©Ian Coristine/1000IslandsPhotoArt.comTall ship 'Fair Jeanne' by Singer Castle
The cancer thing
Here’s the latest. After Janice’s initial diagnosis last month, we were sent to meet the specialists at the University teaching hospital in Rennes, the capital of Brittany. There, she was examined by the head of oncology and a plethora of tests were scheduled within days with a plan to start chemo within 72 hours... until I called our health insurance company in the US.We have international coverage so that we are eligible for care anywhere in the world. The catch is “in an emergency”. Whenever we see a doctor in Europe for a cold or any run of the mill illness, it is simply a doctor’s visit and we are good to go. His bill is less than our co-pay. But while we may see cancer as an ‘emergency’ it is, in fact, not.
Emergency is defined as being run over by a truck, have the pieces scooped up and being admitted to the hospital so they can put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Cancer on the other hand is a serious illness and needs immediate care. Immediate as in ‘get on the next plane’ so you can receive care in a US hospital. The fact that we want to play Mr. and Mrs. globetrotter is not their problem.
Janice at home in France before our departureSo we had to cancel all our flights back to the west coast, back and forth to Seattle from Los Angeles and back to the east coast yet again to the island (Our tickets are non refundable, non-exchangeable, non-everything-able). Instead, we booked a new one way flight from Paris to New York in the middle of two British Air strikes, rented a car and drove the 6 hours up to the island.
One real plus in the whole experience was that when we checked in at the airport we were told that our seat assignments has been changed. As I was about to begin ranting and raving about not wanting to be stuck in some middle seat, the agent told me he had upgraded us to business class.
With full lie down seats, menus for meal choices and wine selections as well as access to the airport 1st class lounge (showers, open bar and buffet) I agreed to accommodate the airlines need to reassign us. Spoiled for life, we never want to travel like little people again.
Fortunately, we had a friend (who happens to be a doctor and an island neighbor) who called in a bunch of IOU’s and set us up with a colleague who is the head of oncology at the Syracuse University Hospital. She was out of town for the week we arrived and so yet another delay was to be dealt with. Finally, on the appointed day we met with her and her 'team" and were duly impressed.
The expected barrage of tests were performed today. This included a PET full body scan and 2 MRI scans including a brain scan. [Janice insists that this proves once and for all that she actually has one!]. Seriously though, I sent this newsletter out a day later than usual because of the potential implications if the tests had come back showing that the cancer was not localized and had spread far and wide. In that case, we would have wanted to tell the kids individually and not have them read about it here.
The plan is basically to perform chemo for 6 sessions, 3 weeks apart, surgery somewhere in the mix, radiation for an yet to be determined period and a toxic cocktail called HTC for a period to follow. The unexpected part was that the plan is for the treatment to last up to a year.
While it is still very early in the game, this could prove to be logistically challenging. We can only stay on the Island till the end of October as the river freezes afterward and we cannot stay. Unless the doctors can convince our insurance company to allow us to finish the treatments in France next winter, we could be forced to stay here and effectively be....homeless. The irony of having 3 homes in 3 countries on two continents and being homeless has not escaped us. We could be forced to rent a house locally to hide out till Spring.
Just so you know, we hate to hear about people who whine incessantly about all of their medical issues too. This was an initial update and I will, from time to time, mention anything significant that comes up. Otherwise, we won’t bore you with all the gory details.
The transition
Wayne & Barbara at Roman ruins in Glanum
Villa we exchanged for in ProvenceOf course, 48 hours before our departure we got Janice’s diagnosis and all bets were off. Since we had a week before we could see the specialists in France, we decided to spend it as planned at a home exchange in the South of France. The house was a 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom villa with a pool in Gordes in the heart of Provence. The weather was great and we spent the week visiting Roman ruins, cute little towns, Chateau’s and talking Janice out of buying another house.
Yes honey, it's perfect....but we can't buy it.To add to the chaos, our exchange guests whose home we had planned to stay at in Vienna were coming to stay at our place in what turned out to be our last week while we were awaiting our flight back home. We did not want to make our problem theirs as they too had booked flights, rented cars and the like, so we opted to stay with good friends in the village who take in homeless types like us.
To avoid getting bored I smashed a closet wall and helped my friend Loic to re-rout some electrical wires and build a small cabinet to conceal pipes and an electrical panel.
Smashing Catherine's wall
To avoid getting bored I smashed a closet wall and helped my friend Loic to re-rout some electrical wires and build a small cabinet to conceal pipes and an electrical panel.
Smashing Catherine's wallIt is not an easy life we lead. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t find a single person who could muster any sympathy for us returning to the island 2 months early…
Everyone knew why were were leaving so early and so quickly. All of Janice's girlfriends have rallied around her. Many write often to encourage her. A California friend mailed her some oil to anoint the sick that she had blessed by a priest. One loaned her a necklace cross that had been given to her by her grandmother as a child. She made a point of the fact that it was only a loan, so that Janice would be required to return it in person. Some people might have missed the symbolism there but it certainly was not lost on Janice. She was profoundly touched.
America! Ahhhhh, home at last!
Land of opulence, decadence, luxury, mouth watering hamburgers and crappy bread. OK, so you can’t have everything. All done history, driving by chateaus every 5 minutes and being 10 minutes from some of the most beautiful coastline seen anywhere. My only regret was not being able to forge the fireplace doors for the Bee as I had planned to do before leaving. Oh well, next year.
Mr. & Mrs. with 4 eggs in the nestThis is the first time we have experienced life on the river this early in the season. It is much as when we leave in the late fall, being somewhat cold. Our summer place is well insulated so it is not an issue but we soon found that a portion of the island was to be unavailable to us for the next month as we have a pair of geese who have set up their nest on the point.
This just happens to be outside our bedroom window, so we can see Mr. goose chasing off other male suitors and acting as guard goose over his bride which he is romancing. Being sensitive millennium type of Republicans, we are happy to assist these two who are pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.
"I found the end of your phone line"
Another first for us was the fact that upon our arrival, we had no phone service. With the winter storms having pushed south of us most of the winter, the runoff was much lower than usual, resulting in the lowest water levels in 17 years. It is not a problem for us here on the island but several of our neighbors on the US side will have their boating season threatened as they might not have enough water at their docks.
What does this have to do with not having phone service, you ask? Well, with the lower water levels it seems that a small fishing boat ran over our submersible phone cable and cut it in two. Twice! The phone company promptly brought their barge out, found both ends and spliced them back together.
This just happens to be outside our bedroom window, so we can see Mr. goose chasing off other male suitors and acting as guard goose over his bride which he is romancing. Being sensitive millennium type of Republicans, we are happy to assist these two who are pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.
"I found the end of your phone line"What does this have to do with not having phone service, you ask? Well, with the lower water levels it seems that a small fishing boat ran over our submersible phone cable and cut it in two. Twice! The phone company promptly brought their barge out, found both ends and spliced them back together.
Mandy, again.
Our kids know that they have to do something pretty special to have us brag about them in the Epistle but Mandy has done it again.
Last summer Mandy inquired of her school about beginning her Masters degree during her final undergraduate year, if she completed all of her coursework by February, some 6 months early. The University explained that this was not something that was feasible but as she insisted on an answer they agreed, as it was not going to happen anyway.
She then told us that 'theoretically' she could finish a series of papers, tests and classes by doubling up on some and tripling up on others and be done by February 2010. Since her tuition was paid from August to August she would then be able to start her masters degree while still on her undergraduate tuition. The catch was that she would not be done with her Masters until January next, 6 months after the clock ran out on Mom and Dad footing the bills.
The upside for her was saving a full years tuition and support. Since her accomplishing this was very unlikely to happen, we could have a launched daughter 6 months earlier than planned, allowing for some important upgrades to Janice's airplane. As this had the makings of a win-win situation, we agreed. The long and the short of it was that Mandy finished one impossible requirement after another and lo and behold, against all odds, she pulled it off.
After jumping through all the hoops, she approached the University but was told that unfortunately, the policy had been changed and that they could no longer allow her to start her Masters this year. She begged and pleaded but the answer was a firm NO!
As in, HELL NO!
Mandy did just what they taught her. She poured through the university policy manuals, researched and found some old obscure clause that said in effect that the University had the right to change it's policies but could not implement them during the current academic year. With this is hand, she appealed to the board of Regents....and won.
The day before the decision was officially announced, the head of her law department invited her to her office and gave her some books that she would need to write her thesis for the Masters Program. Tracking in International Law, Mandy will write her Thesis about the treasures damaged or stolen at the Baghdad museum during the invasion of Iraq. Her instructor told her it could serve as the first chapter for her eventual...doctorate thesis.
Last summer Mandy inquired of her school about beginning her Masters degree during her final undergraduate year, if she completed all of her coursework by February, some 6 months early. The University explained that this was not something that was feasible but as she insisted on an answer they agreed, as it was not going to happen anyway.
She then told us that 'theoretically' she could finish a series of papers, tests and classes by doubling up on some and tripling up on others and be done by February 2010. Since her tuition was paid from August to August she would then be able to start her masters degree while still on her undergraduate tuition. The catch was that she would not be done with her Masters until January next, 6 months after the clock ran out on Mom and Dad footing the bills.
The upside for her was saving a full years tuition and support. Since her accomplishing this was very unlikely to happen, we could have a launched daughter 6 months earlier than planned, allowing for some important upgrades to Janice's airplane. As this had the makings of a win-win situation, we agreed. The long and the short of it was that Mandy finished one impossible requirement after another and lo and behold, against all odds, she pulled it off.
After jumping through all the hoops, she approached the University but was told that unfortunately, the policy had been changed and that they could no longer allow her to start her Masters this year. She begged and pleaded but the answer was a firm NO!
As in, HELL NO!
Mandy did just what they taught her. She poured through the university policy manuals, researched and found some old obscure clause that said in effect that the University had the right to change it's policies but could not implement them during the current academic year. With this is hand, she appealed to the board of Regents....and won.
The day before the decision was officially announced, the head of her law department invited her to her office and gave her some books that she would need to write her thesis for the Masters Program. Tracking in International Law, Mandy will write her Thesis about the treasures damaged or stolen at the Baghdad museum during the invasion of Iraq. Her instructor told her it could serve as the first chapter for her eventual...doctorate thesis.
