The Final Blog

Hello everyone!  I know many of you were able to hear me say the final blog at my dads funeral, but for those who did not I'm sorry it has taken me so long.  I have carried around this piece of paper in my purse since 4/25/2012,  This will be the last post over!

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the differance."

Many of you have been following my dads blog the past 17 months.  This will be my final entry for it.

Throughout my 24 years of life I have seen my dad help many people.  I have seen him provide for his family and make differences in many peoples lives.  He has taught all of his kids many things that we will not forget.  I'm sure all of you saw his passion for cooking.  My dad would get up at 4am to smoke a thanksgiving turkey in the snow for his family.  This is just one of the many things I will not forget about him!

I will always be one of my daddy's little girls and nothing will ever change that!

Thank you everyone for coming and all of the support you have given us throughout this journey! 

Dad will be greatly missed, but forever in our hearts!!



All of us are doing alright, we are very thankful for the people we have in our lives!  It still does not seem real to us.  But like we always do, we will continue to keep our heads held high and spend as much time as we can with the people who matter the most to us!  Thank you again for all of the support we have been given throughout the last 2 years!

"So we'll mount up and onward ride, remembering well the one who died.  Towards the sunset on our road, our biker friend who's gone before."

The beginning of the end

So many of you who read this know what has been going on.  I do apologize greatly for not keeping the blog up to date.  In the past couple months A LOT has changed.  Starting about a month ago, dad started having some minor hallucinations.  He took his own keys away, which was great for us-so none of us had to be the bad guy.  2 weeks ago we had to call 911 for dad.  He wasn’t making to much sense and he could barely catch his breath.  When the paramedics got to the house, his oxygen level was 80%.  (normal is 90+%).  When he got there, he was really bad.  He doesn’t remember anything from the day he had gotten admitted.  Grandma, Grandpa, my brother and my nephew came up to the hospital that night as well.  Once he was looked at and calmed down, he was diagnosed with septic pneumonia (which is when the pneumonia-infection has traveled outside of the lung as well).  It was a very dramatic time at that point, we heard the words hospice, ventilator…a lot of words that scared us.  He stayed in the hospital until the following Thursday, where he received heavy antibiotics while in the hospital to help fight the pneumonia.  He is now home and the house is oxygen equipped.  We have tanks and a condenser in the house-he cannot go without it anymore.  We have a home care nurse and a physical therapist coming to the house to help dad get a little stronger.  He also started to develop a rash on his lower legs, we thought this was because of all of the antibiotics he was receiving.  Come to find out-his body is lacking nutrients.  He is not eating well and hasn’t been.  We try to make him things he likes, or make him high calorie/protein food, but he doesn’t want to eat because his ‘taste buds are out of wack.’  Its an uphill battle. He is very tired all the time and lacks energy.  He did get a CT scan done last week and we are waiting to find out the results this Thursday.  At this point we can probably say he will be entering the process of Hospice very soon.  He is getting to the point where he needs someone with him at all times.  It is very hard for him to walk or balance himself anymore.

The lodge brothers (AMAZING MEN) came over about a week ago and made a beautiful ramp in our garage!!!  Dad is able to use it to get down the garage instead of going up and down steps.  We are extremely grateful to have it!!!  It is amazing!!! 

At this point we are asking people to visit dad.  He needs all of the love and support around him as possible!!!  This battle my dad has been fighting the past year, has not been alone…and we want to continue to show him that there are many people who love and care about him.  My dad IS an amazing man!!! He has helped many people out and continues to think of others during this time. I’m sure everyone reading this right now can think of at least one (if not many more) times my dad has helped you, or stood by your side.  As scary as this can be for everyone, we need you to stand by my dad!!!  

This picture was taken in March when we were able to get the bike started for dad!!  

The Smile we all Love:-)

The Experiment

Well I know I haven't updated in a while, but I really haven't had any news.  Dad was on chemo till the end of last year.  We enjoyed our holidays and had a great time together!  All of us kids were here for every holiday and spent it together at the Peardon household.  So here is the scoop on the treatment.

Dad went in for a scan 2 weeks ago to see how this chemo did on his tumors.  To our surprise it didn't do anything to the tumors on his lungs, they didn't shrink nor did they grow.  On the other hand the spots on his liver did grow.  We kind of hit a road block with chemo because it was starting to affect his bone marrow.  Which made him very sore and uncomfortable.  When he went to the doctors last week we were given a opportunity to try a experimental drug.  After reading the papers, dad decided to go along with it.  We will never really know if he is actually getting this drug as it is an experiment.  There is a 50/50 chance he will get the drug, or a placebo (which is just a saline solution intended to make us believe he is receiving the drug so that the scientists have a controlled group).  As long as all of the tests come back OK, and prove he is a good candidate for this treatment he will begin on Feb 2.  This is a very emotional time for all of us right now because we are in the dark on what to really expect with this treatment.  He will continue to get a more 'normal' chemo (not as strong as he has been receiving) during this treatment.  This is not only a learning experience for us, but as for the doctors as well.  There are only about 200 people in the world who are in this study, and we will find out in a few weeks whether dad will be in it or not. This was dads decision to participate and we will stand behind him 110%!!!

Dad's cough has gotten worse, it is more of a sudden onset and is more violent.  It seems to happen mostly in the morning or in the evening part of the day.  Other than that he is extremely tired and sore.  But those are to be expected due to his body trying to fight off the cancer and fight through the chemo.

This past weekend dad was able to get out of the house and join myself, the twins, and Bob (one of dads friends) at Gleaners food bank!  He was able to stay the whole time!  It was great seeing him out and enjoying himself!!!!  We are truly blessed by the people who we are surrounded with every day!

Dad amazes me every day! When we were talking about this experimental treatment, something that dad said that stood out and always will is.."If it doesn't help me, maybe they can learn from it and it can help someone else down the road."  My dad is amazing!  He is strong and always thinking of others!!! 

I guess this is it for right now, I will definitely be posting more often with this new treatment!  We will keep everyone posted! 

Have a great night and be careful with this weird weather we are having!!!!

"Love the life you life, live the life you love."

-unknown

New News

2 weeks ago dad was in the hospital because of his arm, turns out it's a pinched nerve.  Dad will hopefully be starting physical therapy very soon!  He is still having a very hard time with that arm, and we got a stress ball and I'm trying to get him to use that more to build some strength back.  Other than that he is doing pretty good, his cough seems to be better managed now and not so bad. 
Last weekend we did the smoking blues and jazz festival in Brighton.  Last year my dad and a couple of his friends got together and started a company called the 'Meatloafers.'  They bbqed ribs and made cole slaw and corn and sold it at last years event.  This year the guys decided to do it again and put 100% of the proceeds to cancer research.  I'll post the links at the end of this blog because dad was the highlight of the event for the men!  Dad was having a ball and he had a great time!!!!  It rained a couple times but turned out great!  He had fun, that was the only thing that mattered to us.  Although it is taking him a week to recover, it was still worth it.  Dad's story was on a local radio station, it really touched us that his friends did this for him!  It was an awesome time!!!  It was great just seeing dad do what he loves to do!!!!
Tomorrow (Sunday), there is a 5k walk at Kensington Metropark for lung cancer, we got a couple shirts made for our immediate family and we plan on walking/running (the young ones) to support dad.  I will also post pictures of that on here as well after the event. 
We are doing alright, like always staying busy and keeping everything in order.  I will keep everyone updated (like I always try to do) about dads treatments and his progress!!!!!
Hope everyone is ready for fall and enjoy their weekends!!!!

"Don't tell me the skys the limit, when there are footsteps on the moon."

-annon

The BrightonPatch (article 1)

The one from the radio is hard to link to so I'm just going to copy the article and post the picture on here:

BBQ Team Looks to Grill up Support For Cancer Research

9/9/11 - A charity barbeque team will be firing up the grill to help support cancer research this weekend in downtown Brighton. A charity barbeque team that goes by the name of “The Meatloafers” will be working to raise funds for the Huntsman Cancer Institute during Brighton’s Smokin Jazz and Barbeque Blues Festival which kicks off today. The local group of friends took their hobby of barbequing for family and friends and turned it into a way to raise money for charity since many are involved in different local organizations but things changed when their Pit Boss Joe Peardon (pictured) was diagnosed with stage four cancer and only given one year to live. Team member Jason Conrad Huntley of Brighton says not long after that, his mother was diagnosed with Leukemia and another teammate discovered his father also had stage four cancer. With so many of the team’s family members being diagnosed with cancer and this being their possible last barbeque together, Conrad says it was only natural that it should be an aggressive fundraiser for cancer research. Conrad says residents can stop by their booth this weekend, enjoy some great barbeque and support a great cause. Huntley says all of the proceeds raised this weekend will go directly to the Huntsman Cancer Institute and all funds go directly into research. The Meatloafers will be out at the Smokin Jazz festival all weekend. The Smokin Jazz and Barbeque Blues Festival will run from 5pm-11pm tonight and on Saturday from noon to midnight.(JM)

And here is a picture that I took of Mom and Dad as they were walking around the Festival!!!!

This is the smile we all love!!!!!

Its been a long weekend!!!!

Last week dad had his first chemo treatment of this round.  He did alright, but they said he had a reaction to one of the chemos.  The nurse told him that a human body can only take 8-9 rounds of this certain drug, well dad was on number 8.  The nurses said he did good and his body faught off the reaction pretty well.
Later on during the week dad had a pain in his left should which was getting progressively worse.  On Friday he went to urgent care, and he had a CT scan of his lungs, they didn't find anything and we ended up taking him home.  We had to go back on Saturday to get another CT scan of his brain and shoulder.  Everything came back negative (for more tumors), so this pain he is having is not cancer related.  It is an arthritic condition, he has lost about 50% mobility in his left arm and its very painful.  This week we will talk to the chemo doctor and see when we can see an orthopedic specialist about this issue.  This will most likely mean surgery.  BUT...dad doesn't want to do the surgery quite yet and mess up his chemo schedule.
This has turned into a very painful situation for all of us to watch, we are doing our best to make him comfortable and relaxed.  We are attempting to keep his pain under control and keep up with a regular schedule for his medications.  Dad is still having a hard time getting a good nights sleep, which is affecting everything!
Please everyone, keep dad in your daily thoughts and prayers!!!  I will keep everyone updated on what we find out later on during the week!!!!

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

-Buddha

Finally some news!!!!

Ok, I want to apologize for it taking me so long to update... I know a lot of people depend on this to learn about my dad.  For the past month and a half we have been fighting an 'infection' and haven't really gotten any news.  Since then my dad hasn't gotten better, in fact he has gotten worse.  We have excused the pulmonary specialist that wasn't really doing much for dad from our services.  Dad had a PET scan last week and an appointment with his cancer doctor.  We learned that the spots on his liver have grown and there is a lymph node by his stomach that is now inflamed.  He will be starting chemo again this week.  Dad was also told his cough is just something that is not going to go away.  So we are all still learning how to deal with that as well. 
We are all doing good, just staying busy working.  I am now officially full time and super excited about that!  Dad has been getting out more and doing more activities, which is great!!!!  I will keep you updated on how he responds to this chemo, and how everything is going.  Have a good week!!!!

"We often think to much about the bad things, or the little things.  We let them get to us and we dwell on the wrong decisions we make.  We need to learn more to let go and have fun with what we are given on a daily basis."

-Michelle

Sorry it's been so long!!!!

Well we have been really busy lately!!!  Last week we had a bunch of family and friends out for the weekend!  We all were at the lake and had a blast!!  Had lots of food, laughter, and great memories were made!!! Dad did really good!  He was outside and hanging out with the family the whole time!  Although it really tuckered him out, we were still really proud of him for being out there that much!
Dad has been doing alright, we are still fighting the cough :(... Tomorrow (Thursday) he has a brochoscopy (where they take a camera into his lungs to see what is in it).  The x-rays showed that there is something in there, but it could be a number of things!  So they will be doing that and hopefully we will have some more answers shortly! 
We are still learning each day how to deal with all of this.  Its a daily battle but we are all doing well!  We are greatful for the people who are in our lives! 
I will update when we find out his results from his brochoscopy!

"Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets."

-unknown