What I'd Like for Christmas...among other things

Life in Chicago is busy and hectic. I work 50 hour weeks and my days consist of putting out fires, dealing with angry customers, and motivating unmotivated employees. I'm away from my family during a time when I want nothing more than to be there with them.  Luckily, we all have so many frequent flyer miles that I get to travel home once a month.  I will be home again December 23rd and spending Christmas at home.

So, I bet you are all wondering...how's Bob?  Well...he's okay.  He finished ten sessions of radiation therapy for his bone cancer and the pain in his leg. This treatment wasn't meant to be a cure, but to help the pain in his leg. He will tell you that so far it isn't working very well. Hopefully, this will change in the next week or two.  He has helped pay for numerous salaries at his insurance company and at the local hospital that he spent a couple of days in recently.  Apparently one too many pain medications did not agree with my dad.  But not to fear, he is back at home and in good hands (with my mom and in his recliner).

For now, he is at home resting.  Which is probably making him mad since he has so much to do. Renovating the house, Christmas shopping, etc.  What can you do to help?  Send warm thoughts, nice stories, pray if you do, ... all of that stuff helps.  I asked my mom if she needed me to do anything this morning...and she said no. She thinks she's okay for now.  If we ever need anything from our big extended family, we will let you know.

What do I want for Christmas? I asked for an new iPod and some other stuff. But really, all I want is to be home, with my dad, and my family and to spend as much time as I can making more memories with them. 

Dear Abby/News is Usually Bad

So, as many of you have heard already, my dad's cancer has spread and grown to various organs, veins, etc. in his body.  He has started to have pain in his leg and is currently taking oral medication to alleviate some of the pain.  Bob has an appointment with the oncologist on Monday to talk about next steps for radiation treatments. I don't think he will be getting the chemo Dr. Allen recommended, but who knows.  He now has a noticeable limp in his left leg, but his hair has fully grown back. The alternative treatment in India has fizzled out, and despite all this bad news...his spirits are still high. He is painting and renovating the house with help from his neighbor, Harold, and some really good contractors. 

I flew down from Chicago for Thanksgiving and we had a good family Thanksgiving eating, playing Farkle, and singing old songs that my dad used to sing to/with us on his guitar. In that spirit, I created a new verse to the song Dear Abby. I think only the Keegan family will get this, but who knows:

Dear Abby Dear Abby
My cancer has spread
It's gone to my liver
but not to my head
The doctor from India
said "no" last night
what's a man to do
when this shit ain't right

Signed, Has Cancer

Has Cancer Has Cancer
you have no complaints
you are what you are
and you ain't what you ain't
so listen up buster
and listen up good
stop wishing for bad luck
and knocking on wood

Signed, Dear Abby

-------

I know most people don't know what to do or say during this difficult time for Bob and his family. Your words of support, kind emails, etc. are always appreciated.  My dad is so lucky to have a support system like this.  We love each and every one of you.

I will try to post more pictures in the coming weeks.

Bob's Doing GREAT!

I have been horrible lately at keeping up this blog, and for that, I do apologize.  My dad is doing GREAT!  He stopped chemo in early August; he flew up to Chicago to visit me; he went to New York to visit family and the Baseball Hall of Fame; he went to D.C. for "work"; he visited family in Louisianna; and he even managed to remodeled the house!  The cancer is still there, but he is too busy living life!  The next doctor's appointment is coming up soon and hopefully we will have some positive news.  I promise to post more details and pictures in the next couple of weeks.

I just recently returned from Atlanta and I spent time with my family. My dad's hair is growing back and he's very proud of this.  We played football (Marcus, Dad, and I) in the front yard without managing to break a window.  We are no Manning family, but we are darn close!  We watched football, played Farkel (the new family favorite game), and we had a lovely meal together.

Chemo Free Days

So, where did I leave off?  I went home on August 11th to visit my family for two really quick days. My dad picked me up from the airport Thursday night and I was greeted at home by my mom, my Aunt Alicia, and some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. What more could a girl ask for?

There were two things that my dad seemed really excited about: (1) the new windows in the house (I must admit they are nice) and (2) his new bird feeder with the upside down cone to prevent squirrels from climbing up it and stealing all of the bird seed.  We talked about these two things in great detail.

Friday night we had dinner at Marcus and Stacey's house and then had a rousing game of Farkel.  I almost won, but my mom came back and beat me at the end.  My dad however was Farkeling out of this world. If you have ever played any kind of game with him, you should know he is quick to give you advice...on how best to lose.

I left Saturday evening, but not before enjoying a nice dinner with the family at a neighborhood Mexican restaurant. It was a quick visit, but it served its purpose.

So how is my dad doing??? He's doing pretty good. He loves not having to go to doctors for chemotheraphy and other unnecessary activities involving needles. He has started biking again, with my mom of course, so I'm sure he's happy about that as well.  He is still pursuing alternative treatment methods, but some of the options may take longer to materialize than he had originally hoped for.

Oh, a belated shout out to our family friend, Carla, and her quilting group at St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church. They made two lovely quilts for "strength and support...with love, hope and prayers" that my mom and dad now keep on the sofa in the family room.  They make great napping accessories I might add.

Also, here's a belated picture of my dad and his new BFF (best friend forever), Abbott.  It was taken back in April.  Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Marcus!..and the quick and dirty update on Bob.

Today is Marcus' (my brother's) birthday!!!! Happy Birthday to one of my very best friends and the best brother a girl could ever ask for. He feeds me when I'm hungry, tells me my parents are crazy when they don't do as I wish, and always checks to make sure I'm okay.

So, I know I have been MIA as far as the blog is concerned, but as Marcus' stated in the last post, I just started a new job where I am managing people and I have no clue what they actually do every day. It's a great challenge and I am loving every minute of being super busy and bossing people around.  I talked to my dad a couple of days ago via email and I talk to my parents every Sunday (it's a tradition). He had chemo treatment on Tuesday, so I'm sure he's not feeling too well right now. I talked to Marcus this morning (to wish him Happy Birthday of course) and he said my dad was doing pretty good all things considered.  My dad doesn't have any plans (as of now) for any more chemo treatments since he likes chemo treatments as much as he likes the current healthcare system in America. WARNING: Please don't engage him in conversations about hospital bills and/or how much chemo treatments costs unless you have plenty of spare time on your hands. He is now very passionate about these things. And that's what makes him my dad :-)

I'm pretty sure my mom and dad have been entertaining visitors, remodeling the house, and going through their normal daily routine. Not much has changed.  My dad is still looking into alternative treatment methods and I'm pretty sure that this research is consuming most of his time and energy.  I know he can't wait to prove those doctors wrong! Every last one of them (except of course the good doctors that work at CDC). I would tell you all of the nicknames he has for his various doctors, but I would like to keep this blog PG.

I miss my family like crazy and think about them every day. Chicago is an interesting city and I'm slowly but surely learning my way around. Luckily, my dad has plenty of frequent flyer miles that he so generously shares with his baby girl. So...I will be in Atlanta next weekend to visit!!!! Lucky for me, my Aunt Alicia will be in town as well. I will make sure to take some more pictures of the family during my visit.  Until then...

A Throwback - Picture's from Father's Day

Sorry these are so late going up, but here are some pictures of my family celebrating Father's Day this year.

 Above picture: My dad taking pictures of the family he kept leaving behind on the Silver Comet trail.

 Above picture: Bob and his kids. Can't you tell how excited they are to be biking 16 miles????

 Above picture: The Keegan Family - halfway done with the wonderific bike ride!

Above picture: Me taking a picture of my dad and I while he is singing the "Happiness Song". I'm not very good at getting myself in the picture though. Look for the song coming soon on YouTube ;-)

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (by Guest Blogger: Bob’s Son)

We have heard from many people about the fact that the Blog hasn’t been updated.  Bob’s Daughter (a recent MBA grad) was honored to be selected into a management training program with a large company that required that she move to Chicago.  Between leaving the DOJ, moving her things to Chicago, making frequent trips to Atlanta to check on her dad, and going to a week-long training in Dallas, Bob’s Daughter has been quite swamped.  Luckily for you loyal readers, Bob also has a son!  So – let me fill you in on all the happenings for the past month and half or so.

In the midst of the moving, Bob’s Daughter made it down to Atlanta to spend Father’s Day with Dad.  We celebrated by driving out to the Silver Comet Trail and taking an 18-mile bike ride out to the Giant Trestle (I made that name up – but it truly is a very large old train trestle) on the Silver Comet Trail.  Dad loves bike rides and was ecstatic to go on this one because Lauren had not been on a bike ride with him in a number of years due in part to a terrible bike related fall she suffered shortly after our return from Thailand.  This time, however, there were no falls and Lauren had a great time.  Ok, a good time.  Ok, she only complained a little bit.  But most importantly, Dad had a GREAT time.  We celebrated that night with a great dinner at my house made by my lovely wife as well as an incredible cheesecake made by my lovely mom.

As Lauren has already told you, a great father’s day was followed up by a day of chemo on Monday, June 20th.  Lauren was a trooper and gave Mom some relief by spending the day with Dad while he got his treatment.  The chemo treatment was followed by several days of feeling like crap on my dad’s part.  Unfortunately, he feels like the days of feeling like crap have extended slightly with each additional treatment.  Dad was very disappointed that there was not more significant improvement from his CT scan results.  For quite a few days after June 20th, he wrestled with the idea of stopping the chemo treatments and just enjoying life.  After some serious discussions with several doctors, he ultimately decided to finish his last two chemo treatments.  He is continuing to explore alternative options. 

Dad did get to enjoy some fun over the 4th of July weekend.  My uncles Jim and Lawrence and my aunt Velma came to visit for the 4th of July.  In addition to the family time, the plan was for my Mom and Dad, Jim and Lawrence and I to complete the Peachtree Road Race, the world’s largest 10k race.  Jim and I were planning to walk the 10k, Lawrence and Mom were planning to run it, and my dad was planning to walk it so fast that he may as well have been running.  Unfortunately, Mom had to pull out with an injury (but she’s run the Peachtree more times than anyone else in the family so she didn’t miss out on too much) and Lawrence had to run it alone.  True to his nature, my dad walked the whole thing about 20 minutes faster than my uncle Jim and I walked it.  It was hot and long but it was actually a lot of fun.  It’s quite an atmosphere.  All along the route there are people lined up in chairs cheering (sometimes jeering) and often drinking beers, mimosas and bloody marys and making you wonder why you aren’t sitting there drinking with them.  But our goal was achieved, as everyone who started was able to make it to the finish line.  Lauren picked Jim and I up from the train station with beers in the cooler….what a good egg.  After the race everyone gathered at my parent’s house, along with long-time family friends Ed and Andrea, to drink, eat and talk about the day.

A few weekends ago, my mom and dad and Stacey and I went to see the new Woody Allen movie, Midnight in Paris.  I thought the cinematography was great, the filming of Paris was done with the same loving touches that Woody used to give Manhattan, the theme of the illusion of a better past was a great one, and the standard Woody Allen characters you know and love were done well by Rachel McAdams and Owen Wilson.  Dad fell asleep and only woke himself up when he began snoring too loudly.  So I guess that’s one thumb up and one thumb down.

On July 11th, Dad had his next to last chemo treatment.  He reported it being a little more painful than the previous ones, but he survived.  I think he would say that the basketball feeling in his stomach isn’t as big a basketball, but the overall crappy feeling lasted a little longer.  By the weekend, though he was back to his normal activities and got to spend some time with his former co-workers Steve and Melinda on Saturday.  He also got to spend some time with his brother Joe, his sister-in-law Nancy, and his niece Robyn who were in town visiting Dad and some other family they have in Atlanta.  On Monday, Dad’s sisters Eileen and Mary got into town and are here visiting for a few days.  Tonight, Stacey and I will be joining Eileen, Mary, Joe and Nancy for dinner at my parent’s house.  Dad has really enjoyed having a chance to visit with all of his family.  His brother Michael has work that brings him to Atlanta every now and then and has been able to visit with my Dad a few times over the past few months.  His brother Timmy and his niece Rashunda have also visited with him, not to mention numerous members of his extended CDC family.  The family visits are a pleasant distraction (for all of us) from the ugly business of cancer and chemo.