Last week on R-CHOP!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed the beautiful weather. This is Alec's last week of chemo for the lymphoma and his last week on steroids (thank goodness). Lets see what he takes his roid rage out on this week! (Glad I will be staying in Boston for a few days!)

Alec, Millie and I went fishing on Sunday and he caught the first striper of the season! Hooray! As we were loading the boat a boarder collie came bouncing over to meet Millie. Well, Millie was not a fan and with her big ole bottom end, she bumped the collie off the dock and into the water! Alec had to "rescue" the dog and when he got out he ran off soaking wet with his tail between his legs. Millie! Not Nice! Next time the collie should wear his life jacket.



We went to the Sugarland concert Friday night...so fun! Alec is NOT a fan of Sugarland, maybe because I played them over and over last summer. But it was a great girls night out!!! (Well not all girls, Kendalle's dad and Cat's husband are also big fans!)

Girls night out to Sugarland!


Since this is the last week of chemo, Alec will have another PET scan in early June. This will determine if there are any other spots the lymphoma is festering in his body and also if the chemo has worked. Please say an extra prayer that his scans come back negative. Dr. Tek said Alec has done "remarkably well" throughout this cycle and feels pretty confident that this is all he will need.

We also need to schedule an appointment with Dr. Allen, Alec's oncologist for the colorectal cancer. I think he is avoiding this next step since it means 6 more months of chemo and carrying around his chemo pump. (Remember the little "purse like" bag he has to wear for 48 hours every two weeks). Not fun.

That's about all for now!

Thanks for your prayers and support!

ALl our love,

Heather, Alec and Millie

Redneck on a Roid Rage...

Trees, chipmunks and chainsaws oh my!

Holy Roid Rage. That is what I call Alec on steroids. Remember how I said it gave him energy? Well that was an understatement.

Last weekend I woke up to a chainsaw. It was 5:30 am, it cant be Alec can it!? Ugg. I just wanted to sleep! An hour later I was too curious and went downstairs. Alec had already taken down half the trees in our backyard! Holy cow! I am still in shock that he did this alone...these were not small trees or skinny trees, they were HUGE maple and pine trees! The night before we had just discussed tree companies and costs and got some advice from Jean, our neighbor. Well I guess Alec decided to take matters into his own hands.

If any one has been to our home, you know that we have to sort of "follow" the sun. It shines on the left side of the deck in the morning, the middle around noon and then over to the right side after 2:00, then into the woods after about 3:00. Well, with the trees gone there is sun all over the place! It is amazing, he is amazing. We still have about 10 trees that could come down, and I sure Alec will be chopping those next week. I am not going to lie, I was having 15 small heart attacks every time I heard a tree fall. They make such a loud boom and the earth would shake. He did have one of them fall on my lilac tree which I am not too happy about, but I will take sunshine over lilacs any day. He worked in the yard until dark...I swear I am about to steal a few of his steroid pills for myself.

So I guess this week I am married to Paul Bunyon. Which makes me the Ox since I was the one hauling the timber off the yard. We will have enough fire wood for at least 2 years!

This is a group of trees that he had already taken half down by the time I got out of bed and took a picture...



He looks cute bald right!??

Look Out MILLIE!

Timber!!!!


I think you get the idea that Alec is feeling pretty darn good. He still has a mega appetite and can be a bit moody here and there, which is where I get the "roid rage" phrase from, (I think he now takes his rage out on trees) Glad I am not a tree.

Or a chipmunk...he finally got the guts to kill the pesky little critters. I think he totals around 5, probably massacred an entire family. He walks around the house with his pellet gun (which looks like a real rifle) and camo pants. Our poor neighbors are trying to sell their home and there is Alec, creeping around the woods with a gun. How nice.

We put the boat in last weekend too! Lobtah's, stripahs and sun here we come! Uncle Rick gave us a few of his lobster traps which is awesome since we lost a few last summer. Caryn and Charlotte accompanied Alec on Sunday for a cruise and some fishing while I went to the beach and basked in the sun until 5:00PM! So beautiful at GRB. Lovin this awesome weather.

He only has one more week of lymphoma treatment. Yay!

That's all for now! Thank you for all the prayers and support, we are so blessed!

Love,

Heather, Alec & Millie

Lucky the Dog

My Dad sent me this forward, it reminded me of Millie...so cute! And anyone who ever visits us knows that Millie loves to sneak into your suitcase and steal your socks! (I found 3 buried in the garden this spring!) She also knows that Alec is sick becuase she now sleeps on "his" side of the bed and follows him every where he goes...

Here it is.

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and you may even decide you need one!

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog named 'Lucky.'

Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy. Inevitably, someone would forget and something would come up missing.

Mary or Jim would go to Lucky's toy box in the basement and there the treasure would be, amid all of Lucky's other favorite toys Lucky always stashed his finds in his toy box and he was very particular that his toys stay in the box.

It happened that Mary found out she had breast cancer. Something told her she was going to die of this disease....in fact; she was just sure it was fatal.

She scheduled the double mastectomy, fear riding her shoulders. The night before she was to go to the hospital she cuddled with Lucky. A thought struck her...what would happen to Lucky? Although the three-year-old dog liked Jim, he was Mary's dog through and through. If I die, Lucky will be abandoned, Mary thought. He won't understand that I didn't want to leave him! The thought made her sadder than thinking of her own death.

The double mastectomy was harder on Mary than her doctors had anticipated and Mary was hospitalized for over two weeks. Jim took Lucky for his evening walk faithfully, but the little dog just drooped, whining and miserable.

Finally the day came for Mary to leave the hospital. When she arrived home, Mary was so exhausted she couldn't even make it up the steps to her bedroom. Jim made his wife comfortable on the couch and left her to nap.

Lucky stood watching Mary but he didn't come to her when she called. It made Mary sad but sleep soon overcame her and she dozed.

When Mary woke for a second she couldn't understand what was wrong. She couldn't move her head and her body felt heavy and hot. But panic soon gave way to laughter when Mary realized the problem. She was covered, literally blanketed, with every treasure Lucky owned! While she had slept, the sorrowing dog had made trip after trip to the basement bringing his beloved mistress all his favorite things in life.
He had covered her with his love.

Mary forgot about dying. Instead she and Lucky began living again, walking further and further together every day. It's been 12 years now and Mary is still cancer-free. Lucky He still steals treasures and stashes them in his toy box but Mary remains his greatest treasure.

Remember.... live every day to the fullest. Each minute is a blessing from God. And never forget....the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most Credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care for us.

If you see someone without a smile today give them one of yours! Live simply. Love seriously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God

Dear God, I pray for the cure of cancer.
Amen

All you are asked to do is keep this circulating, even if it is only to one more person, in memory of anyone you know that has been struck down by cancer or is still fighting their battle.

Happy May!

Hope everyone is enjoying the first week of May and the beautiful weather we are having.

Not too much to report this week. Alec is feeling OK, not as good as last week but still pretty good all things considered. I gave him a buzz cut last weekend since his hair started to come out. He looks like Mr. Clean...a cuter one of course. It is the first time I have EVER seen him without a go-tee!

Alec re-sided some of the house last weekend while Lyss, Liz and I were sunning ourselves on the deck. He was non-stop energy and must have checked off 30 to-do's around here. Alli Rice made us the most yummy sausage meal last weekend, it was so delish! I must get the recipe. And a strawberry shortcake to top it off. Thanks so much Alli!

Work shmork. I had a meeting in Philly this week, it is the first one I have been able to make one since last summer. It was actually great to see some co-workers. Sales can certainly feel isolating at times. Although, I am very lucky, there are so many offices who love Alec and it feels so good to know they are pulling for us and care so much about him. They feel like an extended family and we are very, very grateful for their support. And...he will be back, I promise that!

OK, as I am writing this we are reminiscing about how we first met. The lovely ladies, Robin and Reesa from New England OB/GYN set us up. I met them at a lunch meeting right after I had moved from California to Boston. They told me about this great guy named Alec who rode motorcycles and hiked and mountain biked. The first time I saw him I was with my boss. Awkward. But then we ran into each other again a few weeks later at 1 Brookline and he called me Kathy. KATHY! Say What!? Another time he was in the parking garage at 1 Brookline walking and I almost ran him over while trying to take a tight corner. He stood there laughing at me. He finally asked me out and we were not supposed to go out until May 6th, but I was going out for Cinco De Mayo with Tina and Allison and he was going out with his friends so we met up at Tia's where I drank way to many Margaritas. (Which is why I am not allowed to drink Tequila any more.) We went out again the next night on our real date and have not left each others side since. Boy, have we had a lot going on in 4 years!

This weekend I am hoping my family can make it up for a day or two so we can enjoy some nice weather and Mothers Day. I don't know what I would do without my mom! :) Alec has another chemo on Monday, hopefully all will go well!


Happy Mothers Day to all you moms out there! Hope you enjoy the day!

Love to all,

Heather, Alec and Millie