UPDATED: Brain Surgery Day

 Marlene: Writing this post on Monday evening, and setting to go live at 6 am our time on Tuesday, September 8. At that time, we should be at the hospital. So no, Valerie, I'm not posting from the operating table!  :-) Technology is!

We had a joyful Monday as we got to spend time with both sets of kids. What a privilege! We had a photo shoot in Gage park, using the magnificent plants and flowers to play with backgrounds. Below is a quick collage of just a few shots.

Tripod, remote shutter release, various stops and poses and patient subjects.

Afterwards, we stopped at T by Daniel  and had the man himself serve us with his usual exuberance!
Thank you to so many people for love and care, messages and calls, concern and prayers. We can never thank you enough.
Off to bed now --- and Jenni will take over, posting a few times during the day as she gets updates from Arno. Remember to hit Refresh / reload if you come back later for updates!

Jenn (11.30am): Marlene and Arno made it to the hospital at 6am and were processed through very quickly by hospital staff. Arno sent this pic at a bit before 8am saying that they had an estimated 3 to 4 hour operation ahead and when I last followed up around 11.15am, it was still a work in progress.

12:30pm: Marlene is out of surgery. The doctors say that they were successful in removing most of the growth and preliminary analysis shows it to be benign. She will be kept in recover for a couple of hours and then moved to the after-surgery critical care area so that the staff can monitor her.

1:30pm: Arno sent a couple of pics of Marlene coming to with her head bandaging slightly visible in the second photo (the surgeons shaved a piece off near the top of her head ... very punk rock!). He says she is a bit groggy but is talking and seems to be doing okay.

5:00pm: Marlene is on her way to the critical care area. As you can see, she's already on the phone and checking in on people.

6:20pm: Marlene sent me a collage of what she sees from her bed right now with all of the cables and tubes hooked up to her. Says her head is a bit sore but mostly okay, and that her hair feels the weirdest right now! All stiff from the operation. She will be staying in this room until tomorrow afternoon and then should be moved to a shared room at that point. (TW: picture below includes a shot of the bandages, which are a bit bloody)

7:00pm: No coffee, but Marlene gets a liquid dinner (not that kind of liquid dinner...)

Brain Surgery Day

Writing this post on Monday evening, and setting to go live at 6 am our time on Tuesday, September 8. At that time, we should be at the hospital. So no, Valerie, I'm not posting from the operating table!  :-) Technology is!

We had a joyful Monday as we got to spend time with both sets of kids. What a privilege! We had a photo shoot in Gage park, using the magnificent plants and flowers to play with backgrounds. Below is a quick collage of just a few shots.

Tripod, remote shutter release, various stops and poses and patient subjects.

Afterwards, we stopped at T by Daniel  and had the man himself serve us with his usual exuberance!

Thank you to so many people for love and care, messages and calls, concern and prayers. We can never thank you enough.

Off to bed now --- and Jenni will take over, posting a few times during the day as she gets updates from Arno. Remember to hit Refresh / reload if you come back later for updates!

Ebook published

To everyone stopping by this blog -- my apologies for being Missing In Action! Apart from some health issues, we also had to do a quick trip to find the sun in Florida, using some points and airmiles or risk losing all. We just spent time reading and relaxing, really. I enjoyed a few swims in the warm water, savouring the taste and feel of the ocean again. Dear hubby was sick and spent most of his time trying not to move too much or risk coughing and losing his breath!

But --- the excitement is that a work that Jenni and I have been working on, is now available as an Ebook in a variety of formats, for Kindle, Nook, Sony, Kobo and others. If you don't have an electronic reader, the book can also be downloaded and read on your computer.

Please take a look if you are interested!

You can download a sample after registering for free at Smashwords, where you might also find many other books for free or purchase. LINK

Tiny Tales is not really a children's book, although it is perfectly safe for children to read, of course. You can read this anywhere, while waiting for an appointment, or to give as a gift to someone else. Jenni's wonderful illustrations add so much to the little stories, which are indexed so you can jump around.

We hope to work on more stories, and maybe a follow-up edition or something now that we have done the initial work to see how e-publishing works. It is not as easy as I thought a little book like this might be, and many, many hours went into the preparation!

I grew up with meerkats as pets, and have played with many unusual pets, like chameleons, hedgehogs and even a snake. Jenni loved the stories told in conversation and asked me to try writing a few for her to illustrate. Her dream is getting into the illustration industry.

She takes commissions as well! She uses many different styles, depending on what she is doing.

Please let us know what you think about this first combination effort? Thanks!

Tiny Tales on Smashworks

Lyme Day Walk - how far?

Goodness, this Lyme Awareness Day Walk is really taking off, and I'm so grateful for that, for the support and awareness circling out to others!

Right now we are hashing out the registration forms, so that people can register for the walk, order T-shirts if they want them, and get things firmed up. Hopefully registration forms will be on the LymeWalk website by this weekend, Feburary 12th.

But -- and this is the question from many --- how far is the walk? Is it a race? What are the prizes? What is the time limit?

No, it is not a race, as such. No time limit. No expectations, other than your presence and sharing the awareness with others. I'm hoping to offer a good prize to the person bringing in the most funds, though, through collecting donations from friends or family, but that's just a thought at this point and not a firm part of the planning.

The "formal" walk part will take around 20 - 30 minutes or so. See map here below or on Picasa (click the magnifying glass to enlarge on Picasa). Afterwards, there will be prize giving and draws, fun and time to talk to Lymies and families, sponsors, the artist who designed the T-shirt, play the Penny Sale, join the kids in a sack race or face painting, and just enjoy the day. I'm hoping someone from CanLyme will be there as well to share some information. Make sure you talk to the vet who will be there, about Lyme Disease in pets - they can be treated!

However, there are paved paths all around Chinguacousy Park. Those who want to walk more, or even jog a little after the Lyme walk, would be free and welcome to do so! It is a lovely park with lots to see. Remember to visit the greenhouse - it is free. Take the kids to the barn and the petting zoo. Walk around the ponds and enjoy sitting on the grass, looking at the ducks and other birds. You are welcome to bring a picnic and propane bbq if you wish. We are planning activities and fun for kids, and during the afternoon, after our event, the park will have a Midway, so families can really make an outing of it!



Ching Park map - click for larger view

 EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
Truth is, this Lyme Awareness Day is supposed to be a family outing, a time spent learning and sharing about Lyme Disease, of relaxing in the park with a picnic after the walk, and for Lymies and their loved ones to get the emotional support we so desperately need from each other. To know we are not alone, that others are suffering and struggling as well, can mean as much as a load of medication and supplements. And for those who are caregivers and friends, helplessly watching a family member in pain or struggling, this gathering is a way to feel they are doing something instead of just standing by.

Last year when Kim and I went to Ottawa in May 2011 to attend the Lyme Rally on Parliament Hill, it was an uplifting experience for both of us (and the others!) to suddenly see other green T-shirts, to talk and hear stories, and to say, "me too!" Together, we can face this battle. And teach others about it so that they might avoid the struggle we've gone through to get diagnosed, treated and well again.

THE DREAM
Any funds raised on May 19th will be donated to the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation. Their mission is to educate, to research and to teach about Lyme Disease. The dream is to one day have a testing facility in Canada where people with Lyme symptoms can go for testing, without having to face the battle of disbelief, scepticism and "it is all in your head".

Taking part in our Lyme Awareness Day, be it walking or as spectator, paying the registration fee or adding a few dollars as donation, bring us closer to this dream. Who knows, the next person you talk to, might have undiagnosed Lyme disease now or in the near future, and your information might help them on their journey.