The saga continues

Many of you have received Shawna's email, but here is the update for those of you who have not.

Hello to all our Family and Friends,

As you all know, the past year and a half has been slightly crazy in our household.  In June 2010, I (Shawna) was diagnosed with  pelvic bone metastases (spreading of my breast cancer).  It was stable for about a year with hormonal and naturopathic therapies.  Then in July of this year, Will had a severe, unexpected stroke while working in Victoria.  After 2 months in hospital, he was discharged home in September and has been working hard on his rehabilitation.  The main limitation is his left (dominant) arm and hand; he can move all parts of it but it takes such effort that the movement is not yet functional.  His mobility, cognition and speech are nearly back to normal, and he has thankfully been allowed to resume driving this week.

We were looking forward to some peace and breathing space with regards to health, but I guess that's not in the cards for now.  Since the summer, I have had considerably more pain and it was discovered in September that my cancer has spread further (pelvis, spine, ribs, skull, lung and liver).  I have had at least 3 fractures in my pelvis and a new one in my neck.  Although I have received great care and appropriate treatment at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary, the doctors tell me that they have no cure to offer and are treating for symptom control only.

A year ago, I thought that if it came to this point, I would feel peaceful enough to let nature take its course.  But after Will's miraculour recovery, I have a new resolve to "choose life".  So I spent hours on the internet and contacted tons of people with claims to "cure cancer".  The best source of information turned out to be a "Moss Report" which is a summary of the science behind most of the treatments provided for cancer, both conventional and complementary/alternative.  After reading every word on each of the 500 pages (exhausting but interesting!) and praying hourly for wisdom, I have decided to go to Vienna, Austria to see a medical doctor (Dr. Kleef) who uses an integrative approach to cancer treatment.  You can google the following treatments if you're interested in what I may be receiving:  hyperthermia, mistletoe, artusenate, homeopathy, dendritic cell and autologous vaccines and other forms of immunotherapy such as Site Specific Immunotherapy and Coley's Toxins.

Our flight leaves tonight.  Will, Alexis, my Mom, Dad and I will be gone for 7 weeks (back January 5).  We are excited and hopeful.  Even Alexis has been really supportive and courageous, choosing to look forward to this adventure rather than focussing on what she'll miss at home.  While we're gone, we'll post weekly updates on a new blog:   

http://www.shawnapynten.blogspot.com/

You can stay in touch with us by commenting on the blog, or by email.  Please only call my cell if there's an emergency (my cell phone bill from my 2 weeks in Victoria was $700!!  I can't imagine what it would be for 2 months in Europe!).

Also, we just had some amazing family pictures done in Canmore by Lanny and Erika (TwoMannTent Photography) and I'll include their blog address for a sampling of our photos:

http://www.twomanntent.com/blog

While we're gone, we'd so appreciate your prayers for safe travels, fun times and healing for both me and Will.  Although our journey has been a struggle, we have never, not for one moment, felt unsupported by all of you.