Thursday, August 13, 2009
Update on Mark and the Crew
Mark has had a tough summer. He's been on three different kinds of chemo, still has periods of intense pain, has lost almost all of the mobility in his arm, has lost weight and the chemo has been so successful at blasting away the cancer lumps that he has now developed a "hole" under his arm where the tumor was. It is about the size of a half dollar and about an inch deep! So, in addition to weekly 4-5 hour sessions of chemo, he is now receiving wound care. He has no energy at all, is bedridden a few days a week from the effects of chemo and is not feeling social at all so don't feel bad if he hasn't returned your calls. He's been entertained by his collection of history books and me dragging him to the beach at New Seabury where he can just plunk down and continue reading. He hasn't even been on his new boat in more than a month. The winner of the fishing contest was katie with the most and Kevin with the biggest! At any rate, we have had good news this week with a promising CT scan, antibiotics for the infection in the wound which is looking better and a medication to lift Mark's spirits. He is still on several pain medications.
Sean is 7 months old now and is the only one who can perk Mark up! We babysit one day a week. Katie left about a month ago and Kevin left Monday. They were here for three months and although Kevin has been living away since he was about 13, we have never felt the loss and emptiness as much as we did when he left this time. Katie was such good company, pitched in and also worked at Cape Medical for a month. Kevin played the role of "Man of the House" and picked up all Mark's duties and humored us along the way. Mark's dream was to finish landscaping his beloved yard and although he has not been able to contribute at all for the past few months, with Kevin and Katie's efforts, it has never been as lavish and beautiful!
Thanks to all who contributed to Gary's PMC ride. He trained on harder terrain this year which made the ride easier. He has raised $15,000 over two years for the cause. We appreciate your support and the generosity which was his inspiration to reconsider his decision to make this his last ride. He now intends to enter next year! Over a thirty year period, PMC has raised $250 million to help cure cancer. Our family is particularly grateful for the advancements in cancer research which have helped both Gary and Mark.
I had my own cancer scare this summer after a routine mammogram in mid-June. That resulted in a series of tests, an ultrasound, an MRI and a biopsy in the past few months. It was finally revealed that I have a small non-cancerous lump. My daughter in law, Kristina, accompanied me to a breast surgeon yesterday and it will be removed in day surgery at Cape Cod Hospital in September. I'm not concerned at all and expect just a day of pain following the procedure.
We have enjoyed some happy time with family this summer. Mike and Steph came for the July 4th weekend, my parents came a few weeks ago, Mark spent a day fishing with his brothers and my sister and neice are coming tomorrow. We've had several family dinners to celebrate all our birthdays and to bid farewell when Katie left and then again when Kevin left. Monday, we will reunite for Steph's birthday.
The highlight of the summer was a family outing to the Barnstable County Fair where the boys played countless games acting like the competitive brothers they were as kids! By the time we left, Sean had to be carried because his carriage was filled with stuffed animals!
Between medical appointments, I have managed to play bridge a few times a week and attend my writing group meeting one night a week. The special women in both groups have become great friends, a source of support,and made me laugh almost as much as my sons do! Shifting our New Seabury membership from golf to pool/beach has inspired us to relax at the beach more than we had in the previous 32 years on the Cape combined.
The oncologist claims he will continue with chemo treatments for the next two months. I'll update the blog as changes occur.
As always, the best way to reach us on our whacky sleep schedule is by e-mailing me at Sheehan@cape.com. Thanks as always for your support and understanding when Mark is anti-social. It's hard to do anything at all when your energy is zapped. Even a phone call takes too much effort!
Sean is 7 months old now and is the only one who can perk Mark up! We babysit one day a week. Katie left about a month ago and Kevin left Monday. They were here for three months and although Kevin has been living away since he was about 13, we have never felt the loss and emptiness as much as we did when he left this time. Katie was such good company, pitched in and also worked at Cape Medical for a month. Kevin played the role of "Man of the House" and picked up all Mark's duties and humored us along the way. Mark's dream was to finish landscaping his beloved yard and although he has not been able to contribute at all for the past few months, with Kevin and Katie's efforts, it has never been as lavish and beautiful!
Thanks to all who contributed to Gary's PMC ride. He trained on harder terrain this year which made the ride easier. He has raised $15,000 over two years for the cause. We appreciate your support and the generosity which was his inspiration to reconsider his decision to make this his last ride. He now intends to enter next year! Over a thirty year period, PMC has raised $250 million to help cure cancer. Our family is particularly grateful for the advancements in cancer research which have helped both Gary and Mark.
I had my own cancer scare this summer after a routine mammogram in mid-June. That resulted in a series of tests, an ultrasound, an MRI and a biopsy in the past few months. It was finally revealed that I have a small non-cancerous lump. My daughter in law, Kristina, accompanied me to a breast surgeon yesterday and it will be removed in day surgery at Cape Cod Hospital in September. I'm not concerned at all and expect just a day of pain following the procedure.
We have enjoyed some happy time with family this summer. Mike and Steph came for the July 4th weekend, my parents came a few weeks ago, Mark spent a day fishing with his brothers and my sister and neice are coming tomorrow. We've had several family dinners to celebrate all our birthdays and to bid farewell when Katie left and then again when Kevin left. Monday, we will reunite for Steph's birthday.
The highlight of the summer was a family outing to the Barnstable County Fair where the boys played countless games acting like the competitive brothers they were as kids! By the time we left, Sean had to be carried because his carriage was filled with stuffed animals!
Between medical appointments, I have managed to play bridge a few times a week and attend my writing group meeting one night a week. The special women in both groups have become great friends, a source of support,and made me laugh almost as much as my sons do! Shifting our New Seabury membership from golf to pool/beach has inspired us to relax at the beach more than we had in the previous 32 years on the Cape combined.
The oncologist claims he will continue with chemo treatments for the next two months. I'll update the blog as changes occur.
As always, the best way to reach us on our whacky sleep schedule is by e-mailing me at Sheehan@cape.com. Thanks as always for your support and understanding when Mark is anti-social. It's hard to do anything at all when your energy is zapped. Even a phone call takes too much effort!
# posted by The Sheehan Family @ 8:55 PM 
