The Results are In

Entry 79
January 23 

Sharing our letter to family and friends 

Greetings,

For some of you this will be the first time hearing from me directly and I would like to say that we are appreciative of your interest and care as we've moved through the various stages of my Dad's diagnosis. If you are receiving this email, it's important for you to know this is a message of information and appreciation. 

This past week our family met with Oncologist, Dr. Joel Gingrich, our beloved friend and retired doctor Dr. Graham Fuchs and, dear family friend and Radiologist, Dr. Jeff Mottola all whom have played key roles in navigating our care plan (with the two latter being exceptional beyond measure). 

We have moved into a new phase in our journey, one which has presented us with some difficult choices. As you were probably already aware, the cancer that began in the prostate has traveled, most notably, to the surface area of the bones. Up until this week, we were under the impression this was the extent of that spread. This week's revelation was that the cancer appears to have entered the liver in a manner consistent with aggressive disease. At this point, we have discussed our options as a family, cautiously weighing both the positives and negatives of further treatment as well as the option to pursue palliative care at home. Our family has had no shortage of difficult conversations over the last year and so our mantra has and always will be, we do this together. This has given us lots of strength to draw on and has led us to find comfort and peace in the decision to move forward with palliative care at home.

It is important for you to know that my Dad LOVES to hear from you. This is a time where reaching out is valued and appreciated. Rest has been prioritized so the phone may not get picked up for days at a time but, know that any communication, email and text included, provide a great deal of comfort and strength as we go forward. My Mom or I may be the ones to respond and that will likely vary with how my Dad is feeling on any given day. We talk often about how much my Dad appreciates your friendship and concern and I know he'll look forward to having more personal communication In the coming days. You have made a difference in our lives.

I know this may come as a shock to some, we were certainly in that boat and likely still are. In sending this email I hope to mitigate some of the effort required in having my Dad find the right words. There are still many things to be grateful for and laughs to be had (you may wish to ask him about our family phone call to the bank, where he was treated like a Somali pirate), so don't let him off the hook. He'd have it no other way.

With great regard and lots of love,

Tom

Harry can be contacted by email : harry.stimson at gmail.com