stuck with me. At least I feel better knowing at least I have a few years. Sally wants to go back to school (once she figures out what she wants to do when she grows up) so she can support herself and the kids in case something does happen. Even though I am undergoing chemo, as of the moment the cancer is technically in remission. I really do believe this was a miracle, can I have an AMEN. My future was very bleak and know it's a lot more brighter in a very short time.You be the judge.

Besides the doctor's visit, I spent a good part of the day trying to fix the pressure washer. This morning after church I went to buy some more O-Rings to see if anyone of them would fit.Every time I put one in, it was either slightly to small or a little to thick. I tried to compare it to the broke one and that didn't work but, since that one is broke I am not sure if there may be a slight circumference difference. I got them to fit but now the width wasn't thick enough. So I went to a rental shop to see if they can sell me a O-Ring. Well they said they could fix it for me. Me not thinking said "OK' and dropped it off. I figured it won't cost much since it's a O-Ring. Sally wasn't to happy and I had to call and let them know I wanted an estimate first. After I did this I asked Sally to get a rating for the O-Rings(see which ones have more stars-I want nothing less than 4 out of 5 stars) so I know I got the best made O-Rings. Nothing is to good for my pressure washer.

Tonight we will be eating dinner later. It's to hot to cook. We are going to have Italian sausage on the grill and pasta salad. Sally is going to cook bell peppers with onions so we can make sandwiches. I have been wanting corn on the cob. Sally went to one store and they didn't have any. Stracks had some but she said the ears were small and were expensive. I went to a farm stand and they didn't look to good. Guess I will have to wait patiently for my corn.

So that's about it for my day. Tomorrow I am going to the UIC. They will removed the staples. Because of the heat and with me sweating the incision are becoming irritated. I think if the staples were gone I would feel better.

The picture was a request from Dan. I was talking to him on the phone and spraying the neighborhood kids as well. He asked for a picture. They enjoyed it. Sally wasn't to happy when she got sprayed. That would have made for a better picture.

I hear Zach and Kaity playing in the living room. Believe it or not Kaity is playing smell my finger with Zach, as I am typing this in the kitchen. I think I will stay in here a while. That is a game Zach liked to play with Michael, so I figured she must have learned it from Zach at one time or another.

Thanks for visiting and God Bless you all. Thanks to all of you I will be terrorizing the world and my family a little longer.

No post today. I wrote one early but just realized it never posted or saved. Today not much happened so it was a boring blog. Good night all!

A few hfjk k ghve from Kaity

ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVV
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY..............
VBB4K3RBKNANADAPOOPOO
Kaity wanted a chance to express herself since Zachary was able to yesterday. The above was a message from her. I am a little concerned about the last part. Only two years old and already recruited.

Since it is a nice day I decided to write this blog outside. Hey, I just realized that I made a decision without the help of my wife. So what ya know. I am not the reason why some animals eat their young. That actually made me feel good. I will have to do that again sometime, but not to soon I don't want to get to cocky.

I still have the pressure feeling in my chest. I am playing it a little cautiously today. I hope it is just because of the stitches and nothing else. I will be getting them taken out this Thursday. While I am writing this Kaity is riding her bumble bee car and Zach is falling off his bike (he likes to run into things) He may be a reason why some animals eat there young. Naw, He is just a

little boy trying to have some fun without his friends being around. He is the Macgyver of finding things to do when no one is around. Like falling off his bike on purpose.

When we ate dinner today I got a very add pressing sensation in my upper chest area. I had to get up and walk around a little. I was a little dizzy, losing my balance but, didn't fall. After a
while I felt better and finished my dinner. I attribute it to the weather and chasing Kaity half a block when she was running away from me. When I finished my dinner I went outside and
did a few maintenance things for my kids bubble maker. It had a rusted battery connection,so I fixed that. Now all the neighborhood kids are happy. My kids could care less. I also have a pressure washer nozzle that was leaking very badly. I took it apart and saw that the O-Ring
was broke. I will go and get a replacement tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting and God Bless you all. Patty I hope all the prayers came through for you.

Father's Day

You might have to click on the letter to be able to read it.

This is Zachary.I am 7.My dad have lots of gifts from everyone because everyone loves him so much. He got a Cubs cup and shirt and a letter from me. Kaity got him bunch of candy from the candy store. Michael got him a Cubs baseball cap. My mom gave him a mini laptop. He got that early. I got him lots of donuts for breakfast. He go to church for God. When we done we went to grandma's Ross to give grandpa's gift and I gave him my old car. My dad sleep all day. And I went outside with my brother Michael and my mom, and my baby sister Kaitlyn and I found a cat outside today. And we got dinner. The dinner name shrimp, baked potatoes, and cucumber salad. I just eat the potaotes. And we will have dessert later. I will stay up the whole night. I love my dad. Happy Father's Day. The cancer all most gone. The side of the cancer almost gone. It is sad he maybe will die. It is happy the cancer almost gone. Happy Mother's Day. Happy Christmas Day. The End. Who likes Sox? Who likes Cubs? All Done!

I guess Zach said it all today, so I really don't think I have much to say now. I did make it to my Mom and Step Dads today. I originally wasn't sure if I was going to be able to. I was sore and and felt out of breath most of the day and the kids were going to cook me dinner. They decided to make the dinner a little later so I was able to go.I went and took Kaity and Zach with. Sally stayed home to make Cheese CAKE and Michael stayed home and slept .I am glad to be able to go and see almost everyone. Sally and I with the Kids gave my step Dad a White Sox blanket . When she started to make it I had to take extra pain meds.Sally was afraid I may O.D. I told her its a chance I have to take. Later I had to take Nausea pills cause the Sox colors started to make the room spin out of control. I felt like I was in one of those Gravatrons they have at carnivals. I took the pills and went outside for fresh air and felt a little better.As long as I didn't look in the direction of the blanket I was fine.

Zach wanted me to let everyone know to look for him on Americas got Talent. He knows that he would be a shoe in finalist for his Dolphin impression. Unless of course someone came up with a cooler impression like that of a Three Toed Sloth.

The Cubs and Sox both won today.The Cubs won 6-2 leading the whole game,which is a change as of late. The Sox won 4-1 .

Thank you for visiting and God Bless.

Zach's swimming adventure.

First off I want to say that I never said that wanted Jacqueline to be pregnant. It was just from a crazy dream I had. I was just trying to make some sense of it.I am not a dream analyzer by any stretch of the word.I really do hope Jacqueline does continue with her schooling. She has plenty of time to start a family.Some people(Sally) needs to interpret my writing better.

The family and I went to the mall today. The kids wanted to get me something very special for Father's Day(my favorite Holiday). I haven't strayed to far from the house since the last surgery. So I wanted to see how I could handle it. Sally was going to go with the kids by herself. I asked if I could go to see have I would be. She said I could go but had to stay at Borders since we were doing the shopping for me.It worked out good because ,just walking around the store I would get a tightening sensation in my upper chest. I would sit down for a little while and it would go away in a few minutes.That was the best place for me to be. I like to read and the chairs there to sit in are a dime a dozen.When Sally and the kids were ready to leave she came and got me. When we were leaving to go to the car Kaity started to get very upset and was crying.We kept asking what was wrong.She was inconsolable and wouldn't stop crying. Finally Sally figured it out, she forgot to take her to Build-a Bear.We started back in and she calmed down.We don't always get her stuff from there but, she likes to run wild in there. When Kaity finally allowed us to leave ,Zach and I waited for Sally and Michael to pull the car around to pick us up(she didn't want me to walk anymore than I need to).As we were walking out of the Mall and into JC Pennys I saw a child probably no more than 7 years old with a mask on and all his hair gone. I really felt for the child and he will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Zachary today got to go to Michael's girlfriend's house to go swimming with Michael and Michael's girlfriends family.( Carlee Michael's girl friend is traveling in Europe). He said he had a lot of fun and hopes to go back again.Carlee's Mom said they will teach Zach to swim.Zach when he was a baby he loved the water.I could throw him in the air and have him land in the water and he would come up laughing. The last few years he seemed to be afraid of the water and wouldn't let me go. My brother Mike has a pool we would swim in at family get together and he wouldn't let go of me. At the water park he was fine. As long as the water couldn't exceed his head . He told me before he went to Carlee's that he didn't want to drown. I told him there was allot of adults there and he would be OK. When we picked him up he said he had allot of fun.I am glad that he is in to swimming again.

The dream I had last night was all scrambled up and made no sense what so ever.A engineer guy that I knew when I worked at the Dairy plant that closed down. was cleaning up a platform. He asked me if I would sweep up the platform of sharp objects. When I was done I went outside to clean up the extension cords that were all covered in snow.Than some people that I knew from junior high came to help.This is basically it and don't know what the heck I was dreaming. Why did all the people that I haven't seen in quite some time were in this dream and not people that I associate with now. Well anyway you tell me. Dan, I really don't think it has anything to do with Barack Obama or any other political figure for that matter or Lowells girls soccer.So if you were going to tell me this I am ahead of you already.

I want to wish all the Father's out there a very Happy ,enjoyable and Safe Fathers Day.Be careful and don't pull any muscles or break a hip or something. Since I can't do a whole lot myself, I will sit around and have the kids rub my feet and scratch my back or something.They are planning on making me dinner.

The Cubs had another thrilling come from behind game again. Kerry Wood blew another save opportunity. That is bitter sweet,because I like Kerry and wish him the best as long as he isn't playing the Cubs. The Cubs scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 13Th to win 6-5. The winning run coming on a Kerry Wood wild pitch.
Tomorrow it's going to be Wells (Cubs) against Sowers(Indians). Wells is a good pitcher with no run support. He is 0-3 with a 2.55 era.Sowers is 1-4 with a 5.14 era. The Cubs seem to do bad against pitchers they should beat. Lets hope the pattern stops.
Sox won to Cincy 10-8. They are now 5.5 games out. The Cubs are now 2.0 out cause Milwaukee lost again.No prayers needed for the Sox they are playing fine.

Thanks for visiting and lots of love comes your way from me to you. God Bless you all.

I want to say something very quickly. My poll about seeing my stitches is only to show everyone my war wounds and what may happen if they get cancer and have to have surgery. It's no way intended to be a morbid curiosity thing. I am just trying to be as informative to everyone as I can. That is why I will only do it if enough of you want to see it.I know some of you may not want to see it and I really don't want to offend anyone.

It's been the same thing today as it's been. I don't feel as tired as before but still sore especially during the evening when the muscles start to relax. The nurse today told me that I can take over the counter Motrin if I want.(I want). This should help me with my tiredness.This is also the reason I can't drive now cause of the drowsiness the meds. cause. The meds. can also impair my judgement when I am driving.

I have been remembering some of my dreams the last few days.If I don't write anything down, I will start to forget everything.I know that I had a few different ones last night, I just don't remember what happened.I do remember one dream were I was eating garlic bread with peanut Butter on it.No, I don't think I am pregnant. ( at least that is what the test revealed) Or maybe someone from the family who just recently got married .Ummm, who could that be.I know that the dreams I had were on the strange side. I wished that I would have remembered something about them to be able to share more. Maybe tonight I will have some writing material with me to write something down.

Michael and his friend went to ride their bikes on the trail earlier this evening. It reminded me of another story about him to share. Last summer he was in pre season conditioning for Cross Country. One early morning(That in itself is a story, Michael is not an early riser) he went out for a run with his team on the path. While he was running he went past a couple with a dog on the leash. Michael startled the dog and the dog bit him on the butt. Michael told them the dog bit him but continued running because he didn't want to loose his running mates. Silly Michael didn't realize the importance of asking the owners for their information and if the dog's shots were current. So needless to say Michael had to go to the urgent care to get his butt checked out. The doctor figured since the dog was on a leash and not a stray chances are that it didn't have rabies. Michael just had to take antibiotics for 10 days to prevent an infection. Leave it to Michael to have his rump bitten.We found out later the dog will be fine after biting Michael. There was fear that the poor dog might have to be put down but, Against all adds the dog prevailed and is doing fine now.

My moms surgery went really well. We won't know how well until some time next week. She is staying overnight,just for precautionary reasons.Thanks for all the prayers she received.

The Cubs won another come from behind game. After being down 7-0 at one point,They scored all but 2 runs in the last 3 innings.Giving them a 8-7 win over Cleveland.
The Sox are losing 3-2 in the bottom of the 7th. Still plenty of baseball to play for Cincy to pad the lead.

Thanks for visiting, Love you all

Today I woke up more of the same way I have the last few days. I have a few aches and pains but not as bad as earlier. I feel some cramping and tiredness. I want to call the nurse tomorrow to see if I can take something that won't make me as tired. For the most part the pain is getting better as long as I don't try and do to much and listen to my body better.

I took Kaity out today to play. I just followed her around and she kept herself occupied. I am not suppose to carry her or pick her up. I know she doesn't realize this, so I have to tell her that Daddy can't pick her up. She seems to understand and then goes to play with something else. I had her out for a few hours. The next door neighbors have a trampoline and she was having fun on that. Just watching her play was exhausting enough. Sally had to take Micheal for an errand and she took Kaity. This is giving me time to relax and to do my blog

I had a few days,three to be exact were something strange has happened to be while I was laying in bed trying to sleep. For three consecutive days something hit me as was laying down trying to get comfortable. The first two times I really didn't pay to much attention. Thinking nahhh couldn't be. The third time this happened I was up looking at Kaity cause I heard her make a noise so I was checking on her. Yes, I was a little groggy. I distinctly felt something hit me shoulder and part of my sheets uncovered my arm. It was hard enough that I felt it but not enough were it left a mark. I was waiting there for a minute thinking what just happened. I thought now I will probably be picked up and thrown across the room like yesterdays garbage.This was a few hours before I was getting up,maybe around 5:30am. I went back to sleep but with one eye open. I told Sally and she just felt it was cause of my tiredness. I know that I was awake the third time it happened. By no means do I think the house is haunted,just maybe I had a visitor that had a score to settle with me.

I usually don't remember dreams that I have had. I really don't feel comfortable telling of this dream. Thinking there is one of you out there that may explain the dream to me.I had this dream two days in a row. The family and I were at a get together.I don't know who's house,just that there were a lot of people there. Zachary was playing with some of the kids around a pool. I don't know who they were. The only people I remember was my family, as in the 5 of us only.Well anyway Zach was playing with these kids and he disappeared. Not that he vanished but that he is no longer around. I asked everyone if they seen Zach anywhere. Nobody knew where he was. The worst part was nobody seemed to care except for his Dad(remember that Zach when you get older).He was missing for two days and nobody cared.This is the same dream I had for the last two nights. I didn't mention this to Sally.Why would I have a dream like this.
If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them.

The Cubs wake up in the 8th and 9th innings to beat the Sox 6-5.
Thanks for visiting and God bless
My mom is having surgery tomorrow on her Thyroid so all prayers would be appreciated.

Bill told me just to repost yesterday's blog. Not much has changed. He is still in pain. He said his stomach feels tight. He was up a little more then he has been. Today, Zachary went to the library for an activity. I dropped Bill and Zachary off there. It was about an hour long. Bill sat there and watched the kids run around while he was waiting for Zachary. After that him and Zachary watched the original "Indiana Jones". Zachary hasn't seen any of the movies and wanted to see the movie where he was young and not old. He liked the movie and wants to watch the other ones with Bill. After the movie he went back to bed and just got up not to long ago.

Even though he is not feeling well he is still trying to help me around the house which is irritating to me. I think he would heal faster if he does nothing but rest. Of course what do I know. I am going to watch a movie now with him so he will sit down.

Today I am still very sore but not as sore as yesterday. I'm going to slowly try to get myself off of the pain pills. They make me very tired and I don't want to sleep my day away.

It's Sally again. Bill is still very tired and sore. He tried to write the blog but it's difficult for him. He doesn't want to disappointed anyone by not writing but I assured him everyone understands.

Last night he slept soundly. I woke his up through the night to give him his meds. It seemed to help him. He is moving around better today but I can tell he is still hurting.

Deb mentioned in the comments from the previous post about the family picture. No we have not had the family picture taken. We all have Cubs jersey for the picture. Just waiting for Bill to get better.

I do hope his blog will help others and so does he. When he is feeling better he is going to talk to two people who recently have been diagnosed with cancer. I think Bill will be good talking to them. He has been up beat and positive during this. He doesn't complain and I never heard him ask "Why me?". I am very proud of him for the way he has been handling the entire situation.

Oh my aching belly

Today is another day filled with pain but, is getting better. I think just being home in my normal surroundings(total chaos) helps. I want to thank my sister in law Stacie for the smooth ride home. I really appreciated the time you took away from your family to help us get home. Sally thank you for the comfy pillow you gave me when we got home. Who would have figured it would have landed so perfectly on my belly.

I really hope to be more mobile in a few days. I don't like it that Sally literally has to wait on me hand and foot. She already yells at me just for picking up a toy. I know I need to be careful but, I hate to be this way. I feel I am taking advantage of everyone. I can only lift 10 pounds. That is my limit for about 4-6 weeks.

This is Sally finishing the blog for him. Bill is really tired. I am sure it's the combination of his body healing and the pain medication. He spent almost the entire day in bed and is ready to go back there. He took a little walk with me. I was worried about him but he said he needed to get some fresh air. We walked five houses down which was a lot for him. He walks bent over and slow. The pain seems tolerable as long as he takes the pain medication as directed. This morning he woke up in pain and was having a difficulty breathing. I am keeping track of his medication making sure he takes it on time.

It's nice to have him back home. It's going to take a few days to get the house back to normal. Kaity is extremely clingy to me. I can't do anything without her holding on to me. I don't mind but it takes me longer to get anything done. Bill's friend Dan came over to visit. It gave me a couple of minutes to finish the blog. Not sure what's with my kids but they like to be the entertainment. So, Kaity right now is trying to amuse Dan.

This is for Bill. Since you don't listen to me, I know you will read this. I don't mind helping you out. I don't see it as waiting on you hand and foot. It makes me feel bad when you don't allow me to help you. It hurts me to see you hurting. I feel better when I am able to help you. So let me help you!!!!
This is for Sally.I know you really don't mind. I just like to do things for myself. You have a lot of other things to worry about and don't need this added burden.That is why I try a little harder to get better,so I can feel better sooner to be a help around the house. I know I have lifting limitations and will be very careful to abide by them. I feel I need to walk a little more to get my heart pumping so that I don't feel as tired all the time. I know it's the medication but a little exercise I don't think will hurt. So give me a few days or a week or so and hopefully I will be back to my more jovial self.
Thanks for visiting God Bless you all.

Home Sweet Home

It's good to be home. I am still very sore. Last night was a rough because of the pain. The nurses kept checking on me throughout the night to make sure I am OK. I was sent home with 3 different medications. Sally was going through my discharge papers and noticed 6 medications were listed. Tomorrow, I am going to call and check. I also need to make an appointment to have the staples remove in about 10 days. I have a 10 pound weight limit. I was also told I will be more sore and longer to heal compared to the last surgery. The reason the incision was made on top of the old one. Which means there is scar tissue which makes the healing longer.

I was happy to see the kids when I came home. Kaity was outside with Michael. She wasn't happy at first. She had fell out of her crib right before we pulled up. Zachary came home shortly after me. My mom took him to see the movie "Up". They both said the movie was good. I took a nap shortly after I got home. I slept in the bed with the fan blowing on me. It felt refreshing. Sally didn't make dinner tonight. After we got home, she had to pick up my medication and get some groceries. She said I could have what ever I wanted since I was stuck eating hospital food for the past 3 days. I chose spaghetti. She picked it from John's. It was good. Much better then the spaghetti at the hospital. I can't even compare the two.

I mentioned yesterday I would compare the hospitals. St Margaret Mercy in Dyer is where I have the colon resection . The medical staff was very friendly. The nurses were over worked but did everything in there power to make me comfortable. They would always asked if I wanted a drink, sherbet, etc... Even when I wasn't suppose to drink, they would let me sneak a couple sips here and there. The food wasn't that bad either considering it was hospital care. During the day a cart came to the rooms selling snacks, pens, paper, etc... At night a snack cart would come around as well. At UIC the medical staff was very professional. They did there job and that was it. They were friendly except for 2 male nurses I didn't care for. They didn't have the personal touch. The night of the surgery I was extremely thirsty. Sally asked if I could have some ice chips and they wouldn't let me. It was hard to sleep with a dry mouth. There were no snacks, no one offered me drinks or snacks. The food was lousy. The bed was much more comfortable then at St. Margaret's. I feel the care was a lot better at the UIC. If they would have that personal touch like St. Margaret's it would be the ideal hospital in my opinion.

At least for the next few days, my blogs will be shorter then usual. Some might not think it's a bad thing. It's hard for me to get comfortable. Sally has helped me with this one since she is a much faster typer then I am.

Again Thank You for support, God Bless You All!

Thank You

Hi, everyone it's me Bill,I am still in the hospital. I hope to be home sometime tomorrow.My only issue that I an having now is that I am having pain issues. They have been giving me different medications to try. What I am using now is better.I'm not sure of the name but,it makes me a little more mobile then I have been. My pain is at about a 4-5 was at 9 and a half last night. I will have to have a bowel movement before they feel I could leave.That is my only issue now. The pain I feel now is under control I just have to go poopies. I want to thank everyone for the kind words of encouragement and all the prayers. I will be looking forward to learn how to do cartwheels. I really wish Sally could have been able to bring the kids to see me. Well if you can't do what is asked of you then plans will change. I really miss them, even though it's been a few days but it seems like a month.

I am going to cut this a little short. I need to practice my breathing and doing some walking around to help with the pain. So anyway I am doing very good and couldn't have left today. The Doctors wanted to have the pain more under control.

When I write my next blog I will compare the difference between the two hospitals. Again thank you for the Prayers and words of encouragement.I am not totally out of the woods but, I can see the road out. Thank you and God Bless.

I want to say to my wife that I love her and I miss her very much. I wish we were together to celebrate our aniversary. You are with me even though you aren't here. YOU are a very special woman and I am very lucky to have you as my wife. I hope that we will have many,many more years together. I truly miss your smile and hope to see it tomorrow. Your smile is what I fell in love with.See you tomorrow sweetheart and love you. Bill

Day 4

Yesterday the IV was disconnected so Bill can move around more freely. If it wasn't for the pain he would be doing very well. The pain is so intense he is having difficulty getting up and breathing. When he walks, he is hunched over. He would have been released today but because of the pain they decided to wait. He said they are trying to new medication which seems to be working better. Hopefully tomorrow he will be back home.

Unfortunately, because of a series of events I will not be able to see him today. To say the lease I am very disappointed in many ways.

Happy Anniversary

Hey sweetie happy 11 years. I decided to write this in the blog because you wanted to make your life public. Plus knowing you, you will tell me tomorrow I forgot about our anniversary and I can prove to you I didn't.

I wish we could have shared this day with a movie and dinner like we normally do. Even the part where you try to be Mr. Romantic and feed me the dessert but it lands on my blouse instead of my mouth. Then I have to walk out of the restaurant with a huge raspberry spot. I am a little sad knowing that when I wake up tomorrow, you will not be physically next to me but you will be in my heart. A part of you is always with me.

No, our marriage hasn't always been happy. I would never lie about that. In fact we both agree it's a miracle we survived the first 2 years. I think we were both to stubborn to divorce. I had my vision of a perfect marriage with a perfect home and a perfect family. Like what you see on TV. You were still in your bachelor mode and had trouble adjusting. Poor Michael had a bag he kept in closet packed with a change of clothing. He got tired of packing every weekend when we would fight and I would get him and leave. I wish there would have been cameras on us. I am sure it would be hilarious to watch now. Thinking back to those days it wasn't because we didn't love each other because I know we both loved each other very much. It was just that our feelings were so intense. I guess the best way to describe it is to compare taste buds of a baby's to an adult's. Our taste buds dies with age. A baby is very picky with food. One reason is that there taste buds taste everything. The flavors for them are intense and over powerful. That is the reason babies like bland food over flavor. Adults do not have nearly as many taste buds as a baby. Which gives them the ability to enjoy a variety of flavors. That is how our marriage is. At first everything was so emotional and intense. Now, we just appreciate each other. Things that were a big deal then are laughable now when I look back. Sometimes we still might taste something that is unpleasant but the bitterness doesn't last as long.

You have always wanted what was best for the kids and me. You sacrificed yourself and now you are paying for it. You spent many years working 60 plus hour a week. Not because you loved your job that much and it wasn't because you didn't want to be home (at least I hope not) but it was because you wanted to take care of us. You wanted us to have everything we needed. You didn't want me to work and did everything you could so I didn't have to. Even when you were not feeling well you still went to work. You always put us first. I hope you have learned it's not always about us and you need to take care of yourself. By taking care of yourself you are taking care of us.

I was told that people don't change. You can't marry someone and expect them to change. Which is true. However, you have grown and changed so much in the last 11 years. I am so very proud of you. Now you have cancer. Yes, so far this has been a real difficult year. I don't know where you get your strength but you have remained so strong through out this. I get my strength from you. I hope but I do not think I would be as gracious as you have been with your battle. You are always thinking about other and trying to remain upbeat and hopeful for others. You do not want to bring anyone down because of your illness. You share your life with everyone. Not because you like to talk about yourself but you do it for other. For the kids, so they will be able to read this when they are older, for your family and friends so they can keep informed, for strangers so they can try to understand what it is like to live knowing your life might not be as long as you hoped. You have brighten many people's days by your blog. Your strength, humor, determination, and trust in God has inspired all of us.

I remember back in January when the tumor was found and I was told it was cancerous, I kept thinking I do not want to loose my best friend. I was so lost. I lean on you for everything but at that time I was on my own. Sure I had family and friends by my side but I was still alone. I am not glad that you have cancer but because of it we have been blessed. I am learning to appreciate things I take for granted. Even on the days when you really annoy me, I think to myself how blessed I am to have you.

If I would have known then what I know now on how life would be, I would still marry you in a heart beat. You are genuine. You never try to be some one your not. You always see the best in me even when I can't. You love me for me and never tried to change me. You put up with my craziness when others run. I am blessed because I know what it truly feels like to be loved.

Happy Anniversary!

Love you forever and always.

Day 3

Yeah!!!! Bill had spaghetti for lunch. I was going to pick him up some but it was on his lunch tray. Bill is doing good considering he was cut opened 2 days ago. He is still in a lot of pain. The pain medicine isn't working fast and long enough for him. He is on oxygen now because the oxygen levels were low this morning. He is still up and about the best that he can. The epidural was removed this morning as well. Which might be the reason he is in more pain today then yesterday.

The surgeon checked up on Bill last night. He explained the surgery and what was done. He said it was more important to remove the lymph noid then it was to remove the spot in the liver. He said he was glad he didn't had to touch the liver because it wasn't in the best shape, which is the result of the chemo. He said if all goes well Bill should be able to come home this weekend.

Tomorrow, I told Zachary he can visit his dad. We have to sneak him up since he is not 16. Michael is going to spend the day with Zach walking around down town. I think Zac will enjoy it as long as his big brother has patients with him.

Bill is still really tired. He doesn't get to sleep in long increments because of the medical staff. He said it is a little better then it was at St. Margaret's though. Hopefully, soon the pain will subside so Bill will feel up to writing his blog. I know everyone is missing his humor and his stories. In the mean time, he approves the blogs before I publish them.

Day 2

I am here with Bill. It's amazing, he looks so good. If he wasn't hooked up to IV's, it would be hard to believe he under went surgery yesterday. He is doing well. He says he is in a lot of pain. It's worst then the last surgery. He is tired as well. The medical staff kept coming in his room though out the night. He said they did a chest X-Ray at 1 AM. He is up and about today. The catheter is out. We walked around the hall way and he did well. He is on a clear liquid diet and is waiting patiently for his spaghetti dinner.

He has his cell phone. It's OK to call Please do not call pass 8 so he can get his sleep. The kids are doing well. Zachary is having a lot of fun with his aunt and cousins. He misses home and wants to go home today. I miss them to and will be happy to have them home, It was sad last night to see an empty crib next to my bed. Last night, Zachary was home sick. We were able to do video chat and he felt better. Hopefully he will be able to do video chat with his dad today.

Bill did not feel like writing the blog today because of the pain. I did read him all the comments and guest book. He enjoyed hearing them.

A Scorcher.

Not inspired to write tonight. It's been an extremely hot day. The family was up late last night. We visited with our neighbors. By the time the kids were fed and bathed it was after 10:30. I missed mass this morning but went to church to pray. It's easier for me to pray there. At home there are many distractions. After praying,I did a couple of errands. I went to Menards looking for a O-Ring for the power washer. I also went and bought a flat of flowers. Sally planted flowers before Mother's Day. Because of the weather being cold some of the flowers didn't survive and the planters looked bare.

I came home and took a nap. I went outside and fooled around with the power washer. The O-Ring I got was the right size but, not the right thickness so looks like I will be on a scavenger hunt looking for a O-Ring. Sally needed to run to Walmart and I went with. I would rather go shopping then keeping an eye on Zachary and a neighborhood kid who has been rubbing me the wrong way. Michael took Zachary swimming again this evening. Right now it's a quiet house without them home.

Since it was so hot I didn't feel like eating. I just wanted to drink. Tonight Sally made a batch of flour tortillas. They were good like always and I wanted more. Sally made more dough and I made the next batch. They were deformed but taste delicious.

Tonight I did watch America's got talent. There was a lot of lame performers. Some were fairly good for local talent but, nowhere near national stardom. There was one guy who was able to turn his feet a complete 90 degrees, to where is feet were totally behind him. Not good for a talent show but, circus maybe. I still think Zach's Dolphin sound would win the show.

My stomach is sore,so I will be getting to the shower soon. I think with all the sweat coming off of me, the sweat on the stitch area with the staples is what is causing me the soreness. So now I am going to get cleaned up and head to bed. I will be getting up around 8am to do a few things in the morning like my daily prayers. Later at 1pm I have an appointment with my Oncologist. So tomorrow I will have news about that.

Thank you for visiting and God Bless.

Update

Bill went in for surgery at 4:45. I will try my best to keep updating. His surgery is expected to last between 3-5 hours.

He is out of surgery and in recovery right now. There was so much said, I will try to give the information to the best of my ability. About 5:15 the surgeon came into the waiting area to speak with us. He was successfully able to remove the lymphnoid but he could not find the spot in the liver. He was waiting for an ultra sound to see if they could detect the spot. He came back a little while later saying even with the ultra sound they could not find the spot. When he is recovered and feeling better another ultra sound will be done to see if can be detected. If so, there is an out patient procedure that will be done to the spot. If not spot is found,then they will closely watch to see. There is a chance that the cancer can come back. Right now his chances of survival is 30-35%. The longer he goes cancer free the higher is chances will be. He was out of surgery at 6:30.

He just left the recovery room and is being transferred to his room right now. He will not have to be in the ICU as previously planned. When I was him in the recovery room he was in a lot of discomfort and they were trying to control the pain. He was thirsty and hungry. He told me he wanted spaghetti. He looks like he feels better now . He was waving to me as he passed the waiting area. Before the surgery an epidural was done to help manage the pain. He will have the epidural in for a couple of days. I am in the room with him now. He is watching the Cubs. He is very thistry but can not have any thing. Not even ice chips, poor guy.

If anything changes I will try to keep you posted. Thanks for the prayers.

If my eyes are closed forever.

I know that I am sounding like a pessimist. I usually try to be an optimist but right now I am going to be more of a realist. I know that I have been receiving a whole heck of a lot of support and prayers but, there is no guarantees. So that is why I feel it is important to let all of you know how important you are to me and my family.

My brothers Mike(Leann) and Dave(Sara) sisters Dawn(Dave),Carolyn(John) and Lisa(Dave) Including the wives and husbands. All of you have been there for me at the beginner to help me cope with this very serious illness and throughout my life. I want you all to know just how much I love each and everyone of you. I love you all the same, so Mike just because your name is first doesn't mean I love you more I want to make that perfectly clear. I would have liked to say this in person or over the phone but I really don't think you will understand what I am saying. There isn't any thing I wouldn't do for any of you If I could. Let all of the kids to know that I love them.

My sisters and brothers in law Susie(Jim),Sandy(free- any takers)and Stacie(Tom) I want you all to know how much you all have meant to me during the 14 years I have known you all.(Sandy and Stacie a little longer) You all have been good to my family during these rough times. I love all of you too, equally as well. Tell all of yours kids that I love them as well.

My Mom and Dad Yolanda and Frank and Mother in law Mary. I want you all to know that you are very important people to me.All three of you have helped mold me to who I am today.( an old man with cancer,just kidding)I know that I haven't been the best son and husband but I did try my best. I hope the memories are all good. I love each and everyone of you. Thank you for everything.

My kids Michael,Zachary and Kaitlyn. I hope you all know that I love you all very much. Michael I know that someday you will be great lawyer. It won't be easy but , I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT. Zachary I know that you could be a great race car driver if that is what you still want to do in another 15 years or so. I know you both will be outstanding young adults.I hope that I played a role in that.Kaity my little girl. I love your kissies. I know that someday when you get married you will be the boss of the house like you are now. I know that I wasn't the best Dad but, I did want the best for all of you. Michael you need to understand what your mother is going through and how things will change. It's not all about her. It's always been about you and the kids and then me. Not only will Mom need you but, so will the kids.

All my old friends and the new ones and other family members. There are so many of you that I can't even begin to mention all of you without forgetting somebody. I love you all and wish the best for you. Thank you for the prayers and kind words of encouragement. God Bless you all.

Sally my wife who is one of the most important people to me. There isn't any words that can properly express how I feel about you and how much of a impact you have made on me. I love you now and forever. I know we have had some dips in the road but we learned from them and our marriage got better. We have had a very unique marriage with a lot of laughter. Usually we always laughed with each other and not at each other. We have had some sad moments but, it always made us better.I love you sweetheart.

I hope if something does happen to me that no one forgets Sally. She isn't one to make calls. So I hope that she can count on some check up phone calls once in a while. She is my wife and I care about her as much as anyone can.

Patrick,Eli,Cloe, Evan and Rachel I hope you all have long and fulfilling lives. I love all of you.

Jacqueline and Joseph I hope you have a very long and prosperous marriage.
Nathan,Matthew,Nicole,Stephanie, Elliott, Noah,Bekka and Holly I hope you all have long and fulfilling lives . I love all of you too.

I know that this isn't what everyone expected. I just didn't want something to happen without expressing some of my thoughts. I really am thinking very positive but like I said earlier there are no guarantees. So I felt like this is what I needed to do. So thank you for visiting and love you all.

Hopefully in a week or so I will be back to telling stories, Stay tuned.

info

I am sure Bill will be on tonight to write his blog. Just wanted to let everyone know he will have to be at the UIC 1pm tomorrow. The surgery should be around 1-2. However, the doctor is performing another surgery before Bill's so the exact time is uncertain.

I am planning on posting a blog tomorrow night to let everyone know what is going on. The surgery should be 3-4 hours. A little longer if they run into complications or find more cancer to remove. He will be in recovery for 2 hours and possibly he might need to spend the night in the ICU.

When Bill is feeling up to it he should be able to post and read your comments while he is in the hospital recovering.

Sally

Not again

Today I am mentally and physically beat. I am very nervous about Wednesday. Please don't tell me not to be. It's much easier said then done. Sally is terrified to drive in Chicago. She has in the past but knows her limits and driving to Chicago is one of them. So we decided to take public transportation to UIC for a practice run. Sally looked up on line for information how to get there. I called UIC and was given the same directions except was told to get out at a different stop since the one that was listed is closed. We were told what bus to get on and that it would take us right there. Well that wasn't the case. First we couldn't find the bus. I called CTA and was told I would have to take 2 buses. So we did. We finally got there and went to take the buses back to the train station. We have so much to do before Wednesday so Sally and I wanted to get home as fast as we could. The bus we got on didn't announce the streets. I think we missed the stop but not sure. Sally suggested to get off the bus and take a cab to the bus station. She worked in Chicago for a couple of years right after High School. We were on the street she use to work on so we decided to walk. It was about a 20 block walk to the train station. Needless to say Sally has no clue how she is going to get there now. The Amtrack is one option but the schedule is very limited plus it will cost her about $30 a day to see me which is $10 more then her taking the South Shore and the buses. I am going to call Grey hound tomorrow and see if there are any stops close to the hospital.

So what we planed on at the most to be a 3 hour trip took us over 5 hours. We got the little ones from my sister's house (we almost took the kids with, glad we didn't) and went out to eat. I ate my last supper which was spaghetti. I will not be able to eat tomorrow. Starting at 1PM tomorrow I have to take a series of medication and have this powder stuff I mix with water to drink to clean me out. I wish I was able to take the pills instead like I did for the colonoscopy. After dinner we had to run to Walmart to pick up some prescription. Kaity was beyond tired and cried most of the time. I had to run to Walgreens tonight to pick up some more medication.

I haven't even had the surgery yet and the little ones are feeling the effects already. Kaity has been more clingy then usual especially with Sally. She usually takes naps and goes to bed without any trouble. Thursday we had trouble getting her to bed and it's been like that ever since. We were gone for a long time on Thursday and wonder if that has something to do with it. Tonight Sally had to sit in the back seat of the car because she was crying for her. After we got the kids to bed tonight, Zachary came out of his room crying to Sally. He said that he doesn't want to spend the night any where and wants to be with Sally. Sally explained to him his Aunt Sandy who will be keeping him for a couple of nights was planning on taking him to the park and beach. He felt a little better but still was very sad. He told Sally "she is the best mom ever.".

Another thing which is making it difficult is not knowing the surgery time. It's hard to plan transportation and getting the kids to my sister in law without knowing a time. I won't know until tomorrow between 1-4. If I have to be there early in the morning before public transportation is running Sally and I might have to spent the night tomorrow night. Tonight Sally will be washing clothes and search for a way to get to the UIC. She has to pack for the kids still. Not knowing how long the kids will be at her sisters will make it harder for her to pack. It's not like she can run over and bring them more clothes or diapers. Here sister lives in Valpo which is about a 45 minute drive. Also, I won't have a hospital room until after the surgery. So everything I bring that day including what I wear in she will have to carry it around with her. I wish she wasn't afraid to drive it would have been much easier on her. While she is doing her thing tonight, I am getting the living room ready so I can clean the carpet tomorrow. Kaity has a doctor's appointment in the morning so I figured that would be a good time to do it when she isn't home.

That's it for tonight. I need to get busy so I won't be up all night. God Bless.Sorry for the boring blog but, not really into it today.

Take it easy?

Today I went to mass with the family. Came home and did some cleaning around the house. Kaity didn't want to take a nap so I laid down with her and we both fell asleep. Sally and I went out for dinner for our anniversary( which is actually on the 13th, but I will be in the hospital) and then we went to Target.

Yesterday I was so darn tired to type. So tonight I wanted to elaborate more on yesterday's events. Sally was telling everyone on Friday how I need to take it easy. I know many of you agreed with her. Well, you won't believe what she did to me yesterday. Like I said yesterday we went to visit her friend, Kim, at the hospital. Sally asked me if I wanted to stay home with the kids or go with her. I was tired and decided it would be more restful to go with her then staying with the kids. When we first got there Kim was nursing. So Sally and I told her we would come back in a few minutes. I didn't eat very much yesterday and I was starving. I suggested to go to the cafeteria. We walked to the elevators and while we were waiting Sally came up with this brilliant plan. Let's take the stairs. Without even including me in her decision she said "Come on let's take the stairs." Before I even had a chance to reply she had already darted to the stairs. She didn't even wait for me to catch up before she flew down stairs. By the time I caught up with her it felt like I just had completed a marathon. "Hmmm" I kept thinking "Glad she wants me to take it easy. I can't imagine what it would have been if she wanted a work out with me." If that's not bad you should have seen her the day. I like to go shopping with Sally ( I know that's weird being a guy and all, but I like looking at boy toys). The other day Michael had a couple of hours free to watch the kids. Sally needed to do some running around and I wanted to go with. So I was thinking maybe one store. Nooooooooooooooo not Sally. She likes to compare prices. She also likes to go on line and read reviews before making a purchase. I am surprise she doesn't check the reviews when she buys my drawers. I guess I should be lucky because she really isn't a browser. She likes to get what she needs and leaves. I on the other hand like to take my time and look around. So the other day she kept dragging me in and out of stores. Not only that but she kept walking fast and kept telling me to hurry up because we didn't have enough time. I did get upset with her because I was getting tired and I felt like she didn't understand. I wish I was still the studly athlete she fell in love with( keep all comments to yourself). Chemo has really taken a toll on me.

Not sure but I think chemo has effected my hearing as well. Of course I can't hear Sally half the time. I think that has a lot to due with being together almost 14 years. I finally have mastered the fine skill of tuning her out. But now it's getting to the point I can't hear other people as well. Yesterday, Zachary was talking to me and I kept saying "What Zachary? I can't hear you?". While this was going on Zachary asked Sally why I couldn't hear. Sally said it's because I am old and deaf. Zachary went to repeat what Sally had said to me and I still couldn't hear and said "What?". A roar of laughter came from the both of them and Sally had to explain to me what just happened.

Michael was a crab yesterday. Zachary felt like Michael wasn't being nice to him. It's hard because Michael is so much older then Zachary so most of the time Zachary can't even get Michael back. Once in awhile Zachary will come up with a clever way of getting him back. Like peeing in a cup and telling Michael he made him lemonade. Last night Zachary said he wants to build a robot. A Clone Wars robot to be exact. He wants to program the robot to be mean. In his exact words " I want the robot to be mean to Michael so it will scare him away and he will never come back home." It breaks my heart to see Zachary sad. Zachary is a good boy and it hurts him when his brother isn't kind to him. Life is hard enough for him without having a big brother to make him feel bad often.

You know it's a good day in Chicago when the Cubs won 6-3 in 14 innings and I won't rub it in any one's face about how the Sox did ( lost 8-4 to the Indians). Take care and God Bless.

I'm getting there

Last night I went to the first Friday service at the Carmelite Monastery. This is something that I would like to get in the habit of doing.It's a all day affair and you can come and go as you please. I get there at about 11:30 or 12:00Am to say my prayers and the Rosary. At about 1:30 AM there is a break for coffee and other munchables. I like going later at night cause it is quiet and not a whole lot of people there to see me do stupid things. When it was time to take our break, I went to get a cup of coffee. People were there chatting away.I grabbed a cup and started to fill it up. I took the cup filled with coffee and it hit the nozzle and spilled all over my hand. I said "!@#$%^&** and ^&&*(*&%$. I know that wasn't very nice considering I was at the Monastery but, that coffee was hot like McDonald's hot. The worst part was everyone stopped talking to see what all the ruckus was. I kept on cleaning up my mess and ignoring everyone else. I got done and turned around and everyone was looking at me. Now there will probably be a picture of me in the food area telling everyone of my verbal assault and that the coffee is very hot and to be very careful.

Sally and I went to see Sally's good friend Kim in the hospital cause she had a baby girl named Sophia Marie and weighed 5' 9 . Her and her husband tried for a while to have a baby. So this was truly a God send. That really made me think of the birth of my kids. I remember the first time when Zach was born. It was one of the happiest days of my life. I always thought I wouldn't have a child of my own. Sally and I had a hard time trying to have little Dolphin Boy. We had to have help with a Fertility Doctor. It really didn't take as long as I thought it would, it was about 5 mos when Sally got pregnant. When Zach was born I remember seeing him bend his foot and it would touch his shin. I said to myself"WHOOOOA. I thought that maybe he had a broken ankle or something. He didn't, I guess newborns can do that.

Sox finally won 4-2 against the Indians.
Cubs are tied 3-3 against the Reds at the top of the 11Th.

This is a short blog. I really need to get some sleep so I can get more done tomorrow. I hope to have a more refreshed day tomorrow. Thanks for visiting my blog and God Bless you all.

to tired to write

Hi it's Sally reporting to you tonight. Bill was going to write the blog but was exhausted. I asked him to sit and watch TV with me instead. He has been busy today. He woke up early and went to mass. He had a doctor's appointment after that. By the time he came home it was 1 pm. He spent a lot of time today working outside. When it rains a lot we have been noticing water in some of the heating vents. He digged around the back side of the house looking for foundation cracks. He also put a sealer on the side of the house along the driveway. After that he went with me shopping because he wanted to go to Borders. I am trying to get everything done before Wednesday and I was shopping a lot longer then we anticipated. We didn't get home until 9. I feel bad for Bill because he looks tired and worn out all the time. I can even hear him breath when he is so tired. I wish he would stop and rest when he gets that tired but he doesn't. I think if he were to get more sleep he would feel better. We go to bed fairly late and he wakes up early to go to mass. We need to start going to bed earlier. It didn't help that I took Kaity. She is a little Houdini and is able to escape from being fastened in the cart. So Bill was trying to watch and chase her around the store. Every time he would stop to look at something she would wonder away. Once I saw her wondering off and kept and eye on her until Bill realized she was missing. Another time she had wondered away and Bill had to find her. After that he dropped Kaity and me off at Kohl's so he could look around Borders. This time I had her fastened in the stroller. I also bribed her with fruit rolls ups. She was good until she ran out of the fruit roll ups ( on her defense she had been out with me for 5 hours and was getting bored and tired). I was shopping and looked down and that little stinker had escaped. I put her back in there and watched her. She is able to move around enough that she was able to stand up and escape that way. Bill left Borders to help me with her. Chasing her around would wear anyone out.

So now it's just a little after midnight. I begged Bill to go to bed but of course he didn't listen to me. He just left to go to the first Friday all night vigil. He will be there for a couple of hours. People bring in food and they take a break around 2 to eat. I am sure he will stay to eat. Plus, we have to wake up early in the morning. Zachary has a soccer game at 9. Plus, I called today about donating blood for Bill. I was told it has to be done tomorrow at the latest. I was told that their schedule for tomorrow is full and I need to call back at 7am to see if they handle extra donors. Originally there was going to be 6 of us but it probably will be more like 4 if they aren't able to squeeze us in tomorrow. So, I might have to leave early in the morning and Bill will have to be up to take care of the kids. Plus, he has to put all the dirt back on the side of the house before he it rains tomorrow. He wasn't able to do it today because he had to wait for the stuff he put on to dry. Tomorrow, we also have a graduation party to go to. Plus, we were planning on going out in the evening to celebrate our wedding anniversary since he will be in the hospital for it. I am hoping he will agree to stay home tomorrow night so he can rest. We can go out Sunday night instead.

I know I am not entertaining like Bill. He is the amusing one in our family. If I wasn't so tired I would write some embarrassing stories about him to get him back. I do have a correction for yesterday's blog. The music and people at the monastery last night was not Korean. They were from the Philippines. I know it really doesn't make a difference but I wanted to prove Bill wrong once again.The name of the healing priest is Father Fernando Suarez. You can google his name to find out more information about him.

Moon over the Cell

It has been a very long day. Sally and I left the house at 7am for the UIC. We had an appointment at 8:30 but were given directions to take the sky way. Well the direction were to the University of Chicago not for the University of Illinois at Chicago. After driving around for 30 minutes looking for the parking garage we finally realized we were at the wrong place. It took me another 30 minutes to find the express way. During the entire time Sally and I were bickering back and forth. Sally accused me of driving in circles. I didn't have much choice when the streets were all one way. Finally after we got there I met with the nurse and the surgeon first. Then we sat and waited for over 2 hours to speak with the anesthesiologist. After that we had to go back and talk with the nurse again. I will not know of the surgical time until Tuesday. Right now we are waiting for the authorization from the insurance company. Hopefully, the clinic filed it today. The surgery will be approximately 3 to 4 hours long. There is a good chance that I will need a blood transfusion. My sister in law (Sandy) and Sally offered to donate blood for me. Sally is going to call tomorrow to set that up. Also, there is a possibility I might be in the ICU after the surgery which is common after that type of surgery.

After all of that is was after 1 PM. We were hungry since we didn't eat all day. So we decided to check out the cafeteria. The hospital and the out patient clinic is on 2 separate streets but connected by walkways. After we were done we walked outside to the garage. Sally and I started bickering again like and old married couple(Fred and Ethel Mertz is a good comparison). She accused me of having us walk around in circles. She claimed to have said to walk back were we started but I don't recall her ever saying it. She doesn't realize it but, I got lost on purpose. I love to take walks with my wife. What is a better time then in Chicago on a chilly day not knowing were we are going. When we finally got to the garage the bickering started again on where the car was parked. I swear some one moves my car every time after I park it. I will tell you one thing though, that I will know University Village like the back of my hand by the time my surgery is over with.

Last night myself,Michael, Zachary and my good friend Dan went to the Sox game. It was a great game because they lost 5-3 to the worst team in baseball right now. One of the Oakland players hit a Home run and Zach did his Dolphin noise in Dan's ear. Dan liked it so much that Zach did a oncore without even being asked,that's my boy. Later, as I was watching the game I heard a crunching noise coming from behind me. I looked and saw Zach eating peanuts from off the ground. He said,"It's OK Daddy they are in the shell so they are not dirty".He got me there. I thought it was nice of the people that were there and left to leave Zach the mother load of peanuts. It wasn't just a couple it was practically a whole bag on the ground. Not once did Zach watch the game until every peanut was devoured, that's my boy. Again I go back to watch this beautiful game and then I hear some girls laughing. I looked back at them and just smiled thinking they were flirting with me. This was going on for a while and then Dan told me what they were laughing at. Zachary because he was so into the game(he really wanted to go to a Cubs game) was playing with his legoes star wars that he smuggled into the park.Dan said look at Zach. As I did this I was speechless cause now I knew what the girls were laughing at. I said to Zach" Zach pull your pants up". The whole time they were laughing, Zach was just smiling back at them without realizing it. Earlier Dan got a close up of Zachs moon when he was climbing over a chair to be closer to Dan, his new buddy. I do have to admit Dan was a real trooper. We were all cheering for the A'S and Dan took it well.When we went to the Cubs game earlier he wasn't quite as mean like we were but then again the Cubs won that game.

I went to a healing mass at the Carmelite Monestary in Munster. I never went to anything like this before. It was given by a priest named Fernando Suarez and another priest who works with him who I really don't remember his name.The Mass itself was pretty long, than afterwards he did the healing. There was a lot of people there and most of them were Korean. I am not making fun of that but, stating that at least half of the people if not more were of Korean decent. The music that was being sung during the mass was written and said in Korean. They do, do a lot of different ethnic masses there. The healing priest was of Canadian Philippine decent the other one was Canadian. They have gone to over 40 countries and healed about 2,000,000 people last year. There was people from all walks of life there. There was a child there that was very loud and out spoken during the singing. I believe he had severe ADHD. I am not making light of any of this. I thought that it was a very nice thing that anybody could come to,to be heal for anything. First the people in wheel chairs and then families with kids 8 and younger could go first. Next time I will bring Zach so maybe he could be cured of his mooning. Then it went by rows.So you know were I was sitting, practically in Illinois. I was thinking if I could have a couple of things to be healed of. Sally says that I have a problem with snoring and farting not to forget the cancer. So what do I do.Be cured of the Snoring and Farting so the wife I love dearly could have a good nights sleep,( she will usually go on the couch) Or the cancer that can help me live a more prosperous life but than again my wife who I love dearly will have many sleepless nights. This is a tough one, I ultimately chose the cancer.I thought that she is suppose to love me no matter what, with or without the gas. Sorry honey maybe next time. I hope no one thinks that I am making fun of my little boy. I am not, there just isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't make me laugh and I want to share.

Thanks for visiting and God Bless.
Sox lost again to the worst team in baseball 7-0. Cubs game was post poned.