2018 update

Dec. 22, 2018 No snow on the ground here, but the temps are around 0C. There is a forecast of flurries on Sunday and Monday, so there may be a white Christmas….but I wouldn’t count on it. A fairly quiet year here. I started the year off at Princess Margaret Hospital to check with my doctors. They are happy with my recovery and said I didn’t have to come back for another year so will see them next month. In other medical news, I was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate, not unusual for a man my age. The urologist did a biopsy of my prostate but no cancer was found. I am on medication to shrink the prostate, and have to see the doctor every six months. So basically in good health. A bit of travelling this year. I went to Ottawa twice, once in June and then in October. Mostly I go to check out the museums, particularly the National Gallery, and there were some great shows. In August, I travelled to Nipigon to stay with my sister Sally, attend the Red Rock Folk Festival, and spend time with nephews and their families. Mostly good weather for the visit, and it was all very enjoyable. Otherwise, keeping busy with my book clubs, Tafelmusik concerts, Met Opera simulcasts, movies, Toronto Film Festival, author events at the Reference Library, and as much reading as I can get done. Hope you have a great holiday. Merry Christmas.

Sunday, Dec 17, 2017 So far, not a typical winter for Toronto. We have snow on the ground and temps under 0 Celsius. It is going to warm up a bit this week, but we may still have snow for Christmas Day. The year had a sad start. At the end of January, my niece Joanna Aubut Sauermann died after struggling for many years with MS. The last time I had seen her was in August of 2016 and she was in hospital all the time I was in Nipigon. She will be greatly missed at all the family events and particularly by her husband and major caregiver Hans, and her great daughter Mandy. I had the flu at that time, so did not get up to the funeral, but, by all reports, they did her proud. I was able to get up there in early April to help my nephews and niece celebrate my sister’s 85th birthday. There was a nice public reception at St Mary’s Church, and many other family gatherings over the weekend. She is doing well for her age, and still does not suffer fools gladly, as they say. I was also up there in August to again attend the Red Rock Folk Festival. It was once again an enjoyable time, with lots of family gatherings. In July, I headed off to Montreal for a few days, primarily to see a big Marc Chagall exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The weather was nice and warm and was good for walking around. Otherwise, it was fairly quiet year with the usual movie going, film festivals, operas and book clubs. My health has been generally good. I now have checkups at Princess Margaret Hospital every six months, and they are pleased that the skin cancer has not recurred. Life at City Park Co-op is going along well. There are lots of meetings for coffee and talk. The library I was volunteering in was closed down because of space issues, and they are looking for a new venue. It is always great to hear from you, and hopefully, you will contact me at cliff.gatchell@gmail.com or on Facebook. I hope you have a great Christmas and all the best for the New Year. Keep well.

Monday, December 14, 2015 So far this winter hasn’t been much of a winter, but I guess it will come some day. Not that I am complaining. It is gray today and 13C. Not much out of the ordinary to report on this year. I haven’t done much traveling but I do keep busy around the city. As usual, I have to make time to deal with my health. I have been going to see the doctors at Princess Margaret Hospital every three months. I was there last month for the 2 year anniversary of the end of my treatment. I saw both the surgeon and the radiation oncologist. They are both quite happy with my condition, but will continue to monitor it. I am now to go in every 4 months. I am very grateful for the care I have received there. The only trip I took this year was to Nipigon to stay with my sister Sally and attend the Red Rock Folk Festival. (http://www.livefromtherockfolkfestival.com/ ) Once again, we spent good times at the Festival, and enjoying the hospitality of Hans and Joanna Sauermann, and Alan and Janice Aubut. It is always a nice holiday for me. As usual, I have my music and theatre experiences. I see most of the openings for the Mirvish theatres. An interesting moment this year was to see Kinky Boots with the son of friends in a featured role. I also enjo Lakyed the season of concerts by Tafelmusik, a baroque orchestra. For the past few years, I have been attending many of the Met Opera simulcasts. This is a live hi def tv link with the Saturday matinee performance at the Met in New York City. They are a great way to learn more about opera and to see the top singers in great productions. Of course, September brought another Toronto Film Festival and this year I got to 12 movies. I have always enjoyed reading, and am now a member of three book clubs. In addition, I have become part of running a library here at the Co-op. It is run by a resident who is a librarian, and the book are donated by other residents or by publishers, so the collection is pretty current. ( http://cityparklibrary.com/ ) I volunteer once a week, and help supervise when there are readings or book discussions. I know it is not the custom any more to send Christmas cards, but I do with my letter so that you know what I am up to. If you don’t send me news with a card, please email and let me know how you are doing. ( cliff.gatchell@gmail.com ) I am also on Facebook. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and New year, and I hope to hear from you.

Monday, December 15, 2014 It is a gray mild weather day in Toronto, with the temperature at 5C. All the snow we got last Thursday has disappeared. Looks to be a gray and brown Christmas coming up. When I wrote last year, I was just finishing up my radiation treatments. This year, I have been returning to Princess Margaret Hospital every three months for a check on my condition. In November, I had another CT Scan. I have been declared cancer free, but they are concerned that the lymph nodes in my neck are still swollen. That may be a side-effect of the radiation, and so I am booked for another CT Scan in early February to follow up. If everything is ok, I will be going for checkups every 6 months for the next few years. My travels this year were much the same. I spent 4 days on Amelia Island, Florida in late May. In late June, I headed off on another trip to Charlottesville, Virginia. Again it was a good time, with lots of good eating. The past few years I have taken down the venerable Gatchell cribbage board ( an heirloom), and have helped to introduce the game to new players. There are now a number of tournaments going on. At the beginning of August, I headed up to Nipigon to visit my sister Sally and her family. We enjoyed the Red Rock Folk Festival and enjoyed the hospitality of Hans and Joanna Sauermann, and Janice and Alan Aubut. There were a few milestones this year. On August 2nd, I turned 70. There was no big party but a number of smaller celebrations which were very welcome. Having a birthday in the middle of the summer has always been a bit odd so some of the celebrations were in the fall. It was all greatly appreciated so thanks to everyone who keep me cheerful as I became a septuagenarian. On a sadder note, my brother Tom passed away in hospital in Sudbury in late May, a few days short of his 84th birthday. I am sure Stella and his family are feeling the loss this Christmas, as he was one who enjoyed a good time. The funeral was held in Massey a few days later, and unfortunately, I was not able to get up to it in time, since I had agreed to preside at an interment of ashes ceremony for Bill Hindle. I had presided at his funeral two years ago, and his wife and daughters asked me to complete the process. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Year, and I hope to hear from you in the future.

I went to Princess Margaret Hospital today to see my surgeon, Dr De Almeida. It is a little over a year since my surgery, and he arranged a CT scan last week and called me in to discuss the results. For the past year, I have been seeing either him or the radiation oncologist Dr Cho every three months. If the CT Scan showed no trace of cancer, they were going to reduce the visits to every six months. The scan last week was of my head, neck and chest. There was no sign of any cancer in my chest, or in my neck or head, where the previous cancer had been quite aggressive. However, the scan did show that the remaining lymph nodes in my neck were larger than normal. They do not show to be cancerous, and it may be because of a reaction to the radiation I had. To be cautious, the Doctor is arranging another scan in a month or so, and then they will reassess. So, at this point, I appear to be cancer free, but they are continuing to check my condition. Needless to say, I am grateful for the amazing care I have received at Princess Margaret. It is considered to be one of the top five cancer hospitals in the world, and I am grateful that I live in walking distance of it. www.theprincessmargaret.ca Also many thanks to Audrey and Eli who have cheerfully accompanied me on my many trips to the hospital. I'll keep you posted about any developments in the future.

I had the 6 month after the surgery appointment with my surgeon, Dr De Almeida yesterday. He was pleased with the progress and felt I was doing well. He does not want to do any more tests now, and I will have to monitor myself to watch for more skin cancer. My next appointment with the radiation oncologist, Dr Cho is on May 28, and the next with the surgeon Dr De Almeida is August 20. They will alternate the appts so that I see someone every three months and each of them every six months. I have also lately seen my GP, regular ophthamologist, and dentist recently. All is looking good there. So, so far, so good.

I have been getting a number of inquiries about my health situation, so I thought I would send out another update. Some of you already know some of this I finished the 6 and a half weeks of radiation on Dec. 13. I have had two appointments at Princess Margaret Hospital in January. Basically, things are encouraging, but there are still some questions. On January 8, I was in the eye clinic. I had had an eye test shortly after the surgery. My eyesight had been affected because they removed tissue behind my right eye. They were concerned that the radiation would affect my eyesight as well, because it was so close to my eye. The eye test in January showed that, in fact, my eyesight in that eye had improved since the first test. Also, they told me the radiation would probably affect the tear gland, and cause me to have chronic dry eye, but it doesn't seem to have happened. The eye is still producing tears. On January 20, I had a follow-up appointment with the radiation oncologist, five weeks after I had finished the radiation. He was impressed with my recovery. He felt the skin looked good, and had healed up well. The bump on my right temple that he and the surgeon were concerned about has shrunk a bit, and is not red. He is still not sure what it is, but is possibly scar tissue and connected to the blood vessel they put up the right side of my face to feed the skin flap on my forehead. That seems likely, as it is on that path. However, we can't be sure yet, since they can't do any tests on it because the fact that I had radiation would affect the results until at least 10 weeks after. I see the surgeon again at the end of February, and the radiation oncologist in late May. There is another eye test booked in July. Generally speaking, I am getting my strength back, and feel better each day. I have lost a lot of the hair on the right side of my head. That should come back but apparently, of a different texture.