Medical Update

I have met a few people over the past week who have been wondering "How I'm doing?"   I guess it is time for a brief "Medical Update".

I continue to receive a "targeted tumor growth inhibitor" ERBITUX.  I have now had 14 treatments of a planned 20.  These take place every 2nd Wednesday.  Side-effects remain limited to a skin rash and mild fatigue.  The good news is that there continues to be "no disease progression".  Believe me when I tell you that this is significantly good news!

I remain on medical leave and will do so through the summer.  I remain hopeful of a return to work in the Fall.

I am well and enjoying each day of this beautiful Vancouver Spring.

HELP ME!  To Uncover the Cure!!

This year Pam and I and "the Girls" are joining with some folks from Pam's office to participate in the 2010 UNDERWEAR AFFAIR!  A major fund-raising event for cancers "below the belt".  Our team is called "The Energy Train"... Toot Toot! You can help me meet my fund-raising goal by visiting my site and donating online.  It is easy.  "Rob's Underwear Site"

VISIT MY NEWEST BLOG... 60's RETRO
You know you have way too much restless time on your hands when you start something like this... 

 A "retrospective" glance at the decade that defied tradition and defined a generation!
60's Retro

TTFN... Rob; in Vancouver

"Medical science has proven time and again that when the resources are provided, 

great progress in the treatment, cure, and prevention of disease can occur."

Michael J. Fox 

San Francisco

Pam and I were able to spring some time and make an awesome trip to San Francisco in April.  It is a city we have always wanted to visit and it was in all ways worth the trip.  We initially planned on driving down the Oregon Coast and taking in the Redwoods of Northern California on the way but eventually had to scrap that plan in favour of a round-trip flight.

I prepped for the trip by reading "A Crack in the Edge of the World" by  Simon Winchester.  This is an excellent account of the 1906 earthquake and fire and a good general history of Northern California.  Pam and I also watched "Milk", "Vertigo", "Bullit", and "Yours Mine and Ours"!

A big part of our trip was to visit our friends John and Adrian.  John is a fellow cancer survivor and one of the very few who shares my particular situation of a "sacral tumour".  John and Adrian proved to be excellent guides with the highlight of the trip a day-long excursion to Point Reyes Park on the very west coast!  It was truly a great day!

 John, Pam, and Adrian on the San Andreas Fault

We delighted in exploring the "Beat", "Hippy", and "Gay" cultural history of San Francisico.  I was rewarded in my visit to City Lights Bookstore with a chance meeting with Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti.  Interestingly, I had imagined meeting him before going there and poof... he materialised out of his upstairs office while I was browsing books.  I was a little dumbfounded at first and then followed him downstairs where he signed a book of poetry he had recently editted.  Thomas Merton was a friend of Ferlinghetti's and spent his last night in the US with him before his Asia trip.  But that is another story.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti

We took in a movie in the famed Castro Theatre on Castro Street, tasted wines at Fishermen's Wharf, and shopped for bra's at Victoria's Secret.  We travelled by streetcar, trolley, BART, bus, and MUNI.  Getting around was easy and fun.

I fulfilled the pilgrimage portion of the trip with visits to the National St. Francis Shrine and the original St. Francis Mission.     

We would dearly love to return!

TTFN... Rob; in Vancouver

"Everything the Beats stood for 
was the opposite of the dominant culture today."

Lawrence Ferlinghetti

This Too Shall Pass

This is a "must-share" video!

Making Good Progress

I had a PET Scan on Monday at the BC Cancer Agency and got the results from my Oncologist yesterday.  The long and short of it is we are making good progress and the scan basically confirms the clinical situation which is generally much improved.

I have been virtually "pain-free" for the last month and have been able to stop the morphine and other pain killers that have been part of my daily diet since September.  This represents significant improvement 

There were no surprises in the PET Scan.  The lungs, liver, and lymph systems are all clear.  There is no evidence of "soft-tissue tumours" at all.  There is still a low level of activity in the sacrum.  It registered very low in terms of FDG uptake but still a bit higher than normal.

Dr. Klimo is very pleased with the results and wants to stay the course with Erbitux treatment. According to my oncologist Erbitux is technically NOT a chemo.  I guess by that he means it is not a conventional cyto-toxic chemo.  Rather it is a "targetted growth inhibitor".  Whatever!  It seems to work well for me.  I call it the chemo that is NOT a chemo.  It still comes complete with an array of nasty side-effects though!

Here is an interesting story about Dr. Klimo and one of his patients.  Paul Klimo Story The patient in the story is on the same treatment that I am.  I am hoping for the same outcome!

Ever hopeful... Rob; in Vancouver

“Medical science has proven time and again
that when the resources are provided,
great progress in the treatment, cure,
and prevention of disease can occur.”

Michael J. Fox

The Colonoscopy - Peter Yarrow

Torch Relay - West End!

Pam, Kelly, Jerome and I were up at 5am to see the torch relay as it went through Stanley Park and the West End this morning.  Olympic spirit is now at a fever pitch in Vancouver.  The highlight this morning was the "Running Man" himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Arnold running in Vancouver!

Pam says that Arnold is her 2nd favorite guy! (I'm not sure where that leaves me!)  She's been a fan since "Conan" days.  Who remembers that!

We're off to the Sylvia tonight to watch the opening ceremonies. 

TTFN...  Rob; in Vancouver

"Milk is for babies.
When you grow up you have to drink beer."

Arnold Schwarzenegger

I Believe

2010 Olympic Theme Song

sung by 16 year-old Nikki Yanofsky

Live From Vancouver!

Host city of the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games!!  Woo Hoo!

Ready or not! It all starts on Friday.  Snow or no snow! 

We've had a long stretch of warm weather so the lack of snow on Cypress Mountain is still an issue. Cypress is the venue for Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding. Last report was that they were hauling snow from Manning Park, beyond Hope!    Other ski events are happening in Whistler, which has snow.

Kelly and Pam are taking part in the opening ceremonies in Richmond next Sunday.  They are part of the Tai Chi group in the "Chinese Dragon".  They are quite excited about it.  I'm not sue if it will be televised but will try to post details if it is.

TTFN... Rob; in Vancouver

Spiritual Connection

Foundations of Healing #3

My integrated cancer care community, InspireHealth, names "Spiritual Connection" as the third "Foundation of Healing" in their integrated approach to cancer care.

This is an important part of my own cancer journey and begins with the simple awareness that I am a spiritual being.  I have personal awareness and experience of this dimension of my being through practices such as prayer, meditation, worship, study and reflection, and service. 

While I may be cognizant of a "realized spirituality" in my own life, I am also aware that this is a deeply personal matter and not true for all people.   In studying the types of religious and spiritual experiences of people with chronic illness one study identified the following three groups 

1. Religious individuals who highly value religious faith, spiritual well-being, and the meaning of life.
2. Existential individuals who highly value spiritual well-being but not religious faith.
3. Nonspiritual individuals who have little value for religiousness, spirituality, or a sense of the meaning of life.

Source:  National Cancer Institute

Religion vs Spirituality

That there are differences between religion and spirituality is generally accepted.  What those differences are is a matter of interpretation.  My good friend and colleague Don Grayston, drew this diagram to help me see his understanding of the relationship between religion and spirituality.

In this schematic we can understand "religion" as more defined and "structured".  It has order, beliefs, specific practices, and organization.  Spirituality on the other hand is a little less ordered, more free-flowing, less defined and less structured.

From this diagram we can also see that there would be those who are "spiritual but NOT religious" as well as those who are "religious but NOT spiritual".   Some would assume that to be "religious" would naturally involve "spirituality".  Personally, I think not.  I believe that you could be involved in all of the "outward forms" of religion but realize no "spiritual life",  no love of neighbour, no inner peace, no transformation, no enlightenment of consciousness, no relationship with God,  nada. 

Personally, I view the structure and practices of "religion" as a helpful means to realize a healthy "spirituality".   "Religion" provides me with the community, traditions, accountablity, beliefs, discipline, and practices that help to nurture and sustain my faith. 

Spirituality and Healing

The relationship between spirituality and healing has been known by the world's religious traditions since time immemorial.  From ancient shamanic practices to modern medicine the role of religion and faith in healing has been recognized and affirmed.  Contemporary research has confirmed the significance of faith and spirituality in the quality of life and health of cancer patients.

"Religion and spirituality have been shown to be significantly associated with measures of adjustment and with the management of symptoms in cancer patients. Religious and spiritual coping have been associated with lower levels of patient discomfort as well as reduced hostility, anxiety, and social isolation in cancer patients and in family caregivers. Specific characteristics of strong religious beliefs, including hope, optimism, freedom from regret, and life satisfaction, have also been associated with improved adjustment in individuals diagnosed with cancer." National Cancer Institute

Personal Approach

My own personal approach to living with cancer includes prayer, meditation, healing touch, tai chi, worship, and spiritual reading and study.  This in addition to chemo, surgery, radiation, exercise, supplements, etc...

Be well... Rob; in Vancouver

"Spiritual healing plays a vitally important role in the healing process, creating a solid foundation for recovery.  By reclaiming this connection, we live life more fully, maximize our immune response, and become actively engaged in the process of recovery."  Inspirehealth

See all "Foundations of Healing" posts...  Here

Healing Touch