Tishanna

Sunday Morning when Daniel was getting ready to leave Tishanna was feeling better.  She has been wearing a mask since Friday and we thought she would be OK. I took this picture of her and Kira. We had a great visit!

Sunday with Curt

Well, Daniel and Kira left this morning. We were all sad to see them go but were so glad that they were able to come to Salt Lake and Parowan.  I went to one hour of Stake Conference then came home and Curt wanted to take a short drive and start a painting.  We drove out west by the  gap and he started a painting.  He tires easily but still wants to push himself to do the things that he loves.  He was doing some drawings when I was fixing dinner.  He loves what he does and I love it too.

First real day at home

We got home last night and Tawnee Bell brought dinner to us.  It was so nice not to have to fix dinner. I sure appreciate every ones help.  The house was clean so  Curt wouldn't get Tishanna's infection.  Tishanna is still not feeling good but is getting better.  She is still staying out in a small camp trailer.  We will let her come back in the house tomorrow.  Her friend Jake Niel got one of our OLD motorcycles running. Its 25+ years old.  Curt was surprised that it ran so he tried to get on it.  He has shrunk 2 inches  so he had a little bit of trouble getting on the bike.  He rode it down to the corner then back up our drive way.  He had fun.  Daniel, Kira and Curt went fishing at four bay and Daniel had a speed boat that he tried out there. (Radio controlled) It has been a good day but Curt really got tired out.  I hope he can rest tomorrow and just kick back a little.

HOME! We made it home last night. Thanks to everyone who came to disinfect our house so we could come home. Tishanna Is still sick so we are keeping Curt away.

This is Daniel and Kira after we got home. they came to Salt lake to see us then came home with us. Kira is so fun and she loves her grandpa.

Going Home!!!!

We just got the news that Curt can go home for 3 weeks.  Yeah!  he is so ready to be in his own space.  We are going back to the trailer right now to pack and leave.  Thanks for all the support  and love.  I will keep up on the blog page.

Nature Man

In honor of Dad making it through the last couple of weeks of chemo, and for your loyal readership, I present you with a wonderful weekend photo. I'm not exactly sure where this is, but I'm pretty sure I was the one taking this photo just before Dad jumped in the water to cool off. It's a great photo that reminds me of his naturalist Thoreau/Emerson side. I always describe him to others as part "mountain man" but he is just as much philosopher and curator. Looking back I really appreciate the lessons he taught me about the wonders and beauty of nature. I think his sensibility for the outdoors defined a great deal of his life, attitudes, and decisions. To my Dad the journey was always more important than the destination...

Good Boy

Well yesterday was a long one for Curt.  He was at Huntsman collecting stem cells again.  The first day he collected 4 million,  the second day 9 million!  the Dr. said that he was a good boy.  He saw Zangari after collecting and he said that we might get to go home earlier than we thought.  If he collects 7 million today then we will head back to Parowan for a two week rest.  Daniel and Kira are still here and we have enjoyed them a lot.   I will be getting ready to go back home and I promised Kira that I would take her to the park.  She is having a good time watching our wild life around the trailer. 

Collection Day 2

We came up to HCH at 7:00 A.M. and they started another day of collecting stem cells.  He did excellent yesterday collecting over 3 Million at least.  We will have a better count later today.  He is settled in and watching TV.  Daniel and Kira are still with us and we are having a great visit.  I took Kira to Geralyns house on Tuesday and she got to play with Tristin.  We may get to go home for two weeks a little earlier than we thought.  Curt is happy for that except Tishanna called yesterday and she had been to the doctor and she tested positive for type B flu.  Oh Yeah!  I think she felt worse than Curt.  We don't know what to do but will work on a solution so that Curt won't catch the bug!Thanks to everyone who has been there for us and for the prayers.  He is doing very well and we hope he will continue to do good. 

Collection Day 1

Collections. They will be collecting 20 Million stem cells! We will get to go home when he is done with that. We are enjoying Daniel and Kira being here.

Tuesday 26Th Curt went to have labs done and his count was so good that they started collection of his stem cells one day early! He will do this for 3-4 days.

Here's another great picture to enjoy of Dad to enjoy for today. I'm not sure where this is at, but it looks like his Mother Fran and his Brother Dennis.

Matt has been filming Curt and having him record his life. Curt says its for his funeral and gives Matt a bad time. Clint came by and we had a very good visit.

Matt has been filming Curt and having him record his life. Curt says its for his funeral and gives Matt a bad time. Clint came by and we had a very good visit.

Sunday 24Th Took Curt to have labs to see when they will do a stem cell collection. They think it will happen on Tuesday. Matt went with us on Saturday.

This is Curt's PA. we see her everyday. Matt was there with us on Saturday too.

Cancer Camp

If you have been wondering where Curt and Elaine are calling home for
the next little while, you can find it on google maps here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&q=40.755096,-111.842827%20%28Dad's%20Cancer%20Camp%29

AViking Visit to Sweden

Dad needed to walk around and IKEA seemed to fit the bill. Here's me
and the man.

Good Day Good Kids!

Curt is having a better day today than yesterday.  We came to HCH and they did labs.  He is progressing just as they said he would.  Tomorrow he comes in to have labs and possibly start retrieval.  Most likely on Tuesday though.  I'm just happy that he feels better today.  Matt is flying out Monday morning and Daniel will be here Monday night.  Curt is so happy for the support his children have given him.  Tishanna is cleaning the house so he can come home and not have any germs to worry about.  Way to go girl!

Chat with Matt

On Friday Matt came over and went with us to Curts appointment at HCH.  He filmed a little in there and then we went to eat at the Bistro.  The dietician told us that Curt couldn't eat out anywhere except at the Bistro. When we got back to the trailer Matt set up the camera again and filmed Dad some more.  Matt wanted his Dad to tell about his life and interesting things that happened to him. We filmed some more then Matt headed back to Ardie's. Curt had a pretty hard night but is feeling better today.

Matt came over about 12:  noon and took us  to get a gellato.  I never had had one so it was new to me.  Then we went to a book store and Dad found a book of painters.  Matt just wondered why his Dad was not in the book!   Some day!

We might go to IKEA tomorrow after his appointment.  Curt and I have never been to one and Matt says that it is a fun place to go to.  We are just happy to hang out with Matt while he is here. 

 

Low Energy

Friday. dressing change today. Energy is very low.

His hair is still going strong...

After spending the night at a friend's house I got up and went to the VA hospital RV where Mom and Dad are camping out.  By that time Mom had already left to run some errands and Dad was resting.  He seemed to be in good spirits today, although fatigued at times.  After getting up, we went up to the hospital with some video recording gear I had brought on the trip.  I had a great time "interviewing" Dad and learning some new things.  I'm actually a little embarrassed about how little I know about his upbringing.  We ate lunch at the bistro and then went back to the trailer.  After that, Mom showed up and we went to a park downtown to walk around a bit.  Dad got pretty fatigued pretty quick and we returned to the trailer where Mom cooked some dinner.  Best news of the day,  Dad still has his hair.  The doctors and nurses informed him that this is about the time he would start to loose it.  Even with a few tugs, nothing seems to be coming out.  So far so good.

Matt flew in last night. Dad was sure glad to see him. This is a rest day and that's about all Curt wants to do.  Matt will get him up and moving today.  I am at my sisters house to do laundry. I will be going with her to a church lunch. Matt is with curt so no worries.

Rest Day

Rest day today. He had the Newlasta shot yesterday and really didn't notice anything different until last night. His ankles started to hurt and his back. The shot really strips the bones of any cancer so it really hurts. He goes back in to see the Dr. on Friday and they hope to do some retrieving starting next week. Lee and Denise came over last night and we had a nice visit. He found out that we needed a pressure thing on our water valve. The water coming from the faucet has too high of pressure to just hook into the trailer. This morning Lee came back over and brought a pressure reducer and hooked us up. We checked for leaks and yeah!!! No leaks. We bled the lines of all the air and now it doesn't spit at me when I turn on the water. I even took a shower with hot water (thanks Jeff) and no spitting shower (thanks Lee). You all have been such a help while we have been here. We have some wildlife at the trailer that we have been watching. I will try to send a picture. We have a magpie, squirrel, robin, and a pair of sparrows. I will try to keep you updated on everything here.
Matt is flying in tonight and will be here till Monday. Daniel might get to come next week. I know that Curt is really looking forward yo seeing his kids! Tishanna is holding down the fort and keeping everything alive in the garden. She might even get to come up here too. Its time to get back to Curt.

That shot will make his

That shot will make his bones hurt. He is prepared for it but not looking forward to it. He doesn't go back till friday.

Curt is really tired today.

Curt is really tired today. we went to HCH This morning. they did labs then gave him a Nulasta shot. It cleans marrow.

Tomorrow might be hard. He

Tomorrow might be hard. He gets a shot that strips bone marrow so it could be painful. He finished the church today.

Today was day five and

Today was day five and Curt was done with the chemo backpack. It was hot today and we just rested and watched a movie.

Back at the trailer...

We are back at trailer now and ready to just relax. While we were shopping we saw one of our girls (foster). Was fun to see her.

Sunday morning...

Sunday morning curt and I made a pioneer church. At 11 Home health came over to change Curt's MEDS. We shopped, then home.

Jeff to the Rescue

Geralyn fed us dinner then we went back to the trailer. What a surprise! Our old, split water heater was outside of the trailer. When we went in we found that Jeff had been there and replaced our water heater. We have hot water now!!!. We sat down to watch a movie and I gave Curt his Lovenox shot the I tried to call Jeff to tell him thanks. I tried his cell, Darcell's cell and the house phone. No one answered! I looked out the front window and saw why they didn't answer. They were pulling up to the trailer. Jeff, Darcelle, Maddy, Chloe, and Harley all came to visit. They stayed for awhile and we had a great visit.. They also brought over a small microwave. We are really living now. Hot water and a microwave! WOW. Curt is in getting his meds changed right now. The home health nurse will come to our trailer tomorrow and do his med change there. I just have to remember to do things one day at a time. If I think about the whole process I get a little over whelmed. We are doing great and are adjusting to the trailer very well.

This is our trailer...

This is our trailer at our spot. its much nicer than on the pavement. we went to Geralyn's yesterday to do wash and visit.

That's our Curt

When we got home last night (VA RV hookups) Curt noticed that a better spot was open. We were set up on pavement and wasn't very level. He said that he would move the trailer in the morning. He was too tired right then. Jeff Johnson came over to check out our hot water heater to see if it can be fixed. He noticed that our truck wasn't there. I had parked it in the vacant space so no one could move in there. He told Curt that he would move it NOW. I was sure glad but of course Curt didn't want him to have to move it. We made Curt stay out of the way and Jeff and I got it moved and set up. It was so nice to wake up and have lawn, a tree and a level place to have the trailer! We put the table and chairs outside so we have a much bigger kitchen.

We are here at Huntsman Cancer Hospital ( HCH) this morning. Curt got his meds changed for the day and I came to the media room to finish my reports for my exchange students. He is getting used to having a backpack with him constantly. We are going home in a few to just rest. Most of the days here have been spent here at HCH. It will be good to have a day that we don't have classes, or meetings! Curt is very positive and happy. He is an inspiration to me and helps me when I get frustrated or sad. What a guy. He also keeps the nurses entertained. Yesterday was his first time in the infusion room. It has windows but the blinds are always down. The windows only go to the hall way so people can look in when they walk by if the blinds are up. Of course we had them up. He doesn't care who sees him. A doctor walked by and came in and complained to the head nurse that there was a patient in there and everyone could see what was going on! The nurse came and talked to Curt and then put up a sign."This patient is aware that he can be seen" It really was pretty funny and Curt was just waving at everyone as they walked by. That's our Curt!

We came to HCH this morning at 10:00 A.M. to start Chemo. So much to learn! I will be giving Curt a shot every night for the duration of the treatment. Maybe as long as a year. They gave him a little back pack with two different drug packs and it runs through a pump. So for the next four days, 24 hours a day he will be carrying his new friend (backpack) with him. He is slowly getting used to it. It will be interesting to see how he does at night.

At 2:00P.M. We came for an information/class. We first saw Patrick who is the physical therapy specialist. He told us about exercising and the facilities that Huntsman has. They even have acupuncture, massage, exercise classes, etc. Then we saw dietician who told us all the foods that Curt can and cannot have.

The social worker came in next to give us information on coping and groups to go to. Yuck! Then an RN came in to talk to us about the whole process of the chemo, retrieval of stem cells, when Curt would feel good and when he wouldn't. This could be a long process. He actually will go through 2 transplants. When I know more about the process I will write it all down. Right now I am on circut overload! Curt is being very positive and up about the whole thing so we are just going with the flow. Everyone we have talked to says that Curt is a very good candidate for this type of treatment. Thats good news so off we go!

Well curt started his chemo today. he has to carry a back pack for four days with a pump. it will take some getting used to. We have a class right now.

We are here at Huntsman Cancer Hospital in a media room. This is a great place and Curt is really optimistic about this journey. We see Dr. Zangari at 2:00P.M. today. He will start the Chemo tomorrow. I love that I can keep a record of this journey and everyone can see his progress too. Thanks to everyone who has helped. We so appreciate everything!

Curt says, "There is one valve for each, unleaded, ethyl, and diesel".

Then we want to check out the internet at huntsman. i need to get my reports done and curt wants to check out this Blog. thanks matt. seems to be working!

Well new day. we have water but only cold. i can heat water on the stove so we're ok. Only visit today is at two and we see the doctor.

Just thought I would end the evening with a great photo of my Dad. I love this one...

At the hosp. We got it all taken care of. First night in trailer was ok but we had major water leak. got it fixed with jeff's help. no hot water though. X O

Well i'm going to try this out. monday curt had tri pic line put in. It has line straight to his heart. it leaked last night so we made quick trip back.

Port was put in today. Basically a small backpack that will deliver the chemo therapy doses. They are now resting. More testing over the next two days and the chemo doses start on thursday.

I thought it might be interesting to share a quick biography my Dad sent to me recently. Many of you already know his artistic talent background , but nonetheless it's fun stuff from the man himself:

As a boy growing up I seemed to be always making or creating something; I enjoyed drawing the most, but when I got an oil-painting set for Christmas when I was 13, I realized I really loved color. It was really messy and fun too. At seventeen I was tricked by a patron who claimed too sick to teach her landscape oil painting class one week. S he later said she saw great potential in my blooming artist abilities and wanted me to grow. Well I loved the students, and seemed like a good way to make money in her art center! I taught for ten years until I moved to Utah and enrolled at Southern Utah State College where I had classes in ceramics, jewelry and all aspects of a 4-year art program. I graduated in 1976 after earning a degree in Art education. Being somewhat disappointed in the public schools after a year of teaching high school art I was hired by the U.S.Forest Service where I worked for 31 years. However, I continued to paint and work with clay to supplement my income all the while receiving many commissions and awards. I retired in 2007 and started building a small studio to have a place satisfy my creative passions.

Hello and welcome to the first posting on Curt's blog. I hope to make this an ongoing site that you will return to find out information about my Dad's adventure with "multiple myeloma" cancer. I talked to my parents this evening and here is the brief but latest information: For the last few weeks they have been preparing their camper for their stay in Salt Lake City for his chemo therapy treatment. They have also been visiting friends and lining up help for chores around their home while they are gone. Tomorrow they will set out on the first leg of their journey. -Matt