The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Hello All! I hope that this post finds everyone healthy and in good spirits. There is a lot to update everyone with, and as the title states, there is a little bit of everything this time.

I will start with the good. Barry had an appointment with his oncologist before round three of chemotherapy on Wednesday. Dr. Kang had some great news...Barry's bilirubin level has dropped below 3. If you remember from earlier postings, this level was at 17 at one point. The normal level is zero and a safe level is 2. He even said that he could no longer see lesions on the liver from the CT scan. We were thrilled to get this news. It also looked as though the cancer hadn't spread further on the scans either. Dr. Kang mentioned that without tumors to measure, it was difficult to definitely see anything with CT scans. But we will take whatever good news we can get. During chemo, Kay also said that it looks like his bone marrow is showing improvement as well.

We were all thrilled with this good news. When Barry's bilirubin levels were so high, they were forced to reduce one of the chemotherapy drugs that they were giving him because it requires the liver to metabolize the drug. They reduced it to 25% for the first 2 sessions. At this session they increased it another 25% and pending results from the next liver test, could increase to the full 100% if his bilirubin continues to improve. It appears that this increase and the simple fact that this is Barry's third session, he has really been worn down.

Along with the side effects of the chemo, his lungs have been filling with fluid. This was originally thought to have been pneumonia, but is most likely metastis (mets) causing the fluid to build in the lungs. He will be going for draining of the lungs later this week, most likely on Tuesday for the left lung. They only drain one lung at a time since there is a chance of lung collapse during the draining process. They will drain the second lung a few days later. It will be really nice for Barry to be able to take a deep breath again. His breathing is very labored and coughs when he lays down. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he goes through this process.

I also wanted to let everyone know that he has been spending every weekend working on his boat. He has been working on it with much of his family. Dad told me on Saturday that it sure has been a lot of work becuase of a silly dream. When I was maybe 10 or so years old, he told me that he would have a "Real" boat someday. He had a jet boat when I was about 14, this was not a "Real" boat because it wasn't big enough for the family. This boat that is his dream is big enough for the family. Although he gets tired working with us on the boat, he wouldn't have it any other way. We made some major steps the last 2 weekends which included a quick wax job and laying the floor. I can't tell you how much we love working with Dad on his dream!

I will update everyone later in the week. In the meantime, take a moment to bring your dream one step closer to reality...share it with someone you love!

Pictures from Wendy and Roger

We love you guys, you are in our thoughts daily.
Take care, Wendy and Roger Kirk (from the great white north, eh )

A brief update

Hello Everyone! I hope that this posting finds you well. I am sorry I have updated everyone in a while, but no news is good news right? We have been spending our weekends working on getting the boat ready. We just might have it sea worthy...well Delta worthy by Barry's Birthday (4/5)!



Barry goes in today for more CT scans so that we can get an update of how well the treatment is working at the third round of Chemo this Wednesday. So, keep wishing and praying that he is stronger than this darn cancer.



I will post more later in the week, but here are some emails from Barry's Fan Club!

"My name is Bruce Bentley. I work for SGS Automotiver Services in Richmond, CA. We inspect GM lease return cars from the local rental companies, Hertz, Avis, Alamo, Enterprise etc.
It has been my pleasure to get to know just a little about Barry over the pass year or more as he picks up units going to the local Auto Auction. He always has a smile, kind word, a joke or story to tell me or just takes time to listen to me that some how makes my day a little better because he came by that day.
I don't what I can say other than "Thank you God" for allowing me to meet and get to know, if only a little bit, this wonderful person. Some people come into our lives as they say, "For A Season, For A Reason, Forever" - Barry you are in the hearts, thoughts & prayers of myself, Marie & Katie always.
Thank you for being YOU !"

Bruce Bentley




"Even though I haven't seen any recent postings to your blog, it doesn't mean that we don't think of you every day.
Your Aunt Pearl's daughter, Judy Kowerchuk, sent in a story about you and the bear in the city of Vernon. I haven't seen it posted but I bet you could tell that story better than anyone. Few people will believe it, but I know that it is a true story.
Thinking of you and wishing you the best."
Aunt Winnie

Keep on Truckin'!

First an update from last weeks doctor's visit; Barry's bilirubin had dropped from 17 the week before to 7. This is great news as this is the measurement of the health of the liver. The lower the number, the better. A normal liver functions around zero. Dad had the whole facility to himself on Wednesday. Kay, his nurse, is WONDERFUL! She is very attentive and made sure that Dad, Shirley and I were comfortable all day. I was able to work from the doctor's office and really enjoyed talking with Kay. This round of chemo has really taken a lot out of Barry. He has been getting very tired. It seems like he needs a rest every 3 or 4 hours, but I think that the lower billirubin levels have been a great motivator.

This posting is "Keep on Truckin'!" There are 2 pictures for this post. The first is of Barry and his dad, Don. It is taken in front of the Dodge truck that they were both owners of. This was the day that the truck went to another owner outside of the family. She was always good to both of them, so it was a bit of a sad day for all. Dad mentioned that this was one of the only vehicles to not leave him stranded. For those of you who have ever been camping or boating, this is a great little piece of humor.

The second picture was taken out at the auction road. This is Dad and me next to his work truck. We saw Terry loading the truck out there. It was a great field trip for Barry. He also saw a good friend from Central Valley, Rod. It was really fun meeting him. He mentioned that he had just finished eating an apple. He then asked us, "You know what they say?" Expecting to hear the old...keeps the doctor away, but it was followed by, "...keeps the wife away!" He said that if he eats the fruit, his wife is happy. He must have given Dad 10 hugs. I could tell that they have a very close and special bond.

Who would have thought that such good friends could come in the most unlikely of places. It made me so happy to know that he has always had such caring friends while on the road. There have been several fellow truck drivers that have called him because they saw his truck and trailer, but that wasn't him driving. There was even a call from a highway patrol officer at the weigh station who had pulled the truck aside because Barry wasn't the one driving. He called to offer his thoughts and prayers to Barry.

This just goes to show how we can all learn from Barry. I am sure that all of this kindness that is being extended to him and to all of us is a direct result of his kindness. Pay it forward. For those of you who haven't heard this before, it is a great philosophy. It simply means that you will do for others with the expectation that they will do the same for others...pay it forward. In other words, you give without expecting that you receive anything in return. This describes Barry to the letter. He has always given of his time, himself, his knowledge, his skills, his everything-without ever expecting anything in return.

Thanks Dad! And thank you to all of you for offering your kindness to all of us. We promise to do our best to pay it forward!

DING-DING...Round Two!

I must apologize for the long time between posts. We have been very busy this last week.

Tomorrow is Round 2 of Chemo. Barry has been feeling pretty good in the last week or so. His cheeks (on his face) are a nice rosy pink and the yellow seems to be fading away. This makes us very happy since this means that his liver should be functioning a little better. They have been able to schedule a weekly draining for his abdomen and have been draining less than 2 litres over the last 2 weeks. This is also very promising since they were able to draw over 4 litres just 4 weeks ago. All of this is very promising.

There is something that we have been strangely thankful for and that is the kindness of Barry's doctors. I placed a call to his doctor last week and left a message. I received a return call in less than 5 minutes and didn't feel like Dr. Kang was trying to rush me off the phone. Everyone from the doctor's office has been WONDERFUL! They have also been amazingly accurate with side effect expectations and time frames. Each time Dad has side effects, it falls right in line with what his nurse or doctor have told us. This is quite a relief!

Enough of the business...time for the fun stuff! We spent last Saturday working on Barry's boat. He bought a WellCraft several years ago that was in need of some TLC. Dad had done much of the work, but we still have some work to do on it. My Grandfather, Terry, has been so kind as to let us work on the boat in his garage. It is a great location for the kids to play and find Newts and our cell phones don't work there. So we all get some quality time together. I have always really enjoyed working on projects with dad. There was a huge group of family gathered together and we were able to finish laying and fiberglassing the floor. The evening was followed by naps for some and cocktails for others and everyone enjoyed the bar-b-que. Some of us tried to beat Scott and Staci at Scrabble, but that is tough to do when the winning team is throwing letters on the floor.

Thanks to everyone again for your prayers and good thoughts! They seem to be making a difference. Grandma Alice put all of the beautiful cards that you have sent on a bulletin board above the fireplace. That is an amazing reminder of how much you all care.

Have a wonderful week and keep posted for an update within the next couple of days!