After over a year of misdiagnosis, Alex was surprised to learn he has Stage 4 Sarcoma. Right now the consensus diagnosis from several institutions is Rhabdomyosarcoma acting like Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma. Both are rare, aggressive cancers of unknown cause, and are especially rare for someone at Alex’s age.
The Pancake family has been learning and adjusting to their new journey. Inpatient chemo, many blood draws, scans and appointments are the current path. But they have been working through it together, and with the support of their community through meals and childcare.
They’ve always been independent people who like and want to do everything on their own. But they’re slowly learning how to accept help too. Every bit of support, financial and otherwise, is wholeheartedly appreciated.
Let me first start by saying how hard it is to write these posts on trains riding through the Alps between cities when tons of beautiful views keep rolling by. It’s like trying to write a poem about a beautiful woman instead of dancing with her. I try to do both at the same time. […]
It’s been hot in Europe since last Saturday. As I arrived in Italy, I had prechosen the town of Bolzano to base out of for a two nights. I had picked a hotel near the main train station but past that I did no research. 😁 Fun, huh? Ambi loves it when I do that. […]
Me: I think you have the most beautiful hotel views I’ve seen in a long time. But living here, you must get used to it.Hotel Attendant: Yes. But when the first snow falls on the mountains, it feels like the first time. I saw dozens of children playing in the park next to this river. […]
To myself: You have to be ok with sitting with yourself. I say in the long summer eve under the Chinese tower in the English garden. Do you forgive yourself for missing the cancer? You should. Even if it wasn’t a tough time in life. Even if it wasn’t a rare cancer. Perhaps there is nothing […]
Those were the words I said to myself as I limped through Goettingen in a light rain, with only my t-shirt, jeans, shoes, and a light backpack. I was on my way to the clothes store to buy more clothes. I was sliding along in the rain-shadow of a building, laughing slightly deliriously and having […]
So, my bag didn’t make the connection to Europe. The first flight was overfueled and the pilot decided to spend 20 minutes sitting on the tarmac to burn it off. And this was also the weekend of the Dayton Air Show! So flybys of vintage-era planes and modern day performance teams like the Blue Angels […]
I made it to the airport an amazing hour and a half before my flight, which means it’s a great time to start my practice of blogging on this trip. I typically try to arrive so that I walk up to the gate when my zone starts boarding. I know that freaks some people out, […]
This evening I sat on my back porch listening to fireworks crackle, even though it was more than two weeks before July 4th. No one was stopping the other folk from celebrating. The cat found its way out on the porch. The dog wanted to know if any bunnies had made it to the garden. […]
With the Euro-trip back on, I bought a (used) iPad Mini to give me a smaller form factor entertainment and blogging device. The idea is that if I’m actually willing to take it with me on trains and write, maybe I will write more. So this is a resolution to give more blogging a shot. […]
It’s official, I’m back in the James for inpatient chemotherapy. But I brought my own coffee setup this time. So far, spirits are up 300% over previous inpatient experiences. And my nurses have reported my room smells great! I had hoped to move on from doing inpatient things, but like Lucy pulling the football away […]
