Back in Denver

We returned to Denver June 2 about 5:30 p.m. after a flight from HK to Tokyo to LA to Denver. Strange we left on June 2 and arrived on June 2 but many hours in between.

We left with confidence that Steve is ready for the next phase of his journey. He reported tonight that his stitches were removed and all was well there. He starts radiation on Monday (HK) and that will be five days a week - for six weeks. Fortunately they live only about 5 minutes from the Hospital which is a taxi ride away. Taxis are plentiful - you just have to flag one down and the round trip cost is approximately $4.00 US. Will take about an hour - I suppose this includes getting him ready - the procedure, etc.

This is an incredible journey that we wouldn't wish on anyone but when the going gets tough the tough get going and you can see that in Annie and Steve - they are ready to face this and win the battle. What is helping are the prayers and thoughts of their family - their friends in HK and the friends from all over the world. So keep those prayers and thoughts coming not only for Steve and Annie but for the caregivers and decision makers on the treatment plan.

Thanks again for all that everyone is doing to be a part of the journey. And most of all I want to thank Kathy who took the time to help me post this note. She walked me through the steps so look for my comments from Denver.

Home at Last

Steve was released from the hospital and is now waiting the radiation treatments and chemo to start. Feels a bit restless and is having a tid bit of trouble sleeping at night but that is what naps are for!

Winnie and Jim are back in the states feeling good about things with Steve and Annie. They both said that Steve and Annie's determination and love will get them through this tough fight ahead. Steve and Annie are both ready to take this head on! Ha Ha. Excuse the pun!

Annie wrote in an email dated June 2, "I'm pleased to inform you that finally Steve was discharged from the hospital yesterday for home rest before moving on to his follow up treatment (chemo and radiation therapy) on this coming Monday (8th June). The doctor prefer him to stay in the hospital until removing the stitch today but Steve is making progress nicely so he allow us to come back home for a break. Anyway, we have to go back to the hospital again today for removing the stitches on his head, but it's better to be at home than the hospital.

Sandy Monteiro and Anthony Shih are in town and it was great to see them. Seeing Anthony looks so healthy is really a big inspiring to us. It help lift up our spirits. And thanks again for all your positive feeds and success stories that you guys shared with us. It keeps us going.

Before I closed, I have Steve's short ID for you guys to view. It was taken on 3rd day after the operation. Thanks to the modern technology, great surgery team for a remarkable operation. Thanks to all nurses that took care of Steve and lastly thanks to all our friends and family members plus God and Lord Buddha for blessing him with a safe and successful operation .....
OK, below is the link for the vdo. I've sent the link to some friends on facebook, so pls accept my apology if you receive this vdo again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqI5RHEK4d8

We are keeping ourselves healthy and stay positive for the next 6 weeks treatment beginning this Monday, so pls keep us in your prayers.... We hope that we will have the least side effects from the treatment. Anyway, we have no choice but move on ... and get out Wining !!! We promise ourselves to take it day by day, and stay strong and positive as we love to live.

Cheers,
Annie & Steve

Updates

A long weekend of running a soccer tournament has kept me from the blog...but no news should be good news at this point.

As far as I know they are waiting to confirm that there is no bleeding at the site of the surgery before Steve will be released from the hospital. Apparently he is climbing the walls to get home but that will happen soon. The plan is to start chemo next Monday.

Steve writes, "We now move onto the second weopon in the treament which will be radiology and chemo. HK is a one of the best Oncology centers in Asia with affiliations to the big programs in the Houston and New York. Those treatments will continue for the next six weeks. They are so advanced in this area now that it will be outpatient basis and they feel confident about their program with more weopons in thei pocket. Bottom line is we have tough tumor but also a tough, healthy patient with a good medical care and lots of support from friends around the world. Still many steps to go".

Jim and Winnie will leave Tuesday (HK) time and arrive in Denver on Tuesday afternoon. I am certain they will have lots to tell and more to report at that time.

Here are some pictures that Annie has sent

DAY 1: Post Operation

I'm pleased to tell you all that Steve is doing great today. He enjoyed watching Nuggets with Jim & Winnie this morning. Doctor is very happy with his condition and so are we !! Steve was able to walk on his feet with no problem. The only problem is doctor has to remind him to slow down!
Also he was able to eat his first meal at lunch today and he used chopstick which doctor is very happy to see that. The first question he asked me after finished his lunch was "Where is my blackberry?" so I guess he will be back to work sooner than plan ! :) Anyway, this is only just the beginning of the trip and we still have a long way to go. Your friendship, love and support has lifted up our spirits and we are sure to knock out this disease !

Again, I'd like to thank you all again for all your prayer. Steve said he really feel all of your prayer. I have passed all of your phone message, email, calls, and SMS to Steve and he is very appreciate all your support, well wishing. I apologized if sometimes I missed your calls and I can't return the call as there were none caller ID appear etc.

I'm sure he will leave comments on this blog soon. And please let's continue to pray for his fast recovery ! I will go to bed and have a happy long sleep tonight !

Cheers,
Annie

Words of Encouragement

Hi Steve & Annie,

Good to hear the operation went well as expected. Steve, you will be ok and we will play golf and drink together again very soon. Stay tough and be strong.

You are the man!

Cheers,
Foorungsriroj Family


You are the man! I second that.
Steve the courageous.

From Mark Hayes

Updates from Hong Kong

The surgery went well.

Here are a series of emails from Steve, Annie and Winnie which will help understand their last 24 hours:

Wednesday morning 6 a.m. from Steve:

It is early morning the day of surgury. Suregeon and patient are ready. Thanks for all your support for the last week. Thanks for Skype. Thanks for taking the late night calls. We are a a stronger family than we can imagine. Each of us contribute on our own way. Annie also thanks for your love amd support. I don't think that I could have gotten to this point without yout help and support. I look forward to discussing this in person when this is all over. Just know that I love you and determined to get better. Thank goodness for the Nuggets. I am counting on you all to fill in my shoes and cheer the Nuggets thru the series so that I can watch the Nuggets in the championship next week.

Annie emailed:

Dear All,

First of all, I'd like to thank you all for your love and kind support you guys all have extended to us during this difficult time either by call, SMS or in person. We couldn't have passed all those dark days without the great support from you guys. Also thanks for all beautiful flowers you have sent. It brighten our spirits. We thank ourselves, God and Lord Buddha that has bless us to be in great family and surrounded by great friends. The crisis has made us become stronger as a couple, friendship and family.

OK, Steve is now resting in ICU. Doctor has managed to remove most of the tumor. We have to do chemo and radiation for follow up treatment. The operation was not an easy one and it took almost 6 hours. Steve was in good condition when he came out of the operation room. He started asking questions right away! We only seen him for couple of minute in ICU as doctor advise to let him rest as much as possible. So now, let's all pray for his fast recovery.

Steve won't be able to receive visitors for few days after the operation. I will SMS or email you as soon as he is ready to see you guys. For any of you who want to send him flowers, pls send to our house in a week time as we stay in a semi private room and the table is small !!! Our address is 5A Stubbs Villa, 2 Shiu Fai Terrace. Wanchai.

Thank you again and talk to you soon.
Annie & Steve

And Winnie emailed:

Wanted you to know that things went well today. He went to surgery about 11:00 a.m. He came out of the recovery room about 5:30 p.m. The anesthesiologist said that the surgery was not as complicated as originally thought - was not as long as originally thought - that Steve had done well under anesthesia - came out of the anesthesia as he should.

The neurosurgeon came out and talked to us. It is a malignant tumor they removed. They were able to remove most of it but the tumor had lots of vascular involement which causes bleeding and they didn't want to do anything to "lose" in that area. He will now be having radiation and chemotherapy. He said the tumor was pressing on the brain and when they removed it the brain seemed to relax, which is good.

We were able to talk to him - he recognized us - Dr. said the limbs all moved in the recovery room. He was complaining that his head hurt and they said that they could give him some medication for that. They have sent samples for biopsy so until they know the kind of cancer, they will not predict what type of therapy will work, etc. He went to ICU and will be there for 24 hours for observation. They don't want any bleeding problems.

David - he has his head wrapped similiar to what you had when you had your cochlear surgery. He tells people you were his inspiration since you had had the head surgery with your cochlears.

Kathy - he wants to stress that the 11:00 p.m. call was probably one of the most important calls he made to anyone because after the two of you talked he was able to actually say the word "brain cancer" and talk about the future. So all in all it was a good day - we didn't do much but it still was stressful. They don't have a waiting room so we came back to the condo but went back to the hospital and sat in the hall for several hours. Steve was ready to go this morning. Anxious to get over it and get on with whatever future holds for him. We were glad that we could be here to be with him.

So all in all things went as predicted. Let the healing begin!

The Ball Begins Rolling

After a nice weekend with an opportunity to meet with friends, Steve checked into the hospital late Tuesday afternoon to prepare for the surgery Wednesday morning (Hong Kong time). He is in good spirits. Annie, as well as Jim and Winnie, will let us know something as soon as there is something to report. Keep them all in your thoughts and prayers during this critical time.

Phone Call from Hong Kong

Thursday night we got a phone call from Steve. He sounds good and wants you all to know what is going on.

He is patiently, but anxiously, awaiting the surgery. Steve wants to get going on the treatment plan, surgery and then chemo and radiation. The doctors will know more about what the treatment plan will be once they remove the tumor, but are optimistic that there is indeed a course of action for treatment. Steve, Annie, Jim and Winnie were all meeting with the surgeon that afternoon. He will have some blood work done in the next day or so to confirm that the majority of the aspirin is out of his body. If all looks good he will go into the hospital Tuesday with the surgery planned for Wednesday.

Sounded like they were all having a great lunch overlooking the ocean. Annie's sister was there as well and from the sounds of things they were all having a good time. Steve sounded very upbeat and I think feels surrounded by love and positive energy.

He wanted me to let you all know that he truly appreciates all the support he has been receiving. Keep it coming!

Kathy

News from Winnie

We arrived last night about 9:00 p.m. Long trip but uneventful. Were met at the airport by friends of Steve and Annie. Our surprise was that Steve had been dismissed from the hospital yesterday morning. Will not go back unless there is a reason until early next week. Due to the headaches he had taken aspirin and that needs to be out of his system before surgery. Has another blood test Saturday and if all is well the surgery will take place early next week.

He appears strong - determined - ready to do what is necessary. We are too and are glad that we will have some time with him before surgery. We meet the Dr. this afternoon for him to explain what he plans to do and that will be good to hear. Annie's sister is here and that is good too. She will be going back to Thailand in a few days.

Steve is appreciating all of the emails and contacts from friends from all over the world. Prayers and thoughts are what is needed right now.

We love you guys - David - Steve said he is getting your emails. Also the emails from all of the gang in Denver. We will keep you posted as much as possible.

Wednesday, May 20

From Steve

It is Wednesday morning. We are listening to the Nuggets games with the Lakers and waiting to go home for a few days before checking back into the hospital on Tuesday for the big operation on Wednesday. We should be able to update everyone by Thursday morning. From there the hospital will do a biopsy and then we start the chemo and radiation treatment. I am at a good cancer center. I have a good oncologist so again staying very positive about the whole thing (all things considered).

The headaches have stopped and am now just taking steroids to keep the brain swelling down to avoid further headaches. I have some problems with double vision but it is not getting worse and it is manageable (although my depth of field is not good).

Bottom line is that am resting comfortably and looking forward to the weekend with Mom and Dad and our HK friends. We are getting lots of support and the comments from all around the world give us lots of strength and hope.

I am reading Lance Armstrong's book about "its not about the bike". Very good and gives a good summary of what is happening both physically. It is scary stuff but good perspective of the road ahead and good hope for a positve outcome.

Hang in there. Take care of eachother in my absence. I send all my love and thanks to everyone.

Thursday May 21

From Steve

Up date as of Thursday, 21 May-
I am resting comfortably. The steroids seem to be keeping the swelling of the brain to a minimum so that helps. My biggest issue is double vision as the tumor touches the optic nerve.

It is a constant reminder that the the tumor comes out next week.

Jim and Winnie arrived HK last night (one day sooner than we expected but my friends were on standby at the airport so no big issues on the pick-up even with the mix-up).

We had a good time to discuss the surgery and the current situation.

Annie and I are running around getting things (i.e. banks) sorted out before the surgery. Annie is so strong and determined.

Now that we know our plan, it is about waiting to start the surgery (Wed in HK) and getting things in order before the surgery. We are hoping that nothing else messes up the schedule. We believe in the plan (surgery followed by chemo/radiation) so now want to get on with the plan.

I can not say much but I am glad that you and Annie are managing the situaiton nicely and each message you wrote shows it. I am sorry not to visit you at once but I am sending my hope and love to you and Annie as much as possible.

May 18, 2009

Here is an email that Annie sent Jim and Winnie. It has some good information.

Hi Winnie,
This is Annie. Thanks for your mail and all your love and support. Sorry that I have not been able to get back to you sooner as I was running around. I am doing better now and so does Steve. The treatment plan he received from Dr. Fan has help bring down the severe of his headache. We will have body scan at 12.30 today. It will finish around 3 pm. Dr. Fan will have meeting with us about how to move forward after he know the scan result, may be Monday night or Tuesday morning. We have to wait for about a week to have operation as Steve took lots of aspirin to deal with his head ache and it caused problem with bleeding. Doctor need to wait for about a week for aspirin to get out of body system. We just hope that the tumor won't grow any much bigger during this week. Let's pray for it too.

We cried a lot last and felt so bad last weekend but we are feeling much much better today after receiving support and kind words from our friends. Ralph showed up on Sat night and Judith paid a surprised visit. Yesterday, Judith & her family, Mandarin & Paul, Cathy Thong, Mark Hayes (who never show up in x-mas party for three years) came to visit Steve at the hospital. It was a great visit. Steve enjoy talking with them. At first, we thought that it will be hard to talk to visitor but the vist help generate the positive thoughts to us, esp Steve. Kudy, Sally, Bank, Bell, Ryu, Dad & mom all called and send their prayer to Steve too.

Kudy will be in HK this afternoon and she will stay until 25th May. I am so glad that you and Jim and Kudy are able to be with us during this difficult time. I know we will walk out of this in good shape.

I am stronger and not crying when I speak or type email anymore. Vanida & Sally reminded to be composed and be strong for Steve and generate positive thoughts to him as the body will produce some hormone and it help deal with the sickness. Your email and your kind words help me a lot too.

Steve might be able to rest at home before the operation if he don't suffer with head ache. Anyway, it's good to be near doctor if we can't go back home.

I will have meeting with Abby and the insurance people to discuss about Steve's benefits and to know which cost is not covered etc. Also I will see Anita (the wife of Steve friend who gone through the chemo), Steve want me to find out how they handle the situation once the insurance premium finished etc. So I plan to meet her on Tuesday afternoon, since Kudy is here so I don't have to worry about Steve and can do other errands. We will need to move to smaller apartment too, so there's a lot to do.

Pls send me your flight number, so that Kudy or Mandarin will pick you up at the airport express station (HK station). I will prepare some light meal for you. I'm so glad that you will be here soon. Let's talk more later. Gotta run to hospital now. See you soon.

Love,

Annie and Steve

The Journey Begins

We were all shocked to hear the news of Steve's illness. I spoke to him Saturday evening and he sounds relieved to begin the process fighting this. He is set to have some scans done Monday where they will have a better idea of treatment options for him. He knows that he has a tremendous road ahead of him, but one that he and Annie are prepared to fight together. I thought this blog would be an opportunity to keep everyone informed about what was happening and also give everyone an opportunity to share with him your support.

Kathy