"Spring Clean-up"

Hello everyone,

Is it Spring? I'm not sure because it actually feels more like summer in Winnipeg these days. In fact, the past couple of days have been nicer than most July & August days last year. We can only hope this is a sign of what is to come for the next few months. On a selfish note, I am really hoping for amazing weather because it will be my last summer off with the kids before I go back to work in mid-September. Pickerel lake is calling our names this year.

So given all that has been going on around here lately, "spring clean-up" seemed like the most appropriate title for this entry. Yep, I still lay awake at night thinking of the next headline.

Here's the scoop as of late ...

"A Wild Ride"

When I last wrote, we were prepping for a few day jaunt to Minneapolis to watch our third Sharks game since January. Our favorite contact in San Jose, Erin, had arranged for seats in a private suite with kids from a Minnesota organization called "Hope Kids" (children with significant medical issues). If that wasn't enough, when we arrived at VIP Will-Call, Dane and Dirk were whisked away to sit on the SJ bench during the pre-game skate. Minus the crazy bike helmets they had to wear (LOL) it was a great experience. Big Joe was actually injured that week so he didn't play, however that disappointment was erased when he plunked himself down beside Dane on the bench. Crazy!!! Erin says we've met Joe more times in the past three months than she's seen him in five years. The SJ coach even came out, shook their hands and thanked them for being such great Sharks' fans. Dane got the inside scoop on Joe's injury and when he'd return to action. It's now play-off time of course, so he is glued to the TV set when SJ is playing. We let him watch last night's game because he didn't have school today, however it was such a heart-breaker I didn't know what he would do. SJ had 51 shots and lost one minute into OT when they basically scored on their own net. Hopefully they recover tomorrow night. Something has gone hay-wire with blogger.com so I can't post this great picture of Dane with the Wild mascot in the suite. I'll try again next time otherwise I might loose it on my computer tonight.

Our many thanks to our wonderful US hosts, Tricia & Matt, for letting us stay at chez Iten-Maly for a couple of fun filled days & nights.

"Cleaning House"

For the past several weeks we have literally been cleaning our house. After a one year wait due to Dane's treatment, we finally finished the basement. This might not seem like a big deal to some, but to us it was huge because it meant moving large pieces of furniture (aka an 800 pound piano) out of the den to make room for Dane to move into his new digs. He and Ashley had been sharing a room for five months and that was getting VERY old for everyone. Now all the kids have their own rooms again plus lots of new space downstairs to play and hang out. The house seems much larger and quieter and that's a great thing. Every day I tackle another "closet clean-up" and fortunately the end is in sight. IKEA's stock was severely depleted when we went to Minni and Dirk has hardly protested about all the furniture assembly he's had to undertake.

"Four Week Pass"

Although Dane's counts were lower at his appt than the month before, they were still great so we got another four week reprieve from the Clinic. He has been feeling super and I'm hopeful when we head there next week for his once a month chemo that his levels will still be up. If so we won't have to go back until late May and he will be thrilled. The monthly steroid boosts are still nasty, but at least we can "crystal ball" when they are going to kick in and make him hungry, cranky and emotional. We have learned to tip-toe around him for several days until the "mood" passes.

"On the Go"

The kids' spring activities have kicked into high-gear the past couple of weeks. Dane is playing 3x3 hockey, flag football (first time) and swimming. Ash is playing 3x3 ringette, swimming and taking musical theatre. Dane was pretty pumped at the first flag practice when he was picked to be the running back for the first few games. This was due to his speed & agility and the coach was pretty surprised to discover the kid he was praising for his "moves" is the one undergoing leukemia treatment. He plays his first game this Sunday at Wpg stadium and he's very excited. After telling me for quite some time she wanted to do other "things" besides ringette, Ashley is excited to be testing her drama skills (however we do tell her this happens at home on a pretty frequent basis - she is ten after all).

"Almost One"

It's hard to believe but Ms. Clare is going to celebrate her first b-day in a few weeks. May 11 is the milestone and this mom has to get her act in gear to plan something for her. She is not walking yet, but crawling like a machine and running beside and between the furniture. She can stand on her own when she wants to and she's likely only a couple weeks away from really cruising. She is still NOT sleeping through the night on a regular basis, however I get the odd night where she goes from 9:30 - 6:00 or so. I live for those nights! Hope you like the latest photos taken in the past couple of days.

"Wish Coverage"

Shaw TV produced a story about Dane's wish trip to San Jose. It aired last week and was on the website. I checked today and it's off the main page, however apparently as of tomorrow it can be accessed under the "Viewer Favorites" tab on the website. If you want to watch it, just go to Shaw TV's website and look at that tab. It's about a four minute piece ... the reporter did a very nice job capturing the essence and thrill of his wish.

"40 Down ... 40 More??"

I'm officially in the next decade now and my angst of turning 40 has come and gone. I can't stop the clock so might as well live with the inevitable. Thanks to everyone who passed along b-day wishes, they were very much appreciated. My partner in crime Jodi and I are slowly training for the 20 km Challenge for Life on June 12 in support of CCMB - you may recall from an earlier post this is my 40th b-day present to me. Weather like this is making our "prep" walks much easier so let's hope it sticks around. The following is a link to my page for the walk if you are interested in supporting this wonderful cause ...

www.cancercarefdn.mb.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=487&frsid=1704

Well, it's now officially my bedtime. We hope everything is great in your world. Until next time, take care ... Janie & Dirk

"Canuck Crazy"

Vancouver was amazing!! We visited the sunny West Coast (it was pure blue sky the entire time we were there) from March 18 - 21 courtesy of the Believe in the Goal Foundation. Here's a run-down of the many trip highlights ...

- Limo rides to & from the airports in Wpg & Vancouver. The kids thought this was pretty cool and we reminded them it was VIP treatment!

- Arriving in Vancouver early enough on Thursday morning to catch the SJ Sharks' morning skate. Dane hung over the gate waiting patiently to see Joe again and all his other "buddies" (Blake, Heatley & Marleau) from San Jose. He was NOT disappointed and managed to squeeze a few more autographs out of them!!

- Receiving a tour of the Vancouver Canucks dressing room, locker room and work-out area courtesy of our host for the weekend (G. Carnegie, Skills coach for Vancouver and part owner of Total Hockey in Wpg - great guy) and "Red" (the Asst Equipment Manager). Check out the photos of the kids holding Luongo's face mask!

- Watching the game Thursday night and getting the royal treatment once again. This time Dane was visited by Fin (Canucks mascot) who delivered him a bag of Canucks "stuff", however we likely ticked that mascot off when he saw Dane all decked out in Sharks gear. Next was the camera person putting Dane on the jumbo tron with his Sharks stuff (greeted by some boos from the GM Place fans). After the game we had VIP passes and went down to where the players come out. We didn't see any more Sharks (they lost 3-2) but we managed to snag many autographs from Canucks for the back of a new jersey the organization gave him. Most notably was getting "Lou's" and many of the former Moose players' autographs (Grabner and Burrows to name a couple).

- Skating at GM Place Friday morning with the Skills Coach. It was so neat to see Dane on the "big show" ice. He got a special surprise when Ryan Kesler (a Canuck star who had just signed a 6 year $30 million contract THAT morning) joined them for the skate. He passed Dane the puck and played 1-1 keep away. Our son thought this was pretty cool and was topped only by Kesler snapping the end of his stick off, autographing it and giving it to Dane!

- Watching a second game at GM Place - Canucks vs. Red Wings on Saturday night (Hockey Night in Canada televised this game). It was a great offensive game - Detroit took 54 shots on Luongo and the game went to OT. We were all hoping for a shoot-out but the Red Wings scored with .2 seconds left (yes, .2) to win 4-3. And our Dane is no dummy - he made sure he wore his Canucks gear to this game and cheered for the home team! We went down to the locker area again post-game and met a couple of Wpg Red Wings, D. Meech & D. Helm.

- Seeing and taking their photo with "Mr. Hockey". For you die-hard Team Canada fans, you will recognize this guy from all the games at the Olympics. He is like Dancin' Gabe ... a true celebrity in Vancouver now.

- Believe it or not, we did do a few other things at that didn't involve hockey. To Ashley's delight, we visited the Olympic Superstore and purchased all (yes ALL) of the Olympic mascots and those snazzy red Olympic mitts. We all walked to the Cauldron and took some photos. We also took the kids to Stanley Park and the Aquarium (very cool place) and to Granville Island. Granville was a bit of a "bust" and it was SUCH fun listening to Dane tell me that day was by far "the worst of the trip so far". That all changed once we got to the hockey game of course. We were put up at a great hotel (Westin) just five blocks from GM Place and the staff treated us royally!

- We had a nice visit with my Aunt who lives in Vancouver. She took some fantastic photos of the kids while they were together and we've included one of them that we love by the ocean.

All in all it was a great NHL Experience and we are VERY grateful to the Believe in the Goal Foundation. It sounds like Dane and Todd Davison share the "edge" factor and that makes the fact they chose our son all the more special. The Foundation is starting to prepare for the big "Sizzlin Summer Showdown" hockey game (to be held August 12) and to give back, I have offered to assist with that event. It sounds like they are going to put my "journalism" background to use and I'm looking forward to the challenge. It will be a good tune-up before I head back to work in mid-September.

Medical stuff ... Dane had his once-a-month chemo today and is now on his five day steroid boost (lucky us). The kids are on spring break this week and we are planning to escape for a couple days to ... wait for it ... watch another Sharks game (this time in Minni). We are staying with my dear friend Tricia and her family (she has been a faithful blog follower since I started jabbering last January). We are looking forward to introducing Clare to her new baby (born last July).

Dane is feeling really well right now and we are thoroughly enjoying our healthy son. He is going to be physically busy this spring ... 3x3 hockey, flag football and swimming lessons. They are all just once a week but the variety will be good for his stamina. We are loving his new "look" - check out those curls!!!

We know Dane and our entire family have been treated unbelievably well these past few months by Children's Wish and Believe. They have given the kids magical gifts that we could not have provided and Dirk and I are so appreciative of both organizations. We wish we could turn back time and make him not have leukemia, but that's not in our power. So we continue to deal with the hand we have been dealt and focus on the positives. It's what keeps us moving forward.

Take care everyone ... Janie & Dirk

"A Nice Break"

Good evening,

I just realized it's been nearly three weeks since I posted an entry, so without planning it, I gave myself quite the break from writing. More importantly though, Dane is experiencing a wonderful break from the Cancer Clinic. For the first time since he started treatment last January, he gets a ... wait for it ... four week reprieve in between appointments. His last hospital visit was March 3 (at PDU for a spinal tap and IV chemo) and he does not have to go back until March 30. Dane's neutrophils have rebounded tremendously in the past few weeks, in fact they were 4.2 on March 2. This is a number we could only dream about before. We are hopeful that now that he has "kicked" the cold virus he's had for pretty much the entire winter his counts will remain in this range so we can stay on the once-a-month visit schedule. The downside to fewer appts is we miss our Cancer Clinic friends, but we are making sure we stay up-to-date with emails and visits.

We can tell Dane's hemoglobin is in the normal range as he's pretty fired up about life in general these days. He's still in the midst of hockey playoffs and tomorrow night his team plays in the B-side quarter final. They are one of the last six teams standing and he had a really good weekend. All of the games are "sudden death" now so it's pretty intense. You need earplugs to watch these games. Yep, it's partly my yelling but we've also got some fans who have whipped up some pretty amazing noise makers. The past couple of weeks have been great fun. Ashley's season came to an end on a very positive note two weekends ago. Her team won the Consolation final in a nail biter - a 2-1 victory. She played like a wall on defence and now has a two month break before her spring league starts.

We are all gearing up for a trip to Vancouver soon to watch a couple more NHL games. As I reported a while back, the Believe in the Goal organization is sending Dane to watch the Sharks play the Canucks. He is PUMPED and ready to meet Joe again. We've had to explain the meaning of the word stalker to him though as we're getting a tad worried Joe is going to think we are following him. He will be armed with lots more "stuff" for him to sign, particularly now that he's a gold-medal winner. I'll report on the trip's happenings in my next entry.

Clare continues to "wow" us on a daily basis. She is full of energy and personality and is getting into everything! She discovered the stairs yesterday ... I am NOT ready for that phase yet. She now tips the scale at 22.5 lbs and is 30 inches tall. She remains a bit of a "monster" but she has definitely slowed down - thank goodness. She already weighs as much Ashley & Dane did at 16 months!

Until next time, take care everyone - Janie & Dirk

"Odds & Ends" - Follow-up

To my Manitoba Hydro friends ...

If you interested in supporting my endeavor to walk 20 kms in June as part of CancerCare Manitoba's "Challenge for Life", please contact my good friend Roxanne Kaplan at 360-7614. She has graciously offered to collect any pledges made by MH employees so they can be matched by the Corporation. I would have done this myself, however I'm still on parental leave whilst I care for our little Ms. Clare and not physically (or mentally I should add) at work.

To Rox, a big thank you!!!

Janie

"Odds & Ends"

I'm taking advantage of a quiet house and posting a second blog update this afternoon. I've been having a harder time getting to my typing lately and apparently I'm letting some of Dane's "followers" down . Not to mention any names, but there is this guy I refer to as the "gentle giant" who sometimes frequents the CancerClinic and he is pretty disappointed in my mini case of "writer's block" these past few weeks. So GR, this is for you!

Odds & Ends #1 - When I posted the update about our trip, I forgot to mention that when we were walking to the "Shark Tank", we passed these two women giving away beaded necklaces. The proceeds of their efforts were going to charity, and how do you think we reacted when we saw the sign for that evening's charity ... The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. If that wasn't fate, I don't know what is. We bought Ashley a teal and black necklace which she wore well during the hockey game.

Odds & Ends #2 - I haven't talked too much about our little Ms. Clare lately so here's a quick update. She turned nine months on Feb 11 and although her growth has slowed down, she's still at about the 90th percentile for height & weight (29 inches tall and 22 pounds). She is very active now, crawling all around the house and pulling herself up to stand on furniture, etc. Her sleeping habits are still pretty nasty, but I've been reading the "Baby Whisperer" and am seeing some slight improvements. I can only hope that by the time I go back to work she is sleeping more soundly. I've attached a couple of recent photos. Who do you think she looks like now?? We've been hearing that a lot of folks think she resembles Dane a bit more lately.

Odds & Ends #3 - I figure I better pre-empt the ribbing I'm going to take on this blog from my life-long and much younger pal "Jodi" (as she refers to herself) and fess up now that in short order, I will be hitting my milestone b-day. I'm trying not to think about it all that much, however I am giving myself a special gift. I have decided to enter the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation's "Challenge for Life" as my 40th present to me. Essentially it's me kicking myself in the butt to get more active this year while at the same time raising funds for this amazing organization that has come to mean so VERY much to our family. And given I know she was going to publicy tease me, I told Jodes she had to enter with me! So on June 12, she and I will lace up our shoes and hit the pavement for 20 kms. I've got some serious work to do between now and then but I am really looking forward to the challenge. I've created a personal page for my fundraising that you can access from the following link if you are interested. Thank you!

www.cancercarefdn.mb.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=487&frsid=1704

Until next time, take care - Janie & Dirk

"The Good Ol' Hockey Game"

Well, it's three hours to puck drop time and excitement is building in our house. Nope, it's not one of the kids' games, but rather Canada vs. USA at the Olympics. Dane has been diligently watching this week, especially when "his" Sharks are playing ... Thornton, Heatley and Marleau. He was VERY pleased that they accounted for both of Canada's regulation goals in the game against Switzerland on Thursday. Big Joe T. has had some good chances - we just need him to capitalize and Dane will really be cheering. GO CANADA GO!!!

Now for the latest on the kids hockey & ringette. Dane's team went on a good run last week and won the gold medal at an outdoor tournament. The boys were all pumped and proud of their efforts. They've been having a bit of a tougher time in the league though and finished the regular season with a 5-4 loss yesterday. Ashley's team ended the season on a positive note, going 2-0-1 in their last three games. Playoffs begin next weekend for both of them so we'll be running from one rink to another. Many thanks to all their fans who cheered them on yesterday ... your support is much appreciated. I know to some of you we may have seemed a bit over zealous, however hockey is really our best barometer of Dane's energy level. Until yesterday's game he had really been flying the past couple of weeks and this warms both our hearts. When he's flat, it's tough on us because it's a reminder that unlike a "normal" kid (one without leukemia), Dane's system reacts more acutely to fatigue. It's kind of hard to describe to people, but we know instantly whether he's got "zip" in a particular game. When he doesn't, our internal anxiety rises pretty quickly and we just want to see our son skate like we know his body can when it's well. We are not focused on goals or wins, we just love watching him play the game he loves because it helps ease the pain we feel about him having cancer.

Onto something more positive ... we received word that Dane's trip to Vancouver to watch two more NHL games is a go. The Believe in the Goal Foundation has made arrangements for Dirk & Dane to fly to Vancouver in mid-March to watch the Canucks play the Sharks and then the Red Wings. Ashley, Clare and I will be joining them and we are very excited!

Dane's neutrophils have rebounded nicely in the past couple of weeks and at his appointment on Tuesday they were 2.81. I can't remember the last time they were this high and we are hopeful it's a sign he has kicked this winter's cold virus once and for all. He is back on 100% dosages of his chemo medicines and on March 1, he will complete his second 84 day Maintenance treatment cycle. So, two down and about nine more cycles to go!

As always, thanks for tuning into our happenings - Janie & Dirk

"(Trip) Pictures Tell a Thousand Words"

We're back! Our "wish" trip to California last week was amazing. We packed a ton of fun into eight days and trying to capture it all in one written post is a daunting task so I've decided to let our pictures tell most of the story ...If you are 10 and 8, Disneyland is the place to be on a sunny January California day. We managed to get Ashley & Dane to stand still long enough to pose for this photo as we set out to explore the wonderful world of make believe, roller coasters and Disney paraphernalia.

One of the many benefits of being a "wish" family is we received special guest privileges at Disneyland. We had a pass that took us to the front of the line and this enabled us to by-pass any long waits and ride the various roller coasters multiple times. The kids thought this was awesome and they convinced both Dirk and I to accompany them on most of the "great" rides. This is us post-Matterhorn, a "tame" roller coaster in Fantasy land. The fact I'm smiling and my sunglasses are still on is a sign I managed this ride without too much fear! The kids were invincible and their favorites in no particular order were Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain and Splash Mountain. The Mountain references are a good tip-off there were hills, drops and turns on all these rides and that brought many smiles to their faces.

After eight long hours we managed to convince these two that it was time to call it a wrap. Of course day one at Disney wouldn't have been complete without a couple of sticky lollipops to keep them occupied on the shuttle bus back to our hotel. Thank goodness Clare was too young to join them or we would have been covered head to toe in sugar!

Not to be left out of the action, our Ms. Clare took to the rides on day two at Disney. This was her one-and-only solo trip and as you can see from the smile, she is having a ball!

No trip to California Adventure (adjacent to Disneyland) would be complete without getting absolutely soaked on the "Grizzly River Run". The kids put their guest pass to good use and shot the rapids three times. Good thing this mom was thinking and brought rain coats and a change of pants. Now only if we'd remembered some dry shoes ...

So if you are a "pre-teen" (yikes) who is about to celebrate her 10th birthday on this trip, how do you pass up the chance to pose so elegantly with the letter that starts your name? Ashley looks mighty comfy perched on that "A" and check out the tam - it was a "must" purchase for our accessory gal!

Here is a little test for all you faithful readers. If it's 65 degrees and clear blue sky, what do Winnipegers do every morning in California? If you guessed go for a dip in the outdoor pool/hot tub at the hotel, you would be right. What do native Californians do in those same temps? If you guessed join us, sorry that is the incorrect answer. If you guessed wear mitts, earmuffs, boots and multiple layers, you win the prize. We are sure people thought we were absolutely crazy ... we swam almost every morning in the heated pool (82 degrees or so) and we had the place all to ourselves. Our last day in Anaheim we actually suntanned at 10:30 am and it was heavenly. It's amazing how warm 65 degrees feels when you've had snow for three months! We only had a few hours of rain all week and that was a huge relief as the week before California experienced the "storm of the century".

Of course we had to visit Universal Studios as well. After two full days at Disney we were all pretty tired, but we managed to get on some interesting rides (The Simpsons was the kids' favorite) and see behind the scenes of a major movie/tv studio. Late afternoon rain put an end to our day a little earlier than expected, however that gave us the chance to do some "outlet" shopping (good) and experience our first & only LA traffic jam (bad).

The reason we made the trip of course ... January 28, 2010 - Sharks vs. Blackhawks at the HP Pavillion. An awesome place to watch a hockey game and we couldn't have picked a better match-up, as first place was on the line. You could feel the intensity in the air and our Dane was soooo excited. We had to force him to eat a few bites of his dinner as he didn't want to miss one minute of the action. He was riveted to his seat from the pre-game skate to the final second of OT!

Our "Hockey Day in the USA" started out on a great note ... we were able to sneak into the Blackhawks pre-game practice courtesy of Cam Barker, a Winnipeger and fine young man. We had the rink pretty much to ourselves and after they finished skating, we waited for Cam and he presented Dane with two autographed game sticks. One was his and the other was J. Toews. It was pretty interesting checking these two items on the plane for the ride home. Rest assured they will be featured prominently in our refurbished basement soon (renos are currently in progress).

"Sharky" the SJ mascot paid Dane a special visit midway through the first period and as you can see, he "ate" him up. While waiting for a stop in play, he sat on his lap and gave him a bag of goodies courtesy of the Sharks organization ... included were a Thornton jersey, a new cap and a pennant. We LOVE this picture!

Another surprise for Dane ... the opportunity to ride on the Sharks zamboni between the 2nd & 3rd periods. We figured he would be shy, but given the smile on his face while he's viewing himself on the jumbotron, his tendency toward "stage fright" appears to be gone!

The event Dane has been waiting for this past year ... the chance to meet his idol, Joe Thornton. WOW - what a moment when Joe came into the Sharks' locker room and shook Dane's hand. As his parents we were overcome with happiness for him as we know this is truly his "wish" come true. He never wavered on what he wanted to do with his one chance and we told Joe how thinking of this day helped him fight his leukemia battle. We were very impressed with JT and the special attention he gave Dane.

The big surprise of the evening ... not only did Dane meet Joe T., he also met Patrick Marleau (next to Joe), Dany Heatley (next to Dirk) and Rob Blake (SJ Captain). They were all wonderful and signed every puck, mini-stick, jersey and poster the two kids presented them. Joe, Patrick and Dany will form one line on the Cdn Olympic team so Dane's meeting was pretty "star filled". The comic relief came when Dane asked Joe what line he would be on in the Olympics and Joe said "I'll be playing with Patrick and Dany". Dane said I know but what line ... "1st, 2nd, etc." talk about pressure! Joe laughed and said "I hope we just get to play".

So as captured in these photos, that is our trip in a nutshell. The adjustment to life back at home has been not too bad and we were back at the Clinic yesterday for Dane's monthly IV treatment. His neutrophil count was very, very low before the trip so we had to suspend his chemo pills for the past two weeks (first time for us in Maintenance). He is back on 100% dosages and we'll see how his levels hold-up.

Until next time, take care and enjoy this post. Hopefully it doesn't crash your systems - Janie and Dirk