Thursday 6/5/03
Today started “Week 2” of Les’ treatments. There are a total of 53 weeks, so 52 more to go or one more year depending on how you want to look at it. There could be delays along the way depending on overall health and blood counts, but we’re praying for good health and good results so that it will go as quickly as possible.
Les had a physical therapy appointment today. He surprised the therapist and me by wanting to do 100 leg presses. We did leg presses last week, but I think he only did about 20. He lays on an inclined board that moves on a track and has a platform placed at 90 degrees to place his feet on. He starts with his legs bent and then straightens them and slides the board up the track. He actually did this 100 times today. He also climbed the stairs twice as far this week as last week and played basketball and kickball. He was doing such a great job that before we knew it, it was time to leave.
As a reward for being such a good participant during therapy, you guessed it – Chicken Nuggets at McDonald’s. Thank You Granny and Pappy Doran for the new batch of Ronald McDonald money :). I’m making it last by only buying the nuggets and then taking them home and making my own lunch while Les savors each and every bite. He actually ate all 6 nuggets. He didn’t eat much the rest of the day, so I think it filled him up pretty good.
This afternoon, after Les’ “quiet rest time” (no sleeping was done to consider it a nap), I was able to go for a long awaited bike ride. I didn’t go too far, but I must admit, it was beautiful. I took my bike down to the San Diego Harbor, which is only about a 4 minute drive from grandma’s. I rode along the harbor toward downtown San Diego and stopped when I got to the Star of India (a tall mast ship that is a museum most of the time but can actually still sail). My trip was a little shy of 6 miles round trip and took me about 35 minutes. It’s a bummer that I have to live away from home for 6 weeks, but I couldn’t think of a nicer place to have to be. I’m truly blessed. Besides, I’m escaping the heat back at home.
During my ride I stopped for a while at a sculpture park along the way. It is called the Cancer Survivors Park (located on Harbor Drive across the street from the airport). The life size bronze sculptures show a father carrying his child, an elderly couple and a young adult entering the “maze” that represents the treatment phase. The maze looks like a 3D square shaped spiral that is a bit kinked. On the other end of the maze are a mom and a dad holding a little boys hands and they are swinging him up into the air. They symbolize the cured patient. I can’t wait for our treatment to end and Les to be cancer free, and then I want us to go down to the park and swing Les up in the air next to the sculpture and have someone take our picture. Besides the sculptures, there were a bunch of “positive thinking” sayings and a short description of cancer and the importance of making a decision to fight it with all you have in you. Since Jason and I are Les’ advocates through this, I took those sayings to heart. There were also some benches that were bright and colorful and had donation plaques next to them. One plaque was sponsored in part by someone who overcame prostate, bladder and lung cancer (I think those were the three types). There was a quote from him that went “Cancer Smancer”. I liked that.
Today started “Week 2” of Les’ treatments. There are a total of 53 weeks, so 52 more to go or one more year depending on how you want to look at it. There could be delays along the way depending on overall health and blood counts, but we’re praying for good health and good results so that it will go as quickly as possible.
Les had a physical therapy appointment today. He surprised the therapist and me by wanting to do 100 leg presses. We did leg presses last week, but I think he only did about 20. He lays on an inclined board that moves on a track and has a platform placed at 90 degrees to place his feet on. He starts with his legs bent and then straightens them and slides the board up the track. He actually did this 100 times today. He also climbed the stairs twice as far this week as last week and played basketball and kickball. He was doing such a great job that before we knew it, it was time to leave.
As a reward for being such a good participant during therapy, you guessed it – Chicken Nuggets at McDonald’s. Thank You Granny and Pappy Doran for the new batch of Ronald McDonald money :). I’m making it last by only buying the nuggets and then taking them home and making my own lunch while Les savors each and every bite. He actually ate all 6 nuggets. He didn’t eat much the rest of the day, so I think it filled him up pretty good.
This afternoon, after Les’ “quiet rest time” (no sleeping was done to consider it a nap), I was able to go for a long awaited bike ride. I didn’t go too far, but I must admit, it was beautiful. I took my bike down to the San Diego Harbor, which is only about a 4 minute drive from grandma’s. I rode along the harbor toward downtown San Diego and stopped when I got to the Star of India (a tall mast ship that is a museum most of the time but can actually still sail). My trip was a little shy of 6 miles round trip and took me about 35 minutes. It’s a bummer that I have to live away from home for 6 weeks, but I couldn’t think of a nicer place to have to be. I’m truly blessed. Besides, I’m escaping the heat back at home.
During my ride I stopped for a while at a sculpture park along the way. It is called the Cancer Survivors Park (located on Harbor Drive across the street from the airport). The life size bronze sculptures show a father carrying his child, an elderly couple and a young adult entering the “maze” that represents the treatment phase. The maze looks like a 3D square shaped spiral that is a bit kinked. On the other end of the maze are a mom and a dad holding a little boys hands and they are swinging him up into the air. They symbolize the cured patient. I can’t wait for our treatment to end and Les to be cancer free, and then I want us to go down to the park and swing Les up in the air next to the sculpture and have someone take our picture. Besides the sculptures, there were a bunch of “positive thinking” sayings and a short description of cancer and the importance of making a decision to fight it with all you have in you. Since Jason and I are Les’ advocates through this, I took those sayings to heart. There were also some benches that were bright and colorful and had donation plaques next to them. One plaque was sponsored in part by someone who overcame prostate, bladder and lung cancer (I think those were the three types). There was a quote from him that went “Cancer Smancer”. I liked that.