Annual Letter

This will have to do for the old-fashioned Christmas letter (we don’t own a printer any more), you know, the annual brag sheet we used to mail out with all the year’s accomplishments of the girls and of our future plans on paper, with only the good parts showing. Let’s do it again this way for fun, now that social media has all but disappeared the more traditional greetings.

They’re adults now with lives of their own, but it’s still fun to tell about the girls and us, in the very best light, in this season of joy and happiness.

Of course on the top of the list is the respite our daughter has received from the growing tumors so devastating for the last three years. She volunteered for a study to find possible cures for her type of breast cancer, and in short order the tumors disappeared, became undetectable. She is still in the study with its draconian treatments before FDA approval, but has enough good days to host a Christmas gathering for us in her rehabbed Dundas home. We continue in our hopes for her continued recovery.

Our Grandson graduated from the University of Minnesota (like Mom and Pop) and immediately snagged a position at a major firm in Minneapolis as a software developer. We try to understand what it is he does, but are impressed by the five layers of security he must daily pass to get to his desk (do they still have them?) and his enthusiasm for his team of co-workers and the company. Nearby, his father continues to toil at Seagate, managing whatever it is for that International firm. His mother continues in her Bodywork and related pursuits, bringing health and healing to people.

Our eldest runs her own daycare and side business, and as a single Mom raises her 12-year old, who is fast becoming a beautiful, balanced young adult. Too fast, of course, for Grandma and Grandpa. She enjoys astronomy, pitching a softball and shopping with an indulgent Grandfather, baking cookies and such with Grandmother. Plays violin and seems constantly involved with her school iPad doing homework, but who really knows? Mother and daughter are presently in Mazatlan, enjoying the sun and their large nearby “adopted” family they help support.

Emily in Mazatlan

Grandma and Grandpa think they’re done moving for a while, after moving from Shakopee to St. Paul back to Eden Prairie. We love our present “Leaping Deer Lane” location near the Eden Prairie shopping center and “all roads” which lead to many nearby family and friends. We’re on a three-year lease and will look to buy in the neighborhood, we think, when that expires.

We sold the condominium in the Chicago Midtown Exchange after Kathleen’s brother moved to a St. Paul home for a more comfortable situation. Stan’s Hotel California beckons, and we’ll get there soon, despite the earthquakes, fires, mudslides and traffic. His stroke symptoms continue to subside, and at the behest of his youngest, has adopted a vegan diet. Kathleen enjoys her gaming pursuits with friends and reading Grisham, Patterson and Sanford. She’ll enjoy Michele Obama’s new book coming from Santa.

For these reasons and others we consider ourselves blessed during this season of joy and light. We hope your own celebrations and traditions are similarly marked by memories of the happiness of loved ones and by the gifts of the present.

Merry Christmas!

Early Christmas 2018

Grandma got some great pictures of the gathering. From left, Jennifer, Emily, Stan, Melissa, Marcy and Max. Maybe someone will send one with Kathleen in it.

Melissa and Emily are heading to Mazatlan for Christmas and New Year's with their adopted family there, so we had a brunch and early opening in Eden Prairie just for the two of them. Favorite gifts were a mini-fanny pack -- so you won't have the embarrassment of wearing a full-size one -- and a secret Spam can valuables bank, where no one would suspect you had hidden your money.
A great first impression for a first date, Max volunteered. "You could say 'Here, I've got the bill. I have a bank in my little fanny pack.' Then you could take out the Spam bank and open it and pay the check!" He had us in stitches. Great pre-Christmas gathering.

Shortly after my plea for a Christmas picture with Kathleen in it,  this arrived. Thanks to Jennifer who knows how
to operate the timer on her phone camera!

Spritzes

They are Melissa's favorite Christmas cookie. She and daughter Emily will spend Christmas season in Mazatalan, Mexico, so we're having an early opening just for them on Sunday. Naturally the special cookie will be there too.  Spritz away, Grandma.

Christmas 1988

Thirty years ago, our sister Becky alighted upon our Eden Prairie home with her crew from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas Book. We’ve never forgotten the fun of watching them assemble display after display for inclusion in it. And when the photo shoot was over, they left behind a marvelous Christmas Tree, and poinsettias and other holiday stuff. Never have we had such a magnificently designed holiday season. Here’s some snapshots of the idea book we cherish to this day.

Thanksgiving 2018

So much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving Day and this picture shows just a part of it. We had almost a dozen, with grandson Maxwell at his Aunt's and Marcy in California. But making up for that was Melissa's special guests from Indiana, Diane's mother and sister. And Hoi, Marcy's ex, was here too, and had a wonderful time. Jennifer's boyfriend Jim, who took this picture, is now a vegetarian but not only carved our turkey, but excused himself to attend another family gathering, and carve a second turkey! Kathleen did a super job putting it all together, with some help, but said this may be her last turkey, and she might be relying more on her competent daughters in the future. In the photo above, Peggy, Linda, Emily, look-a-like aunt Jennifer, Stan, Hoi, Melissa, Diane and Kathleen.

Look who we ran into today downtown!

From left, fun-seekers Stan, Mitch, Breck and Kathleen

We had just parked in the ramp downtown and gone into the elevator when we were joined out of the blue by someone familiar. It was Breck and Mitch, our niece and her husband. Hugs all around while our friends, Stacy and Kitty, were left to wonder just who this is. We all had tickets to "The Book of Mormon," a sold-out musical at the Orpheum Theater. We walked through bitter cold, then had a nice chat in the lobby. The musical was hilarious, has had nine Tony awards, and irreverent as well, even crossing our red line from time to time. Thoroughly enjoyed it, although our friends were a bit jet-lagged from a trip to Israel.

Cuppa tea in the Hobbit Hole

You couldn't stand up, which makes sense. Hobbits are not as tall as we are.

Aunt Marcy led us to this magic place

We explored an honest-to-goodness hobbit hole this afternoon, dug out in the back yard of a fairy house somewhere in Edina. They're friends of Marcy's and we used the occasion to transfer Emily from Auntie to Grandpa today, while Mom did some errands. We had a hobbit once, only thing is, you couldn't get inside. This was a lot more fun.

Watch the first step. Entrance to the hole.

What?

You'll have to forgive us. We can't help it. Please try to understand. Jennifer's clear scan on Monday brought out so many feelings of joy we looked for ways to express them, and why not? Joy to the World! The season of happiness came a little early for us, that's all. Just when we thought the season might be dark for us, the lights came on! So the tree came out and the decorations too. Hope all our new neighbors get it, we'll be happy to tell anyone the reason for rushing the season.
And Jennifer will host the family Christmas at her place this year!

Stunning news on Jennifer!

Three and one-half years ago our youngest (47) told us she had stage four metastatic breast cancer. The cancer had spread and she had a two to six year estimate of her mortality. We were devastated.

So began her fight.  International in scope, it involved the conventional chemotherapy regimens and mastectomy, but she was encouraged to try other things, and she did, including special diets, native lodges, Eastern treatments and so on. An exploratory trip to Mexico was started, then aborted. Since the beginning, her friend, Kate, gave her incredible support. Her boyfriend took over that role a year ago, and the rest of us did what we could.

This summer we had run out of solutions to try, the painful tumors were affecting arm movements, medications were exhausting her, and we resigned ourselves to accept whatever came next, always hoping for the best.

Then Jennifer learned of a cancer study looking for volunteers. A trial necessary before any FDA approval. Although she said no to some other studies in the past, this one sounded different, more in line with her values. Instead of just injections of a chemical that would hopefully kill the cancer, this compound is a one, two, punch. Yes, it contains chemotherapy but it also contains immunothererapy, which shows your own immune system that your cancer cells are something to get rid of. 

Having embraced the natural world most of her life it sounded appealing to Jennifer to teach her own body what to do, so she signed up.

With Jennifer wearing a shirt reading “Lab Rat” that she had printed at a T-shirt shop, she bravely began the trial on September 24, getting her first dose of the experimental cocktail. Nausea, exhaustion, fatigue, pain.

It was less than a month before we got the first positive news. The pain and swelling in her arm was subsiding. She could feel the bulges from the ping pong ball and large marble-size tumors shrinking. She didn’t need the arm wrap. The tumors were smaller, much smaller! We were ecstatic, but tried to remain cautiously optimistic.

Today we had a meeting with her oncologist and a representative from the study, and also a reading from a CT Scan. We expected even more positive news. But this?

Jennifer’s latest CT Scan results show NO detectable tumors. Gone. Vanished! 

There were tears of joy of course, and we thought about how all our lives would change. We texted, we smiled, we laughed for joy, we told the man waiting by the elevators what had happened, such great news bursting our reserved demeanor. It was all I could do to not make an announcement in the waiting room, but then remembering the many people there who may face different outcomes and problems, I zipped it.

But I want you to know how joyful we are! 

Has anyone seen our daughter's tumors? They're missing. They can't be found anywhere. She's had them for years. Whereabouts unknown.

We're so happy we get silly.

Jennifer will continue in the study, receiving regular infusions, all cost-free of course, she’s a test subject. Just because you can’t see the tumors on a CT scan doesn’t mean there isn’t something microscopic still in there. The infusions continue indefinitely. Right now she is the star of the show, the oncologist is stunned. They’ve never had this outcome before, at their office, Jennifer is the only patient taking this drug in this situation.

Jennifer is a true pioneer and our hero. It’s the same technology that miraculously cured Jimmy Carter of a different, unrelated cancer. This is a new adaptation and they’ll be surveying her for the rest of her life.

We’re thinking it will be a long one.