11:00 AM
Mike stated he did not sleep last night due to the time he slept yesterday afternoon. We stayed in the clinic yesterday and just took it easy. It was a beautiful day. Mike and I both tried the pumpkin soup at dinner and it was very good. The cheese buffet was actually just that - various cheeses on plates with a sign in Germany stating what they were, a basket of bread, and a bowl of small baked potatoes. I had two of the small potatoes and Mike had a sampling of two of the cheeses and some fruit. It was a different kind of meal. He must have been starving by the time he got up this morning.
Chris T. and Zoe just came out from meeting with Dr. Weber. Chris T stated they were given a high 5 with Zoe's ultrasound results. Then Chris from France met with Dr. Weber. He came out of the office giving the thumbs up sign. The word about both Zoe and Chris spread like wildfire throughout the clinic. Chris was sitting with Lindy and me in the one sitting area, and people were seeking him out to congratulate him. Everyone is genuinely happy for each of them. Lindy just came out from meeting with Dr. Weber, and the tumors in her lymph nodes are completely gone, and the ones in her breasts have shrunk to just mms.
Then it was Dave's turn. He came out stating the tumors in his pancreas have shrunk. They are not gone, but they have shrunk. This is his first week.
Earlier I was sitting in this same area when Kate and Ivan came up to the 2nd floor. Ivan has prostate, kidney, and now bone cancer. Kate and I spent time talking as the spouses of husband's who have cancer. It was really good to talk to her, someone who is going through the same thing. We could compare so many of the same feelings. Kate is so nice. I connected with her right away. It is amazing how quickly everyone comes together and becomes friends. It is just such a warm atmosphere to be in.
10:00 PM I am back.
Lunch today was orange ruffy with parsley potatoes. I gave my fish to Mike and I took his potatoes. I had a scoop of vanilla ice cream in plum sauce for dessert. After lunch Lindy, Mike, and I walked to the store. It was very hot, and we ran into Stefan from the clinic. He gave us a ride back. We are lucky that we did this. Little did we know then the extent of the walk we would be doing when we got back to the clinicc.
Tazmania Mike (I will call him Taz Mike from here on to make the distinction between him and Mike), Christy, Mike, and I decided to walk into Flintsbach and climb the mountain to St. Petersburg church. Marcus, the masseuse, told Mike that it takes an hour to walk up the mountain. The church is there as well as a restaurant/bar. We left the clinic around 3:00. Once we got over to the village of Flintsbach, we were trying to find the path that went up the mountain. We saw a man standing on his roof. Taz Mike was our interpreter as he knows some German words. A older lady then came out the door to try to help with what we were asking. She said she would show us the way. She got her bike, and we followed her probably about 3/4 of a mile. We started climbing and climbing and climbing. I don't know how many times we had to stop and take a break, As we were climbing, we would occasionally ask people who were coming down the hill how much further we had to go. Mike kept asking whose idea this was to climb to the top - it was his. We figured we got this far so we could not turn around and go back down without getting to the top. Along the way, we came to a beautiful waterfall with cascading rocks with moss and ferns surrounding them. People had made rock pyramids (balanced rocks one on top of the other) all throughout the falls. We all made our own little pyramids. We said it was to create balance in our lives. With breaks, it took up about an hour and a half to get to the top. The view from this point was amazing. It was just beautiful. Can you believe, me who always has a camera, did not bring my it along.? Neither did Mike. Luckily Taz Mike had his camera and took some pictures which he said he would email to me. We all went into the church and lit candles. We got to the top around 5:00.
We knew we had to get back to the clinic for dinner which is served at 5:30. We knew there would be no way we would make it at that time, but figured that Mike's hyperthemia usually lasts until 6:00 when he has it late in the day so we should still manage to get back before it was too late. Our decent down the mountain was not any easier than the climb up. The path had such an incline that it was difficult holding yourself back with weak, tired muscles. Taz Mike took off ahead of us, and we did not know where he had gotten to. On the way up the mountain we noticed a "shortcut" to Brannenburg. Mike, Christy, and I decided to take that trail back to the clinic. Well....this trail was a lot worse than the one we climbed. We weren't exactly sure where we would end up but we knew it had to get to the bottom. We surfaced at an area we have frequently walked to. We kept hoping Taz Mike realized we had gone the other way and was not waiting for us. It took us about an hour to get back.
We got back to the clinic to find out that the kitchen staff was worried about us. We were still there in time to get supper which was spaghetti. We actually beat Taz Mike back by about 5 minutes. He had met up with a group of German hikers and came down the mountain with them.
After our meal, everyone gathered upstairs on the 2nd floor to talk and to celebrate Chris and Dave's wonderful news. We were laughing and having a good time. It iss so nice to have bonded so closely with everyone that we could have such a good time together. Taz Mike leaves tomorrow morning and Chris leaves on Sunday. It is not going to be the same without those two. Lindy leaves on Tuesday so I guess there will be a new group of people coming in to meet and hear their stories.
Hope I have not bored anyone, but this was just such a unbelievable day that I had to share it.
The group: Dave Roberts, Mike Lizottes, Mike, Leah Rosenberg, Chris Van Clef, Christy Dion, and Zoe Brannigan.
Chris T.and I, two of the supportive spouses/partners.
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