With only days remaining to complete Cathy’s radiation treatments, she kept track of the progress on her printed calendar. In the meantime, we helped prepare for and welcome Pastor Alexis and his wife Yunia to Faith to serve the Spanish-speaking congregation, celebrated the end to a successful Summer Camp program and continued chipping in where we can.
Ringing the 2nd Bell
Daily trips every weekday for 4 weeks were the routine for much of July. Each radiation treatment took about 15 minutes or less. For the first 3 weeks, Cathy lay down on her stomach for the “full field” treatment. The last week was a more targeted “Electron Boost” treatment, laying on her back. There was some tenderness, swelling and a little skin irritation, but nothing as bad as she feared. The week after treatment can still produce more symptoms, but as of the last day she was counting her blessings.
Daily trips every weekday for 4 weeks were the routine for much of July. Each radiation treatment took about 15 minutes or less. For the first 3 weeks, Cathy lay down on her stomach for the “full field” treatment. The last week was a more targeted “Electron Boost” treatment, laying on her back. There was some tenderness, swelling and a little skin irritation, but nothing as bad as she feared. The week after treatment can still produce more symptoms, but as of the last day she was counting her blessings.
Cathy and Dr. Anderson's enthusiasm for ringing the bell, parted the rope from the clapper -- Oops. So, the 20th treatment meant the end to another phase and – what else? – ringing a bell. This was a significant milestone and one that we are both glad to have behind us.
In the middle of the last week, there was one more wrinkle. Cathy was scheduled for a colonoscopy. Since we would be traveling for a few weeks shortly after radiation was completed, the doctor wanted to get it done before we left. So on her 18th treatment day, she had a colonoscopy. Now that’s pretty unique. As usual, the prep was far worse than the procedure, which confirmed that all was well. Glad it will be several years before the next one.
In the middle of the last week, there was one more wrinkle. Cathy was scheduled for a colonoscopy. Since we would be traveling for a few weeks shortly after radiation was completed, the doctor wanted to get it done before we left. So on her 18th treatment day, she had a colonoscopy. Now that’s pretty unique. As usual, the prep was far worse than the procedure, which confirmed that all was well. Glad it will be several years before the next one.
Alexis and Yunia with Barry on their first Sunday. Ending and Beginning
Anticipating the arrival of the new pastor to the Spanish-speaking congregation, Dave inspected the condition of their home, installing new smoke detectors throughout. When they arrived late in the afternoon on Tuesday the 9th, he was there along with many members of the congregation to help unload. The process went smoothly, and we all sat down to supper together to welcome them. That night and the next day, Dave helped the new couple get oriented to Faith with a tour of the campus. We also helped run new ethernet cables to bring internet to the house. While Dave and Alexis ran the wire, Cathy contributed her expertise putting connectors on the ends. (Tedious, but necessary.)
Anticipating the arrival of the new pastor to the Spanish-speaking congregation, Dave inspected the condition of their home, installing new smoke detectors throughout. When they arrived late in the afternoon on Tuesday the 9th, he was there along with many members of the congregation to help unload. The process went smoothly, and we all sat down to supper together to welcome them. That night and the next day, Dave helped the new couple get oriented to Faith with a tour of the campus. We also helped run new ethernet cables to bring internet to the house. While Dave and Alexis ran the wire, Cathy contributed her expertise putting connectors on the ends. (Tedious, but necessary.)
On the following Sunday, Pastor Alexis preached his first sermon to a combined congregation, followed by – what else? – a dinner. He has since started taking on the many maintenance tasks as well as getting to know his congregation and riding along with the Kim’s Open Door bus to get to know the
spanish-speaking community nearby.
spanish-speaking community nearby.
The activity associated with the World Relief summer camp came to a bittersweet end with a closing ceremony full of song, pageantry and dance. The children were enthusiastic and excited to perform to an audience and tell about the fun they had had. The sad note was not just the end of the camp, but the closure announced the same day of the World Relief office in Jacksonville. The future of more summer camps targeting these immigrant children is very much in doubt. After the camp ended, we helped the volunteers clean-up and pack up the supplies from the camp.
We’ve had some other comings and goings in the campground as well. Herb and Peggy came for a few days in order to attend a wedding of a grandchild in Sanford. While they attended the festivities, we walked their dog Spotty and tried to keep him happy. This visit also coincided with Peggy’s birthday, so we got to sing to her on Sunday morning before they left. Morris and Karen were able to sell their RV, so they arrived one morning to drive it to the buyer. We still hope to have occasional sightings of them despite the fact that they don’t have a physical hook here at Faith any more. And we have a new neighbor, Ted who works for UMCOR. He is here for a few weeks assessing houses in the area that were damaged by the hurricane to stage them for repairs to be done by volunteers over the coming months.
We’ve had some other comings and goings in the campground as well. Herb and Peggy came for a few days in order to attend a wedding of a grandchild in Sanford. While they attended the festivities, we walked their dog Spotty and tried to keep him happy. This visit also coincided with Peggy’s birthday, so we got to sing to her on Sunday morning before they left. Morris and Karen were able to sell their RV, so they arrived one morning to drive it to the buyer. We still hope to have occasional sightings of them despite the fact that they don’t have a physical hook here at Faith any more. And we have a new neighbor, Ted who works for UMCOR. He is here for a few weeks assessing houses in the area that were damaged by the hurricane to stage them for repairs to be done by volunteers over the coming months.
On July 4th, we celebrated by finishing the painting in the new guest room in Peeler. After cleaning up the painting supplies, Cathy trimmed the blinds so they fit over the AC unit. And with some help from a visiting youth group, we’ve added the recliners, TV and a nightstand. It’s starting to look like a comfortable place to stay.
RV Stuff
Our last installment mentioned the problem we had with our fresh water pump. While the new one had been in our hands for several weeks, it took some time to get around to installing it. The new pump fit easily into the existing plumbing connections. However, its footprint was a little different, causing Dave to trim some wood from the cabinet to give it a little more clearance. Before we used it for the first time, we re-sanitized the water tank with a cup of bleach in the full tank for 6 hours. Once that had been drained, we topped it off and turned on the pump. It runs much quieter than its predecessor and works great.
Our last installment mentioned the problem we had with our fresh water pump. While the new one had been in our hands for several weeks, it took some time to get around to installing it. The new pump fit easily into the existing plumbing connections. However, its footprint was a little different, causing Dave to trim some wood from the cabinet to give it a little more clearance. Before we used it for the first time, we re-sanitized the water tank with a cup of bleach in the full tank for 6 hours. Once that had been drained, we topped it off and turned on the pump. It runs much quieter than its predecessor and works great.
So, What Next?
After Cathy’s next infusion, we have 3 weeks with no doctor’s appointments – the first time this year with that long of a gap. So, we decided to take advantage of the break and take a cruise. We’ll be going from Fort Lauderdale to Quebec on a Princess ship for a 13 day trip. We are looking forward to it and hope to really enjoy the break.
After Cathy’s next infusion, we have 3 weeks with no doctor’s appointments – the first time this year with that long of a gap. So, we decided to take advantage of the break and take a cruise. We’ll be going from Fort Lauderdale to Quebec on a Princess ship for a 13 day trip. We are looking forward to it and hope to really enjoy the break.
