
Davis' family is writing this post as Davis is spending his energy with his family, friends and of course Dora!
Davis was an inpatient at the Cross Cancer (with day passes when possible) for 2 weeks. During this time they managed his pain with medication and radiation and gave him 14 units of packed red blood cells to stabilize his hemoglobin. He was discharged on Tuesday, October 16. Thanks to all of Davis' Cancer Kickers on his GoFundMe and all of you who supported in other ways we were able to bring Davis home with around the clock nursing. We are also using the funds for Davis' medications that are not covered by any plan. For example, his pain and anxiety medications are covered, but the dispensing fee is not (approx. $50. per IV bag, so far we've needed 5 bags); it is not a typical IV bag as we use a special pump through his CVC (central line) and it is all computerized to deliver the correct dose. It is working very well and Davis is comfortable. We can't say enough great things about Oneball providing support for organizing all of Davis' expenses and Bayshore's nursing staff, who is paid by the GoFundMe. It is a pleasure to have them in our home to care for Davis. Davis' GP calls and visits daily, as well, the Palliative Care Home Unit comes in daily to both monitor Davis and ensure the pumps are operating properly. Davis is doing so much better at home. He can spend quality time with his wife, parents, brother, sister and friends - playing games, watching movies and talking. He and Dora spend hours napping together. Thank you to Bayshore, Cross Cancer, Palliative Home Care and everyone else who is helping Davis during this time and a heartfelt thank you for everyone supporting us to make it possible. One of the topics Davis wanted to write about is Living Life to the fullest. Here are Davis' thoughts as he has expressed to us.
Living Life to the Fullest
At the beginning of this journey Davis just lived life normally for the most part as he partly described in his blog post dated Sept. 12, 2018. Since he was juggling normal life with the side effects of chemo, he'd subconsciously prioritized his time. Family and close friends became more important than ever. As each treatment failed, time became more precious and priorities became very clear. After the tandem stem cell transplant didn't work Davis said, "I'm going to live 50 years in 6 months and then live it again at normal speed." He did just that - marrying the love of his life, Angela. We planned the wedding of their dreams in 5 weeks. Everything came together smoothly. They wanted a small intimate wedding with only close friends and relatives. They wanted a close friend to officiate, which we found out couldn't legally happen, so the legal marriage occurred on May 4th (YES, Star Wars Day!) and the wedding ceremony on June 10th. June 10th was amazing, a beautiful wedding and what a party for the reception! (We will post some pictures in another blog post another day). A great time had by all! Thank you Hastings Lake Gardens and Gamers Lodge for sharing your space to allow for a perfect day. Next up was some travel time. Davis and Anj enjoyed lots of time at our cabin, one of their favourite places on earth and they did a mini Alberta tour visiting places and seeing friends. Then came Dora, Anj fell in love with Dora right away even before meeting her. Both Davis and Anj said, "why wait for our puppy?" Dora is a wonderful addition to their family and brings so much joy into our home. Davis has always lived and appreciated every moment and by doing so, has loved every stage of his life. He talks about all sports he played as a child, fishing with his Papa, skiing at Silverstar with his Nana, Easter's in Creston, time with friends, his music, his time in high school and university, and all the time he spent at our cabin. This year, a great games night with family or friends which brings lots of fun and laughter. The simple things in life bring the most joy. He is an inspiration to all of us. Now for the real meaning of living life to the fullest - when you have limited energy you have to be choosy on how to spend your time. Do what you love most. Spend it with who you care about most. Take advantage of every moment you have. Cuddle your wife and nap with your dog (yes wife comes first).
As Davis said in his blog post Oct. 1, 2018:
"Don't dwell on what could happen, because why? Focus on the now."
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