Celebration Details ...

Hello all,

Here are some of the details for the celebration in Loveland...

Date: Saturday, April 21st

Location: Heth Residence
2501 Lake Dr.
Loveland, CO 80538

Time: 2-5pm

Until then,
Chris and Jane

Dara’s New Journey Begins….

As some of you know, and some may not, Dara has lost her battle with breast cancer. She has moved into a place where there is no cancer and no pain. She passed away this past Friday in McKee Hospital in Loveland, Colorado after only a brief stay. She was surrounded by family and friends… most of all, love.

For those who need details, I will only say that the cancer that has spread to her liver progressed at a rate that could not be handled. There is nothing else that needs to be said or shared.

Dara would hope that everyone would remember her as the spunky-fun loving gal that had a zest for life. They would remember a loyal friend, a loving family member, or a caring mom.

I can not speak for all, but I consider myself one of the luckiest people on this great earth, for knowing Dara and having a chance to learn how to love from her and how to enjoy life. To Jane and me, she is a pillar of courage, and that is what I want to remember her by.

Thanks for all the love, prayers, and energy that you all have shared. I know that you have soothed her and helped pave the way to a road with fewer bumps, being led to a better place by a sturdy hand. For that, we are grateful.

To respond only as Dara could …

Love and Peace,
Chris and Jane

(In lieu of Flowers, Donations can be made directly to the Robichaud Family that will be donated in one lump sum to Komen Breast Cancer Foundation or to Komen Directly)

Long time coming...

This is Chris and Dara, and we would like to take a few minutes to try to bring you up to speed with what is going on. It has been a while and this will take a few minutes, so if you want to go grab a snack or drink, we’ll wait ....

Ok. Where did we leave off ... I think that it was the just before the last CT Scan. The results of the last CT scan were not what we were hoping for. The cancer in the lungs remained stable as the cancer in the liver had "worsened"...

That being said, we had to switch up cocktails, trying to find something that works on both. We switched to Navelbine and Avastin. In the meantime, since the cancer on the liver has worsened, it was causing the liver to swell. As the liver swelled, it did two things. (1) It pushed on the outer lining of the liver where all the nerve endings are (2) Pushed into the gallbladder. Both of these caused Dara very serious pain, so bad that her only comfort was in bed. We tried to manage the pain the best that we could with patches and oral narcotics.

To make a long story short, in order for the pain to be in check, Dara was so snowed that she could not function anywhere close to normal. Dara could never be a drug abuser with pain killers because she couldn't stand the "train-wreck" that came with it. Things got so out of whack, that Dara was hospitalized to try to get her pain controlled. Cindy flew in from Denver and got the grand tour of Beaumont Hospital and was a great help for the week that she was there. The Rolfsens acquired another kid for the week, and for that two, we are grateful and blessed.

We left the hospital with oral pain meds that didn't fly as well. That led us to a more invasive course of action. More invasive, but more efficient. Dara had a pain pump installed in her belly. The pump is the size of a hockey puck, and contains the pain meds. The pumps delivers the meds via a very thin tube, back to her epidural space in the spine/back. Knowing where the nerve endings from the liver/gallbladder attach to the spinal cord, it allows the placement of the catheter exactly where she needs it. This method is 100-125 times more effective than the oral meds, because the meds are delivered to the exact place were it is needed, and doesn't have to be broken down and absorbed into the bloodstream.

The pump can be controlled from a palm-pilot type device that the doc can put over her belly. Dosage can be changed/controlled with this device. Dr. Sikorsky did the procedure on 2/16/07 in Royal Oak and was fantastic to work with... very strait forward and honest...

Since then, we have moved to Colorado ... more specifics will be in the next blog entry... love and peace to all...

Medical stuff...

So here is the latest. Wednesday the 3rd of January I have my last "big" chemo treatment. (Avastin, Gemzar, Taxoel) and then I get the Gemzar again Monday the 8th. After a week off from treatment we will conduct another CT scan to check progress. We are hoping to maintain no growth and perhaps a miracle of shrinkage or better yet disappearance of lung and liver lesions. Then we are going with a "maintance" plan to give my body a bit of a break from the chemo. A treatment of Avastin once every three weeks is the plan. We are still considering Tarceva, a lung cancer drug, but my original lump tested positive for one test and negative for another. Please remember that all other testing is negative, which limits the drugs that work on my cancer. However, if I do include the Tarceva in my treatment, I will be the first in the US to do so. So there it is. I am feeling good in short spurts. Little pain. Mentally, human contact is always a good thing.

Jolly Holidays!

Happy Holidays! I hope Santa was good to everyone. Jane certainly did enjoy all the fun and chaos. Christmas morning is my favorite time. Best wishes to everyone for the new year, 2007 is bound to be a wonderful year full of fun times and many memories. It has been great to get back in touch with some old friends. Thanks to all of you for helping me deal with this. This blog reminds me how blessed I am.
I've included some pictures of Jane making holiday cookies and a ride on Santa's train although we would not sit on his lap. She is my motivation and inspiration every day.

Hello to all. I apologize for the delay. We are all well preparing for the holidays as I'm sure you and yours are. Last test results were "stable" which is good news it means no growth no shrinkage. I'll write more soon. Take care.

The fight continues....as does life....

Hello to all. I can't believe it has been over a month since I last posted. Crazy!! Anyway today I find myself packing to head back to Colorado to pick up my little inspiration, Jane. Chris and I were given an opportunity to get away for a week in the sun and the sand. It was a slice of heaven. Thanks to the Chenaults and many others who helped that become a reality. Jane took a roundtrip back to Colorado with my parents after there visit the begining of October. Now it is time to bring her back home.
Meanwhile treatment continues. Last week was a big dose on Monday. I slept the week away and was unable to keep much food down. Another lighter treatment this Monday ends yet another "round". A CT scan is scheduled on the 18th to check on progress. The pacmans are better be kicking some cancer ass. I will post results from the 18th when received.
Thanks again to all of you for your prayers, hello, and words of strength. I wish I could hug each of your personally. Please know that you are making a difference to me and my family. I am grateful and truly blessed. Take care.

Side effects

Hello. It has been a while since I last wrote. Today was a "good" day. Things seem to progressing in a positive direction. Fatigue is my biggest hurdle. Jane takes most of my energy and attention. She is beautiful but has definitely hit the "terrible twos." I generally go to bed shortly after Jane goes down. The chemo does have other side effects. Along with fatigue, hair loss (obviously), I get crimping in my calves at night (Charlie-horse like) and the nausea varies day to day, unfortunately throwing up seems almost natural now, that is if anything tastes good enough to eat. (heehee) Of course they give you medicine to help combat all this stuff but it doesn't always work. As long as the chemo is working, I can't complain.

It's funny, I find that people don't like to complain around me, like my situation is much worse than theirs. Let me say that "You aren't given anything you can't handle". It is all in perspective. I know we all have bad days, encounter bad situations, even have bad hair days. As my friend, please don't shelter me, or treat me differently because of cancer. I've just got a different battle than you to fight right now, there are people out there with situations worse than mine. I have found that I have an amazing network of people who love and care about me. I am blessed. I have also realized the world is going to keep on spinning whether I participate or not. So I choose to be there, live in the now. And enjoy the world around me. I suggest you do the same.

Thanks for all the notes and prayers. I appreciate all of you!!
The pictures are of me and Jane with our scarves on, and me wrapped in a quilt of love made by friends in Michigan and Indiana. It's wonderful!