Hall of Baldness: Brady

Brady is our friend from Stanford. He and his wife Natania moved there about a year before we moved away. I think that in them, we saw a little of ourselves 4 years earlier. A childless couple just starting a PhD program at Stanford, coming from BYU. It was weird for us to realize that we were somehow now the older, seemingly wiser couple with 3 kids and almost done with a PhD.

Brady and Natania quickly became our good friends. They are genuine and friendly people, and were always a pleasure to interact with. They are prolific gardeners and I loved being on their back porch surrounded by vegetation. Brady was especially great with our boys and they had many fun games they would play with him when he was over. Brady didn't even seem to mind being called boy-Natania (and Natania girl-Natania) by his adoring fans. He and Natania ended up kindly babysitting for us a number of times. In fact, Brady and Natania hold the honor of being the first non-family-members to put our kids to bed for us so that Brittney and I could go on a date.

A few months before we left Brady became a father, and I know that he is/will be an excellent one, based on the person he is and the natural way he interacts with kids. I am glad to count Brady as one of my friends, and so grateful that our paths overlapped for a short time at Stanford. Brady, welcome to the Hall of Baldness!

5.8-5.13: Chemo Tomorrow

Life has been pretty good since the last time I posted. I felt fairly normal all last week, until Saturday. Saturday and Sunday I had a bout of diarrhea and that wasn't much fun. I am feeling much better today. My doctor's appointment was fairly normal, and my counts are up and ready for chemo tomorrow. So here we go for chemo treatment number 6.

Brittney's sister Tiffany arrived on Friday and is going to be here until this Friday. It is super-fun having her here. They got their hair cut on Saturday (but they will have to wait their turn to make it into the Hall of Baldness) and have lots of fun things planned for this week.

Yesterday I got to watch a bit of the Grey Cup, which is the championship game for the Canadian Football League. My cousin Ben was on the winning team, and was named the player of the game by CBC Sports' Carlan Gay [story here]. I am so happy for him and his team, the BC Lions.

We got our Christmas tree tonight and it looks pretty good. I am sure there will be some pictures in the next few days on our family blog, so keep your eyes peeled. Christmas time is almost here, and we are getting pretty excited around here.

Hall of Baldness: James

James is my dad. His and my mom's support for me started far before I got cancer. They have been supporting me my whole life. I cannot remember a time when I didn't know with absolute certainty that my parents loved and supported me. My dad often seems to think more of me and my abilities than I do. He has shaped my life in countless ways and I find myself consistently doing things that remind myself of him as I get older.

James is an excellent skier (both water and snow), and tennis player. Although in truth those past-times have lost out for the last 17 or so years to his greatest love: golf. I was raised on golf by my dad, and have enjoyed countless hours of companionship and outdoor beauty during numberless rounds with him. He is an accomplished golfer, regularly finishing near the top of the points list in the local course's Men's Association. But most impressive is his record in AGA major championships, where he has won an unmatched 7 major tournaments to date. He loves golf, and fortunately also plays it rather well. He has always managed to make sure we know that he loves most of all to play golf with his kids, and I for one, love playing with him. It is a major part of almost any family get together.

James is an excellent teacher and writer, and has a fabulous sense of humor (although I would think that, since he no doubt shaped my sense of humor through the years). (After he shaved his head he couldn't help give his classes a comical Top Ten list of reasons why he did it. I will include it in the bottom of this post.) It is through him that I was introduced to P.G. Wodehouse, Shakespeare, Monty Python, Calvin & Hobbes, C.S. Lewis, Robert Pirsig, Hugh Nibley, and Kehlog Albran. His unofficial motto is: "Never go anywhere or do anything", which has led to many enjoyable quiet nights at home. He is an example of being a great reader, and his library was my source of books for most of my growing up years. My dad was my secret weapon as a graduate student. He helped proof-read nearly all of my papers that I wrote and helped them come out much more polished. I often felt bad for the other students who didn't have such a resource to turn to. As an undergrad at BYU, where James teaches, I always felt at home, partly because whenever I felt like it I could stop by his office and talk about whatever was on my mind. My dad is an excellent listener and conversationalist. He loves Indian food, and knows all the employees and the owner at the Bombay House in Provo, the best Indian Restaurant in the world.

My dad has always been there for me. His constant support has shaped my vision of what a father should and can be. I can hardly remember a soccer game or golf tournament of mine that my dad didn't attend, or a campout that he didn't go on with me. He has always encouraged me to work hard and try to accomplish great things, even when they seem unattainable. It was no surprise, then, that his and my mother's instant faithful and hopeful support at the news of cancer set the tone for our approach to treatment. James is my dad and I will be forever grateful for that simple fact. James, welcome to the Hall of Baldness!

My niece Mia joins him in the pictures.

My dad started off his first class after the haircut, which he did on November 12, with this, on a slide which revealed the following list one item at a time :

Top Ten Reasons for the New Appearance:

10. Got mixed up about the day we’re supposed to look scary.

9. Victim of cruel practical joke: golf hat was soaked in Liquid Plumr.

8. Financial setbacks necessitated severe cutbacks on shampoo.

7. Efficiency analysis showed net savings of 4 minutes every morning.

6. Going undercover for sting operation involving used textbooks.

5. Finally tried that $2 haircut instead of full price cut.

4. Went overboard in observing veteran’s day weekend.

3. Granddaughter got gum in his hair and it wouldn't come out.

2. Does this every year to kick off New Zealand summer.

1. Participated in near tragic testing of new robotic barber prototype.

And then he told them the truth.

Hall of Baldness: Jessica

Jessica is my younger sister. She was always a great friend to me growing up, and around high school was really one of my best friends. She is a talented athlete, and excelled at soccer and golf. Her golf swing is still one of the prettiest I have ever seen. She has an amazing skill at getting along with other people. She worked for many years at the golf course and everyone there knows and loves her. I often think that the only reason any one there ever knew my name or anything like that was because of her. She is an amazing pianist. In fact, rather sillily I think that I got discouraged because she so quickly surpassed me with her abilities as a child. She is hard-working, thoughtful and considerate, and a wonderful mother to her three children. One of the things I miss most living away from family is not being able to see Jessica and her family more often. I have been very blessed to have Jessica as a sister. Jessica, welcome to the Hall of Baldness!

Hall of Baldness: Ethan

Ethan is our nephew, the son of Jared and Ashley. Ethan is a super cute and cuddly kid who has an adorable dimple on one cheek. He is a good brother to his brothers and sister. He is also one of those rare types of people with a truly innate feeling for the force.

Once, when he was only not even a year old, he was sitting in a high chair, seemingly only eating innocently. Then he extended his hand towards his older brother Tyler, almost imperceptibly. Tyler, seeing right through the ruse of innocence, said "No, Ethan!" Ashley hadn't caught on to Ethan's sleight of hand and tried to convince Tyler that all was well, that Ethan was even making a nice gesture. But Tyler, knowing the truth, would have none of that. Exasperated, he told his mom, "No, Ethan's using the force on me!" Only Tyler was in tune enough to see the power that Ethan was able to harness and direct, even at such a young age. If ever someone was destined to become a Jedi Knight, it was Ethan (and perhaps Tyler as well). But for now, being a member of the Hall of Baldness will have to do. Ethan, welcome to the Hall of Baldness!

Hall of Baldness: Jared

Jared is Brittney's eldest brother. He has been a great older sibling to me as well, since I joined the family. Jared is one of the kindest people I know, I don't think I have ever seen him angry or upset. I often hear from Brittney about what a tease he was when he was younger, and he still has moments of great teasing, but they aren't as frequent or memorable as they must have been before. He is brilliant with computers and technology, and has great skills with all those sorts of things. Brittney has said that he is the one person she has seen who can make her believe that the things they do in movies are possible. You know, where someone will make three keystrokes and then bring up a perfectly zoomed in satellite image of some foreign city, while making a funny joke to the rest of their team. He has introduced us to some really fun books, and is very generous in sharing his space and time with us whenever we visit. He is a great example to me of being a kind a loving father, and someone who excels at what they do. Jared, welcome to the Hall of Baldness!

5.3-5.7

I have been doing pretty well lately. We had our first cold spell here in Edmonton. Over the weekend it got down below -20 C (which is like -4 F). Pretty darn cold. Today it was a positively nice +5 C. Crazy how warm 0 C can feel to a person.

I have been eating pretty normally since the weekend and going into work normally the past 2 days. Trying to enjoy this good week while it lasts. Looking forward to Thanksgiving.

In the News!

The Hall of Baldness is in the news! -> Check it out <- (Click there), thanks to my cousin Ben in Vancouver.

I am going to have to go against my fellow Edmontonians and root for the Lions this weekend. Go Lions! Go Ben!

Hall of Baldness: Miles

Miles was also our neighbor at Stanford, the son of Peter and Amanda. He is just a few months older than Gwen and it was fun to watch them grow up together. Miles is a tough little kid, with a toughness born of necessity due to the exuberant manner in which his older sisters showered their love upon him. He gives some of the best hugs ever. I remember how almost whenever our gate and sliding door were open while the kids were playing outside, Miles would come strolling into our house. He is an adorable kid and I miss seeing him pretty much every day. In fact, sadly it has been long enough since we were there that his after picture looks more like what I remember than his before picture. Miles, welcome to the Hall of Baldness!

5.1 & 5.2

Today and yesterday have been ok. Yesterday I felt as good as I have on the day after treatment, and I even ate decently. Today though, I haven't been feeling quite as good. Nothing terrible, just yucky. We have been blessed to have food delivered from members of the ward yesterday and today, and someone let the boys play at their house during Gwen's nap to give Brittney a bit of a break. It has been snowing all day and the boys seem to love it.

Hall of Baldness: Peter

Peter was our next door neighbor and my good friend at Stanford. He is married to Amanda, making them the first husband/wife duo in the Hall of Baldness. Peter started his PhD program in particle physics the same year that we started at Stanford, and so we got to share 5 wonderful years together. Peter is an avid birdwatcher, photographer, bicycler, and above all, University of Arizona basketball fan.

It was largely because of him that I ended up playing a good deal of basketball at Stanford: intramurals, pick-up at the church or Stanford gym, or just one-on-one games of 21 against Peter. Last week when I played basketball at the church here it felt weird not being there with Peter. A couple of summers ago we decided that we were going to dunk that year, and proceeded to work out together. We got really close to our goal, and improved a lot, but had to slow down when our knees starting complaining. He was my exercise partner for much of the last 3 years.

Peter is fun to talk to, and has a wide knowledge base, enabling him to communicate intelligently with anyone he comes across. We enjoyed many hours of fun conversation out on the playground, and he, like me, loves inventing new games to play and compete at. The most famous one we came up with was Barball (In Barball, you swing on a swing holding a ball (soccer or volleyball). The goal is to throw the ball over the bar of the swing on each half swing, so that the ball is passing the bar everytime you do, but just going over the bar instead of under. I think our record for consecutive completed tosses was in the hundreds, although I am sure he will remember more precisely, since he had the final record. We would practice until our arms were aching. Fun times.) Within ten minutes of hearing of my diagnosis, Peter was a self-proclaimed "expert" on Hodgkins Lymphoma. I am glad to have him in my corner, and am so grateful for his friendship. Peter, welcome to the Hall of Baldness!

5.0 Chemotherapy

Today's chemo went ok. It took the nurses 3 tries to get my IV in, and I almost passed out while they were trying. I don't do so well with needles. I think a big part of that was that this time I was in a chair, and upright, while before I have been lying down in a bed.

The rest of the chemo went fine. They were a bit behind schedule getting the drugs ready at the pharmacy again, but I slept for most of the session anyways. After that we came home and I have been taking it easy. I feel about like the previous times. Sort of gross, but nothing too terrible.

I will keep you updated with how the next few days go.

Hall of Baldness: Amanda

Amanda was our next-door neighbor at the end of our time at Stanford and one of Brittney's best friends during our 5 years there. She is an awesome photographer, runner, soccer player and cook. She makes an amazing chocolate cake that has to be tasted to be believed. She is kind and giving: even with her own 3 kids, she was always ready and willing to help out with our kids if ever the need arose. She was among the helpers that helped us clean our apartment before we moved, resulting in no fines whatsoever from the housing people (I am still pretty pleased about that!)

She and Brittney somehow became running buddies about three years ago. Neither of them had ever really run before, and they forged a team that changed Brittney's life. In the time since, they have run or exercised almost every day together, run in several half-marathons, and encouraged each other to live healthily. They also scheduled times to share delicious treats with each other, and luckily for us, with their husbands too. I think both she and Brittney came to enjoy and need running as a part of their life. Amanda has even run in two marathons! She was a big part of our awesome experience at Stanford and she really almost feels like family to us. Amanda, happy birthday, and welcome to the Hall of Baldness!

4.9-4.13: Chemo Tomorrow

Today I had my appointment at the cancer center. I was able to do a half day at work before the appointment, and then returned to work for a few hours afterwards. The appointments go roughly as follows: check in at the front desk, take the form the give me to the examination/doctors area that I will be in that day, get the lab requisition form from the receptionist there, go to the lab and wait about a half hour for my number to be called and my blood to be drawn, return to the examination area and wait another half hour or more to go in and talk to a nurse, and then wait another 10-15 minutes to talk to the dr, which usually only lasts for about 5 minutes (typically just repeating what I told the nurses.) Last week my doctor said that since I seemed to be doing well he would only have me meet with the nurse from now on to save me time. Today was the first day that happened, and it was nice. Everything looked fine for chemo tomorrow, so that was good.

It was snowing and windy on my walk to/from the cancer center. I was thinking that the last time I was in snowstorm was on I-80 in the Sierra Nevadas, driving home from Utah after a spring break. I had to put chains on our van and drive over the pass. I think I like walking in snow better than that, even if it is a bit cold with the wind chill.

Tonight one of Brittney's running buddies had us over for dinner, and then helped me with a small project we are working on for Christmas. The kids did not want to leave their house and return home, due to the awesome toys that they had. People have been so kind to us here.

I took off my hat once I had entered the building, and even at a cancer center there are not that many people with bare bald heads. As I was standing in line waiting to turn in my lab requisition form I felt, for some reason, a little more noticeable and different. At that moment, in my mind's eye I saw all of the people who have sent me pictures of their bald heads, and in that moment they were all standing shoulder-to-shoulder behind me. My own bald army. I felt overwhelmed with strength, emotion, and gratitude. Just know that your love and support make a huge difference to me. I am adding to my store of happy faces and memories to draw upon whenever I desire. I feel so blessed.

Hall of Baldness: Bruce

Bruce is my uncle, my mom's brother. Bruce and his family live about a 5 minute drive from my parents house, and so we got together frequently growing up. I have fond memories of celebrating the Fourth of July with delicious homemade ice cream and lots of fun and family. I have been blessed in my life to have many wonderful examples that have shaped my vision of being a father and man. Bruce is one of the foremost examples of this in my mind. He is quiet, humble and kind, while simultaneously being strong in his love for and support of his family and amazingly gifted in all he does. He always has great nicknames for everyone, and is fun to be around.

Every summer for as long as I can remember, my family has made a summer trip to the Utah Shakespearean Festival. For many years, this tradition has included, among others, Bruce and his family. Those weeks are some of my favorite memories from childhood, and one of the first things we try to find time to do with my family each year. Bruce would often come golfing with us in the mornings, and then he would lead the charge on the crossword puzzle in the afternoon. I am grateful for Bruce's example in my life. Bruce, welcome to the Hall of Baldness!

Hall of Baldness: Matt

Matt is my cousin. Matt and I were roommates for one year, the year after my mission and the year before his mission to Iceland. Suffice to say, I think that was one of the most story-producing years of my life. Matt has a unique ability to connect with people around him, and when in the mood, could create some pretty awesome situations. As an example, I remember walking to campus with him, having fake conversations on fake cell phones. We would try to have as outlandish of conversations as possible (not with each other, but with the imaginary person at the other end of the line), all to create an awesome experience for an innocent passer-by to relate to their friends at the end of the day. Of course, it also greatly amused us. Life that year was full of fun.

Matt is an amazing bodybuilder, lacrosse-player, hockey goalie (seriously, he played with us once in a pick-up game after an intramural floor hockey game in college and he looked better than the NHL goalies on TV, which of course I see all the time now that I live in Canada), and a great friend. Matt, welcome to the Hall of Baldness!

(Sorry, I have to put in one more Matt story. So, we are at this BYU men's soccer game, sitting in the stands, and one of players on the other team has long hair. At some point during the game he starts getting yelled at by some fans seated behind us and off to the side, maybe 30 feet away, who are making fun of his hair. Matt stands up and yells something to the effect of, "Hey! That's my brother! You don't see me come to your house and make fun of your family!" at the fans. Then Matt sits down. That basically shut up the fan, who didn't really have anything to say. I was seated between Matt and the fans, and I could physically feel the tension in the air. After a couple of minutes, Matt stands back up, turns to the fans and yells "Hey! He's not my brother!" and then proceeds to laugh like it was the funniest thing. I think everyone around was laughing, and it totally diffused the whole situation. I still get a smile every time I think of that and countless other memory treasures from my time living with Matt. )

Hall of Baldness: Steve

Steve is my cousin, and the first inductee into the Hall of Baldness. Steve is from Minnesota and we didn't get to see too much of each other growing up, usually just at the occasional family reunion. All that changed in college, where we were roommates for 3 awesome years. He is big part of why I look back on those years with such fondness. He is a talented writer, drummer, skateboarder and one of my favorite people to be around. One of the highlights of our summer was the chance to see Steve, his wife Barb, and their three beautiful children: Nash, Ava and Lane. We hadn't seen them since moving to California five years earlier, and it was indescribably awesome to spend time with them. I cannot think of Steve without smiling and feeling happy. Steve, welcome to the Hall of Baldness!

4.7 & 4.8

Last night I got a call from someone in the ward with an invite to participate in basketball at the church that night. I felt pretty recovered from my back/leg troubles and from last week's chemo, so I decided to give it a try. It has been a while since my last attempts at basketball or physical exercise. The result was a pretty fun night. I got very tired very quickly, and I also quickly realized that I am not even close to 100% recovered from the back/leg fun. My left leg quickly regained pain and I could hardly run or jump. But I still had fun and made a few shots. It felt good to be active again. Today I have had pain in my leg again. Very manageable, but still there. Maybe next time I will work up to something as active as basketball.

Tonight we had the missionaries over for dinner. They noticed my haircut, and asked why I had gotten it cut. Since I was in the middle of setting the table and getting the kids settled we said that there was a story and we would tell them once we were eating. One of the elders jokingly said "You don't have cancer, do you?" To which we responded "Yes, actually. That's the story." It was pretty funny, and the elder felt a little bad about it. We tried to convince him not to feel bad, because we didn't think anything of it at all. Nice to have the missionaries, and a fun story to boot.

Announcing the Hall of Baldness

This morning in the shower I finally decided that my hair had to go. It was just getting all over everything and I could have kept pulling it out all day if I had had the time. So, Brittney graciously helped out by shaving my head (my couple-week beard also got removed in the confusion). The kids watched and seemed to enjoy it. My reaction: I don't look as different/weird as I thought I would, but man, it is a pretty strange look for me. Also, my eyebrows are so much more accentuated when they are the only hairy thing on my face. I suppose I will get used to it in time.

Once I was done Gwen almost was hesitant to come up to me. I held her for a moment and then she gave me a big kiss and hug. I was most worried about how she would take to my new looks, and am glad that she still knows I am her daddy.

The biggest difference to me is how cold my head is without my hair. I really need to invest in a good warm hat for the future.

Without further ado, I will take this opportunity to announce the long-awaited, much-anticipated "Hall of Baldness"! If any of you have ever wanted a good reason to shave your head or get a short haircut, even donating to Locks of Love if your hair is long enough for that, now is your chance! We thought it might be a fun way to feel connected with those of you out there with whom we can't share our every days as we would like. So, to enter the "Hall of Baldness":

1. Get your hair cut/shaved and

2. Send me before/after pictures of the transformation.

I will post any pictures I get on this blog in a new "Hall of Baldness" feature, for all to see. No pressure, of course, but we thought this could be fun.

4.2-4.6

Things have gone pretty well this time around. I have still been tired, but since Saturday or so I have been feeling close enough to normal to not be bothered too much by my stomach. We had a fun weekend and now I am looking forward to a good week at work.

It also is starting to get cold. It is often around 10 degrees F when we wake up, although we still don't have any snow on the ground. Should be an exciting winter for those of us used to the always perfect weather at Stanford.

4.1 Chemo yesterday

So, chemo yesterday went fairly smoothly. It took the nurse two tries to get the IV in, which was annoying, but not too bad. Then the pharmacy was a little behind getting the chemotherapy doses prepared, so there was a bit of delay, but I managed to fall asleep for most of that part and so didn't really notice how long the delay was for. Other than that, things progressed as before, no real problems.

So far this post-chemo period has been as good or better than any of the times before. Still a sick, bloated feeling in my stomach, and I am pretty tired, but I have been able to eat things and I feel less out of it mentally due to the physical bad feelings. Maybe I am just getting used to it, but either way it is a good sign, that things don't seem to be getting noticeably worse with each treatment, although to be fair, there is still plenty of time for that.

We were blessed to have some dinner brought to us by someone from the ward, which really eased the burden on Brittney somewhat today. It was really nice of them to do that for us. For now, morale is up and things are going pretty ok.