27

Today was my 27th birthday. Wow, I feel old.

On Friday Kavan organized a great birthday party for me. We went to Rigoletto's for dinner then out to the Pint for some drinks. This was the first time in months that I've felt relaxed and able to have a worry-free night. It was nice to see Kavan enjoying himself so much as well. Thanks to Kavan for organizing a great day and thanks to all who attended. I couldn't have survived the last few months without you guys!!

Dinner with my besties at Rigoletto's

Jakub, Amanda & Kavan

Strange Kavan....

Lindsay, Myself & Amanda

Today we had a nice relaxing lazy day. We lounged about and then went to supper at one of my favorite restaurants, Cactus Club! Mmmmmm!

This week will hopefully be as uneventful as the last. Kavan had another great week at work. He seems to be very well liked at his job. How could you not love a guy like Kavan? His positivity and enthusiasm is contagious! I am thrilled things are going so well. I think this opportunity has been a much welcome distraction and am a firm believer that it has helped him stay well.

Kavan has his pre-chemotherapy follow up appointment with his oncologist on Friday morning. He will have his WBC levels checked to ensure they are adequate enough to proceed with chemotherapy on Monday, September 3rd. Yes, chemo does not take STAT holidays, boo! Let's all cross our fingers. He has been feeling quite well and so I'm feeling optimistic. Now on to another work week....

The little remaining hair Kavan had decided to finally jump ship. Good ole doxirubicin. Just like the previous cycle, Kavan's hair fell out 10 days after treatment. After much deliberation he decided it might be best to completely shave it as it was becoming quite patchy. I can't say this was any less emotional than the first time. It's funny the attachment we develop to something like hair. I have to say that he looks great. Not like he has cancer just maybe like an Olympic swimmer.







In other news, Kavan has almost made it through another week of work. I'm so proud of him. He says he's feeling well just tired towards the end of the work day.

This weekend we will celebrate my 27th birthday. Kavan has planned a party tomorrow. I'm excited to spend time with friends and relax before I have to think about starting school.




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Location:24 St,Strathcona County,Canada

Another great weekend...

It's funny how weekends seem to pass so much quicker than weekdays. Just a blink of the eye and it's over.

We spent another fantastic weekend at the lake. The weather this summer has been fantastic. We enjoyed 30 degree temperatures and were thankful the lake was close by.




Kavan was feeling well again this weekend. I think we were both pooped from the work week and were able to take full advantage of the weekend sleep-in.




Tomorrow it's back to the grind. A week where Kavan has no appointments. Yay!! I hope it's a nice, quiet week for both of us.



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Lake Friday

Another weekend is here. We have just arrived at the lake to enjoy some rest and relaxation. We said goodbye to Kavan's aunt from England. Very sad to see her go. Safe travels home!




Kavan managed to make it through the entire work week despite having chemotherapy on Monday. He is my hero! He says there were some dicey moments that he fought the urge to be sick but overall, he felt quite well.

Today he had an appointment with the radiation oncologist. He needs 28 days of radiation. Wow. Just when I think things are quieting down, this news comes. He will start the radiation on week 15 of his therapy. We are currently on about week 6. He will go Monday to Friday for about an hour each day. Like his other therapies, the radiation does not come without side effects. Apparently, this will be much like an ongoing sunburn. I can only hope he does not suffer with any more than that.

According to the oncologist, Kavan requires radiation to treat the initial cancer site. Kavan's cancer has the greatest chance of recurring at the initial site and the radiation will hopefully prevent this. Fingers crossed that it will be done with after 28 days.

So this weekend we will relax in our little oasis where Kavan is well and ewings sarcoma does not exist. Happy weekend all...




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Location:Lake St,Lac La Biche,Canada

Fighter

Today Kavan went to work for the WHOLE day! I am so proud of him. Despite having a restless, interrupted sleep last night he got up this morning and wanted to go to work. He reports that he was a little nauseous around lunchtime, but besides that was feeling quite well.

He has been so strong throughout this whole ordeal. I believe so much of how he is feeling depends on his mental state. His positive attitude has paid off immensely.

F*ck Cancer

Tomorrow will mark Neulasta shot #3. Just think: $ 3 x 2700.00= $$$ 8100.00. WOW. I am so thankful this is paid for and it is one less thing he has to worry about! I hope the rest of Kavan's week is uneventful and he is able to enjoy work!

Cycle 3=DONE!

Today Kavan finished his third cycle of chemotherapy.  I have never met someone so strong. I am so proud to call him my boyfriend and best friend.

Once again, he was all smiles during his long day. Happy to have visitors, his best friend Evan and Kristin stopped by. Overall, I think today's cycle went better than the initial cycle he received. He did not have a reaction to the doxirubicin which was of great concern to all of us. In fact, aside from looking a little pale, no other ill effects were reported. He even managed a quick swim this afternoon. He is truly resilient. A lesson to us all.

My Superstar

Tomorrow Kavan will try to go to work. I hope that whatever side effects he may feel are very short lived. It must be extremely frustrating to want to experience life to the fullest but have your body dictate other wards. Kavan, hold your head up. We're all full of pride and admiration.

Canmore Weekend

On Friday Kavan had his check up appointment with Dr.Chu. The good news was that Kavan's white blood cell count was back within normal range. This means he is well enough to proceed with chemotherapy. After last week's scare, I was extremely relieved to hear this news. Kavan was able to have Dr.Chu look at the lump under his right arm. Turns out it is an infected hair follicle. Nothing a little heat compress and some antibiotics can't look after.

After Kavan was finished work on Friday, the family headed to Canmore for some fresh air and relaxation. Unfortunately, I was unable to join them. I think I missed out on a great time. They enjoyed the sights of Banff and did a little exploring. Now, back to Edmonton for the start of a new week.

Kavan, Auntie Marcelle & Mrs.Hyde

Patrick & Spiderman

Patrick rock climbing

Kavan, Patrick, Mr & Mrs Hyde

Patrick & Kavan

The Sisters

Tomorrow Kavan will finish his third cycle of chemotherapy. It's crazy to think that this all began in the middle of May. I hope Kavan is well with this cycle. I am concerned about how it will make him feel as the drugs tomorrow (Doxirubicin, Vinecristine and Cyclophosphamide) tend to be the harsher chemotherapy agents. But if anyone can get through this with a smile on their face, it's Kavan!

Birthday

Today we celebrated Kavan's Dad's Birthday. We had a lovely supper at Joey's with all of the family. Kavan's aunt, Marcelle, arrived from London yesterday. It has been about a year since we have seen her and I have to say we're very excited to have her here! Hopefully the weather continues to hold up!

Auntie Marcelle, Patrick & Kavan

Patrick

Gramps Hyde, Kavan's Mom and Patrick

Kavan has almost finished his second full week of work. He is enjoying his job at Scotiabank and tells me each day about the exciting perks he has discovered. I am certainly envious as I do not get to enjoy any perks at my job.

Overall, he has been feeling well this week. Tomorrow is the big meeting with Dr.Chu to see if he may proceed with the next cycle of chemotherapy on Monday. In light of our recent ER visit I am quite nervous for his lab results and anxious for this meeting to be done. He continues to have some odd bumps on him. We think this may be related to his hair follicles no longer functioning properly and are hoping to chalk the bumps up to simple ingrown hairs. Let's all cross our fingers that it is not something more serious. It seems that just as we've finished one cycle of chemotherapy, the next one begins. Then comes the stress of keeping Kavan healthy and well enough to continue with treatment. Often, I find myself lying in bed at night worrying about this.

This weekend Kavan and the family are off to Kananaskis to enjoy the Rocky Mountains. I will be here for a Bachelorette Party. I'm sad that I will miss the mountains and sight-seeing! Hopefully the weather holds out!

Kavan, Patrick and I

An end to a great weekend

The end of another fantastic lake weekend. We couldn't have asked for a better weekend in terms of weather. Hot and dry! Kavan was well this weekend and was able to take advantage of all lake festivities! Below are some more pictures of our fantastic weekend. Now back to the grind, another week of work!



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Lake day

Today we had another great day at the lake. Temperatures reached 27 degrees Celsius and we were all able to enjoy some sunshine. Kavan was feeling well today and spent time on the beach as well as in the lake. Below are some pics of the day. Too much sun for me, I'm off to bed!













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Location:Lake St,Lac La Biche,Canada

TGIF

Thank god it's Friday. We've just arrived at the lake for the long weekend for some much needed rest and relaxation. Kavan had a fantastic first weekend of work. He's really enjoying his new job and has been meeting some great people.



A long nap on the way to the lake

I wish I could say the week was overall uneventful, however this was not the case. Last night Kavan spiked a fever of 38.5 degrees celsius. As per direction from his oncologist, we headed to the royal Alex emergency room. This is a critical period for Kavan as his white blood cells and thus his immunity is very low. We arrived at the Alex at 11:30 pm to discover some very colorful characters. I was given an excellent reminder as to why I never wanted to be an ER nurse.

Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long. I guess kavan's bald head is good for something. We were immediately placed into a reverse isolation room. Kavan had more blood work, a chest X-ray and urine tests to determine if he was in the midst of fighting an infection. At 6:00 am we were finally notified that although Kavan's white blood cell count was low, it was not at a critical level and so he was released. I've never been so happy.



This weekend we will enjoy the fresh air and reprieve from the busyness of the city. This was a good reminder of the seriousness of Kavan's situation. He needs plenty of rest this weekend. We need to all make sure to do plenty of hand hygiene! And if you're sick.....please refrain from visiting!



Drive to the lake




Sunset at lac la biche

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Location:Lake St,Lac La Biche,Canada