Alan’s Army

Dear friends,

Well this has been a long time coming, but life has been very frantic and the best laid plans are often disrupted very easily - more on that after I bring you up to speed on what you really care about - Alan.

Alan is doing well.  On the fourth night of his chemo regimen the week of September 22nd  at the new 385 milligram dosage he had a splitting headache and was up all night throwing up.  The next night however he was just fine as he had been the first three nights.  We had started the anti-nausea drug on the Sunday before the M-F chemo regimen and continued the same dosage all the way through, so who knows, maybe it was something he ate that Thursday.  We visited the radiation-oncologist for a check-up and he was very pleased with Alan’s progress, lack of serious side-effects (the hair will grow back) and decided he didn’t need to see Alan again until December.  We are slated to see the medical  oncologist this Tuesday in Philly and will learn if the dosage will change for Alan’s next 5-day chemo regimen which is scheduled to start Monday the 27th.  Hopefully we will finally hear if the MRI showed anything at all as well.

Alan has been practicing with his cane and on Thursday a lady from the NJ Commission for the Blind will take him into Princeton and work with him on crossing streets etc.  Extra prayers for Alan, the trainer, and Ginny’s and my sanity that day will be appreciated.  Its bad enough that beautiful Amber turned 17 this past week and is now driving alone.  If my gray hair quotient hadn’t reached 100 percent years ago it would be peaking right about now.

Thankfully Alan’s week of chemo went well enough that we could leave for our week in Rock Hill, SC for the United States Disc Golf Championships.  Kyle Enman came down from Maine on Friday and the three of us plus BOB Graham were slated to leave early Sunday morning for Rock Hill.  Unfortunately, when Kyle and I picked up food for dinner on Saturday night we came out of Bruno’s Chicken Holiday (Best Ribs on the Planet BTW and I’ve eaten ribs all over the country!) and the F250’s brake pedal went to the floor.  So then ensued the discovery process for a mechanic open on Sunday which in NJ turns out to be Pep Boys, and only Pep Boys.  So after 4+ hours at Pep Boys it was determined that the brake line running from the front to the back of the truck had a split in it and a special shaped brake line from Ford would be required from a dealer on Monday.  So the plan to take the big truck with the four us sharing driving (Oh, I guess only three of us actually driving) was scrapped and we ended up with the Jeep and the F-150 making the trip.   So it wasn’t nearly as fun as with all of us together, gas costs were higher, and me getting to do an update for y’all while someone else drove went out the window. H’mm 7 days in South Carolina and I’m also typing y’all, not just saying it. (Like my mom, I pick up on accents quickly when immersed.)

On the way down through Baltimore Alan and I waved out the sunroof as we left a message for Gina wishing her the best of luck on her first day at her new Physical Therapy job on Monday.

The time in Rock Hill was great, the tournament was fantastic, the competition fierce, and we were surrounded by disc golf friends.  I had my usual wonderful time spotting the tricky green on hole 9 and got to see some stellar, and not so stellar, disc golf.

Alan had a lot of practice with his cane going in and out of the Inn at Winthrop.  Joe Mela, Rex Hay, and Glenn Patterson all stayed there as well.  As always it was great to see Rex’s son Ian who attends Winthrop.  Kit Bassett drove down on Friday, was great help on Hole 9 and thankfully was available to drive a very sick Big Dog home as he slept - thanks Kit!

On Thursday, Alan spent part of the day with school buddy Holly Arnesen who drove up from Greenville.

We got to see some dear old friends  - Stan McDaniel, Jim Myers, Dean Pfeiffer, Mitch and Marsha Sonderfan, the Schwebergers, Yeti, Tank, Julianna, Chris Sprague, Avery and Val, Dave Hendrickson, Chris and Bear, Geoff Bennett, Nate Doss, and so many others and an unexpected treat - John Duesler!

We also made some new friends, Dean’s son Justin, the ever helpful Mike Ellis, a true gentleman named John McCray, and many others.

As always at the USDGC it was especially great to see our dear friends from Innova who have been so supportive of Alan’s Army - Harold, Jonathan, Paul, Rich, the whole crew and especially our prayer partner - dear Ol’ Sam Covington - what a great fine godly gentleman he is.

As always we, for a third year in a row, didn’t get to see our favorite custom stamp man - Zeb.  Somehow he always ends up an elusive willow-the-wisp at the USDGC - maybe next year Zeb!

Anyway it was a fantastic trip as always, thanks to everyone that was a part of it!

Unfortunately the back-side of the trip saw me get real sick.  I’m currently halfway through a regimen of three different antibiotics for upper and lower respiratory infections and an eye infection.  I’ll be back to work Monday, but probably only feeling about 70 percent.

So anyway, thanks for listening, sorry for the delay.

Please Note a special prayer concern:

Please pass the word to all to pray for our sister-in-law Renee who is now struggling with her own diagnosis and treatment for Breast Cancer.  We love you Renee, trust in God for He loves you too.

God Bless you all,

Andrew