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.