Mon 31-Aug-09 (Oncologist; catch-up after illness; last day of winter?)

There has been a delay in my writing as I've had an ongoing fight with illness. By the time Maria's birthday came around, I was feeling better and started to slide by the time I wrote the previous entry that evening. Just on Maria's birthday, I forgot to add photos of she and Ben playing Pokemon cards together. So, here you go! Maria won both games, albeit she can't work out how as she relied on Ben to lead her through it. He played fair and square.

By Saturday I was again fighting nausea, headaches and fatigue. I drove Ben to a birthday party on the other side of town, held at "Zone 3", which I could best describe as an indoor laser version of paintball. I came home to have a rest to shake off the nausea before heading back. When I came home I found Maria and Gabi had been into the make-up in a big way. They took a heap of photos of themselves and asked me to finish off their "photo shoot" for them. It was very sweet and will be an awesome memory for Gabi. Here are a few examples of their exploits.

Sunday was generally an easy day. Maria's parents popped through in the morning to wish us a happy birthday whilst enroute to a function at the Hellenic Club (near to us).

The kids got me to play cricket and football with them in the afternoon. I wasn't feeling well at all by the end of it, but it was worth the effort. I have attached a "video highlights package" from our cricket match, which I hope works.

Today Maria and I visited her Oncologist. He was really happy with how she looked. Her blood test from last week showed perfect scores again, indicating as has always been the case she copes perfectly well with the chemo. We collected her next dose. This next cycle (her third) will start next Monday. As Maria is having her MRI next Tuesday and he is off to Germany for a conference a week or so later, he has asked that we contact him a couple of days later to discuss the MRI outcome. Praying for something very special.

This is the last day of winter in the southern hemisphere. I have to say that it doesn't quite feel like it to me—the icy winds may have something to do with it. That said, the flowers are budding and blooming.

Fri 28-Aug-09 (Maria's birthday)

We had a wonderful evening last night seeing the kids' school performing the "Super Saviour Spectacular" (i.e. about Jesus), we all crashed out late after a celebratory McDonalds dinner.

This morning we were up and busy, preparing the kitchen for breakfast. I had prepared the pancakes the night before so it was only a matter of cooking them while trying to get everything ready for Maria.

In the meantime we made Maria a cup of tea and toast to have in bed to pass the time. We came in to find her excited by her birthday and continued hair growth (which was up like a mohawk this morning). She decided to celebrate her day in style with a pose of a rendition of...well...I'm not sure who really!! Anyway, it's great to see she hasn't lost her sense of humour. In fact, in many ways she's gained more of it over the last six months.


After breakfast, a number of phone calls and allowing our tummies to rest, we headed into the city to "Koko Black" (Canberra's version of Max Brenner) where Maria put a gift voucher to good use (thanks Janelle). As it was a sunny day, around 18 degrees celsius (64 fahrenheit) we headed across to the Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets where we bought a seafood lunch, which we took to a park we frequented some years ago. After lunch we played with Ben (football) and Gabi's (netball) new purchases.


When we got home Maria had some time with Ben (as he'll be at a birthday party tomorrow) while Gabi and I went birthday cake shopping. We weren't convinced with what was on offer, so I bought a cake mix and went home and made one myself. I decided to do an icing from scratch, which came out okay. I laid it on thin as it was quite sweet. The kids helped me to decorate it.

After watching a DVD and reading a Bible story, everyone collapsed into their respective beds (I even had to carry Ben to his). I've now done the same, but with the laptop—madly trying to punch this entry out so I can have an early-ish night. We'll probably get around to today's emails (and preparing responses) some time tomorrow.

Maria's hair re-growth

When I have the time, I'll go back and run a photo comparison from different times to give you a visual indication of the stages and speed of re-growth, which has only taken off in recent weeks. For now you can have a look at some photos I took during the week. In addition to the growth on the top, sides and back, it is very exciting to see hair growing on and over the scar line (towards the forehead), which we were told may never come back.

Death of Senator Ted Kennedy (another sober reminder)

As many of you would have seen/read by now, Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy died late on Tuesday night (US time) after a 15-month battle with GBM, the same brain cancer as Maria.
Medical reports indicated Kennedy exceeded medical expectations, given the median life expectancy of a year.

The concomitant chemo/radiotherpay Maria underwent in Israel (international protocol) was standardised in 2005, the first significant breakthrough in fighting malignant brain cancer in 40 years (back then the breakthrough was the introduction of radiotherapy). While there are many clinical trials underway at all different stages (I'm monitoring and learning as much as possible on this journey), it is hard to know how far away the next breakthrough is. Despite what I've just shared, median life expectancies have not significantly increased.

Compared with other cancers, malignant brain tumours result in a high percentage of deaths annually. However, they account for a much smaller percentage of patients. This latter statistic, in my view, presents greater challenges for experts in this field to be heard when seeking funding as a "minion" in the cancer world.

One question I ask myself is: "Will the deaths of high profile people from brain tumours (i.e. Chris O'Brien in Oz - see earlier entry, or Senator Kennedy in the US) help to increase a sufficient awareness, profile, and most importantly funding necessary to perhaps enable the more rapid identification of not only more successful palliative measures, but potential cures and vaccines for brain tumours?"

It's now after midnight and Maria is technically into her first hour as a 39 year-old (alhough I believe she was actually born around 9am). I'd better get to bed to conserve some energy in order to spoil her tomorrow. We have decided to keep the kids home from school so the four of us can enjoy the day together.

Thu 27-Aug-09 (offline due to illness)

Probably an hour or so after sending my previous entry on Tuesday night, I started to feel a little agitated with the onset of nausea. I went to bed early, choosing to sleep in the play/Jazz room next to the bathroom—furthest from all bedrooms. It was a wise choice. Right on 11pm I had my first major bout of vomiting. A combination of nausea, more vomiting, body aches, agitation and hallucinations, ensured I didn't sleep all night.

I slept on and off through the day, but was too ill to see the children perform last night. Thanks to Vivienne, Maria was able to go and see the kids. We were able to bless someone else (who turned up without a ticket)by giving them my front-row seat.

Maria told me today that the performance was amazing. I promised the kids I'll be there regardless of how I feel. That said, I have done a whole lot better than poor Gabi, who only returned to school today after being absent all week. Fortunately she was right to perform last night.

I always have the option of raiding Maria's stock of anti-emetic drugs to help fight the nausea. After complaining about my weight, a few more days of illness might help me drop some kilos.

I look forward to reporting on the kids' performance and Maria's birthday (tomorrow), probably on the weekend.

Tue 25-Aug-09 (six month mark and another small miracle)

On 25 February this year, Maria had her initial craniotomy in Israel to debulk what we later learned was a malignant Grade IV Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). Today is exactly six months down the track and, as you know, Maria already underwent a second craniotomy (15 June), which was complicated by a massive cerebral abscess.

That's all the "doom and gloom" information out of the way. There have been many big and small miracles experienced in this journey, which would take me some time to list. One example is that Maria experienced only minimal neurological deficit after her first surgery. More impressive was that after her second surgery (as regression is expected after each operation) there has been no apparent change. This is more amazing when you consider the infection and complications presented during surgery.

But that is not the news I wanted to focus on. What I want to mention is that it has been a full week since Maria had any form of pain medication. These last seven days has been the first time Maria has not needed pain relief to get through a day since her diagnosis. I claim this as a miracle in itself for the following reasons:

• After the first surgery she was on as much as 24mg of dexamethasone (steroids), in addition to two types of pain relief taken every four hours (which meant she took pain relief every two hours). NB. Steroids are taken to reduce any swelling to the brain, usually caused by the tumour mass or fluid.
• After her second surgery she has been on only 2mg of steroids. This has been complemented with Panadol (i.e. paracetamol for our overseas friends) every four hours. Additionally, she would take a stronger pain relief medication as required, usually required before sleep.
• Her oncologist is still surprised that she only remains on 2mg of steroids until now.

Maria has an MRI on the 8th of September. This will tell us what is really happening inside her head. Let's pray it reflects her current condition!

On another note, we had gale-force winds come through in the early hours of the morning, reaching 100km/h. It woke Maria and me. Gabi woke with her nausea while we were outside admiring the wind's power. I was awake from 2-4:30am, which gave me a chance to reply to a few emails from my phone, while laying in bed listening to the howling outside. We are expecting more of the same wind gusts tonight.

Gabi's night settled and she has eaten dry food throughout the day as we also try to get more fluids into her. I was watching her walk down the hallway earlier and she reminded me of a model on a catwalk, i.e. tall and slim with long legs, in need of a decent meal. She may not be ready for school tomorrow, but should be right for the concert in the evening.

Mon 24-Aug-09 (visit from my parents, Gabi's ongoing illness)

What a way to finish off my birthday yesterday! Firstly, Gabi's vomiting continued throughout the night and only subsided mid-morning. The pain for me was compounded by Australia relinquishing the Ashes to England in the cricket. It will be an unforgettable birthday when I look back on it in the future.

Dad and Mum drove down from the Central Coast (387km away) to visit. They left very early and arrived around 9:30am. We enjoyed the time together with them, especially the lunch Mum prepared.

I took their visit as an opportunity to have a service done on our dear friend's car that we have borrowed for such a long time (thanks Paul and Mel). While I was out with Dad, Maria decided to give Gabi a cup of tea. The problem was that she put milk in it. Gabi drank about 1/3 of a cup, but brought up triple that! She finally got some sleep in the afternoon.

We recently returned from the doctor. Gabi has been diagnosed with gastroenteritis, which will keep her away from school tomorrow and possibly Wednesday. She is now focused on being well enough to perform at the school's first evening performance on Wednesday night. Here's praying.

We took a few photos with Dad and Mum before they headed off to my brother Mark's home in Sydney. As you can see, Gabi's not feeling entirely thrilled about the photo shoot.

Maria is currently sleeping. As I only need to heat up leftover lunch for tonight's dinner and want to get in an early night as I was up with Gabi all night, I thought I'd take this window of opportunity to prepare this entry.

We also bought a car from other dear friends. The four of us are so excited! Here are a couple of photos I took only minutes ago. It will be a huge blessing for our family and we look forward to following in Michael and Vivienne's footsteps by being good custodians of it. Apologies for the quick dodgy job on covering the number plates.

Sun 23-Aug-09 (a quiet 40th birthday, except for Gabi's late onset of illness)

This has been a start-stop entry because of Gabi's illness (see towards end of entry).

As mentioned in the previous entry, I got to bed at 1:30am. I woke to Ben tapping me on the shoulder. He was dressed in his nice clothes, asking me to help him with his cuff buttons. He was very excited it was my birthday. I looked at my watch to find it was only 6:15am! I heard him disappear off to his room. About an hour later I woke to birthday wishes from Gabi. She hopped into bed with me, which meant there was no way I was about to get anymore sleep for the morning as she loves a chat.

Normally a 40th birthday party would be a big event. However, the events of the last six months cemented for me some time ago the need to have some quiet quality time with the family on this day. To be frank, I am not in a celebratory mood. My focus is Maria's birthday this Friday (the 28th) and prayer is to celebrate her 40th with her in August 2010.

One thing I have noticed from the photos (I've also felt it)—which you probably too have observed—is that I have put on a bit of weight. You would think a caring role and running around would lead to the opposite, but there is no time or motivation to exercise and the "running around" is also done by vehicle. I'm hoping to rectify this issue soon as I certainly feel far from what I would consider "normal".

The kids decorated the kitchen while Maria cooked pancakes (family tradition). It was a delicious breakfast! The kids were very excited to help me open my presents. All my gifts (from them and extended family) surrounded my "new toy" (i.e. coffee machine I purchased a while ago). Maria also bought me a fantastic professional hair clippers set.


Mark, Cass and the boys joined us for morning tea. After so much travel they have undergone in recent months, it was a huge blessing that they took this time out to come and share some of this day with me.


Around lunchtime the kids and I headed into the city to collect something. After our return we took it easy and played our football game, which the kids won again. Maria captured some of the moments on film and video.


As we were working out dinner plans, Gabi started to complain of illness. She commenced vomiting around 5:30pm. It is now after after 10:00pm and I have just been in to Gabi once again. Her frequent vomiting episodes have driven her to exhaustion. Even during her suffering, Gabi's main concern has been to ensure that her Mummy doesn't get sick. Gabi is also sad that she will miss the beginning of their school performances that will take place this week. She has been practising at home for this. Watch this space later in the week for more information on that.

Maria took an early exit to bed, also exhausted from a combination of her insomnia, all the effort she put in to make today a lovely day for me, and helping out with caring for Gabi while getting Ben sorted for bed and the school week ahead.

My plan was to stay up and watch the Australians more than likely lose the Ashes (cricket). However, as I just moved Gabi to my bed as I am anticipating a rough night for her (albeit I'm praying against that), I'm going to hit the sack soon.

Sat 22-Aug-09 (surprise visit)

We went out to do a little shopping in the morning. I left Maria and the kids at the shopping centre so they could do a little birthday shopping and the kids could have haircuts. This gave me an opportunity to shot across to the hospital to collect some bits of equipment for Maria.

In the afternoon while Maria rested, the kids and I went down the road (less than 5mins away) to watch our niece Maggie play soccer against the club Ben played for (and I coached) prior to us heading overseas. Maggie's team had an impressive 4-0 win. Afterwards they came back to our place so we could see each other before three birthdays (mine tomorrow, Brian's on the 26th and Maria's on the 28th). Brian is recovering well from recent knee surgery and we continue to keep him in our prayers. We enjoyed a couple of cakes Effie had made and all indulged in pizza together.

In the evening I was sitting watching the cricket when my brother Mark called to say hello and asked if he could pop over and watch with me. This was a surprise to learn that he, Cass and the kids had travelled from Sydney to see me for my birthday. It was nice for just the two of us to hang out. Something we haven't done for a long time. It was very special. The only downside wss that we got to watch the Wallabies (Australia) lose to the All Blacks (New Zealand) in rugby by a single point when they looked like they may snatch victory in the dying seconds.

After Mark left I saw Maria's light on. When I checked on her I found her wide awake. She continues to struggle with her sleep and prayer over this would be great. We chatted until about 1:30am until I struggled to keep awake. See the next entry about the start to the morning...

Home church teaching

The sermon topics I've focused on (completely aimed at the kids, using props and interaction in many cases) include:

• Using the Bible as a map for travel through life
• Receiving and using the gift of salvation
• Running the race in times of trial
• God and "fairness"
• Resisting the temptation of Satan
• God answers prayer (focusing on the Lord's prayer)
• The importance of music as part of our worship

I also give them some simple resources to reinforce the messages. It has also been great to have communion together each week (Gabi has enjoyed helping in its preparation). I have also loved watching them worship with us in an uninhibited manner. Praise God!

Sun 16-Aug-09 (quiet weekend, Maria a little unwell)

We did our usual "family night" on Friday. It was DVD night so after making our own pizzas, it was the grown-ups turn to choose what to watch. As we tend to always pick 'A Little House on the Prairie', the kids usually protest profusely. Funnily, they always enjoy watching it. This time there was no fuss or complaining. We ended up watching two episodes!

Maria took her last dose of chemo for this cycle at the end of the evening. She has managed the chemo very well to date.

Weekends are becoming a time to take it easy. In fact the kids are the ones seeking to laze around the house. On Saturday they stayed in their pyjamas all day. Maria was tired and a little ill towards dinner, which may have been from lunch (unsure). The kids and I watched an Asterix and Obelix DVD over dinner.

Today we followed the usual trend of late BBQ breakfast, followed by Home Church. The rest of the afternoon was taken up by Maria and I having separate play time with them both, and after she went for a nap the kids and I had quiet reading time followed by a game of NRL (Rugby League) in the backyard before dinner. It should be noted that Maria did not come out of her slumber to participate in this bone-crushing event. Actually, I can't recall how it started, but the kids and I had our first game on Thursday afternoon and they enjoyed beating me with a final try right on full-time (i.e. when Ben was injured and unable to continue). I recall feeling sore and tired on Friday but unable to put my finger on why this was the case until later in the day. As I have moved around a lot of the furniture in the "Jazz Lounge" (living/play room) this evening—including one seriously heavy bookcase—I expect I won't feel any better in the morning for it.

Maria went to bed early feeling a little agitated and not quite well, but not seriously unwell either. The kids and I did Bible Study and prayed for her. She picked up quickly in terms of her unwellness, but was still very fatigued. Here's praying for a good night and no further problems.

The week ahead does not involve any medical appointments (which is nice). However, I do need to go to the hospital to collect some items for the house, which were prescribed during an OT assessment.

Thu 13-Aug-09 (in search of a car)

When we returned to Australia at the end of May, we hired a car for a week until very dear and generous friends loaned us one of their vehicles, which we have used since. With so much happening since we hit Australian soil, car shopping slipped down the priority list.

Now that things are slowing a little for us, we decided it is time to sort out this situation. Yesterday we contacted a good friend of Maria's sister. He is making some enquiries on our behalf and we are hoping that by the weekend we'll have a short list of cars to consider. For those of you interested in the type of car we want, it can only be one of the following German cars (Audi, BMW, Porsche, Mercedes). In all seriousness, we are looking at a Subaru Forester (used).

On a more important note, Maria continues to cope well with this cycle of chemo. Otherwise, we (includes the kids) are tired but doing okay, and looking forward to the weekend.

Wed 12-Aug-09 (chemo, brief visits, leave from work)

Maria and Ben were both unwell on Monday morning—Maria coughing with some congestion, while Ben was generally unwell as if a flu was coming on. We kept Ben home and he seemed to pick up during the day. By the time Maria started her next cycle of chemo that evening, she too was feeling a whole lot better.

It is now Wednesday evening and she just had her third dose a short time ago (10:00pm). To date she has not experienced any nausea. Praise God!

Maria's parents visited on Monday enroute to the hospital for her father's teeth extractions. They called later to say that he only had x-rays and an examination. There appeared to be a communication breakdown or misunderstanding somewhere along the line.

After presenting medical evidence to work that I am required to continue caring for Maria (as I have done so until now), I received confirmation from work that this leave would be covered under my sick leave provisions. At this stage I will be away from work until the end of the year, but hoping that opportunities will present where I can return to work on an ad hoc or part-time basis. This round of chemo and a planned MRI in the next four weeks will be good indicators to work with. I just wanted to say again that work has been hugely supportive since Maria's diagnosis in Israel.

Tuesday was a reasonably uneventful day.

Today my parents visited after an overnight break in a nearby town overnight, enroute from Victoria. They arrived mid-morning and came with me in the afternoon to pick the kids up from school. They left later this afternoon to head home and Mum just SMS'd me while I was typing this paragraph (10:30pm) to say they made it home safely. Another answer to prayer.

Maria has a physio appointment tomorrow. Apart from that she has kept plans to a minimum for the remainder of the week as she continues to rest to combat the fatigue and headaches that come and go.

Sun 9-Aug-09 (home church, quiet day)

I normally cook bacon and eggs on the BBQ for breakfast on Sundays, but broke away from that tradition today to cook pancakes instead, which I had prepared during one of the breaks in the cricket last night. After breakfast I prepared my messages and music selection for home church.

Our service went well. The kids started off by performing a small skit they put together shortly beforehand. I delivered my usual two interactive mini-messages with contemporary worship music in between. We also did our weekly communion.

Maria has become more fatigued of late and struggled with some additional headaches last night, which could have been a result of the fatigue from yesterday's interview. She went for a rest after lunch and is still asleep as I type. I decided to take this opportunity to cover this quiet day for us (albeit it's not yet over) while waiting for a load of washing to finish. The kids have been occupying themselves singing and performing to Colin Buchanan background tracks. I took some video and a photo of them in action. Here is the photo.

Maria will commence her next cycle of chemotherapy tomorrow night. We're praying that the increased dose will not only work, but has no (or minimal at worst) side effects. Her parents will visit briefly tomorrow before her Dad has a tooth surgically removed. My parents may come through for a brief visit on Tuesday or Wednesday while travelling back from being with our sister-in-law Cass and her family. Cass' father's funeral takes place @ 2:00pm tomorrow. For those prayer warriors out there, I'd be grateful for you joining us in praying across tomorrow, particularly that everything will run smoothly during this time of sadness, reflection and opportunity to enjoy the legacy that Max has left behind.

Sat 8-Aug-09 (filming, shopping with kids)

The day started with Maria's involvement as a participant in a documentary. As you can see, one of our living rooms (we call the "Jazz Lounge" - long story to that) was transformed into the area where the interview would take place. The kids were very excited and wanted to get in on the act. They had a couple of minutes on the lounge doing the sound testing. They went off and watched a DVD on our bed for a while, then quietly occupied themselves in their rooms. They were great!

The filming went, with the two doctors involved being very gentle and sensitive in their approach. The interview was more like a fire-side chat and flowed really well. Maria was amazing in her responses, without having prepared (apart from in prayer) and not being aware of the questions in advance. Towards the end she fatigued quite quickly so they stopped. They will possibly come by on another occasion to take some photos around the house to capture that bit of Maria and us as a family. I put them off doing that today as we are still yet to fully unpack.

Because the kids were so well behaved and to celebrate Maria's effort, we went to "Maccas" (McDonalds for our overseas friends) for a treat. Afterwards, we returned home for Maria to rest while I took the kids to "Big W", so they could spend a little of their hard earned savings. Ben bought Star Wars Lego (no shock there) and Gabi purchased a Barbie DVD, which we watched and enjoyed over dinner as part of our second consecutive "family night". I stayed up till the early hours (nothing new) to watch the cricket.

Fri 7-Aug-09 (good end to the week)

The kids have had a pretty good week. Ben was apparently rewarded for proactively cleaning some of his classroom and was also acknowledged for obedience. Gabi has also started to blossom, winning a couple of awards this week (as you can see from the photos).

While it is exciting to see them receive awards, it is their hearts that are most importance to us. The kids have certainly been shining there too. Ben has been taking on a more active role around the house with cleaning up and his preparation of toast for Maria in the morning. We have noticed some more maturity in him. During Gabi's parent-teacher interview earlier in the week (which went well), we learned that she has been actively caring for some of her classmates when they have been distressed from time-to-time. We were told that Gabi has shared about Maria's illness in her Christian Life Studies subject and spoke about he importance of faith.

Effie came up from Cooma this morning and arrived during a visit from a physio, who was also doing an OT assessment. Afterwards, Effie and Vivienne took Maria out to lunch. I took the opportunity to prepare dinner and a few odd jobs around the house.

This evening we had our usual weekly Friday "family night" and the kids went to bed late (around 9pm). We just hung out, not watching any DVDs.

Tomorrow we are going to be visited in the morning by a couple of doctors (one of them a professor) who will interview Maria as part of a documentary. Watch this space...

Tue 4-Aug-09 (further to yesterday's entry)

I received an SMS from my mum to let me know that our sister-in-law's (Cassandra) father passed away early yesterday (Monday) evening.

I'd be grateful if you keep Cass, her mum, two brothers, and sister in your prayers at this time.

Mon 3-Aug-09 (Oncologist, Athletics Carnival)

The day started with us taking Ben down the road to his Athletics Carnival. It was cold, overcast and windy. He started in the 800m run. In typical sprinter fashion, he decided to get off with an explosive start and see how he'd fare. About 200m later he was struggling at the back of the pack. By the second lap he and another boy were walking and jogging together. They both entered the home straight some distance from the rest of the pack, but the energy expended to avoid the "wooden spoon" was more thrilling than at the other end (because of the larger gap between the winner and 2nd). It was close until the last 10m when Ben pulled away for his own little victory.We got Gabi to school and made it to the hospital in time for Maria's appointment with the Oncologist. He openly admitted he was a little nervous seeing Maria today, but was pleasantly surprised to see that she appeared so much better than he expected. He said her blood count was "perfect" so he decided now to ramp up the chemo dose (they always start on a lower dose to see how one copes with it). Praise God! Thanks for all the prayer coverage.

Maria's next chemo cycle will commence next Monday, as mentioned in the previous entry.

Afterwards we were going to meet the Social Worker. She was on her way out to a meeting so we went for a coffee and came back in time to see her. While in the Cafe, it was interesting to see that Maria still just picks up on all things going on around her. She sent me off to offer assistance to some she saw needed it. This is not the first time over the past months (and years) that you see Maria's other-centredness (Christ likeness) shining through. When we eventually saw the Social Worker, we spent some very worthwhile time with her. Another lovely person who has been put on our path. I can't recall if I've mentioned it before, but it is ironic that Maria was actually once an Oncology Social Worker at a major hospital.

After the hospital we went back to see a little more of Ben. It had warmed a little by now and the sky was blue. Upon arrival we found him with three ribbons (1 x 3rd, 2 x 4th). He couldn't exactly recall the races, but said they were for sprints (probably 70m, 100m, 200m). We got there in time to see him come second in his shot put group (if you look closely at the photo below, you can see the 'shot' in mid-air). He did not get a ribbon, which suggests that overall he missed out. We didn't care at all about the outcome, apart from seeing that he had enjoyed himself.
This afternoon Ben and Gabi got the Yo-Yos they had ordered through school. As you can see from the photo below, we even got "holsters" with them. It has been a happy but frustrating afternoon for them both, especially when their dad (who hasn't touched a Yo-Yo for nearly 30 years) could do a few tricks. It was unintentionally demoralising for them. I've now wisely chosen to take on a mentoring/coaching role only.

Sun 2-Aug-09 (summary of the last week)

Last weekend we bought the kids their first full Bibles. They are both Study Bibles in the NIrV (New International Readers Version). Both have been very excited and each night since have been delving into brief studies on Maria’s bed before their bedtime. It has also been helpful for them when doing readings at “home church” I’ve been running over the last couple of Sundays. Interestingly their favourite books of the Bible come from the Old Testament—Ben’s being ‘Joel’ and ‘Esther’ for Gabi.

Without having any medical appointments in the first half of the week, we were able to have our dear friend Sue over for lunch as she and her husband Ron (the Minister of the church we attended before heading overseas) prepare to retire and move away from Canberra. It was a blessing to have that time together. We were also blessed to have attended Ron’s retirement dinner held at the church the previous weekend. There were so many people we hadn’t seen for ages. It was a lovely event. Maria was absolutely exhausted by the end of it though. The kids were exceptionally well behaved, but were also very fatigued by the end of the evening.

We also had the owner of a joinery (highly recommended) come and look at our kitchen as we want not only a new kitchen but a complete overhaul of the space. Peter has owned the company for 27 years and in addition to having the majority of his tradespeople on the books for 20+ years (good sign), they project manage all works, which is going to be helpful for us as we will need some serious renovations done. We will see the initial plans this week and get an estimate of costs, which I know will not be cheap.

We became busier later in the week with some medical appointments. The first appointment was with the Infectious Diseases Control professor. He, like all the specialists we are dealing with, is very nice. We discussed some of Maria’s more recent issues of joint pain and insomnia. He thought it could be related to the antibiotic and recommended we cut back the dose in the hope that the cerebral abscess has gone by now or is close to healing. As you cannot differentiate tumour from infection in an MRI or CT, he will monitor to see how Maria copes. As she is going to be on oral antibiotics indefinitely then if these side effects continue, the professor will consider changing the antibiotic. We also took this visit as an opportunity for Maria to have her “Day 21” blood test for this chemo cycle.

We met with the Neurosurgeon on Friday morning and he put Maria through a reasonably detailed examination. He will manage “the scans” (MRIs, CTs), with the next MRI planned for in 6 weeks. He had a quick look at some of Maria’s blood test results and said they would be discussed in more detail with the Oncologist, but from what he briefly examined, what he was interested in looked fine. Praise God!

I saw Maria’s GP in the afternoon to discuss some administrative issues associated with my time off work.

Going back to the ‘side effects’, although the joint pain has not changed till now, her sleep has vastly improved over the past couple of days.

Gabi spent most of the day having a play date with her dearest of girlfriends. Apparently they both planted 60 flowers between them at a local church’s garden bed in about 40 minutes. As Gabi was out for most of the day, Ben and I took the opportunity to have “boys time” together. We kicked the football around, did a big grocery shop, and went car ‘window’ shopping. We spent about 1½ hours in the cold walking around checking out a range of new and used cars. I was happy to quickly look and move on before being accosted by sales reps, while Ben wanted to examine every car in detail (especially the new cars we couldn’t afford) at every location. He got a lot of enjoyment out of the experience. I think we are still a little way off from getting something we want in our price range.

Ben has his athletics carnival in the morning (Gabi’s will be in November). He is looking forward to it and even signed up for the 800m cross-country (early event) without him having any expectations, which is a nice change. Unfortunately the weather forecast is not looking favourable at this stage.

In the morning we will be dropping Ben off at the sports carnival venue without being able to hang around, then dashing to get Gabi to school before heading to the hospital for Maria’s appointment with the Oncologist (09:40am local time) to check the blood tests in more detail and I assume prepare for her next cycle of chemotherapy, which starts on the 10th. For any of you reading this before the event, we would be grateful for your prayers.

We hope that if Maria is up to it for a little while, wee may be able to pop across to the carnival after the medical meeting to see how Ben is faring.