Sabine in Milwaukee

Sabine outside the theater and browsing around Milwaukee after enjoying "Wicked!"

Back on the water!

After two summers of having to avoid water (the tunnel catheter in her neck), Sabine is back into water sports.  Making hay while the sun shines, as she plans lots of summer kayaking adventures on our lakes and two great boating routes: The Wisconsin and Sugar Rivers!

Summer Report

As I have always said during the writing of this blog -- "No news is good news!"  So that's why it has been so long since I have posted here!  It has been a summer of "good news!"

Sabine loves summer in southern Wisconsin and this summer is a great one!  We have had visits from Sabine's high school friend, Shirley, visits from neices Teak, Meg and Kim and their families and another "relative" visit in August as a number of Coupers gather at New Journey Farm here in Blue Mounds.

We  had a hospital "check" yesterday to look at the important fistula in Sabine's arm -- there was a slight blockage and Dr Chan "ballooned" it open.  The fistulat looks good and has been functioning well.  My competence as Chief Cannulator is increasing and our five day dialysis sessions each week is becoming almost routine.

We have season tickets for the American Players Theater in nearby Spring Green and recently attended a wonderful performance of the Bard's "All's Well That Ends Well."  We continue our weekly support group meetings at Gilda's House in Madison.  Sabine goes to the patient group and I attend the one for caregivers.

Our new screen house poolside has been in great use as we often take afternoon naps and have a glass of wine before dinner.  Now that the tunnel catheter is gone and Sabine is able to engage in water activities again, she is eyeing the possibility of us becoming kayakers.  We have the Wisconsin and Sugar rivers nearby which are both active kayak venues. 

She has a check-in with her oncologist, Dr Sheehan, in August and we anticipate another postive report on Sabine's progress.

Here are a few scenes, so far, depicting our summer:

Post-Transplant Life

Wow!  It's been almost a month since my last post!  And I know what that means -- it means life is good without cancer staring us in the face everyday.  A year has passed since the transplant and we are reaping the rewards of our nation's commitment to science and research.  It is a blessing and a demonstration of how God works through his people.

Home hemodialysis is going well (using fewer needles each week) and we are down to four bags of dialysate solution which means the dialysis procedure is going well and that cuts 30 minutes off the daily "blood washing."

Sabine loves our Wisconsin summers and we have just hosted a number of family members at our farm and have greatly enjoyed our newly constructed screen house (where I can be found most afternoons napping!).

We continue to worry about out children (isn't that part of parenting?  Even as they approach middle age?) -- daughter Yumi is serving with the US Army in Afghanistan in the northern region and is serving as a logistics officer to the Afghani police (an assignment which greatly worries us).

Nevertheless, we are both hopeful and prayerful people and know that all things will eventually work for the best.

You may not hear much from me this summer and this is, to me, a good thing!

Blessings!

IT'S POOL TIME!

After 2-1/2 years, Sabine has the plastic tubes out of her neck, secure "buttonholes" for hemodialysis, and some warm weather and..... SHE'S BACK IN THE POOL!

 

One-Year Anniversary!

Yesterday, Sabine celebrated her one-year anniversary of her stem cell transplant last May with a 50K bike ride to benefit the new Transplant House in Middleton.  After a week of cold and rain, yesterday was sunny and nearly 70 degrees!  This was our third time on the used tandem we picked up last fall.  The course was hilly (which means a lot of work for tandem riders) and some blistering downhills in which we left most of the pack in our dust!  A GREAT DAY!

Spring -- I think

This has been one cold spring season.  In March I was out riding my bicycle and then the cold spell hit.  But last week Sabine and I did get out on our new-used tandem.  We put big panniers on the back so we can commute between the farm and Mazomanie.  Wasn't too bad.

I know Sabine is looking forward to swimming this summer -- and with the solar blanket our pool is already over 70 degrees (and on a few nights it has dropped to freezing).  In fact, this Sunday, on the way to church, I had to scrape the frost off the windows.

The "cannulations" continue to go well for a whole week and then after a day off those veins are sliding around like a sausage in a pail of water.  We have persisted and finally have found the fistula and have not had to resort to using a sharp needle to make the connection.

We have become members of Gilda's Club in Madison and every Tuesday we go there for a potluck dinner and separate cancer patient and caregiver groups.  It is another support base for both of us.

Things have gone well as we have returned to our old parish in North Lake on a Sunday by Sunday basis.  It has been good for both of us to reconnect with the folks at St Peter's!