Yvonne is resting comfortably in the emergency room at PeaceHealth hospital as of this writing. She woke with some chest pain, and the folks at her radiology appointment sent her on over to the ER. According to Dad, they're pretty certain it's not her heart, and she's currently getting a CAT scan to check for blood clots in her lungs (pulmonary embolism). I'll post an update when I hear more.
Update @ 7:18 pm: Yvonne has been sent home from the ER. The EKG, chest x-ray, and CAT scan were all negative for blood clots, so while they don't know what was causing her pain, it appears not to be immediately emergent, and they sent her home.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
What We Can Do to Help
The purpose of this blog is to connect our friends and family and create an active, loving, contributing network of support for Yvonne, Tom, and Steffi throughout Yvonne's cancer treatment. This is an extremely difficult time for their family, but we can help make it better. I have some ideas on how we can help.
Be vocal in your love and support. Let them know you are thinking of them. You could:
Be vocal in your love and support. Let them know you are thinking of them. You could:
- Call
- Send a text
- Send Yvonne a Facebook message
- Send a card (check these out--Yvonne, don't look!) or a letter
- Comment on this blog--they'll be checking it and it would be nice to see an active community here
- Clean house
- Help pack (don't know why they're packing? see this post)
- Make dinner
- Mow the lawn
- Do some laundry
- Drive Yvonne or Steffi to appointments
- Tell jokes
- Read aloud
- Stand on your head
Send money. No kidding, this is expensive: the cancer treatment itself, of course, but there are a lot of other new costs, too. You could contribute money for any of the following:
- Moving. I'd really really like to see us get these guys a moving service. They shouldn't be doing this right now. Can you help? (See this post for more about the move.)
- Gas. Round trip to the Cancer Center is 30 miles x 5 days a week x 7 weeks = over 1,000 extra miles.
- House cleaning. I have volunteered to send my wonderful cleaning lady over to do floors, bathrooms, etc. to save them the time and energy.
- Food. I have this notion of filling their freezer with easy-to-prepare meals and snacks that Yvonne will find appealing even when she's not feeling so hot.
- Prescriptions. There are a lot, and Medicare doesn't cover everything.
- Medical bills. According to this article, the average monthly cost of a brand-name cancer drug is $10,000. Medicare covers 75%. This is only chemo, not including 7 weeks of daily radiation treatments. You do the math.
A quick Google search revealed a couple of websites with other ideas about what we can do to help.
- Cancer + Careers has some great thoughts about sending written notes and more.
- Cancer.net has a great article including Do's and Don'ts about what to say, gift ideas, and more
- I love the "go ahead and do something" advice on GiveForward's list of five ways to support a cancer patient
- This HuffPo article repeats some of that advice with a fun tone
We have to pull together to make sure the Kenyon family knows we love them and we're there for them. Pick something and do it today, won't you? And then tomorrow. And then...You get the idea.
Thank you!
A Sense of Humor is So Important
Dad told me today to start calling Yvonne "The Lone Ranger."
So he can call her "Chemo-Sabe."
And he will be "Tom-to."
So he can call her "Chemo-Sabe."
And he will be "Tom-to."
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| By ABC Television (eBay front back) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
When It Rains, It Pours: the Kenyons Are Moving
Some of you may not have heard the news: the Kenyon family is facing an imminent move. Great timing, huh?
On Monday, April 27, after they got home from a very long day (Yvonne's first day of chemotherapy and radiation), the landlady came to visit. She informed the folks that she's going through a divorce and will need to move into their house herself. She gave them a 30-day notice to move.
As of this writing (May 5), as far as I know, their destination is still being considered, but the fact remains that the Kenyon family must pack their belongings and vacate their home.
On Monday, April 27, after they got home from a very long day (Yvonne's first day of chemotherapy and radiation), the landlady came to visit. She informed the folks that she's going through a divorce and will need to move into their house herself. She gave them a 30-day notice to move.
As of this writing (May 5), as far as I know, their destination is still being considered, but the fact remains that the Kenyon family must pack their belongings and vacate their home.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Packing Begins
Yesterday I went over to Dad and Yvonne's house to help out for a bit. I had made a big batch of spaghetti sauce and some banana bread that morning, and I brought a gallon of sauce and a loaf of bread. I also cut lilacs from our tree and brought those.
On the way to Lynden, I stopped at the U-Haul store on the Guide Meridian and bought some moving boxes and some tape. I had promised to save the moving boxes they'd lent us last summer, but I didn't. I remember thinking, "They aren't moving any time soon." Hardy har har.
When I arrived, Yvonne was just settling in for a nap, and Dad was at the grocery store. (Steffi was rumored to be upstairs, although I didn't see her while I was there.)
Yvonne said she was feeling okay, but very tired; this was her third nap of the day. The more napping, the better, I say! I tucked her into bed and started in cleaning the kitchen. Dad soon got home and we unpacked the groceries, then had a glass of iced tea in the sun and talked about options for their impending relocation. Then we packed a set of china, and pretty soon it was almost seven and time for me to scoot home.
On the way to Lynden, I stopped at the U-Haul store on the Guide Meridian and bought some moving boxes and some tape. I had promised to save the moving boxes they'd lent us last summer, but I didn't. I remember thinking, "They aren't moving any time soon." Hardy har har.
When I arrived, Yvonne was just settling in for a nap, and Dad was at the grocery store. (Steffi was rumored to be upstairs, although I didn't see her while I was there.)
Yvonne said she was feeling okay, but very tired; this was her third nap of the day. The more napping, the better, I say! I tucked her into bed and started in cleaning the kitchen. Dad soon got home and we unpacked the groceries, then had a glass of iced tea in the sun and talked about options for their impending relocation. Then we packed a set of china, and pretty soon it was almost seven and time for me to scoot home.
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Indiscriminate Hugger
Yvonne sure needed a hug yesterday, and I felt bad that I couldn't be there--the first call from the Cancer Center asking me to come down there right away ("she's okay, but..."), and I was in Seattle for the day. But Dad hurried over.
Today, as the nurse, David, was changing the IV fluids, Yvonne told me what had happened when Dad arrived. "David came in and found me sitting in your dad's lap," she said, then turned to me conspiratorially: "I asked David, but he wouldn't let me."
The nurse took the teasing well. "You sure did need a hug," he said mildly.
"That's right, and I'll take one from anybody," Yvonne agreed. "I'm what you would call a cuddle slut."
Today, as the nurse, David, was changing the IV fluids, Yvonne told me what had happened when Dad arrived. "David came in and found me sitting in your dad's lap," she said, then turned to me conspiratorially: "I asked David, but he wouldn't let me."
The nurse took the teasing well. "You sure did need a hug," he said mildly.
"That's right, and I'll take one from anybody," Yvonne agreed. "I'm what you would call a cuddle slut."
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