The Angels Came

I just wanted to let everyone know that Lanita passed away peacefully on Monday morning      @ 3:25am. I had the privilege at being beside my wife's side along with Lanita's mom & dad and my brother Brent. 


There are so many people to thank that I do not know where to start. Lanita's mother, Laural, stayed full time with Lanita at the hospice these last five months and gave, as only a mother can, all of her love and care. I can't thank her enough for all her unselfish time. Thanks to Allan as well of standing by and helping in any way he could with his daughter, wife, family, and grandkids.


A very, very, very, special thanks to all the caregivers and staff at the Marjorie Willoughby Snowden Memorial Hospice Home. They truly became a part of our family over these many months and deserve so much more recogniition than they ever recieve for the comfort and dignity that they provide, not only for the patient, but for the family as well.


 Funeral Arrangements


Open to everyone


When:    This Saturday, June 23, 2012 
Time:       1:30pm
Where:   Valleyview Arena, Kamloops BC
                 #353 Highland Road                           (Map Link)




In Lieu of flowers we would just ask that donations be made to the hospice
(Click Here for Address Link and Details)




Cards, Letters, or Emails can be sent to the following


4879 Uplands Dr
Kamloops BC V2C 6S9
Ph. 250-573-1735
Cell    250-682-0607
email:   eldonlarson@gmail.com
              alloyek2010@gmail.com
              arleighlarson@me.com




I will update the blog throughout the week as further details are worked out and as time will permit.  Thanks for the outpouring of love and support from everyone that has taken the time to write a note, drop by, or has contributed or shown their care in so many other ways. I am truly overwhelmed and very grateful.


                                                                                           Eldon 

Sixteen Years Later

It seems just like yesterday that I was standing in nervous anticipation in front of a crowd of people, waiting for my bride to come gracefully down the stairs of the Overlander Lodge in that white dress. I decided that maybe it was time to update the log as Lanita has been asking me if I had done it yet. There is a few changes from a month ago. You may have heard that we did get Lanita up to the ski hill to view the slopes for the kids spring break but since that time, no more trips. They have hooked up a drug pump, etc., to make her comfortable and she stays mostly in a semi concious state with quick moments of alertness, every once in a while. She made the decision that icechips are the food of choice as food no longer tastes good and also, doesn't want to go down. I decided that a letter today would be nicer than some boughten card. I decided that it would be alright to share.
                A Little Piece of Canvas.
      My phone is ringing....I picture the pretty face on the other end, I answer, and a voice bubbles through the phone..."Good Morning! I Love You!" That was 16 years ago on our wedding morning, and it seems just like yesterday. I feel that I have been blessed in so many ways. God took two hearts and put them together but he also put our hands together to paint our picture on the canvas of life. Its been 16 years on this journey and alot has been been painted. I have always loved your smile and beautiful brown eyes, your love to travel, and your amazing ability to get things done. Sometimes though, it's hard to see the most beautiful work, the most masterful strokes of the brush, until you are made to step back and view things under a different light. I see clearly, that God in his mercy, didn't remove his hand from the brush when he joined our hands together. I want to thank you for what your faithfulness has done in helping me keep anchored. I never had to question whether we would be at a meeting, at home or abroad. Everyday I get to wake up and see in our 3 beautiful children, the love you poured into them, the time you spent teaching them, their love for the workers, and also in their taking their own steps in walking with God. Yes, it seem's that we've had more than enough challenges but I feel that it has caused me to understand that God wanted my heart to be a little larger, to learn to be a little more caring, to be a little more loving, to be a better man. He chose you to help me this way, and for this, I am thankful.I watch now as God finishes with the brushstrokes in your heart and I am reminded again.... It isn't the canvas of life that is important, as it is simply a canvas that gets rolled up, but the canvas of eternity, the most important one, it continues to unroll forever. Thank you again for showing me what canvas to paint on.... "I Love You" Eldon

Hello Morphine

Its been a bit of a winding road since I last sat down to this ol keyboard but here we are again. Let me fill in a few of the gaps to this little to date. It starts with, 'I think I would like some Kettle Corn today', two handfuls later, 'its a little to salty'. Next day....'I think a teen burger would be good...half a burger later,..I think I'm going to be sick! Following day,...I would like some of those gluten free chips from costco. I bring back 3 kinds, of which, all are wrong! Back to Costco where I find the RIGHT ones! A couple of handfuls later...I can't eat those anymore. The food cravings for different things carried on as well as an improvement in her mobility. Yes, the stubborness (determinedness) is still there. We watched with confusion as she gained alertness and then started asking to do things that we never thought would happen. The first major event was that she wanted to go out for a drive and coffee so we got her bundled up, tucked into moms car, and then proceeded to take her to Makaelas school. It just so happened that it was recess time and so she was able to say hello to the teachers and watch her daughter show off in usual carefree manner in the playground. A few minutes (and a few tears) later, it was off to Frankly's Coffee for another half hour or so and then back to hospice. A few days later, being Sunday, she beamed her radiant smile at the world as we wheeled her out to the truck for the afternoon gospel meeting. Everyone was amazed to see her there. This was followed up by an outing to the mall for a couple of hours, a second Gospel meeting, and another coffee time trip to Tim Hortons. Must not forget the major event this last Saturday, The 'Grande Tea Party'! Veronika Larson organized a tea for the Barnhartvale ladies who lanita has worked with to come and share a morning tea with complete with scones, desserts, fruit, etc. and I can't fill you in every detail as no boys where allowed! To watch someone go from the not talking, can't walk state, to this this was almost akin to watching someone walk on water. They say it is a fight to live but it is also a fight the other way. This last Wednesday started fine but by noon things took a turn. She started to experience sharp pains not only in her shouder but in her sides and it hurt to breath. Hello Morphine. There is an infection going on but it looks like fever is now gone.

Feb. 13th update

It is a beautiful sunny morning and our sleeping beauty has her eyes open...temporarily anyway! Lots of people ask how she is and whether she is in any pain. It is wonderful to say that she has no pain at all and her nausea is superbly managed. There are some moments when she is queasy but that is common with stomache cancer. Everyday is quite similar at this point with her being awake breifly for a few bites of porridge for breakfast and maybe a bit of a hot drink then back to rest/sleep mode. There are generally a few snack points happen in the day consisting of maybe a few crackers, maybe a popsicle, or sometimes just ice chips. Everyday is unique in the snack department but not much for quantity. The quantity side will continue to diminish, the sleep time will lengthen, and time here will get shorter. Lanita is very peaceful and does desire to go on and to be able to follow our dear ones that have already been carried away. She said that she had a pity party day when she heard of Keith Olsen going before her. We had called uncle Keith the day before he passed and though both her and Keith were not able to verbally communicate, both seemed to draw encouragement and strength just knowing each was on the line. We are so thankful that the Spirit doesn't need to communicate with words but is keenly felt. (Oh, and she says to mention...Her hair is growing! I will get a picture update for you soon.)

A time when some things mean less, Other things mean more...

It is now of an hour of when I should probably be turning out the the lights, but, I doubt that sleep would come quickly so felt that maybe I should try to rearrange some of the letter on my keyboard instead. As a little boy I remember my Grandfather giving me an old tire (almost the same size I was) to roll up and down his lane. It was really quite simple..Get it rolling, keep giving it a kick to keep it going, and then, watch with dismay as you stopped to have this heavy ol tire flop back down on the ground. Then you'd have to grunt like crazy to repeat the process all over again. Yes,sometimes being busy and having to keep alot of things rolling can be a blessing , but is the quiet moments though, where it seems your emotions will just sometimes, come crashing down. I never thought that it would be hard to pack a simple box. I took some of Lanita's old sweaters that I figured might as well get packed into a box and lets just say this..I won't be critical of anybodies emotional state as they do something like this. It is quite clear to one's mind that the reason you are doing it, isn't due to there not being enough closet space. The hole in your heart is definitely bigger than the one in the closet. As I held my wife's weakened hand this afternoon, I noticed how much shallower her breathing is and reflected on how different communication has become. She only seems to whisper or talk quite quietly but the words are few. I had to cry as I left today as I felt her use the extra of her strength just to simply squeeze my hand,  to force her eyes to stay open even though her body said no, and then whisper out the words, "I Love You".  Today she told me, "I'm just willing to now wait for whenever it is 'God's Time' and I can only marvel at the beauty of a canvas that is being painted with eternal brushstrokes. For some reason it seems to take so long, to write so little. It is also true that, yes, tough guys do cry, and without rain, we'd never see a rainbow. Goodnight for now, Eldon

January 23rd

I would have to say that the hospice has become almost a second home. Lanita has been telling us that she's in 'no-man's land'. Everyone's been wondering the state she's in and how things are going and so I will try to fill you in the missing blanks since my last update. I do have to say that the kids have settled in very well at home. Routine is great (even if it is always fun)! It is amazing what a difference an extra pair of hands make around a house, but things are into a pretty good rhythm. The alarm clock squawks away at 5:50am, porridge made, kids get rolling. The bus screeches to a halt at 7:10 for Makaela, Caden dashes off to catch his bus at 7:25, and I roar off in the truck at 8:10 with Damon and the neighbour kid. In the midst of it all, we seem to get all the other things done, (Just like all you great moms out there), things like teeth brushed, hair done, dishes put away, and things tidied up. Ok, once in a while a bed or two might not get made but all in all, i'm pretty proud of what does get accomplished! Try to hit the doors to the hospice by 9:30 to see my beautiful wife and see what kind of night she had. There is no predicting anything. Generally she's a little more awake in the beginning part of the morning. She will often have a few bites of porridge as her breakfast, and Lunches will often consist of a popsicle stick or two. Somedays it seems that she just can't get her eyes to open and then there are other days when she will have a few "awake" periods for an hour or two. Each day is one of those 'what have we got today' days, but we love her just the same! She has 4 butterflies on her (not the tattoo's type), where they inject her for her meds. One on each arm, two in the abdomen. The nurses have done a fabulous job at getting the nausea under control and also in keeping one jokester husband in line! I'm finding the patients to be quite interesting people in many different ways and often there is something going on that humors the day. It makes you glad that when you do put first things first, these times aren't times of distress, fear, or anxiety. God truly has been a God of great comfort and it is wonderful to reflect on the point that God has always given so much more than he has ever taken. There is no better hands to be in than 'God's Hands'. We don't know what the plan is for God's timing but know it has always been perfect. This experience has shown so well the spirit of our servants, the spirit of his people, and drawn us not only closer as an 'eternal family' but also unveiled so many more of God's pictures that were either veiled, unknown, or maybe just not as clear as they should have been. I know I have said it many times, these aren't only rich times, they are enriching. Anytime we are forced to stop and  look into our own hearts and souls, getting a realignment done, so that we could be ready for when our time comes, is a precious gift. Each day is unique. Some days we get greeted with the smile of Lanita's brown eyes, sometime's she is only to smile with her pearly whites, but no matter what her state is that day, we always get greeted with a kind, gracious, and thankful spirit. If you come to visit, and say a few minutes of hello, the family will always let you know the state she is in. Oh, and by the way, the coffees's always on!

January 23rd

I would have to say that the hospice has become almost a second home. Lanita has been telling us that she's in 'no-man's land'. Everyone's been wondering the state she's in and how things are going and so I will try to fill you in the missing blanks since my last update. I do have to say that the kids have settled in very well at home. Routine is great (even if it is always fun)! It is amazing what a difference an extra pair of hands make around a house, but things are into a pretty good rhythm. The alarm clock squawks away at 5:50am, porridge made, kids get rolling. The bus screeches to a halt at 7:10 for Makaela, Caden dashes off to catch his bus at 7:25, and I roar off in the truck at 8:10 with Damon and the neighbour kid. In the midst of it all, we seem to get all the other things done, (Just like all you great moms out there), things like teeth brushed, hair done, dishes put away, and things tidied up. Ok, once in a while a bed or two might not get made but all in all, i'm pretty proud of what does get accomplished! Try to hit the doors to the hospice by 9:30 to see my beautiful wife and see what kind of night she had. There is no predicting anything. Generally she's a little more awake in the beginning part of the morning. She will often have a few bites of porridge as her breakfast, and Lunches will often consist of a popsicle stick or two. Somedays it seems that she just can't get her eyes to open and then there are other days when she will have a few "awake" periods for an hour or two. Each day is one of those 'what have we got today' days, but we love her just the same! She has 4 butterflies on her (not the tattoo's type), where they inject her for her meds. One on each arm, two in the abdomen. The nurses have done a fabulous job at getting the nausea under control and also in keeping one jokester husband in line! I'm finding the patients to be quite interesting people in many different ways and often there is something going on that humors the day. It makes you glad that when you do put first things first, these times aren't times of distress, fear, or anxiety. God truly has been a God of great comfort and it is wonderful to reflect on the point that God has always given so much more than he has ever taken. There is no better hands to be in than 'God's Hands'. We don't know what the plan is for God's timing but know it has always been perfect. This experience has shown so well the spirit of our servants, the spirit of his people, and drawn us not only closer as an 'eternal family' but also unveiled so many more of God's pictures that were either veiled, unknown, or maybe just not as clear as they should have been. I know I have said it many times, these aren't only rich times, they are enriching. Anytime we are forced to stop and  look into our own hearts and souls, getting a realignment done, so that we could be ready for when our time comes, is a precious gift. Each day is unique. Some days we get greeted with the smile of Lanita's brown eyes, sometime's she is only to smile with her pearly whites, but no matter what her state is that day, we always get greeted with a kind, gracious, and thankful spirit. If you come to visit, and say a few minutes of hello, the family will always let you know the state she is in. Oh, and by the way, the coffees's always on!

Wednesday

Lanita has a wonderful way of making everyone feel special. She loves the souls of so many people. Due to her declining strength and so limited energy some decisions are having to be made. We don't want the children to be robbed of time that they need the feel the hand of their mother. We will be contacting everyone that is scheduled and the visits will be set by lanita going forward. You can email me as I read all the emails to Lanita and we will respect her in every way these final days. We appreciate everyone's care and concern and also their sensitivity to these matters. Sincerely written by a loving husband and a caring father.

Hospice Time

As the curser blinks, waiting for me to type, there is flood pouring through my heart, my mind, and out my eyes. The clock on the wall hadn't crawled much past 6 on Sunday night when Lanita whispered to me, "I think it's time to go---to the hospice". The nausea had almost become unbearable along with the smells from cooking and the usual household noise. It is not an easy thing for a mother to say this and so the ball was put into motion. I ended going to the hospice personally that night and talking with the staff. She was on their list and it just so happened that one bed was available. Rather than move that night, she wanted to stay for the sake of the children. We called all the kids into our room for a visit to explain the plans. Two sets of brown eyes and one set of blue, looked with worry at their mother as she sat on the end of the bed and wrapped her arms around them. A tentative question is put forward to her, "mom, when will you be getting better?" The mother, in her quieter voice, answered, "son, I won't be getting better." Those words,...though real,...,and not spoken lightly,......are some of the most painful words that needed to be said. We explained what a hospice was and the type of care that Lanita would have so that there would be a little less fear. Children are perceptive though, but I am so thankful that we have a solid foundation and God is our rock. We took Lanita to the hospice at noon monday where we got her settled in. It is a wonderful facility and it great to know that 24/7 there are others there to help make sure that everything is taken care of so that burdens can be taken from us and allow us to just spend more time with someone we love. Lanita's mom & dad came back from vancouver Sunday night and Dad flew out of Calgary to Vancouver, where, the next morning, him and Brent drove here. All the family will be coming this week. Darren and Bethany ended up finally having the new arrival they where waiting for, a beautiful baby girl. "Ella Laurel Lanita Stewart", 9 pounds 13 ounces. This experience has taught me how far a few kind words can go and to be touched in a way that I could never imagine. It has caused me to only love my children more. I know I might repeat myself a few times, but, again, thank you for your open hearts. It gives a deeper peace and a deeper love. We have been muchly blessed and enriched.

Visiting

It is Saturday evening and there is a quiet calm. It is wonderful to have kids in school and a semblance of routine. Lanita is having some good days and, some not so good days and it seems that her energizer batteries are not recharging very well. She has, and does, enjoy her visits with people but it is time to publicly let people know that we are now asking people to respect her limited energy. We would like anyone wishing to visit or talk to Lanita to please contact myself (Eldon) via my cell, 250-682-0607 (call or text) or email us at eldonlarson@gmail.com.. We would like to keep the visits to 15 minutes as it takes Lanita a whole day to recover from visiting. We unfortunately will have to limit visits and time but we also need family time with Lanita as well. These days are very precious to us. The nature-path doctor we where seeing in Kelowna has done all that can be done to help but that road has come to an end as well. Lanita said she is done on that side of things and will spend the remaining time and energy here at home. The boys went hiking with Ron Scheller today and had a great time hiking in the falling snow and tossing a few snowballs as well. It was great for them to have a little change of scenery, enjoy a good ol' Tim Hortons Hot Chocolate, and have a few laughs. Yesterday was a little too much on the visiting front so today has been a whole day of sleep for my beautiful wife. Hopefully she can borrow a little energy from that energizer bunny, if she can find him.

Nausea gets worse

These last seven days have been....well,.. I don't even know how to put it properly into words. You would think that it should be easy to write down simple things like events, etc., but the emotions that can go along with it can be like trying to ride a tornado. My sister Sherri got back to our place on Thursday with Damon (our middle boy) and her suitcase packed with painting clothes. She soon had everyone involved in transforming Makaela's bedroom. Baseboards where ripped off and paintbrushes and rollers flew. While that was going on Damon's room was being finished being built downstairs. By Sunday Makaelas room was repainted, re-trimmed, windows cased, new curtains, and a new light. Damons room was completed including new doors, carpet, paint, etc.. Thanks to Brents determined ways, and a house of organized chaos, I have two happy children sleeping in new bedrooms. During all this, Veronika and Mom also looked after meals and Lanita. Lanita's nausea was settled down for a couple of days and then seemed to come back stronger again. We tried to control it with just her dex meds but it was soon back to full dosage nausea meds again. Her body seems to be telling her something and the message seems to be getting louder. We will continue to do all we can nutritionally as well as to control the nausea, but it seems that Gods plan of acceptance is the journey to be taken. As Lanita continues this journey, we will each go through this time with our own personal unique journeys as well. All I can say, is that there has been a lot of very rich moments through this experience. We have been so blessed these last few days to have a couple of Gods Servants, LaDon Loyek, and Rick Larson, stay with us. My heart is full and maybe, in time, I might be able to share some of these rich times in the form of written word. Lanita's hair still continue's to fall out bit by bit so things are looking a little patchier but she isn't bald yet. She is having her food thrown in the blender to make things go easier and every once in awhile, I watch her have a little grin, as she wipes the crumbs from her mouth while savouring one of those holiday cookies! Tomorrow is another day in her little journey. Her heart continues to reach out and envelope the hearts of everyone she knows. We are thinking also of Keith Olsen on his journey these final days as well.

Eating Real Food!

The last few days have seemed to go by rather quickly. Fern served up a turkey supper of the proportions where our table couldn't hold all the servings and we all helped ourselves to a little extra on behalf of my wife. Grandpa and grandma LOYEK took our oldest and youngest, Caden and Makaela, back to Edmonton with them until later this week and it was good to be able to spend a little time, just the two of us. I took Lanita out to see the hustle and bustle of the mall where, after a couple of easy chair rest stops, thanks to Sears and The Bay, we headed off for a little drive. We took a little cruise through our metropolisis downtown, then through the countryside while the gentle flakes of snow started to blanket us with a little more winter. Tuesday we headed back to Kelowna along with Arleigh and Fern to see the doctor we have been working with. I don't know how to put into words the visit that Lanita and I had with our wonderful health practitioner but I will do my best to summarize the highlights. Her body is responding great to treatment! The ileocaecal valve has not been closing in her body for a very long time. This is what is leading to a lot of challenges of which one of the major ones is, is Nausea! There is a natural physical process where you are able to close this valve and immediately her nausea stopped! It is amazing how the human body functions. Her health numbers are getting better and even though we know that there will up and down days, we are getting the tools on how to train the body and get it back to a healthier working state. Treated my wife to a stay overnight in Kelowna where we also met Brent & Veronika. We will head back to our wonderful palace today, but first, we need to find Lanita some hats to accommodate her balder state. Her hair was falling out in clumps so yesterday before heading out, she went and had her beautiful locks shaved off and I must say, she has a beautiful shaped head!

Re: Company

Due to Lanita's weak immune system at the moment and her lack of sleep we are kindly asking people to refrain from visiting until after next Wednesday. It isn't that we wouldn't love to see everybody but we are doing everything we can do at the moment to allow her body to strengthen. Thanks for your your understanding.

A new lease on life!

This post isn't about some 'magic fix','miracle pill',or some other crazy thing. We did leave our castle this morning at 11:30 and headed to Kelowna, Lanita, Dad, Mom, Laurel, and myself in dads suburban. I can honestly say that I was prepared for a very long day or the day being 'very long', but have to say that it went by rather quickly. This Mr. Derksen is very proficient in muscle testing, electrode, and energy testing. He has extensive knowledge on foods, enzymes, etc and At the end of the day, Lanita walked out feeling no nausea, not tired, and had more energy than she has had since her surgery. We headed home with my Rosie cheeked wife and the start to some of the learning towards a proper recovery. We now believe that there can be a restoration, versus a few months of life expectancy.

Passports and flying wheelchairs

Wednesday morning I grabbed my trustworthy copilot, Arleigh, and happy sidekick Caden and headed off to Kelowna. The passport office had done their quick work of getting the boys passports renewed. Damon's been busy enjoying his time with his cousins in Vancouver and today Brent escorted him across the line to safely deliver him into the care of Garth & Sherri. I left Lanitas wheelchair in the back of my truck as it has a covered top and never thought to much about this until I was sitting at a stop light in Vernon. All of sudden, a lady runs up beside my truck, pounds on my window, and scared the wits out of me. When I rolled down my window she asked, "do you have a wheelchair?". Apparently when we took off from the last set of lights the tailgate popped open and out flew the wheelchair! She had kindly set it upright by the stoplight and it was thankfully still there when we wheeled back. I believe that God has kind ways of delivering messages and opening doors. There is a natural path doctor in Kelowna by the name of Darrell Derksen that was mentioned to us in 2 emails and again also in person via a conversation in our home. While on the way to Kelowna for the passports I dialed Mr. Derksen who told us that he had just had a cancellation just before we called and said he would be able to see us at 1:15 that afternoon. We visited with mr. Derksen that afternoon until 5pm. Being trained in 19 areas of alternative health studies he was able to explain what he has seen in how bodies work and repair themselves and adjusted his schedule so that Lanita could be fit in today. A spark of tentative hope started to burn.

Out for a bit

Ok, it's been a few days since I put on my typing fingers and I know people are wondering how my dear wife is doing and what is happening at our house. Let's begin where I left off. Monday I took Caden to town to spend some time doing what fathers and sons always do, we went to see the doctors! I asked the cancer clinic about Lanitas nausea to see if it was the remainder of the chemo in her system and got informed that there was no longer chemo in her system so that it was a direct result of what was still happening with her stomach. Cancer growing? It makes you feel like you are walking around in an empty room with no doors after hearing news like this. I did get a doctors slip for a wheelchair and then went to home depot (always a great place to to make you feel a little more constructive!) and picked up a shelving unit for Caden's room. Lanita had a blood test that afternoon for genetic testing. Tuesday I went to town with my wife while Caden and Makaela went tubing at Harper Mountain Skihill thanks to A couple of our wonderful, adventerous friends. We picked up Lanitas wheelchair, a few scrappbooking calendars, some Sushi, and headed home. Mom & dad came back up from Calgary and it was great to have another mini reunion. It was another evening of being pampered (Lanita), foot rub, nausea meds, and off to bed. Brent (my brother) took Damon with him to Vancouver earlier in the day so didn't need to worry about the entertainment factor for one boy.

Getting Stronger

Somethings change and somethings don't. Here are some of the things that where the goings on for this last week. We saw the surgeon last Wednesday for a routine check just to check up on the knife wounds and everything is healing up well. We did the usual cross examining of him and he patiently went through his knowledge of things again. It was good to be able to find out what each type of drug does that Lanita is taking and get a better handle on the flexibility for time lines between dosages. Things where cut a little short as the buildings fire alarm went off and we were forced to evacuate. This little outing was enough exertion for the day and so back home we went and back into the easy chair she crawled. Thursday was a day of clip and snip. It was finally time to trim the hair to a shorter length so she's now sporting a little different look. It doesn't look like the oral chemo treatment will resume until the 28th as not much has changed on the nausea side. Everyday is another day of nausea still persisting and trying to have things go down, not up. Still waiting on results to see if her cancer has the HER2/neu recepter. If it does, they have another form of chemo that directly attacks those cells. Information is being sent to a few other places so we will see how things play out. She's eating a bit more, walking a bit more, gaining a little strength, and starting to dictate a few orders from her command center easy chair so we know shes feeling a bit better! Brent has been busy transforming my garage which has been wonderful. We picked up cabinets from home depot along with the usual few extra things that somehow are needed and in the end, I now have a painted, organised , clean, things hung up garage. It is GREAT! I already have his next project planned for him! Adios for tonight.

Chemo...Not Fun

Its Tuesday night in the Larson house and not much is stirring, including my wife. It has been a little like driving down a road where someone has ripped out all the road signs and you just have no idea what might be coming or what one day from the next may be like. Last Saturday was a busy day with 15 people in our house and that wasn't including people visiting etc and Lanita was in a good form. It seemed she had some strength coming back even though she was talking in a low tone of voice. Sunday she went with us to our little Sunday morning Fellowship Meeting as this is what life is about and then we stayed for lunch. That afternoon, she crashed with exhaustion. Appetite dropped, Energy dropped, Nausea roared. By 9:30am Monday morning we were back in the cancer clinic getting IV hooked up and fluids in. You think you are going for an hour or two but soon find that the clock says you've been there for 4. Laurel stayed with Lanita at the hospital while I did some running around (more anti-nausea pills for Lanita, Another Starbucks for myself) etc.. I wasn't that clear on my previous blog about these chemo treatments. She is also doing oral chemo 2x daily at home. You know that you are dealing with some nasty pills when you have to take your meds with a pair of rubber gloves! They have stopped her from doing this oral chemo for next 2 days to try and get this nausea under control. Got Lanita back home late this afternoon and she became one with the couch. I had to make a run to Kelowna today to get passports renewed for the boys in case they need to go to Seattle this next week, and then back in time to orchestrate school pickups and take all 3 to the dentist. Stopped into Sears on the way home and picked up a leather lazy boy recliner so Lanita can sit up/ lay down better and be more comfortable. She isn't able to visit much, only for 5 minutes or so, then her eyes go closed while she just listens to what is being said, and when that's to much, she dozes off. It seems that noise is bothering her more and she prefers the lights off. Tomorrow morning we meet with Dr. Gorman, the surgeon, and that's all she will probably be able to handle. We are so blessed to have the wonderful help-mates that are here. It is taking a team of people to do what my wife used to handle. Mom has been feeding the equivalent of a logging camp for the last week or so and Laurel and Maria are taking care of Laundry, kids, etc., Brad & Chantelle have handled the office side of things, and everyone has pitched in to get whatever needs done so that my beautiful wife is cared for and the house can carry on. The kids have been wonderful. Yes, they still can have their moments, but they have been great little helpers and are coping well with having a "sick" mom. I will try to give you an update tomorrow. Signing off for now....Eldon

Thursday Night..already

I know lots of people would be wondering when I was going to get this updated, so I apologize in advance that this may be a little longer of a post. Lanita is loving the emails, texts, and calls and wants to make sure that everyone knows that she enjoys reading them all even though she finds that she can't keep up with the replying as fast as they come in. Lanita is very happy to be home.
I don't think that it would be too surprising for most people to say that the last few days have had a few emotional moments. It is easy to ask why, how, etc. but there is no answer to some of these things. Thanks to Denise and Jessica and the rest of the wonderful staff on Floor 6 for their care and all the little extras they do. The kids got to see their mom Tuesday evening and where disappointed that mom didn't have a huge cut. After letting them know that we are going to fight this a little differently, they seemed content and where happy to start asking other questions. Allan (lanita's dad) left Edmonton that afternoon, and Brent & Veronika brought Bethany and her little boy Joey in from Vancouver. Maria (Lanitas other sister) flew in from Ontario on Wednesday. Wednesday was a day of trying to get the gas out of her body from the operation and just a day of quality time. Dr. Gorman came and spent over an hour of his time with us, answering questions, giving advice and helpful insights. Chemo arrangements where fast tracked to begin the next morning. It is a 3 part chemo, 1 IV and 2 oral. There will be 3 sessions that are 3 weeks apart. The program is tailored to avoid there being a bunch of Nausea and what it will do is knock out some of the cancer cells that are impeding her stomach and allow it to get back to a functioning state. We bought a Juicer and I think that people will probably get to know us well in the fruit and veggie section of the grocery store. Chemo went well this morning/afternoon as there are 3 bags that are pumped into you, each taking about an hour. I am working at trying to keep my "staff" of people as it is amazing what gets done with the a bunch a people all helping out! Damon sang his heart out at the Christmas concert for some of us yesterday, and the rest today. Lanita was sad that she had to miss it due to chemo but will end up getting it from video. Tomorrow is another day and I am thankful that I get the chance to kiss my wife good night and wish her a good morning. She amazes me at how she has such an unbelievable heart for others and still is more worried about those around her than she is for herself.

From the recovery room

A special thanks going out to Sue Gerbrandt for the special outreach as she took the time to take Lanita personally to the O.R. And looked after her till things started. Well, things didn't go quite as planned. They found cancer attached to the liver, spleen. And spread through the abdominal sheath. Because of this they didn't remove the stomach it left everything as is and she will be going home tomorrow. I talk to the doctors tomorrow in regards to chemo and what we can do to give her a little more time. sorry that this post will be short but update again soon. Thanks for all your phone calls, emails and texts. Love from all the Larsons and Loyeks