Update 23 December 2021 - Fourth year Cancer-versary

The 27th will be the fourth anniversary of my diagnosis. As I wrote last year, after the initial diagnosis I thought I would be done for in a few weeks or months. I am grateful that I have had these past four years and remain in relatively good health.

As part of a follow up to my previous CT scan, I had an MRI exam (which someone on Twitter characterized as horrid). I’ve had a few over the years and it’s no fun to be strapped down in a tube listening to loud, annoying sounds for up to an hour. They now give you some headphones and a panic button to hold in your hand. I try to focus on my breathing, drawing on my experience with yoga. I also try to think about how I could get out should I need to (I think I watch too many spy shows). Anyway, I survived the experience and the doctors got what they needed.

Following a review of the MRI report with my oncologist, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that the capecitabine is no longer working as it is clear that there is a new spot of cancer on my liver. While I didn’t love taking all those pills and enduring the side effects, it worked well for more than a year to slow the cancer’s spread. Having read the report on-line, I figured that I would no longer be taking that drug but wasn’t sure what would come next so my level of scanxiety was pretty high. Anyway, the good news is that there is another drug for me to take. It’s a targeted therapy which is used for people with MBC who have a specific genetic mutation. My doctor is arranging to get the drug, which seems to be part of a larger study, and I should start in the next week or two. There are quite a few possible side effects - I really do hope that they are not too bad. With all that, it really wasn’t a good day. I dropped Ginger off at doggy day care and then spent most of the day sleeping or reading in my bed. Everyone deserves a day to wallow every once in a while.

Other than that, things have been pretty quiet in my life. I have been to Saskatoon a few times but that is all the travelling that I have done since my trip to Ottawa and Montreal. I had a trip to Vegas planned for January to meet up with some friends for a birthday celebration but omicron put the brakes to that. Truth be told, I wasn’t too excited about travelling in the US right now.

I’ve always thought of myself as an unlikely Ambassador. It was happenstance that I joined the Foreign Service instead of going to Asia to teach English. And I certainly didn’t see myself as a future Ambassador when I started. Nevertheless, I had a wonderful career and I owe my successes to my parents and to the University of Saskatchewan where I did my undergrad and law degree.

I decided to set up the Chatsis Family Bursary for indigenous students in law, engineering and the health sciences at the U of Sask. Verla and I have donated money to the university for the bursary program but we would welcome other contributions. I have attached a document with information on how to transfer money to the university. Information on the Chatsis family bursary is here: Chatsis Family Bursary. The details for the money transfer to the University can be obtained at this link: Bank transfer details.

At the same time, AmbCanada (retired Heads of Mission) and PAFSO (Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers) set up a scholarship at Carleton University for indigenous student in the area of international affairs and gave me the immense honour of naming the scholarship after me. We hope the scholarship will encourage more indigenous people to study international issues and, perhaps, consider a career in the foreign service. If you are interested in contributing to the scholarship, please go to the following link: AmbCanada/PAFSO Chatsis scholarship.

I wish to share a great article by someone with Stage IV cancer who is turning 60. I totally understand the desperate need for a chair while in public. Atlantic article.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge that several fellow cancer patients who were friends died of this horrible disease this past year.  I mourn their deaths and pay tribute to them.

Stay safe and healthy this holiday season. Wear a mask, avoid crowds, wash your hands and get vaccinated/get your booster!

All my best wishes for Christmas and the New Year!

Deborah

Merry Christmas from Ginger!

Taken at a writing class I took this fall.

Ginger at her agility class.

Update 31 October 2021: Things remain stable

The results of the scan came in and they are positive - or almost as positive as they could be. The cancer in my lungs and liver is stable although there is still some follow up to be done. The bone scan that I did in July shows that the cancer appears to be grossly stable. Grossly or not, I will take it. I am so thankful that the chemo continues to work.

Overall, I am feeling fine. Not pre-cancer fitness levels but reasonably good. I need to do some strength training so that will be an objective from now on.

I had a great summer. It was warm and dry - a perfect prairie summer (although the farmers worried about drought). We spent 6 weeks at the cabin at Christopher Lake like previous summers. It was glorious to enjoy the lake, read books, go for walks, nap on the deck, etc. Drinking coffee while sitting on the deck is simply the best way to start the morning.

My big adventure this fall was a trip to Ottawa and region. Not long after arriving in Ottawa, I went to a friend’s family camp north of Killarney. It’s on their island - a beautiful piece of the Canadian Shield where one can swim, enjoy the wood-fired sauna, play Scrabble or take a nap in the sunroom.  I’ve visited with Kerry’s parents many times over the last 25 years and each time they have welcomed me warmly and I always leave feeling rejuvenated

Verla joined me in Ottawa and we went to Montreal where we met friends from Guatemala. It was so great to visit the city after many years. Living in a small city in Saskatchewan has its benefits but it is also nice to spend time in a real city that has fabulous museums, restaurants and stores. The experience was rejuvenating in its own way.

The best part of my visit was catching up with friends. While I have managed to keep in touch with many through videos and calls, emails and texts and old school letters, nothing can replace meeting in person and giving/getting hugs. It’s something wondrous during these Covid times.

So, other than that, life continues as ever. Ginger and I are living a happy, peaceful life in Prince Albert, getting ready for winter and the holiday season, thinking of other visits to undertake.

Here’s a great article if you are worried about saying the wrong thing to someone who is sick.

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-xpm-2013-apr-07-la-oe-0407-silk-ring-theory-20130407-story.html?fbclid=IwAR0wp12SgcFiwNc2EEdFK30Tn5jEXMJxsMsqwplx9vtRnYKTck0ctQtrRDI

Deborah

Brian and Ginger

King's Cribbage

On the water

Fancy s'more

Verla, Randy, god-daughter Kristen and husband Charles

Kristen's grandson Freedom

Brian & Tracey

Sandra, Kathy & Celeste with daughter Ellora

Kerry diving into Tyson Lake

Fetching in our oodies

Comfy in Gatineau

Lynn's family, incl other goddaughter Thea (Sumi)

Lynn & Lorraine

Diana & Victoria

Lunch w Maya, Luis & Mary

In Old Town Montreal

Fred & Eva Bild (Fred was Amb in Beijing)

Beijing friends

More Beijing friends

Legal Bureau friends

BBQ at Sara & Johanne

Out for a walk

Playing cards w Brenda & Jordan 

Another walk

With Sandra & Elizabeth

Rafael

There is always hope.

Cool photo of bone scan taken in Guatemala.

Update 8 July 2021 - A Grossly Stable Report

I had a CT scan on Monday and read the results on the Sask Health website. It seems that the tumours are “grossly stable” which is better than progression. Given the results, I expect that I will stay on this medication for another 3 months. This would be great as I am tolerating the medication with limited side-effects.

Apart from that, life continues apace. We’ve had lovely weather this spring and start of summer. The additional sunshine during the day makes me very happy. I’ve been spending time outside when it’s not stinking hot (we were under the heat dome for a while - the temperature was 37C for several days). I’ve been trying to spend as much time at the lakes as I can. We are moving up to the lake for 6 weeks as of tomorrow so I’ve got that to look forward to.

I continue with my restorative yoga and tai chi chih (which turns out to be a white guy’s version of traditional tai chi), both of which are done online. The former course has been very good in helping me to maintain flexibility, particularly in my joints. I had my second vaccine which was welcome. No flare-ups of gout but my gall bladder has been acting up. If it's not one thing, it's another.

For those that haven’t seen it, my sister Verla wrote a lovely article for Macleans about our relationship. She’s a fabulous writer so it’s worth a read for that alone.

https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/a-woman-to-her-sister-with-cancer-for-now-i-thank-god-you-are-here-today/

Apart from that, here’s an article by an NPR reporter about her life with MBC and the shockingly low amount of money dedicated to MBC research.

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/22/1009065462/breast-cancer-research-funding-metastatic-disease?fbclid=IwAR3BQnqFvCoanC8pAj2KMhrflpeBGqhCjfGcKRCxunK8ABHh19fYVhdz5G8

Below are some pictures from the last few months. If you are on Instagram, take a look at my page as I have started posting pics from about 2003, including postings to NY and Vietnam (with Guatemala to come). Once I finish all my Digital pics, I’ll scan the older ones including earlier postings to China and Colombia

Enjoy your summer. Be well!

Early sign of spring

Ginger and her peeps

My little tree's first flowers

Out at the park for the Macleans photos

Wild life in Waskesiu

Sunset at Waskesiu

Walking by the river

Great Blue Heron

Ginger showing her pride and inner princess

Update 21 March 2021 - Stable is very good

Well, my faithful readers, the top story is that I had my regular CT scan last Monday. The report indicated that the cancer appears to be stable with no progression noted. That is as good a result as I had hoped for. I haven’t spoken to my oncologist yet but I assume that I will continue with my current treatment. This is really great news. 

So the day after I posted the last blog update, I suffered another medical indignity - I may have gout. The ball of my foot near the big toe was very sore and I couldn’t put weight on it. Randy took a look at it and said it could be gout. I don’t drink wine, rarely eat red meat and this happens? Not good when I’m trying to gain weight by eating high fat content food. Apparently it’s a side effect of the drugs I am taking. It’s better now so hopefully just a minor flare up. 

In other medical news, I had the first shot of the Pfizer vaccine thanks to our reserve that was vaccinating people 60+ (and those almost 60 undergoing cancer treatment). While it won’t prevent me from getting COVID-19, it would mean a milder case if I do get it. 

It’s been a rather quiet few months for me. We had quite a bit of snow early on in the winter, a few cold snaps and some freezing rain in January that made walking treacherous these past months. I have been so careful about walking as my bones are not strong, to say the least. I have been so grateful to Ginger’s various minders and walkers, especially Verla and Randy, and Ginger’s doggy day care for giving her the chance to play and get exercise.  As for me, I take restorative yoga twice a week that focuses on joint movement and flexibility, things I sorely need. 

During one of the cold snaps, Verla and I threw hot water in the air. Check out the video below to see the results.  If you are going to do it, don’t look up (which I learned on my first try). 

I’ve had the opportunity to do some events about diversity in diplomacy including an interview with a team from the University of Alberta and a panel with some amazing people. 

Interview

https://www.ualberta.ca/international/about-uai/international-news-and-views/news/2020/december/diversity-in-diplomacy-3.html

Panel 

https://youtu.be/kIs1j1fX4vU

I listened to the interview of a woman who has terminal cancer about her experience with the pandemic. She shared some advice she received: 

do everything you can to get better; 

do something every day that brings you joy however small it is; and 

let the sadness and anger come and go because it will. 

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-100-ottawa-morning/clip/15830896-making-left-cancer-diagnosis-covid-19

Before finishing, I would like to recommend a video with Paul Adams, husband of a former colleague Suzanne Szukits who died of MBC several years ago. Paul spoke with a moderator and Suzanne’s doctor about her care and final days and, more generally, about end-of-life discussions and compassionate care for those patients. It is definitely worth listening to. 

Words Matter: The Impact of Compassion | Arts, Medicine and #Life | Wed, Nov 18, 2020, 8:00 pm | National Arts Centre

Winter art by Gwen

Does not like the booties

First dinner with expanded bubble

Trying new things such as bibimbap