The Beyond 90 House Dedication ceremony Two weeks after Cathy’s lumpectomy surgery, the 2nd of our Nomads projects started at Faith. Unfortunately, Cathy saw very little of the work, since Dave was driving her to the ER literally as the project kickoff meeting was starting. Despite this distraction, the project continued on and accomplished a lot. Cathy’s hospital stay was brief, and she continued to heal from surgery in preparation for chemo.
Transformation
The water damage over the years had rotted away the floor joists in the bathroom, leaving little that was salvageable. When the team arrived, instead of seeing some part of the floor, what they saw was simply dirt. This was one of the more daunting tasks to transform this hole into a functioning bathroom. Each room had work required – some more intense than others.
The kitchen with exposed walls before the project starts This was the state of the project at the Beyond 90 house. The team’s goal was to turn this project into a finished home that would house a family of recent immigrants, beyond their first 90 days of government support. Despite a considerable amount of doubt early on, the transformation took place. And the setbacks were not just in the unpleasant discoveries at the house as walls and floors were removed. Just before the project was to begin, we had a team member rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. Another couple was unable to come because their rig had a malfunction. And then Cathy was in the hospital, taking Dave away for hours a day.
A full campground The beauty of a Nomads project is that, despite our inability to envision how the problems will be solved, they usually get solved. A call went out to the larger Nomads community describing the difficulties on our team, and we were almost overwhelmed with responses. By the middle of the 2nd week, the campground was full to the brim, bringing talent and enthusiasm to the work. Also, Morris was there to provide the leadership Dave was unable to provide on site as he was pulled away to be with Cathy. Donna picked up some of the slack in the administration and logistics that Cathy would normally provide. So, by the end of the 3 weeks, there was a working guest bathroom that had no hint of its disastrous start, new kitchen cabinets in place, new outlets and lights in every room, a beautiful tiled shower in the master bath and new flooring throughout. That’s not even a complete list. We ended the project with Pastor Barry dedicating the house, and all of the Nomads signed the back of the certificate so it could be a reminder of how much had gone into making this house a home.
Completed bedroom Despite the best efforts to get it all done, by project’s end, there were still small tasks to be done to finish up. A core group of the Nomads stayed behind to work into the next week. By the time we pulled out for the last time, the house looked brand new, and nearly ready to welcome its first tenants. Also , the relationship between Lori and Barton, the founders of Beyond 90 and this team of volunteers was one of mutual admiration, celebrated at a lovely dinner before the project ended.
Check out the team at work in the project video:
Check out the team at work in the project video:
First bedroom in the apartment takes shape The Apartment – a Bonus
Even though the primary focus for the project was the Beyond 90 house, resurrecting the church’s garage apartment for Pastor Rigo’s family was still a big ongoing task. Although work had been going on slowly since the period 1 project ended in January, we needed as much talent and time as could be spared from the house to make any meaningful progress. So, by the 2nd week of the Beyond 90 project, we were able to pull 2 people over to focus on plumbing tasks that ended up with a working water heater, toilet and sink. Bit by bit, more workers switched over and the work continued. The dry wall went up. Doors were hung. Outlets and lights were checked out. Slowly it was starting to look more like a place to live.
Even though the primary focus for the project was the Beyond 90 house, resurrecting the church’s garage apartment for Pastor Rigo’s family was still a big ongoing task. Although work had been going on slowly since the period 1 project ended in January, we needed as much talent and time as could be spared from the house to make any meaningful progress. So, by the 2nd week of the Beyond 90 project, we were able to pull 2 people over to focus on plumbing tasks that ended up with a working water heater, toilet and sink. Bit by bit, more workers switched over and the work continued. The dry wall went up. Doors were hung. Outlets and lights were checked out. Slowly it was starting to look more like a place to live.
Dave and crew install ceiling panels
Medical Drama
Another hospital visit hadn’t been on the radar at all when Cathy got up Sunday morning to go to Sunday school and church. But the swelling under the arm was getting harder and, unlike earlier instances when she had gone to the surgeon to have it drained, the area around the lymph node incision was getting red and warm. By mid-afternoon, her temperature was rising a little every time she checked it. The only option was to head to the ER. After some tests, she was admitted for a post-op infection, and put on an IV antibiotic. On Tuesday, the fluid was drained and a surgical drain inserted to collect any more fluid that might accumulate into a bag she would wear for the next 10 days. Uncomfortable and awkward, but better than the alternative. And once the drain came out, no more fluid was accumulating so it had done its job. Whew!
Another hospital visit hadn’t been on the radar at all when Cathy got up Sunday morning to go to Sunday school and church. But the swelling under the arm was getting harder and, unlike earlier instances when she had gone to the surgeon to have it drained, the area around the lymph node incision was getting red and warm. By mid-afternoon, her temperature was rising a little every time she checked it. The only option was to head to the ER. After some tests, she was admitted for a post-op infection, and put on an IV antibiotic. On Tuesday, the fluid was drained and a surgical drain inserted to collect any more fluid that might accumulate into a bag she would wear for the next 10 days. Uncomfortable and awkward, but better than the alternative. And once the drain came out, no more fluid was accumulating so it had done its job. Whew!
A port similar to this one will be used for the many infusions of chemotherapy over the next year The rest of the doctor appointments were focused on getting ready for chemo. The pathology reports of the surgery confirmed the tumor had been completely removed and the margins were clear. There was no cancer in the lymph nodes so it hadn’t spread. The original attributes of the cancer from the initial biopsy were confirmed: ER+, PR+, Her2-. So, the treatment plan remained the same. There will be 12 weekly treatments of Taxol, with Herceptin given every 3 weeks, but continuing for a year. Radiation will follow chemo a few weeks later and will run 5 days a week for 4 weeks. Chemo had to be delayed a couple of weeks due to the infection, and is now slated for Monday, March 18. To reduce the chance of infection, Cathy even had her teeth cleaned.
So, Cathy continues to receive lots of prayers, cards, emails, texts and hugs of encouragement and support. They are generously given and wonderful to receive. The only thing that gives one pause is how many people are saying, “I’ve been there” or “I’m going through this too.” There are just too many people in this club. But that also means the diagnostic testing and treatments are working as well. And that at least is a good thing.
With the risk of infection raised, Cathy stepped back from any on-site project work. Instead, Dave had her pick up some grant writing activities for the Pocahontas State Park Group Cabin Stabilization effort. We wouldn’t want her to have too much time on her hands, would we? She managed to get two submitted just before their March 1st and March 15th deadlines.
With the risk of infection raised, Cathy stepped back from any on-site project work. Instead, Dave had her pick up some grant writing activities for the Pocahontas State Park Group Cabin Stabilization effort. We wouldn’t want her to have too much time on her hands, would we? She managed to get two submitted just before their March 1st and March 15th deadlines.
How Cold Is It?
The medical oncologist mentioned that some people used cold gloves and socks during the Taxol treatments to reduce the chance of neuropathy. We ordered some gloves and socks and tried them out one night as a test run. Some people can’t tolerate the cold, so Cathy wanted to get some idea “how cold is it really?”
The medical oncologist mentioned that some people used cold gloves and socks during the Taxol treatments to reduce the chance of neuropathy. We ordered some gloves and socks and tried them out one night as a test run. Some people can’t tolerate the cold, so Cathy wanted to get some idea “how cold is it really?”
Using pre-frozen mitts and socks, we put them into a cooler next to a block of dry ice for one to two hours. Since the gloves/socks only retain the cold for 45 minutes, they have to be swapped out for the expected 90 minute treatment. We learned a bit about the process of chilling and swapping them out, but the process seemed to work OK. There was just one little glitch. Cathy’s right arm that she had used for the test swelled dramatically the next day. An urgent care visit suggested an allergic reaction as the likely cause and some steroids were prescribed to reduce the inflammation. So, it’s a bit of a question how Monday’s first chemo treatment will proceed.
