Pickles - (Sweet and Sour)

Each morning, I read the cartoons and do the crossword puzzle from the newspaper. It seems to keep me happy and keeps my mind thinking. One of the cartoons that I enjoy the most is Pickles. It brings the crazy things in life down to a few animated panels. Many of the strips remind us of our own family.  I can't quite figure out how to make these cartoons larger.  If you know how, please contact me right away - I am not very techy.  


The first cartoon, reminds me of my grandson, Thomas Gardner trying to figure out what is on my mind (1/2 mind these days).  The second cartoon, reveals the clue of the religious affiliation of this cartoon family.  See if you can intelligently guess --- clue:  look at the picture on the wall, it is the depiction of a modern LDS temple.  


Well, as life goes on in the Pickles cartoon, likewise it goes in the Morrow household.  I went to both physicians recently and just had an MRI day before yesterday, Thursday Dec. 9, 2010.  The MRI showed what the doctor described as a "probable recurrence" of the tumor.  My physician thought it appeared to be troubling and something we need to watch carefully.  Unfortunately, that physician, Dr. Ali Choucair, has received a rather prestigious position (can't share where yet but soon).  We have been extremely fortunate to have him as a physician along with the other physicians on the team.  I will miss his excellent care and in particularly his friendship as well.  I will be fine but the good news is that a new Neuro-oncologist has joined the staff of Huntsman Cancer Center.  His name is Dr. Tom Colman and we already have an appointment with him on the 28th.  I will try to get a photo for the next blog spot posting.  

In the meantime, I am grateful this holiday time of the year for the blessings I've received.  We are planning to share the following pictures of our parents with our siblings this holiday season. The first picture is of Jeff's mother, Charlotte Morrow.  The second picture is of Jeff's father, Robert Morrow.  The third picture is of Terri's parents, Ray and Elda Rae Gunn.  Terri and I wish you all a Merry Christmas.  

"Assume the Position"

Well we are still at it! Chemo nearly daily and Avastin every other week. In my last post, I mentioned about Dr. Samuelson administering the Avastin. We are pleased that it seems to be working. The MRI in September indicated no return of the 2nd tumor that was spotted in the spring MRI. We get another MRI in December. It appears from the results that the combination of these two treatments is working to actually reverse the symptoms. The September MRI did not show any further spot --- that's right --- gone! How fortunate we feel to stay ahead of this crazy challenge. Many friends and family members are quite confused and think that since the last spot that was found several months ago has since disappeared that means I shouldn't need continued treatments. Likewise, I have also wondered how long this will continue. When I have asked Dr. Choucair and Dr. Samuelson, I receive similar responses from both of them. That response is basically, "I hope for a good long time" or "until it doesn't work any longer." That sounds like a long journey is still ahead. So I continue to enjoy cartoons that seem rather applicable. This cartoon is from the paper this week. Terri and I have laughed all week about how similar this seems to reality --- indeed it is "Close to Home".

In reality, the nurses that hook me up to my IV every other week, are wonderful, caring and competent. They do however have a system that is quite similar to this picture. Autumn and Jan do a great job caring for the old guy. We have a fun phrase that we begin with everytime we get together --- Autumn will say, "OK, Jeff, great to see you - now Assume the Position." That phrase means its time for my I.V. once again and they need to access my port. Amazingly, the little package of Avastin is incredibly expensive and the Temodar is also very expensive. While we have insurance premiums and deductibles, without the medical insurance our financial resources would have been exhausted long ago. We are grateful for all the concern, prayers and wonderful service we have received from so many of you since this challenge began. We intend to conquer this challenge successfully.

Two Is Better Than One!! And Three is Better Than Two!!

Since our last published post, we have learned two important math principles. The first principle is that Two is Better Than
One. We previously reported that a little suspicious spot, this time on the right side had appeared in an MRI. It was decided a regimen of two types of Chemo to fight it right away would be best - First I would continue taking the Temodar under Dr. Choucair's direction. Second a new kind of Chemo called Avastin administered intravenously by Dr. Samuelson would be added to the Temodar. Clinical trials without reported results were just concluding so this would be experimental still. A follow up MRI has shown no evidence of the tumor!!! When I asked about the disappearance, Dr. Choucair just pointed heavenward. This routine is substantially more rigorous than the previous routine. The Avastin is administered every other week but the Temodar is taken every evening for two weeks off one week and taken again every day for two weeks - and so forth. So our own clinical trials have revealed that Two is Better Than One. With the good news. We have felt it best to include two appropriate comics to keep this report light.

The Second Principle - Three is Better Than Two manifested itself in the birth of Ryan Jeffrey Gardner on May 18, 2010! He was 8 lbs 12 oz. at birth. It is wonderful to have John and Jessica live so close. While we love their two other children Lizzy and Thomas - Little Ryan is a wonderful addition to the family. Hence - Three is Better Than Two. We refer to Tommy as Tuffy and Lizzy surprised us with, "Now we can call Ryan - Ruffy." We enjoyed celebrating her 4th birthday on Sunday. She is having a "Princess Tea - Party" for her birthday with 7 little friends on Saturday. We love little Jayne and Reagan just like we love Lizzy, Tuffy and Ryan but we miss them as they live in the Baltimore area. So enjoy these pictures of our latest addition

Tied - Overtime Now!

Tied - Overtime Now!

Well the news was going so good, almost unbelievably so - yet some setbacks must be expected. After the latest MRI last week, a small spot was noticed by Dr. Choucair, this time on the right side. He felt it wise to meet with Dr. Scott J. Samuelson to explore the possibility of enhancing the Temador chemotherapy with Avastin a new chemotherapy drug that just completed trials and available only through Dr. Samuelson. Dr. Samuelson met with us and we decided on a delivery method of the intravenous (IV) session every other week along with Temador every day for two weeks then take one week off and then start it again. The method for delivering the IV and all the associated lab work necessitated the insertion of a tube into the jugular vein and reception station all lying just underneath the skin on the chest - the whole contraption is referred to as a Port. The procedure was completed today at the LDS hospital. The patient care was superb. It did leave me sore today but I suspect it will be a wonderful aid to my care. Each couple of weeks I have blood tests and an MRI every two to three months. Sometimes those veins have been very difficult to access - The lab tests as well as the Avastin will all now be accessed through the new Port. A set-back perhaps but we are still looking positive at our progress and plan to remain healthy.