Florida Fun

We have just returned from a wonderful week on the Gulf coast of Florida.  First stop was Sarasota, where my husband Charlie had his one-year check-up at the Dattoli Cancer Center.  Scans and ultrasounds and exams showed no recurrence or new cancer!  Great news!

Then it was on to Lido Key Beach for a couple of days.  We stayed once again at the Sand Castle Resort.  It was only steps to the water from our room, and warm enough to enjoy sitting on the beach.

On Thursday, we drove down to Ft. Myers for the weekend with my brother Jeff, his wife Anna, and their son Michael who has recently graduated from Florida State.  He leaves on Thursday for a new job in Washington, DC, so we were glad for a chance to visit with him, too.

Jeff took us on a boat ride up the Caloosahatchie River in Ft. Myers, right up to the bridge we crossed every day on our trips to Sarasota for Charlie's treatment.

We saw a lot of great sunsets on this trip.  This one is from the deck behind my brother's house.

And on our last night, we sat on the causeway to Sanibel Island and watched our last Florida sunset for awhile.  

Next check-up is in September, and we hope that visit will be just as magical.

Life is Beautiful

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind.  We soaked in a lot of beauty in Florida on our daily travels to and from Sarasota.

 We splurged and stayed for two days at Lido Key in Sarasota to save a bit of travel time and relax on the beautiful gulf beach.

                                          

We crossed a lot of bridges, both literally and figuratively.

And we are happy to say that on the last day, Charlie's doctor told us that he is in complete remission!  We cannot believe it.  It is almost a miracle!

Here is our Florida team that was with us all the way...my brother Jeff and his wife Anna.  We cannot thank them enough for providing a home, car, meals, and constant support and friendship.

So this part of our journey is over.  We are home.  We are feeling blessed and grateful.

If anyone you know is experiencing prostate cancer, even advanced cases with metastasis like Charlie's, I can highly recommend Dattoli Cancer Center in Sarasota, Florida.  All they do is treat prostate cancer.  And they do it well.

A New Journey

I have not been very faithful in posting to this blog lately.  Much has been happening in my life this year; some good, some awful.  I have not mentioned the bad part until today.

My husband Charlie was diagnosed in April with a very aggressive form of prostate cancer.  It had already spread throughout his skeletal system and some lymph nodes.  We were told by his doctor in Raleigh that the only treatment was to slow it down with a hormone regimen.  And that would only be effective for a limited time.

So, we have spent lots of time on the computer doing research.  And spent lots of time with family and friends.  We have been to Sunset Beach, NC; our cabin in the North Carolina mountains; his brother's family home in Rutherfordton, NC; and recently Alberta, Canada!  It was cool and beautiful up there.  I have about a thousand photos.  More to come!

Bow River, Banff, Alberta, Canada

Anyway, the good news is that through networking and research, we think we have found a place that can treat Charlie's cancer and allow him to achieve permanent remission.  We have been getting ready since the beginning of July to spend a couple of months in Florida while he receives radiation treatment at the Dattoli Cancer Center and Brachytherapy Research Institute in Sarasota, Florida.  We came down on Monday August 10, and stayed in Sarasota while they did more exams, tests, and simulations for the radiation treatment.  

Charlie and me in front of the Miracle Machine!

Monday was Day 1 of treatment.  We had to be in Sarasota..86 miles away...by 7:40 AM.  We left at 5:45 and made it with 20 minutes to spare.  It was a long, dark, boring drive.  Only 41 treatments-more or less- to go!

The upside is that he was done by about 8:30.  Then we went to Lido Key for a few hours of R&R in the Gulf of Mexico!  We have been to three beaches so far and liked all three.

We ate a nice lunch in Sarasota and then headed back to my brother and sister-in-law's house.  They have generously offered us a place to stay for the duration, as well as a car to drive back and forth.  They live in a very comfortable home by a lake.  It will be a good place to unwind from all the driving and medical stuff.

The lake behind my brother's house just after a thunderstorm

So, that's what is happening.  We feel lucky on many counts, and have been very blessed with many prayers and well wishes.  We can do this!