Marcel Marceau Passes

PARIS, France (AP) -- Marcel Marceau, who revived the art of mime and brought poetry to silence, has died, French media reported Sunday. He was 84.

France-Info radio and LCI television said the family had announced the death of Marceau. No other details were released.

Wearing white face paint, soft shoes and a battered hat topped with a red flower, the world-famous Marceau played the entire range of human emotions onstage for more than 50 years, never uttering a word. Offstage, he was famously chatty. "Never get a mime talking. He won't stop," he once said.

Marceau was born Marcel Mangel on March 22, 1923, in Strasbourg, France. His father Charles, a butcher who sang baritone, introduced his son to the world of music and theater at an early age. The boy adored the silent film stars of the era: Chaplin, Buster Keaton and the Marx brothers.

"If you stop at all when you are 70 or 80, you cannot go on," he told The AP in an interview in 2003. "You have to keep working."

ALICE GHOSTLEY DIES

Sept. 22nd 2007

Alice Ghostley, who was best known for playing Esmeralda on "Bewitched" and Bernice on "Designing Women," has died at 81. Ghostley died Friday at her home in Studio City after a long battle with colon cancer and a series of strokes.

Ms. Ghostley won a Tony for best featured actress in, "The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window." Ghostley's film credits include, "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Graduate," "Gator" and "Grease."

Alice Ghostley was married to actor Felice Orlandi, who died in 2003, and is survived by her sister, Gladys.

TERRY'S STORY

I have a friend who is going through cancer and have been worried sick about him. Although I have been in contact with his mother, I needed to hear from him to know, to really know that he is ok. Today I received this email from him that he sent outlining what he has been going through. His last few sentences really hit home with me where he talks about 'stress'. I guess when I say "my kids are killing me" it can be true!.

His is an amazing story....one filled with LIFE lessons of faith, courage, humility and a lesson to all of us to not take one day for granted....I've posted this with his permission....it is long but, please read.

I guess I will write a summary of my adventure with cancer for those that know someone or themselves find out that they are going down the same path..

My diagnosis on 1/09/2007. My life changed that day. While researching my disease, I found quite a bit of information, but not much in the way of "how it feels" to go through it. My hope is that it will help you to put things into perspective. It's no fun, but it can be done . . .This diagnosis came about after I noticed a small lump below my ear and what I thought was swimmer's ear, since I had recurring ear aches since I was a kid..I got concerned and made an appointment with my family doctor to get it checked out.

She said it looked like a infected ear, and put me on ten days worth of antibiotics. All through this she kept asking me if I smoked. And I don't. And never did. The doctor still didn't have an idea, and asked again if I smoked. No, I still don't smoke. I was getting real suspicious at this point, so I made my concern an issue with the doctor, and insisted that further investigation be done. So I scheduled an appointment with an ENT specialist Dr. Mark Clinton.

He seemed pretty young to me (I was 55 at the time), but very forthright, and to-the- point. I described what I had done up to that point, gave some history, and asked if he could tell me what is going on . . . He looked around in my nasal and throat area with a scope (which gagged me somewhat). He felt of the "mass" and sat down to discuss. He said that I have a tumor, and in the neck area when you're talking tumors, you're usually talking cancer. There. It was finally said.

At that nanosecond my life changed forever. A tickertape starts running at that moment, and it doesn't stop. Even if you are able to distract yourself, it's still going in the background, just waiting for an opportunity to jump out front again! I cannot in any way truly describe the feelings at that instant.

It's numbing. It immediately puts you into a dreamworld where things that are being said around you seem muffled, and distant. Your mind reels with the impact. You consider denial. You feel like bolting. You want to destroy something. On and on . . .But, I was able to keep my cool, and discuss it, because I wanted to know more. Needed to know more. Lots more. This was my life we're taking about here! I have to live!

The only way to find out for sure was to do a biopsy of the lympth node and of the tumor itself. He took three "samples," each from different areas of the tumor. I asked him if one more sample would help in identification of the cancer type. He said if I didn't mind, sure. So four samples were taken..

I received a call at work from Dr. Clinton. He asked if I could come in to talk. Well, I knew what that meant . . . I told my boss what was going on - what I knew to date. And he was very understanding. That tickertape was running at full speed about now . . .

When we met in one of the small examining rooms, he told me the news. OK. Now it was official. I asked the likelihood of error. He said it was probably 95% accurate. So what do I do now? This is where it gets scary, when YOU are the one in the hot seat!

He described how the squamous cells are the skin cells, and that if you have an obvious lesion on your skin, say your arm or face, you would know about it. But, if there is a squamous cell problem somewhere else, where you can't see it, it would most likely be in the lining of the nasal passages, throat, or down into the lungs (squamous cells also line the mouth, throat and down into the esophagus).

I was told that the only standard treatment options for this situation are surgery and/or radiation treatment. In a very small number of cases chemo would be considered, but not mine. His recommendation was to do surgery followed by a course of radiation treatments. The surgical procedure is called a radical neck dissection. I will describe this in more detail below. Talk about shocking. I have gone from official diagnosis of cancer to surgery in a matter of minutes. My head was reeling. It was a good thing I was already sitting down, cause I would have probably collapsed!

I guess it's only human to project various scenarios of what may happen . . . I know I was seeing myself butchered, incapacitated, useless, and even dead in some of these imaginary scenarios. The mind is a powerful thing, with the imagination working at full tilt! Now how are you supposed to keep on a "happy face" with news like this on your mind? Tell me please.

Another strange task was telling my coworkers. When you have news like this, it is awkward to say the least. You tend to think about all the other coworkers over the years - some that died of cancer . . . but don't mention. I found the best way to do it is flat out drop the bomb. Most people are pretty understanding. I was fortunate that the majority of people that I work with are intelligent, and forthright. Even with something like this. I think people you tell this sort of news to, kind of gauge their reaction to what they perceive you as feeling, if that makes any sense?

If you are in control of your situation, their reaction will be more controlled - and, OK.. I went down to the University of Miami School of Medicine to get a second oppinion and met with Dr. Thomas to go over my options.. The surgery procedure is called a radical neck dissection. There are many variations of this procedure, but the classic procedure involves removal of all the lymphatic tissues in the neck (or a given side of the neck). This is accomplished by making two incisions in the neck (left neck in my case). These are in a sort of "T" shaped configuration - along the jawline, and down the side of the neck. The goal is to get rid of the lymph tissue in the neck. In the process, the sternocleidomastoid muscle (neck muscle) is removed. This allows access to all the lymph nodes that may be hiding cancer cells. The spinal accessory nerve will most likely be severed as well, resulting in limited movement of the arm above the head. There will also likely be numbness of the shoulder, neck and upper chest areas. Opps, I'm jumping a little because she is a surgeon and before that she told me that I needed to see a radiologist..The radiation is administered to a field that includes the area from about the bridge of the nose, down to just below the clavicle (or, collarbone).

Prior to beginning my radiation treatments, I arranged to have a dental checkup. This is strongly recommended in radiation treatments to the oral cavity. The radiation is very hard on your teeth and gums. There is a pretty nasty word called xerostomia that sums up what happens when you get radiation to your mouth area. After reading about it, I felt compelled to do everything I can to try and preserve my teeth, and practice good oral hygiene! I had panorama x-rays done. Cleaning. Two teeth had cracked fillings - got those taken care of. It seems that radiation treatments accelerate tooth decay, so even the smallest crack or cavity could end up being real problematic down the road. Also had to have 5 bottom teeth removed because they were capped or had silver fillings and time would not allowed them to work on them to save them before my treatments..

Side Effects of radiation: There are certain things that will definitely happen, however. Some of these include:
* Skin Burning - My skin burned, but not as bad as some other people that I've talked to. There are things that can be done to help cope with it, but for the most part, you just have to endure it!
* Sore Mouth - The burns don't just happen on the outside skin. The inside of your mouth/throat get burned also. The things that helped most for me were Miles Solution, UlcerEase, and Lidocaine 2% viscous. In my late 7th week and 8th week, I had a pretty sore ulcer on my inside left cheek.
* Dry Mouth - This is really aggravating. Your ability to produce "normal" saliva goes away, leaving you with real thick spit that doesn't contain much water. This is what the xerostomia is all about.
* Loss of Taste - This varies from individual to individual, but I lost almost all my sense of taste. There is actually a medical term for impaired taste - its called "hypogeusia." This was one of the most aggravating side effects of all!
* Fatigue - You will get tired. I really didn't start feeling it until about the 4-5th week. But when it hits, you'll know it. Just listen to your body, and take it easy!
* Hair Loss - If you are a man and have a beard, the radiation will probably cause you lose facial hair in the area being radiated. I lost mine at the end of the 3rd week. This isn't too bad because I didn't have to shave and my face was really smooth..

Before the actual treatments could begin, I had to undergo what is called a simulation. The simulator is a diagnostic tool that has a fluorscope attached that allows better imaging for setting the targets for the linear accelerator used in the actual treatments. I'll get into that in a minute. But before the simulation could be done, I had to be fitted with a mask. This was an interesting procedure, with a good idea behind it. They lay you down on a bench and create a plaster mold of your head (this is probably bad if you're claustrophobic). Your head is covered with the warm plaster, leaving only nose holes and a mouth hole (~ 2" dia.). Once the plaster mold is made, a clear plastic mask replica of your head is created from the mold. This mask is what will be used to bolt your head into place so you cannot move it during the "rad treats." The mask is also what allows the alignment marks to NOT be made on your skin (although you will still probably have to have a few marks drawn on you for field alignment purposes). The majority of marks are made on the mask, which helps to keep everything consistent and keeps you from looking like a jigsaw puzzle.The simulation is the process of getting the alignments made, and marks made so that when you get the real treatments, they will be to the exact same spots - every time! You lay down and are bolted in with your mask. X-rays are taken to assess the exact position necessary for the x-ray blocks to be located. The "blocks" are molded pieces of metal alloy, that will prevent radiation from affecting areas not needing treatment. Also, the fields that will be radiated are defined.

In my case, I was to get a dose of 90 cGy (centigrays, or RADS) to both the left and right upper neck and cheek areas (for a total dose of 180 cGy/day). And a lower field of 180 cGy/day to the front clavicle and lower neck area. I had a block on the lower field that left me with a (temporary) white stripe up the center of my throat (this protected my spine and esophogus). The blocks I had on the left and right sides created a definite curved line (from the radiation burning) on my skin, that came forward from the middle of my ear to my cheekbone, and curved down to my jaw. The simulation lasted about 45 minutes. And that is a long time to be in that mask, believe me!! The normal treatments only take a few minutes. Physically, this was the most uncomfortable part of getting the treatments (notice I didn't say anything about the side effects of the treatments!).Once everything has been aligned, blocks made, and everyone is happy, you can start with the real thing . . .

Week One
* Well, that "tickertape" has been running like crazy. The first thing that really hit me was when I pulled into the parking lot for the radiation onclogy patients. Each parking space has a little sign that says "Reserved Parking - Radiation Oncology Patients - Permit Required." When I saw that for the first time, it really hit me. I have cancer. The only people that come here and park here have cancer.
* The first treatment went smoothly. I had already been in the mask during the simulation, so I had already experienced that part of it. There is no pain during the treatment, but I got a distinct sensation of "something" passing through my body.
* My dosage for treatments was to be 180 cGy per day up 4140 for the left and right neck areas, and up to 5140 for the front. This is subject to change as you get more into the treats. These treatments are with photon x-rays, which penetrate through your body. Later in the course, the photons will be reduced, and electrons will make up the difference. Electrons don't penetrate as far, thereby doing less tissue damage.
* I also felt slight hypersensitivity of the skin being irradiated, as well as sore jaw joints.
* Started on Salagen for saliva production.
* By weeks end, dry mouth had begun to set in.

Week Two
* Taste sensation starting to go . . .
* Towards the end of the week, starting to feel some pain in my throat, rawness and trouble swallowing.
* Tumor is starting to flatten out a little bit - not much.
* By week's end, I was beginning to feel pretty bad inside my throat. The rad-onc doc said it's common to see fungal growth set in. I noticed some white "rough patches" on my inner gums by my back molars/wisdom teeth.
* EMOTIONS: By now I am wondering how I'll feel after 5 more weeks of this (!), if I feel this way now. It's grim to contemplate.

Week Three
* On Monday, I got a prescription for the Miles Solution. This is comprised of 1 gm tetracycline, Nystatin Suspension (2,000,000u), Hydrocortisone (20mg) and Benadryl Elixir. And it does work, thank God! There was a definite "line of demarcation" where the radiation was burning from the roof of my mouth, on down. Ouch!
* Tumor is now noticeably shrinking.
* It was a yeast infection that was setting in causing all the pain in my throat. It was much better by mid-week.
* Loss of taste is the foremost aggravation by week's end.

Week Four
* The loss of taste is really annoying. I worked up a fantastic image of loaded potato skins in my mind. While out shopping, I stopped at T.G.I.Friday's and I ordered some. They came out looking absolutely mouth watering (or at least as mouth watering as can be with no saliva!). Sour cream, cheese, bacon, butter, ummmmm. I took a bite, and . . . yes . . . it was like eating a napkin. No taste whatsoever! I almost cried right there in the restaurant. This is terrible, and no one will ever know unless they go through it themselves! Amazing how much we take our senses for granted, when there are no problems.
* Very tired in the evenings. Passed the half way mark this week. Hey, it's a big deal . . .
* Skin under my neck is getting very dry and turning white in some areas. And brown in other areas (like a peeling sunburn). I have been using aloe vera a couple of times a day, with relief, up until now. It's not helping much with the heat from my skin quickly drying it out . . .
* EMOTIONS: I have had some strange dreams lately. Also, have had some low days when I've felt like I was being pulled into a "large dark hole." I felt that if I ever went in, it would be real hard to get back out. Trying to stay upbeat. Week Five
* Started using UlcerEase (phenol) to deal with the raw throat, that is getting worse. Burns bad when I gargle with it, but provides numbing relief shortly.
* Skin on my neck is peeling - looks like a bad sunburn underneath. All brown and pink. The burning should diminish 2-4 weeks after the last treatment. The radiation continues to do it's work for ~2 weeks after the last treatment.
* Talked with Dr. Dass about the changes to my radiation prescription. The total dosage will be dropped from 7000 cGy, to 5140 cGy for all areas except the tonsil (about a 3-4" square area on my left cheek). This means one more week of the current regimen. Then a 10 day "boost" treatment of 200 cGy/day to the left tonsil, for a total of 7040 cGy to that area. The boost will be 100 cGy/day photons, and 100cGy/day electrons.
* Started the electrons on Thursday. These are in addition to the photons - and take a little extra time to administer. Electrons don't penetrate as far as the photons do. Their energy can be adjusted to penetrate to different depths. This was done in conjunction with going "off chord." Which means a new spinal block was put into place for the neck treatments to protect my spinal chord from the photons.
* Skin is very burnt. Anything touching it (i.e., shirt collar. etc.) is irritating.

Week Six
* Throat is getting more raw feeling inside. Seems to be a painful "catch" deep inside, around my Adam's apple. Neck and throat skin continue to peel.
* Did my second simulation this week. This one was needed to make the new blocks for the photons and electrons for the last 10 day boost treatments.
* Started the "boost" treatments on Friday. Unfortunately, this increased the number of treatments from 35 to 40.
* Throat (inside) is very uncomfortable. Hurts to swallow any food. Skin is still peeling. Bright pink underneath.

Week Seven
* Throat is now the main complaint. Started coughing up streaks of blood in the thick phlegm that gets stuck in my throat. Yuck. Coughing is the only way to clear that out. And it hurts to cough.
* Sometimes gagging results from trying to clear my throat. That creates a short panicy feeling . . . It's like you clear part of the mucous out, but the rest of it obstructs your airway.
* Began taking a tsp of roxicet along with the numbing agents at bedtime. This provides a couple of hours of relative peaceful relief. If it would only last . . .
* By week's end, developing painful sores (ulcers) inside my mouth - on the left side where the majority of the radiation is still being concentrated.

Week Eight
* Never thought it would get here!!
* Not much blood from my throat now. That's encouraging. It's been a week now since stopping the radiation to the neck and throat . . . . Most people won't go more than 7040 cGy. I think that this is a limit for treatment. I'll tell you one thing, 40 treatments is more than enough to last me! Dr. Dass told me that he felt that he had gotten it all and that I didn't need surgery 95% sure that I wouldn't.. Well I guess Dr. Thomas still wanted to do the surgery and talked me into it..

On Friday, July 6, 2006 (I'm thankful it wasn't Friday the 13th, not that I'm superstitious). It occured to me that this is really the only time I've ever been in the hospital. I feel nervous for various reasons. One is certainly the procedure itself. I'm not looking forward to getting cut open . . . Other issues in my mind at the moment are more dark and foreboding. I can't help but wonder how all this will turn out. Will it be successful? If so, will there be a recurrance? Will I have to spend my life "looking over my shoulder" wondering if every little swelling or lump that pops up will be cancer? I hate these feelings!

I was taken back to the surgery prep area immediately, along with several other patients there for their own personal battles. Stripped down to "nothing," and put on one of those stupid gowns that tie in the back, and have your butt hanging out. What about dignity?Here comes the nurse. More questions - medical history. Here comes the nurse anesthesist. Same questions. Time to go to sleep soon - they got the IV in my arm and wheeled me into the operating room. I remember hearing a radio in the distance announcing that the temperature is 87 degrees. Funny, the things that stick in your mind. Hustle, bustle. People running around. Making preparations. Clattering sounds. I'm going, going, gone . . ..

Waking up in recovery. It's 8:30pm. I thought I'd have been done sooner. Feeling very out of it. Groggy. Fading in and out. There were a lot of people recovering - sort of like planes backed up at the airport, waiting to take off. I was finally wheeled to ICU. Starting to feel a little coherent. Just a little. Enough to notice numbness in my left ear and side of face. Top of my shoulder too. At some point I remember a group of about 5 residents coming in. Still a little out of it, I asked if they were "here to change the light bulb." One actually asked if it was out! It wasn't long before the pain started cutting through. And it was one powerful hurt, let me tell you. A very steady pain in my shoulder. Right where they put the "wound drain." Otherwise, everything was pretty much numb. Got some morphine. Ah, that's the ticket. Also got some roxicet, since the morphine won't last long. I can describe my state of awareness as foggy, at best. I had some time to experiment with trying to find a comfortable position. There wasn't one.

I did, however, use the time to think about some weird things (must have been the drugs). I reflected on how during my radiation treatments, the transition between wakefullness and sleep (and vice versa), seemed to require a lot of time. I believe this was due to the fact that I had to adjust to the horizontal versus the vertical orientations (associated with sleep and being awake). And these adjustments were confounded by my need to get the phlegm cleared out of my throat (since the cilia cells in my throat weren't doing their normal job of keeping the phlegm moving, any more...thanks to the radiation). This resulted in an hour or two after first lying down (or getting up) being used to cough, gag, and spit my way to comfort! No fun, but that's starting to diminish now. Of course, now I have new pains to distract me from it too. In order to turn my head, I have to turn my whole body. Things are either numb, or in pain! Strange sensation.

By accident, I discovered the source of my shoulder pain. And it wasn't a result of "surgery," necessarily. I found that when I disconnected myself from the drain vacuum pump, the pain subsided. When I hooked it back up, the pain came roaring back. I could definitely feel the "pull" underneath my skin from the vacuum. I didn't really get any sound sleep all night. My throat kept telling me how sore it was - probably due to all the tubes that were crammed down it's radiation stricken surface! It hurts to swallow, and everything feels quite constricted. Neck and shoulder are sore and numb, as is my left ear. Hearing is also muted. My thought is that I certainly hope this improves! Left jaw is swollen, but my most painful complaint remains the drain tube in my neck. The drain is a plastic tube with holes in it, that runs under my skin from the top of my shoulder over to my neck, then up my neck to a spot behind my left ear. This is very irritating, and I wonder if it isn't the source of numbness of my left ear and cheek?

Most of the day (Sat.) was spent alternating between resting. I am constantly trying to move my left arm around to regain maximum mobility. I know it will never be the same as it was, but I certainly want to get as much back as possible. So far, so good - I can actually raise my left arm above/behind my head already. The compression packing was removed, revealing 30 nice shiny staples. Now I know where the term "zipper neck" comes from! It really does look like a zipper. Once they removed the tube, neck started feeling much better . The drain tube was stitched into place, and the doc said it may ooze a little.

Supposed to take it real easy for the next week, especially. Left ear and skin around the incision are dead numb. Feels like I've had a megadose of novacaine. A lot of swelling too, that seems to manifest itself on the inside of my throat as well as the outside. And hearing is still muted - like I'm in a fishbowl or something - seems to "match" the numbness. I've been trying to exercise my left shoulder while I sit around taking it easy. Rolling it around. Raising my arm as high as I can. Stretching it. If I'm not careful, though it can get painful. The most difficult moves involve the neck. Up and down, and left and right are very stiff. The numbness is very aggravating, too.

I'm trying to figure out a way to get my hearing back, too. For about 5 seconds today, while in the shower, it came back! I was trying the old "swimmers ear" remedy of pinching my nose shut and blowing to build up pressure. My right ear popped, and then with a little more pressure, my left ear gurgled, and popped open too! Suddenly, the roar of the water splashing on the floor of the shower was bright, and very loud. About 5 seconds later, things plugged back up again. But, this gives me hope . . . The muted effect doesn't seem to be permanent.

EMOTIONS Physically I feel very drained. Like I've had enough, and my body can't take any more abuse. And I think this feeling is starting to carry over to my mental and emotional state as well. A sort of ominous feeling has settled in, leaving me with a sense of general frustration. I know we've done everything we can do to fight this cancer. But, I don't know if it's going to be enough! The ticker tape in my mind is flying right now.

Now I have to see Dr. Thomas for my followup after surgery. I face this meeting with not a small degree of trepidation, because we will be presented with the results of pathology tests of the dissected tissue. There is potential for bad news, and I just can't stand the thought of more bad news. My body can't take any more "bad news." She looked at my incision, and commented on how good it looked ("Really"). And brightly asked, "how did it go?" meaning the surgery. She went and found the paperwork. Came back in with that beautiful grin, and a thumb up! Thank God. Again.

Everything was negative. Neck dissection tissue was negative for cancer. Tonsil tissue was also negative. I really needed to hear this good news. We talked about my hearing loss, and numbness also. The hearing should return to normal, and the numbness should go away as the nerves reestablish themselves. This may take up to a year, however, and there will be small areas (i.e., lower ear lobe, and parts of the cheek where the incision is) that will remain numb permanently. If the cancer stays away, I can deal with that . . . Dr. Thomas said, "make an appointment for next month, and we'll see you then." Any questions, call. Black and white.

My main goals were to try and get rid of the throat pain and dryness. The swelling in my throat is still very taut, though not real "big. The surgery scars continue to heal. The tight skin really is evident when I try to turn my head left or right, or up or down. I certainly don't have the mobility I used to have. I sometimes get needle-like pains out of nowhere that cause me to twitch, because I don't know they're coming until they've already passed! I must look like an afflicted person at times! The numb areas have diminished by about 10%. Some of my lower chest, upper left cheek and left shoulder are near normal feeling now.

After doing a lot of research, I know I have somethings to look forward to.. One concern of mine is thyroid problems. The stats say that 30% of patients with radiation to the neck/thyroid area may develop hypothyroidism. This can be regulated by thyroid medication. Unfortunately, this is the risk we must take to have a shot at life.

Every once in a while I get a sensation of taste. It's frustrating, though, because it only lasts for about the first bite of something . . . It takes time. Things don't seem to get better on a daily basis - rather every two to three days, I notice an improvement in some area.I can see right now that once a month I will get some anxious moments prior to these visits. I am having some pretty strange stabbing pains in my neck that shoot to my left ear. They only last a few seconds - then they are gone. But, they come back in a minute or so. Neck skin is still taut, and numb.

EMOTIONS: Here's an interesting story that bothered me when it happened last night. I went to nail some boards up and had to use a ladder, I've never had a problem handling a ladder! Until now . . . Yep, I discovered that my limited shoulder movement is a real pain when it comes to this kind of stuff. I was able to get the ladder extended, and into position, with some difficulty. But hammering the nails through the board (even after getting them started on the ground!) proved to be very aggravating. My neighbor ended up helping me out with it. And for some reason, it really bothered me that I couldn't do a simple task that I could have done easily "before cancer." Maybe it's a guy thing or something. Yeah, things have changed.

My new goal is to make it through the year without recurrance.. If I make it a year, I am in pretty good shape because most of the recurrences will occur within the first year! My main concern is that I DON'T have a recurrence. My next goal will be two years, after which I will feel much better about things, since 95% of recurrences happen within two years. I guess after that, it will be 5 years (and one day), which is the official "remission" point for most cancers.

EMOTIONS: One thing I notice every time I go back for a checkup or whatever, is that the parking lot for the Radiation Therapy Dept. is always full. This bothers me when I see it. I think of all the people that this represents . . . When I see the patients coming and going, I know how they feel. The fear. The unknown. The questions. The pain. It's truly tragic.

I will leave you with this, since my updates will be less.. I mean I hopefully will have no more treatments and if I do, I will let you know.. Umm I guess I will leave you with this, I honestly believe that stress is what caused my cancer in the first place. Or at least heavily contributed to it. I hope that whatever your life is bringing you doesn't include excessive stress. It's a killer, and that has been documented. I think once you faced death as most cancer patients have, not too much can scare you..
Terry

TAX REFUND

We have our taxes done each year by our accountant mainly to make sure there are no mistakes made.(math was not my forte) Even though we have no tax liabilities in Kansas anymore, we have to file a return in Kansas because Ken's retirement check is issued by his union in Kansas. Since we have no tax liabilities there, we always get back every penny that is taken out for income tax.

This year we have been waiting and waiting and no check has arrived. About a month ago I finally went to the State of Kansas web site to check the status of our refund and kept on getting a message stating that they had not determined the status of the refund and to check back. Last week I tried calling them (long distance) but kept getting a recording saying that all customer service reps were busy and to try back later. They had no option to be put on hold for the next available rep.

2 days and 30 long distance phone calls later, I emailed them. I was surprised that someone answered it. This person just told me that there was a problem with our return and we could either keep calling or wait until they contacted us.

Today I got back on the phone and was shocked when I finally got through to a living human being! Get this: we've been filing the same way (non-resident) for the past three years. The lady on the phone tells me the refund is being held up until they could verify that we are actually non-residents' of Kansas. WTF???

She asked me our address, ss #'s, and the date we moved here to Missouri. Then she says: "ok, it's all cleared up, you can expect your check in 7-10 days". Whoa, lady... I asked her why it took me calling them to clear it up and they had never called or sent a letter. It would seem to me that the best way they could verify our address would be to send a letter to see if it would be returned to them as 'undeliverable'. She said our return had been flagged for a service rep to follow up but they just had not gotten to it yet, but since I called, they did it immediately while they had me on the phone.

Ken has contacted his union for a change form. We are not going to have Kansas income taxes taken out of his check anymore. Our accountant told us the first year we lived here we could do that but it would be best not to just in case the State of Kansas ever decided to inquire as to why the union wasn't taking taxes out of the check. He said that would be very time consuming. Oh well, it'll be their time and their problem. We're legal and why should we let them use our money all year long?

SCOOTER

Bach Medical finally called me. I've been waiting since April, when I applied to the disability office for a scooter. My doctor originally wanted me to get a wheel chair, but that is so uncool. I talked him out of it. I called Bach at the end of May and they told me they were still waiting for disability to ok the request and if I didn't hear from them within two weeks it would mean the scooter had been ordered and they would let me know when it arrives.

Today the man told me that they had dropped the ball and that they forgot to do an in-home study, which is required before disability will ok it. He told me that the deadline for my application is coming up and that if they don't get it done right away we will have to start the whole process over again. So, he set up an appointment to come here next Tuesday to measure doorways and hallways to make sure the chair will fit in the house. (that's the in home study??)

UPDATE: 8:00 PM: The triplets showed up alone and I was starting to really worry. But, about 10 minutes after they arrived the momma showed up. They had a happy reunion and then the little ones started being brats again. They take off in three different directions, going up trees or into bushes. Momma was trying to keep them corraled, but she was having a hard time. The babies sure kept close to mom, though, when the fox showed up. Now we only have two sets of triplets without moms.

DOCTOR, TILE, TACO BELL!

Today we went to Kansas to see the doctor. Ken was fine (as fine as can be expected), he had a few prescriptions refilled and that was about it. The Dr. seemed concerned with my chest pains as of late. They aren't as intense as they were and I was starting to think that maybe it was just a bad case of heart burn, but he said because of my left arm feeling super heavy and my hand going numb that he was a little worried. He is going to order more heart tests for me in Springfield and we'll go from there.

On the way home we stopped in Springfield at a tile store and bought the tiles for the living room fireplace. We couldn't find anything for the hearth, but we have a little bit of time left to find that.

We got home around 6:00 pm and we are both exhausted. I'm going to go to bed early but want to wait around to see if the triplets found their mom before I hit the hay.

In today's newspaper I found out that a Taco Bell will be opening in Forsyth next fall; yeah!!!

WHERE ARE THE BABIES??

We had three sets of raccoon triplets show up tonight and none of their mothers were with them. About an hour after they were gone one of the mommas showed up and we could tell she was looking for her brood. She was trailing them from tree to tree and sniffing the ground as she walked. She never even stopped to eat. Poor momma, we could tell she was upset.

HORRIFIC

Thursday, July 05, 2007

I found this in the news this morning; absolutely shocking!! We've all been taught to watch our children while they are in the pool, but who would think something like this could happen. People; watch your babies!!!

A 6-year-old Edina girl remained hospitalized in serious condition Wednesday after an unusual accident in which several feet of her intestine were pulled out by the suction of a swimming pool drain.

Abigail Taylor was injured Friday in the wading pool at the Minneapolis Golf Club in St. Louis Park and taken to Children's Hospital for surgery.

"It's a horrible, life-altering injury," said Robert Bennett, the attorney for Abigail's parents, Scott and Kathryn Taylor.

Bennett said doctors had to perform surgery to remove the part of Abigail's intestine that remained following the accident. He said it is likely that she will have to be fed intravenously for the rest of her life.

Bennett said doctors now are concentrating on preventing infection and managing pain, and are also deciding what course to take on further potential medical procedures to treat the injury.

Bennett said Abigail does not yet know the full extent of her injuries. "She knows she's been hurt," he said. "She's a strong little girl. How she extricated herself from that drain I'll never know."

Although some details of the accident are still fuzzy, it is known that Abigail was able to free herself from the drain and get out of the pool on her own without calling for help. As a result, the extent of her injuries wasn't immediately evident to the people near her.

In a message posted on the Caring Bridge, a nonprofit Internet site that offers free Web pages to families of people recovering from illness or injuries, the Taylors said the protective cover on the pool's drain had come off.

If so, the scenario of the injury fits a pattern that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warned about in a 2005 report, "Guidelines for Entrapment Hazards: Making Pools and Spas Safer."

According to the report, if a child sits on an open drain, the suction, which can reach several hundred pounds per square inch, can rupture the rectum and eviscerate the child in a matter of seconds.

There have been three such incidents since 1990. The most recent was two years ago when a 3-year-old was disemboweled by a hot tub drain.

None of those accidents was fatal, although in the same time span 13 people, most of them children, drowned after being caught in underwater drains.

Abigail's injury comes as Congress is considering new pool-safety regulations. Instead of having one main drain, both public and private pools would be required to have multiple drains with reduced suction. Owners of existing pools would be able to install safety release sensors that will turn off the suction if it the system is blocked.

The Minneapolis Golf Club referred calls to its insurance company, which wasn't open Wednesday because of the holiday.

Bennett described the Taylors, who have three other daughters, "as brave and optimistic." He said they are focused on Abigail's immediate recovery, her long-term future care and steps that can be taken "to make sure this kind of thing never happens to anyone else again."

4TH OF JULY

We had hoped to be able to take our two grandsons to celebrate the 4th at Rockaway Beach but since my son still refuses to return my oxygen machine, I won't be able to go unless the humidity drops way down and I don't see that happening any time soon. I don't think Ken is too disappointed. He got home from Kansas late last night and is pretty tired. He put the pool up early this morning for the boys, so I don't think they'll mind either. They can play in the pool all day and surely grandpa will take them for a ride on the mower which they love (he pulls them behind the mower in an attached cart). We'll bar-b-que early this evening and watch the fireworks across the lake.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

MY GOD, JAMIE HAS MORPHED YET AGAIN....

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

I found this article in yesterday's paper:

It seems Angelina Jolie is having trouble with her unofficial in-laws.According to Life & Style Weekly, the brunette beauty gave beau Brad Pitt's mom Jane the silent treatment after she left the Father's Day party Angie organized to catch up with her former daughter in-law Jennifer Aniston.

"When Jane returned to the party, Angelina froze her out," an inside source splurged to the magazine. "And after the party, Angie and Brad had a huge fight about Jen and how she's still in Brad's life."

But just as Jolie was recovering from her rage, Brad's brother Doug apparently sent sparks soaring by referring to Jen as a "friend of Brad's."
Apparently, Angie was so upset that she warned Doug to keep quiet and told Jane that she felt she "deserved more respect." However, the sexy screen star
pulled out one final scathing strategy.

"She told her (Jane Pitt), 'If you continue to disrespect me and carry on like this, then you won't see Shiloh.'" Ouch

That came only a few days after I received this message from one of the Ice Princesses adoring, slobbering fans:

"... If you want to see Kairi then why would you bite the hand that could make it happen? I would be nice to anyone that has control of my grandchildren..."

So, I guess it has become the 'in' thing to hold a baby over someone's head with the threat: "if you don't like me then you can't see the baby". I was always taught to respect my elders, but now the I.P. has turned it around. She reminds me of that kid in elementary school who used to say: "I'll give you some candy if you play with me".

Not too long ago Chris told me that Jamie had demanded that he tell me (notice that she didn't have the guts to do it herself) that I "have" to respect her because she is the mother of his child. How would she react if I demanded that she HAS to respect me because I am the mother of her baby's father. She'd tell me, or rather, she'd tell Chris to tell me, to 'go to hell'. I'll be damned if I'm going to kiss her ass.

POPPA

William L. Stover 1930 ~ 2007

Service Date 11:00 AM Saturday, June 02, 2007

Service Location Carson-Wall Funeral Home

Visitation Time 7 to 8 Friday evening

Visitation Location Carson-Wall Funeral Home

Memorials Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice

William L. “Bill” Stover, 76, of Parsons, died at 10:52 p.m., Tuesday, May 29, 2007 at his home. He had been in failing health.

He was born December 20, 1930, in Parsons, to Jay C. and Mary Lee (Marsh) Stover. He grew up in Parsons and attended local schools.
He was employed by the Parsons Fire Department for 13 years until his retirement in 1976. Later he worked at the Labette County Judicial Center for over 18 years.

Bill was a member of St.John’s Episcopal Church and Parsons Lodge No. 117, A.F. & A.M. He loved to spend time with his family and in past years to camp at Lake Parsons. He also enjoyed woodworking.

On March 25, 1962 he married Dona Sue Cesar at Miami, Oklahoma. She survives at the home.

SURVIVORS - Wife - Sue Stover of the home One son - Michael L. Stover and his wife Brenda Wichita One daughter - Lisa L. Stover Nine grandchildren - Jeremy Stover and his wife Rebecca Tara Ritter and her husband Sean Chad Ortiz and his wife Annie Karla Cockrum and her husband Jody Sumer Young Michael Murray Emily Murray Dustin Stover Madelyn Graham Nine great-grandchildren Sister-in-law - Debbie Ryan Parsons Two nephews - Jim Ryan and Michael Ryan and his wife Angela One niece - Marcie Ryan Brother-in-law - Jerry Cesar and his wife Ida Eddy, Texas

Preceding him in death was a son, Larry Dean Stover and a daughter, Deena Louise Ortiz.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m., Saturday, at the Carson-Wall Funeral Home, with Rev. Wayne Mason officiating. Masonic rites will be given by the Parsons Masonic Lodge. Cremation will follow the service and burial will be later at Memorial Lawn Cemetery in Parsons. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 7 to 8 p.m., Friday. Memorials are suggested to the Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice. They may be left at or sent to the funeral home at P. O. Box 942, Parsons, KS 67357.

CRYSTAL

Crystal (Hucke) Taylor

1974 ~ 2006

Service Date 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Service Location First Baptist Church

Visitation Time 6 to 8 p.m.

Visitation Location Carson-Wall Funera Home

Memorials Class Ltd. or to First Baptist Church

Crystal (Hucke) Taylor, 32, lifelong Parsons resident, died at 3:40 p.m., Saturday, January 27, 2007 at the St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin. She had been ill about a week with a severe infection.

She was born July 30, 1974, in Parsons, to Pat and Deanna (Smith) Hucke. She attended Parsons schools and had taken some college classes.

In her adult years she had worked as a C.N.A. and Home Health Aid. Most recently she was employed in inventory control by Matcor Metal Fabrication, Inc. in Indepenedence.

Crystal had served a four year enlistment in the United States Army National Guard. She was a member of the First Baptist Church and loved to camp, canoe, fish and watch her children’s sporting events. Her passion was for the elderly and disabled persons.

She was married to Ramon Taylor, but they had been separated several years.
Crystal's survivors include, one son, Ashton Hucke of Parsons; one daughter, Cierra Taylor of Parsons; her parents, Deanna Hollingsworth of Wichita; Pat and Barbara Hucke of Parsons; two sisters, Lisa Boydston of Parsons, Kyleigh Hucke of Parsons; two brothers - Michael Hucke of Parsons, Brandon Hucke of Parsons; her grandmother, Helen C. Smith of Parsons; nephew, Kaigon Boydston of Parsons; niece, Baileigh Boydston of Parsons; Several aunts and uncles.

She was preceded in death by her maternal grandfather - Fred W. Smith; her paternal grandparents - Clair and Sue Hucke; and a cousin - Daryl Hummer.

Funeral Serivces will be at 3 p.m., Wednesday, at the First Baptist Church, with Rev. Bob Box officiating. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the Carson-Wall Funeral Home from 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, Memorials are suggested to either Class Ltd or the First Baptist Church. These may be left at or sent to the Carson-Wall Funeral Home, Box 942, Parsons, KS 67357.

HELP AGAIN

When am I going to hear from one of my kids asking me how I am or if there is anything they can do for me. The only time I hear from any of them is when they want something.

Sat, 2 Dec 2006
From: Brian
Subject: help
To: peg
i know this isnt the best time to be asking this but? we are in a huge bind, the restaraunt let me go the other day, they decided to go with people in jail, they can get out to work and the restaraunt doesnt have to pay them the hrs wrked goes twards there fines? kathy has been really sick latley! her toe nails fell off her blood sugar is high every time we check it, shes throwing up blood alot and her migranes are more freaquent, I want her to go to a dr but she doesnt want to have a bill hanging over her head and doesnt have the money to pay up front. what i would like for you to do is instead of the car. and my x-mas we would like to take a 200 loan? payable at 50-75$amonth till paid.
i really hate to ask this big of favor but iam really getting worried about her health, shes the only one i've got, i got you guys butt your so far away. i love her more than i have ever loved a woman before even rachel. even if you could send a little at atime i could secretly put it away with out her knowing and then when have the money get her to the dr's
i dont know???? iam so frusterated right now w all of this its driveing me insaine, i cant sleep,eat all i do is worry about her.. she told me the other day that i should go on with out her/breakup that i shouldnt have to worry about an old bag like her, then started crying saying she doesnt want me to see her die ?????? what the fuck!!! i love her and am going to stand by her side at all costs, i dont know what else to do she wont go to her family with this? dont ask why i dont know? here is a great chance for you to give out the advice you allways like to hand out
love brian,
gotta go get her frm wrk

Sat, 2 Dec 2006 18:39:08 -0800 (PST)
From: Peg
Subject: Re: help
To: Brian
get her to a dr. NOW and send the bill to me

Sat, 2 Dec 2006 18:41:27 -0800 (PST)
From: Brian
Subject: Re: help
To: Peg
can we do that?? if so whats the address !! thanks mommy

Tue, 5 Dec 2006 10:03:53 -0800 (PST)
From: Peg
Subject: dr
To: Brian
well, did you get her to a doctor?
Mom

Tue, 5 Dec 2006 12:55:40 -0800 (PST)
From: Brian
Subject: Re: dr
To: Peg
no we broke up? sunday mornning? i think shes found somebody else?
so cancell her x-mas! dale and I were wanting to come up tommarow to get the car so i can get to work in neodeshe. what do you think of that?


Tue, 5 Dec 2006 14:26:21 -0800 (PST)
From: Peg
Subject: Re: dr
To: Brian
Do you have the money for insurance and tags for the car???????
I don't understand; one minute Kathy is on her death bed and the next she moves out?? What's going on?

THAT TIME OF YEAR

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

It's the holiday season again; time for me to sink into my yearly depression. It started 23 years ago when my father died 2 days after Thanksgiving.

That Christmas was horrible; I was pregnant, had two other children, and, while my mother, sisters, and I had no desire to celebrate Christmas that year, we decided to go ahead with it for the kids.

Now, the holiday depression has grown from losing my dad, to a time to reflect on how my children treat me all year long. Come Christmas time, I ask for Christmas lists from my kids and Ken's son. They put on their lists really expensive stuff, and I have always tried to get them what they want. Very seldom do they ever ask what Ken and I would like for Christmas.

Like my birthday and mother's day, I'm sure they wouldn't even bother to come to my house for Christmas, but they show up because they know they are going to get presents. This year I told everyone that we would be setting a limit of $50.00 for each person we buy for. Ken's wife told us she is redecorating the boys rooms and asked us to buy them sheets and a comforter. What 5 and 3 year old wants to open a set of sheets on Christmas? But, Ken insisted on doing it, so I didn't say a word and just ordered the damn things. Each set cost $85.00. I went out on my own and bought them a big bowling alley toy which was another $70.00. So much for the budget.

While Doug and his wife were here a few weeks ago, his wife was looking at my catalogs at bedroom ideas. She found something that was really expensive and told the boys she would "hit up" Grandma Beverly (Ken's mom) for it. That statement right there told me a lot about her. I thought it was just Doug, but it looks like she's a user too. Can't take the time to visit, except when there's money involved. This Christmas is just going to suck

CONNED AGAIN???

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Chris spent Thanksgiving day with us and I thought it was strange that he spent an awful lot of time on the computer altering a copy of his paycheck stub. He told me it was for a joke; to rub it in about how much money he makes to a friend who can't get a job where Chris works. My thought was that was just plain mean.
Chris called me from work on Friday night to ask for a favor. He claimed a few weeks ago he borrowed $500.00 to a guy at work who was supposed to pay him back this week, which just happens to be the week his car payment and insurance is due. He claimed the guy went to H&R Block to have his income tax estimated and get an advance loan on what he would be getting back from his taxes. The guy told Chris that he can't get the check from H&R Block until Monday. He asked me to front him the $500.00 for his bills and he would pay me back Monday.

It was awfully fishy, but he was on a break and I could only interrogate him for a few minutes. We finally agreed that I would wait up (I usually go to bed at 9 pm) until he got off work and I would exchange checks with him. When he got here I told him I didn't believe him but he stuck to his story.

I've had all weekend to think about this. I really believe he was lying. He bought a new PlayStation3 a few weeks ago to sell on Ebay. The buyer didn't come through with the money. I really think he thought he would sell the damn game, be money ahead, and wouldn't have to worry about his bills coming due. I also think that it was him that went to H&R Block for a loan and that he padded his paycheck stub to cheat them. IF the story he told me was true, he wouldn't of needed $500.00 dollars from me because he got a paycheck, too, and has been working a bunch of overtime. He shouldn't of had to borrow over $100.00 from me.

WHERE THERE'S MONEY.....

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Ken's son has not been to our house in two years. He has two little boys who are 5 and 3 yrs old and Ken has only seen his grandsons' about 4 times. I'll give Doug (Ken's son) credit, he does call his dad once in a while. What pisses me off is that he knows how sick his dad is and that Ken is working so hard to get our house remodeled and not once has Doug offered to come help him, and he builds houses for a living!

I have been screaming at Ken for over two years to ask his son to come help him. He finally did ask him to come help lay the tile in our kitchen. Doug agreed, but we had to pay him. It was a lot of work and I did write the check for more than he asked for, but, Christ, whatever happened to helping family? All of a sudden, Doug offers to come down every weekend to help. As much as Ken needs the help, we can't afford it. That's why Ken has been doing all the work himself; we just don't have the extra money to pay someone.

VIDEO GAMES OR FATHERHOOD

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Usually Jamie's aunt babysits Kairi but yesterday her daughter was having surgery, so I was thrilled when Jamie called and asked if I could take Kairi. It was a tiring day, but as usual, I cherish every moment I can get with her, so I don't care how tired I get, it's worth it.

Christopher came to pick her up in the afternoon and I assumed he was keeping her for the night and would have a nice, enjoyable evening with his daughter, so when he immediately went to the computer I bit my tongue.

Ever since he and Jamie broke up for good, he only gets to see his daughter once a week. He spent a few hours on the computer, then he went outside to change the oil in his car (which I can't criticize him for that), then it was back to the computer for a while before he left.

He is so worried about getting his hands on the new PlayStation that is coming out. That is what he was researching on the Internet. He also did a little research about his car; the clutch is slipping and when he found out how much it is going to cost, he got a little worried. He asked Ken how long he could let it go before being forced to get it fixed. Ken told him not to take any chances, that the clutch could go out at any time and I reminded him that when he first bought that car, he needed to start saving money for unexpected repairs. I guess he didn't believe me.

This new PlayStation costs almost $600.00 and he plans on standing in line at the store for two days so he can get one. Safe car for the transportation of the baby or a PlayStation? WTF?

I called him this morning to see how his evening went with Kairi and found out he didn't keep her last night; he left here and went straight to Jamie's to drop her off. I was pissed. He spent hours here when he should of been spending quality time with Kairi. I'll give him credit for the one hour to change the oil, but he got here at 2:00 in the afternoon and didn't leave until after 7:00 pm. He could of had 4 nice hours with her, but, gee, the new PlayStation3 is being released soon. I don't get it.

BETTY

Betty A. Robbins (May 27, 1933 - September 16, 2006)

Betty A. Robbins, 73, of Altamont, died at 9:36 a.m., Saturday, September 16, 2006 at the Freeman West Medical Center in Joplin. She had been in failing health.

She was born May 27, 1933 at Edna, Kansas to Hollie and Lula (Hart) Thomas. She attended the Hawkins Grade School in Altamont and graduated from Labette County Community High School. She later graduated from the Coffeyville Business College. She was the manager of the Bellas Hess store in Coffeyville and held several other positions in the area. She worked for Medicalodge, Inc. for several years. She owned the Country Corner store in Altamont from 1988 to 1997 as well as the Robbins Associates Tax Service and Accounting. She also sold antiques. She had also operated LCI Discount from 2001 to 2006. Her hobbies included raising flowers and cooking. She served on the Altamont City Council from April 1995 through April 1999.

On March 23, 1974, she married Rex Robbins in Parsons, Kansas. He survives of the home.

SURVIVORS: Husband: Rex – of the home One Daughter: Jean Lardy and her husband Steve – Altamont, Kansas One Son: Robert W. “Bill” Gentry and his wife, Peggy – Parsons, Kansas One Stepson: Kenneth Robbins and his wife, Peggy – Forsythe, Missouri. Four Grandsons Four Great-grandsons One Great-granddaughter Two Brothers – Hollie B. Thomas – Tallahassee, FL Charles A. Thomas – Altamont, KS

She was preceded in death by one brother, Ralph Thomas.

Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, September 21, 2006 at the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Altamont. The family will receive friends at the Bath-Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Altamont from 7 to 8 p.m., Wednesday.
Memorials are suggested to U.S.D. 506 Memorial Garden. These may be left at or mailed to the Bath-Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home, 510 Wabash, P.O. Box 325, Altamont, KS 67330.

EXOTIC ANIMAL PARADISE

We had planned on taking Kairi to the Exotic Animal Paradise when she got a little older, but found out recently that it has been sold to a developer and will be closing October 1st. This would be the only chance she could get to go.

She loved it!! We bought food for the animals and drove through the park. The animals (buffalo, elk, llamas, deer, Texas long Horns) came right up to the truck.

Daddy was holding Kairi in the front seat and as each animal came to us she would let out a big "ohhhhhhhhh". Grandpa took pictures of those animals with his good camera and I will get them posted as soon as the film is developed. The pics I have posted today are ones I took as we walked through the petting zoo area.

UPDATE, MARCH 26, 2007: Grandpa took the film to Walmart for developing and we found out the whole roll was bad. It was so bad that Walmart would not even develop it, so we lost all those cute pics of our day at the Animal Paradise.

STEVE IRWIN, THE CROCODILE HUNTER

Monday, September 04, 2006

Shortly after 11:00 EST, today, Steve Irwin was fatally pierced in the chest by a stingray spine while snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef, at Batt Reef, which is located off the coast of Port Douglas in Queensland.

Irwin was in the area filming his own documentary, to be called The Ocean's Deadliest, but weather had stalled filming. Irwin decided to take the opportunity to film some shallow water shots for a segment in the television program his daughter Bindi was hosting, when, according to his friend and colleague, John Stainton, he swam too close to one of the animals. "He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart", said Stainton, who was on board Irwin's boat the Croc One.

The events were caught on camera, and after reviewing the footage of the incident and speaking to the cameraman who recorded it, marine documentary filmmaker and former spearfisherman Ben Cropp speculated that the stingray "felt threatened because Steve was alongside and there was the cameraman ahead". In such a case, the stingray responds to danger by automatically flexing the serrated spine on its tail (which can measure up to 25 cm or about 10 inches in length) in an upward motion.

Cropp said Irwin had accidentally boxed in the animal. "It stopped and twisted and threw up its tail with the spike, and it caught him in the chest. It's a defensive thing. It's like being stabbed with a dirty dagger". It is thought, in the absence of a coroner's report, that a combination of the toxins and the puncture wound from the spine caused Irwin to die of cardiac arrest, with most damage being inflicted by tears to arteries or other main blood vessels.

BAD DAY TURNS INTO GOOD DAY

Friday, September 01, 2006

Chris called me yesterday to ask if I could front him some money so he could leave work. I guess he didn't hear those 10 million lectures about saving money for emergencies I've given him over the years.

He was real sick, but, couldn't afford to lose any money if he left work. Being the good sucker I am, I told him I would help him. I only did this because I know how sick he gets. About three - four times a year he starts feeling bad, then his lungs dry up and he can't breath. He has also described symptoms that sounded like sinus trouble. Last time this happened he went to a walk-in clinic and they didn't even take chest xrays or run any blood tests. $135.00 later they told him they couldn't find anything.

This time I made an appointment at a real doctor. Ken and I went and picked him up this morning and he looked like hell. The Dr. claimed Chris's lungs were clear, but did give him a prescription for an inhaler and an antibiotic. There is definitely something wrong, but we can't find anyone who'll take the time to run the proper tests. By the time we got done at the doctor's office, the drug store, and dropping him back at his house, both Ken and I were ready for some medical attention.

We were just about ready to head for home when I remembered that today was the day that Kairi's pics at Penny's were supposed to be in. We turned around and headed for the mall. The pics are gorgeous! It's going to be hard to pick out the ones we want and give the rest away. Anytime Kairi is involved, it's always a good day.

GLEN FORD

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Actor Glen Ford died at age 90. No cause was given at this time, although he had suffered a series of strokes not long ago.

QUIT 123

Friday, August 25, 2006:

We went to Marshfield for another stop smoking shot. I've fallen for the biggest scam ever.

Months ago we saw on our local news a story about a new needle less shot that will make you quit smoking. The guy who developed this is supposedly a doctor and he noticed that when people have surgery, they usually have no desire to smoke for 3-4 days afterwards. He claims he did a study and found an ingredient in the anesthesia that will stop the nicotine urge. He developed this shot and made it sound like once you get it, you automatically go back to your pre-smoking days, like you've never smoked at all.

I called them and my first question was how do they justify the high cost ($595.00). I should of taken the hint from his answer: "you spend more than that on cigarettes in one year". The do have a lifetime guarantee that if you ever start smoking again you get the shot over for free. I had my first shot in April and within one week I was smoking again.

They send home a packet of tips and reading them, I could see that this system was no different than the gum or patches. The tips talked about finding something else to do with your hands, etc....same ole shit.

They give you three drugs to take every day which completely turn you in to a zombie. I don't know how they can claim you can go back to work the very next day because you are so drugged up you can't function. While in the Dr.'s office, they have you talk to a physciatrist who tells you to get a hobby to keep yourself busy. I explained to him that I have a bad back and cannot do much of anything besides sit or lay down.

When he called me to see how I was doing after the first shot and I told him I was smoking again, he acted like he didn't remember me telling him about my back problems. He told me my case is different and to make another appointment and by the time I get to the office, he will have worked out a different plan for me. So, I decided to give it one more try. Today was no different than the first time. He hadn't come up with a different plan, it was the same crap; find a hobby, chew on a piece of candy, etc...

I got the shot, went home and slept most of the day, woke up at 6:00 tonight and had a cigarette.

I MAY NEVER RECOVER

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

I spent the entire day in bed recuperating from Brian's visit. I feel like I'll never be able to get out of bed again. 52 years old and I'm ready for the nursing home!

BRIAN AND KATHY LEAVE FOR KANSAS

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Ken drove Brian and Kathy to Joplin this morning. Brian and Kathy's friend from Kansas is going to pick them up at the hospital where Ken's stepmother is recovering from her stroke.

I admit, while they were here, I was secretly wishing wishing they weren't. With the remodeling going on, it's all but impossible to function in the house and everyone was so cramped. But, when it actually came time for them to leave, I broke down and sobbed my heart out. I clung to Brian like I never wanted to let him go.

I normally spend my days going back and forth between a chair and the couch. Most of the two days they were here, I spent in a chair and I am feeling the pain. After they left, I pulled out the hide-a-bed, crawled in, and spent the whole day there.

Kathy promised that she would make sure Brian gets back for the holidays. Maybe this year Thanksgiving and Christmas won't be as bad as in the past few years. When Ken got home tonight I made him promise that the kitchen will be done by Thanksgiving. I will throw a fit if I can't make Thanksgiving dinner.

2nd DAY OF BRIAN'S VISIT

Monday, August 21, 2006

Basically, we sat around all day. I really wish Ken and I felt better so that we could of at least taken them to do a little sightseeing around Branson. Not that Branson is anything spectacular to look at (it really does suck), but it would of been something to do.

BRIAN ARRIVES

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Chris picked Brian up at the bus stop in Springfield and brought him down here.

Ken, I, Brian, Kathy, Chris, and Kairi all sat in the tiny tiny front room; talk about being crowded. Chris didn't stay long, he had gotten up at 6:30 am to go get Brian and has to be to work tonight, so he needed a nap. I teased him about bailing out because of the 'space' issue. I wasn't sure Brian was believing me when I had told him how crowded we are during the remodeling, but when he looked around he was definitely convinced. He had said before that they wanted to stay a few weeks, but I talked him out of that due to the space issue, so then he said they would stay until Tuesday or Wednesday.

When Kathy called a friend later in the day she was telling him/her that it would be Tues. or Wed. and Brian butted in and said definitely Tuesday. I had to laugh.He and Kathy went for a walk in the afternoon around our two acres of land. By that night Brian was itching horribly. I had completely forgotten to warn him about the chiggers!! Poor guy was miserable. All in all, it wasn't too bad of a visit. Since this was the first time we had met Kathy, there were some awkward moments and I felt like I couldn't really talk to Brian about some things.

BRIAN'S ON HIS WAY

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Brian leaves Georgia at 5:40 pm today and should arrive in Springfield early tomorrow morning.

TRIP TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Since Jamie has been claiming for months that she was just too busy to take Kairi in for her one year pics, we decided to do it ourselves.

We picked Kairi up at Jamie's mom's house yesterday afternoon and took her to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. She is so tiny and now we know why; she doesn't eat! She managed to get about 3 macaroni and cheese noodles into her mouth and a little bit of banana; the rest went all over her head and shirt. After we left the restaurant, we headed for Walmart to buy her a new dress for her pics and of course we just had to take a stroll through the toy department. We bought her a big Caterpillar that had one letter of the alphabet on each of his different colored feet. It is supposed to teach the abc's and colors, but she was more interested in the wheels on the underside.

This morning she woke up and again, did not want to eat. After being awake for about an hour, she laid back down and went to sleep. I had to wake her up to get her ready for her appointment. Mommy usually has a cute little pony tail on top of her head, but when I attempted to put one in, I pulled her hair and gave up as soon as she whimpered.

The photo shoot went good, and we got some cute pics even with the messy hair. I was surprised, that since Jamie never had time to take her in for the pics, she sure found the time to show up at Penny's during the photo session. I was glad that we did it though, because every time Jamie has taken her in for photos, we never have gotten an 8x10 pic of her and this way I could make sure we did.

Daddy showed up too. He was really sick and looked terrible. He had eaten some raw cookie dough the day before and was suffering from salmonella. Idiot.

DINNER, SHOPPING, AND A SLEEPOVER

Kairi is spending the night with us tonight because we are taking her to J.C. Penny's tomorrow morning to have her picture taken.

We picked her up at Grandma Shirley's house and went to a nice Chinese restaurant in Ozark. Kairi was more interested in the little boy at the table next to us than she was in her food. From the restaurant we headed to Walmart to buy a new dress. I decided to go through the toy department and let Kairi pick out a new toy. That was a mistake; she wanted everything! We finally decided on a catepillar that teaches the ABC's, colors, and plays a few songs. Kairi is more interested in spinning the wheels on the bottom.

BRUNO KIRBY

Monday, August 14, 2006

Bruno Kirby died today at age 57 in Los Angeles from complications related to leukemia. According to news reports, his widow stated that he had only recently been diagnosed with the disease

A DATE?

Saturday, August 12, 2006

I talked to Chris today. He's going to a movie tonight w/Jamie WTF? I guess I'm just old, but I always thought when you break up with someone, you stop dating that person? Those two are strange!

MIKE DOUGLAS

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Mike Douglas died today on his 81st birthday, in North Palm Beach, Florida. He was diagnosed with prostrate cancer in 1990, but after the surgery he was cancer-free. Though the cause of death has not yet been disclosed, Douglas's wife, Genevieve, said that he grew dehydrated on a golf course a few weeks ago and has been treated for that off and on since. "He was coming along fine," says the widow. "We never anticipated this to happen

WHAT HAPPENED?

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Jamie all of a sudden made her myspace account 'private' today. Only people who are registered as her friends can see what she has written. Gee, if you don't want the world to see what you are writing, try using email!

So, I guess Chris had that talk with her when he got home yesterday, but we haven't heard from him, so we have no idea what transpired. I am assuming that since she made her account private, that the talk didn't go well. Now I have to sit here wondering if he is ok and if he has a place to stay. I knew he wouldn't come back here to stay mainly because there is no room in our house, but, also because we are so far away from his work. I only hope he didn't spend the night sleeping in his car.

MY HEART BREAKS

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Chris brought Kairi down for a short visit and to help Ken move a heavy piece of equipment.

A month ago or so when Chris was here he got on the computer and I saw that he was doing a search on myspace.com for Jamie. I asked him if Jamie had a myspace account, he said "no". After he left I did a search of my own and I found she does have one.

I watched it intently for weeks and something was just not right. She has a list of friends and the ones that are dating someone steadily or engaged to married always talk about the boyfriends'/fiances', etc...They sound deliriously happy. The first thing I noticed is that Jamie didn't talk at all about Chris or the upcoming wedding. Last week she posted a blog really going off about Chris being irresponsible, thinking only of himself, being a pig, etc... Ok, the part about him being a pig is true, but the other rants stunned me.

Today when Chris arrived at the house, I asked him how he and Jamie were; he said "fine". I told him to tell me the truth because I already knew. He finally told me that they aren't getting along very well, that she has changed. She has started to drink more and more, changed her style of music, doesn't want to go anywhere or do anything with him, and he found two pictures of her old boyfriend. Last time she left him, she had changed her email password to her old boyfriend's name.

I asked him if he had seen her myspace account and he said "yes", but when I pulled it up for him, his eyes welled up with tears as he sat there reading it. It was like he was seeing it for the first time, and I think he was.We gave him a little bit of advice, but, we knew that nothing we could say would make him stop hurting. Shortly afterwards, he left, saying he had to go talk to Jamie.

I hate seeing my son hurt, I hate Jamie for hurting my son, and I hate myself because I can't do anything about it.