Initial Update

Hi all,
We are so grateful for the abundance of support, love, and encouragement being shown to us. Thank you so very much. Lately, due to Jen's declining health, we've not been able to keep in touch as much as we'd like. That being said, we know how much it means to keep loved ones up to date with how things are going. Those of you who received Jen's handwritten letters know how much she loves keeping in touch. So in light of our inability to have many visitors, answer all phone calls, and respond to all emails, we thought of posting a light blog to keep people "in the loop." I can't promise constant updates, but hope it helps. Things have begun to decline rapidly over the last month, so hopefully this can help get you up to speed.

December
As many of you recall, Jen began to lose her voice late last year due to a paralyzed vocal cord. This, paired with a sudden increase in pain in early December, made things a little difficult for her to do her normal daily activities. Jen and I had a wonderful time throughout the month seeing our grandchildren, Mark, Nicholas, and Susanna who brought a lot of innocent and oblivious cheer to the season. Robin and Rachel were around Victoria and Port Angeles for the whole month, so we had some wonderful visits and having Lauren living in Victoria we had a lovely family Christmas together. One of the highlights was a family trip to the Shaw Ocean Center in Sidney where we got to see the children's glee at the various sea creatures.

January
Over this month, Jen began a slow but steady decline. More scans revealed that the cancer had spread substantially. Another trial course of systemic chemo and was slated to start later in the month.

February
Jenny was unable to have the slated chemo due to a low platelet count. On Tuesday Feb 7th, she had a fall and went into a steep decline in responsiveness and is now having great difficulty speaking. She spends most of her time in bed.

We have activated the Hospice Palliative Care team as it is likely that Jen will need daily attendance by the team for pain medication and monitoring. They are a fantastic resource for in-home care of advanced stage cancer patients, plus the counselor who attends is a wonderful support for all the family to ask questions.

The family has been a huge support with Lauren staying here and both Robin and Heather having traveled from Ontario to help us and Jen. Barbara just arrived from South Africa and my sister Eve is coming from Connecticut next week. Jenny’s Mom & Dad are too frail to travel at this stage, but we keep in daily contact with them. Peter Everett stopped here this weekend on his way back to UK from Houston and has, as expected, lightened our spirits substantially. Robin and Lauren took Peter and I on a "walk" up, down, and around Mt. Doug today - it was a wonderful way to clear my head and decompress.

We continue to pray for a miracle and just take one day at a time and enjoy the love and support that we have from all of you. Jen is not strong enough to see visitors at this stage and right now we have an abundance of lovingly prepared baked goods! However, your thoughts and prayers are appreciated, especially on this World Day of Prayer for the Sick.
Love to you all,
Peter