Cradled in Love!!!!

Richard and I are writing this together!!! He is here beside me....all warm and loving. Our hugs and kisses truly have new meaning. We have discovered that when I help him stand up, if we hug right then,, it is the perfect amount of time for him to gain his balance. Now...is that perfection or what????? We are doing lots standing up and sitting down. Living through something like this is like finding a deeper layer to our relationship. This is one of the many blessings we are being introduced to.

Richard titled this entry because we have both been so touched by the love and compassion of so many. You, our friends, have become our touchstones and our heroes. We have felt the healing, loving energy flowing into us.

This may be odd...but for those of you who know us well you know that we love to take photos. We decided that we would pictorially document our journey through this experience. Here are some photos of our hospital stay and our return home! We hope you enjoy them!

This photo was taken right before Ricchard left us for surgery. They actually marked his right temporal area with his initials as a means of identification. Phew!!!! At this moment I think we all knew that this was for real!!!

During our first moments with Richard, after surgery, he asked that his photo be taken!!! What an amazing man! We knew the "real" Richard was with us!!!!

Because of the steroids Richard came out of surgery talking about what he wanted to eat. This was his first breakfast....a cinamon roll and a mushroom and cheese omelet.....Oh.....and the triple tall americano with cream!!!!

This is what his poor, little head looked like the morning after the operation. This was before the swelling began!

This is a picture of Richard's beautiful sister, Pam. She was an amazing support for both of us during our hospital stay. I was touched by the obvious love and trust that this brother and sister share. It is beautiful!

Richard's son, Dana, was amazing. He was so comforting for both his Dad and I and he was sosososo brave.

There always has to be a butt shot!!! This butt is pretty cute!!!



We actually had a blast during our last evening at the hospital. We were all counting our many blessings and just loving being together.













This picture was taken the morning we left. Richard and his wonderful father, Leo, took a walk while we were waiting for the final visit from the doctor.



Freedom at last!!! This guy actually let us stop at the Starbucks to get our good-bye coffee. What a happy moment this was!!!

Dana made us breakfast this morning; peanut butter pancakes and eggs. Richard loved having Dana, Emily (his daughter) and Jason (her boyfriend) surrounding him. We missed Alex (my son)....he was working.....but with us in spirit!!!

Richard has been craving fish and chips!!! Our friend, Betsey and I went and got some for our dinner. It was a delicious meal!!!!

The Doctor's decision to let us come home early was the perfect one. Richard is doing amazingly well. I can see him getting stronger and clearer every minute. I've also felt myself relaxing (a teensy bit). I know that every day will be marked by progress.

Blessings to all of you! We feel all of you out there!

We are already home!!!

As I am sitting here writing this my head is spinning from the events of the last few days. I don't even know where to begin. I guess I will start by letting you know that Richard made it through the surgery with an amazing amount of courage and grace. He is remarkably fine...so fine that he was granted an early release from the hospital and right now he is tucked into our bed....sleeping....with a contented look on his face. (I wonder if I will ever stop checking on him every ten minutes?????? Probably not for quite a while!!!) (Oooops...I just checked on him and he's watching the food channel....it's a total miracle!!!)


Richard's surgery went very well on Thursday morning. I have never been so afraid in my entire life. Kissing him goodbye was excruciating....and waiting for the call from the doctor with a surgery update was a very painful few hours....but we all made it. I was surrounded by people who love Richard dearly......his Dad and his wife, his sister, my sister Barbara and Richard's son, Dana. Their kindness and love was what got me through those very difficult hours.


When I spoke to the doctor I could feel my knees shaking......and stupidly I had to ask him to repeat himself twice and then I had to repeat everything back to him so that I could report back to the group accurately. He said that the surgery went well and that he was very pleased. It was a Glioblastoma (or Glio in the doctor world!) and so they ended up removing a great deal of Richard's right temporal lobe. He said he felt confident that he got all of the tumor and at least 2 cm of clean tissue around it. He went further to assure me that any other "grown" glio cells, floating around in his brain, could be successfully treated with radiation and chemotherapy. Finally, he said he was very optimistic that for this tumor scare we were firmly on the road to recovery.


For those of you who I haven't spoken to directly....that is the scary thing about these type of tumors. It seems that for most (around 95%) of them.....there is a reoccurence of another tumor in the future. The key, is to "treat" initially and then keep the patient as healthy as possible in order to have them ready to "treat" again when/if the cancer returns. At Swedish they keep the tumor itself in a "deep freeze" for research purposes but also to be able to directly test the effectiveness of new chemos on Richard's specific tumor tissue for any future reoccurence. It's all much more technicle.......but this is my simple way of explaining the way these tumors usually behave.


The doctor had told us at our initial appointment that "getting" the tumor was the first step. After a detailed pathology study a specific radiation and chemo regime would be chosen/recommended by Swedish's.....get this......TUMOR TABLE!!!! Every Monday all these amazing doctors from different disciplines (neurology, neuro-oncology, neuro-radiology, psychiatry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, etc.) meet and discuss their patients specific tumors, pathology reports and treatment options. At this point, Dr. Mayberg (our hero) will call us and we'll choose in conjunction with him the next step in treatment. To think we knew nothing of this world 12 days ago......It's quite extraordinary!!! At the time of my post surgery chat with Dr. Mayberg he told me that he hoped to present Richard's tumor at Monday's Tumor Table.



When I finally saw Richard (in the Neurology ICU) I was totally overcome with emotions. There he lay.....totally quiet with lots of tubes and monitors everywhere. The right side of his face looked a little swollen, there were two small bandages near his temple and right forehead, I could see a bloody tube coming out of the back of his head, he had all his (well...what hair he has left:)!) hair accept maybe a two inch patch above his right ear and he was very pale. But he was there and I could touch him and he was warm. I said, "Honey, it's me". He kept his eyes closed, didn't move a muscle, but whispered, "Hi Honey. Listen, it hurts really bad. Please get them to give me some pain medication quickly!" It's horrible to say but those were the sweetest words I have ever heard!!!

There were many things.....many.....that happened between then and now....but at this point I am so tired and weary that I can't write any more. We took pictures of all the events and once Richard is stronger we will post them. For now....Thank you for all the prayers and special thoughts. We felt all of them....through your collective love we were able to stay strong. We are deeply touched by your kindness, generosity and compassion. We came home to an incredibly clean house thanks to some beautiful angels. It was amazing. We know that we are being held tenderly. My heart and spirit are so full!!!

Goodnight!

Sher

Decision Day

Sherri and Pam taking notes preparing for the doctor to arrive.

Richard feeling good .

After consultation, Starbucks meeting (with Pam, my sister and Scott, my brother in law).

Decision has been made.

OK, it's done. After meeting with two wonderful physicians, the surgery to remove the tumor is scheduled for 8:40 AM tommorow! Both of men who will rid me of this suprise that came into my life only a week ago have given all of us courage and hope. I am feeling good physically and have a strong belief that all will be well in the near future. How could it not be with so much love and support coming from all of you. I want to thank you all for comeing here and following this journey with us. I have a strong belief that energy if the foundation of our reality, and your contribution and loving regard are a help tho us. Here are some shots from the Swedish Neuroscience Instutute. Sherri will continue to blog with updates.


Today was a HUGE day for us. I'm so happy that Richard, Pam, Scott and I feel so confident about the two doctors that will be doing Richard's surgery. When they walked into the room I could see Richard literally relax. The light surrounding his face started to glow......and I knew we were in good hands. I know that 8:40 a.m. is going to come very quickly and I'm anticipating that kissing Richard good-bye will be the very hardest part of the whole thing, we feel so positive and sure. Already...I have learned an incredible amount (could that be why this is happening????). My beautiful partner is going to have brain surgery tomorrow. I will put his care in someone elses hands and I will trust them.

Please....send Richard your prayers and thoughts tomorrow. Thank you for being so very kind to us. We love you all!!!!

Blessings,

Sherri

After a very "onely" night!!!

Today is a HUGE day for Richard and I. We will begin our trip south to Seattle where we will make some decisions regarding choosing a medical team who will help us on this journey. I am painfully aware of how important this choice is and at times feel overwhelmed with the responsibility of asking the right questions, listening carefully to the answers, being in touch with my inner feelings, putting aside fear and letting my brain work it's hardest, and listening to the family that we will have with us. Most importantly, I will be watching and listening to Richard.....tuning in to his own desires and wishes....trying to support him in the best way possible.

I have NEVER had tears so close to the surface. While I admit to being an "emotional" being I can't say I cry very often. This past week....tears are very close....and while I have been told that my tears will only upset Richard, at times crying feels like the most appropriate thing to do. It almost feels like a way to be honoring my love for him and also of honoring the greatness of this man I am married to. I don't think anyone knows how to do this. We are all dong the best we can.

We are taking with us the love and support of so many beautiful friends and family members. We have been deeply touched by the words of love, the encouragement, the gifts, the calls of blessings, the meals, the hugs. We know that Richard and I and our family are being held tenderly by so many. That has only given us more strength. Thank you so much.

We will keep you informed. We are full of love for so many. We are truly our blessings,

With love,

Sherri

To The City

Today, Sherri and I head to Seattle to prepare for meetings with the master neurosurgeons at Swedish and The UW hospitals tomorrow. Generally, I am feeling very well physically am prepared for what lies ahead.. I feel optimistic and confident about the future. With such outpourings of love, Sherri and I are cradled in the warmth of positive vibrations and we wish to thank you all for your loving thoughts.

With Love, Richard

What we know for sure.....WE LOVE EACH OTHER!!!