Cancer Update

In a routine annual wellness check I asked Dr. Wachsmuth, my primary care doctor to take a look at several things, one of which was a node of skin on the corner of my jaw under my right ear. To his surprise, it turned out to be Squamous cell carcinoma – my third type of cancer! Everyone think shaving it off at this early stage is the end of it.

I have had two sets of scans since finishing immunotherapy in October. They searched every nook and corner of my body and failed to find any hint of cancer. That is cause for celebration! I will have another set of scans and a visit with the oncologist in May.

Chinese New Year is an occasion to put blessing banners around one’s door. I have been given banners from Taiwan which I renew each year. It’s a tradition that is receiving blessings from God given through friends which delights me.

One of the great joys of being an old man is that I have long time deep friendships with people who have journeyed with Sherry and me on the Jesus way.

I love to play with numbers. For the last couple of months I have been in “double doubles” that is seven seven and five five. Can you guess what they represent? I will specify at the end of the post.

Anniversary

Sherry and I celebrate the anniversary of the first time we saw each other: December 15, 1967, of the evening she manipulated me to ask her to marry me: March 2, 1968; and the Friday evening we were married, March 22, 1968. That’s 99 days if you are counting, and I do of course! This year our anniversary was also on a Friday which made the pattern work even better. We did our celebration at Ester Lee Motel at Lincoln City overlooking the ocean and dinner at Salty’s on the Columbia. They are pictured below. You can see other pictures of our anniversary celebration in this album.

The double doubles are my age (77) and years married (55). We have aged out as we move to 56 years, but in a year numerology will be back: 5678.