Erbitux/Folfiri Treatment 3 Update (02/28/2013)

So much to update on.  Lucky for you all I’m feeling tired as I receive this treatment and therefore I’ll have to keep the update somewhat brief. 🙂

So, in addition to a short medical update I will also share a few other thoughts.

Aunt Sonia

My Aunt Sonia passed away last week and her funeral was yesterday. She was 85 years young and she lived a very beautiful life. And she has left an amazing legacy in the hearts of her husband of 52 years, her six children, her many grandchildren and great grandchildren, her nieces and nephews, and countless friends!

I have very fond memories of Aunt Sonia.  My father would take us to Paw Paw MI nearly every summer to visit with his sister (my Aunt) on the farm.  I grew up in the City (Detroit) and going to visit Aunt Sonia and Uncle Bob was always an exciting time that my siblings and I looked forward to.

Aunt Sonia had a way of making us ALL feel special. When we would arrive she would meet us at the car and she would give each of us a big bear hug and kiss, barely waiting for us to exit the old VW bus.  The love in her heart was so genuine.  And lucky for us she cultivated that love into the hearts of her children (my dear cousins).

Another fond memory that I have of Aunt Sonia was how she always made the most delicious food!  And there was always plenty to go around. My Uncle Bob and Aunt Sonia had a large family (six children).  Add our family (seven children) and another cousin or two — only then can you start appreciate the effort that went into the cooking.  She was literally cooking for a small army!   And somehow Aunt Sonia alawys made it look easy and effortless.

I Love you Uncle Bob. I love you cousins. You are all in my Prayers.

Go Red Wings!  I think my Aunt Sonia was more a fan than I am (and those of you who know me well can imagine that she must have loved the Wings).

Learning about my family

I learned a lot about my family lineage yesterday.  I now have a copy of the Scamihorn genealogy dating back to the mid 1800’s.  I’m hoping to update this family tree information and share it with my relatives in such a way that we can all contribute to the story over time.

It was fulfilling to learn about my ancestors.  I now know that Samuel Scamihorn begot Jacob Scamihorn begot George Watson Scamihorn begot George Henry Scamihorn begot Philip Joseph Scamihorn (me).  My connection to this lineage was severed because my Grandfather abandoned my father (and his family) when he was very young.  We simply didn’t have the privilege to hear Grandpa’s stories. And now, at the young age of 49 I’m learning things I simply didn’t know. And it feels good to do!

Basketball update

As last reported (in SPITE of the Erbitux rash) I managed to attend the Marshall Red Hawks’ basketball tournaments the last couple of weeks. And I’m very thankful that I’ve been able to attend.  The boys are all growing in leaps and bounds (literally). I’m especially happy to see Bryce doing so well. The team has improved, leading to increased confidence, leading to even better game, leading to more confidence, etc…

Go Marshall!

Go Bryce!!

YouVersion — My favorite App (by far)

If you are interested in a handy way of reading a book full of Life lessons I STRONGLY recommend trying out the YouVersion bible!  This is a free app that you can install on your smart phone and/or iPad.  My wife introduced me to this app and it has quickly become my favorite.

I enjoy following the daily reading “plans.” These plans vary from 3 days up to 300 days. A plan is essentially a guided tour through the scriptures. Examples of the plans include Parenting by Design, The Christmas Story, Relationships, Love and Marriage. My favorite part of a plan is the devotional writings. The devotionals appear to be written by theologians and they tend to add context and interpretation to the bible verses. I also love that you can easily switch between different bible translations and sometimes find myself comparing and contrasting between them.

For me reading the plans are like reading a good book that you simply can’t put down.  Oh, yah that’s probably because it is the Good Book!

So far I have completed 23 different plans and I’m in the middle of four more that will soon be completed.

Let me know if you are using this App.  And check it out if you’re not.

Medical Update:

Excellent News – CEA is down!  This is a good indicator that this Erbitux/Folfiri is working!  My doctor looked over the rash (which is substantially less than it was) and decided a 50% dose of Erbitux was in order for today.  I suspect that there might be a resurrgence; however, I’m also hopeful that it won’t be as bad as it was. Today’s infusion is nearly done. We’re hoping to be on our way home around 3pm.

Thank you!!!

Thank you all for your continued prayers! And for all your support.

Please keep my Uncle Bob and Aunt Sonia’s family and friends in your prayers.

May God Bless and keep you forever!

Your brother in Christ,

Philip