Facing Cancer: 40 Days of Radiation

Imperfect but still beautiful 

A neighbour you wave to, a co-worker you work with, a distant relative you see maybe once or twice a year for family gatherings, or even a  stranger that you meet while waiting in line at the grocery store, what do they all have in common? They have probably been through a cancer diagnosis or supported someone through it. However, it's a totally different feeling when it is someone so close to you.

I've almost lost my Dad once (through his very unexpected encephalitis illness) which took a very bad toll on my mental and physical health, even after his own healing began. I could not heal, I was not able to process my emotions clearly and no matter what doctor I went to, I still felt like this was just a nightmare I was never going to wake up from. Thankfully,  I woke up and realized that the next time (there will always be a next time of bad news - this is the reality of life) I will handle things differently, or at least try to.

I failed. I failed miserably yesterday. I got so overwhelmed with the idea of researching to make sure I knew everything about my dad's condition (prostate cancer) and what he was in for. Truth is, no one knows because every person is so different. You get horror stories from people and then others say that it wasn't pleasant but it was tolerable, and then there are the in-betweeners.  I had booklets and tons of information that I thought were all credible sources. I suppose my thinking cap wasn't screwed on tight enough when I didn't question the title of  one article stating "your prostate wants you to be a vegan." A bit extreme. I am just going to look things up when I absolutely need to. 

This is a situation I cannot really control fully and my burning desire to be in-control of something, anything... is hard to let go of.  I also have to acknowledge my own boundaries of what I can and cannot handle. I am thankful to my brother for taking the reigns this time and helping out in areas that I'm not equipped for.

And so I start again.

Here is my Dad's latest blog on what happened on his first visit to the Cancer Center here in Windsor.  His oncologist is wonderful, not to mention the whole staff and volunteers there. 40 days of radiation, 5 days a week is coming up. https://tecumsehcityblog.blogspot.com/2019/07/my-good-and-bad-news.html/

The thoughtful words and on-going support never go unappreciated or unrecognized, so thank you. :)

Coping with Cancer One Day At A Time

Respecting my family's wishes to keep things private does not always work well, especially when it comes to topics like this.  Thankfully, my Dad has decided to open up and share his journey, a hopeful one. I feel content that instead of writing cryptic posts on Facebook and going to meetings at Hospice for my own self-care strategies, I can express my emotions openly and honestly, like you have come to know me to do on this blog.

I am really appreciative of all the support and I hope to update again soon.

The rock I found at Hospice after my first meeting

From my Dad:  https://tecumsehcityblog.blogspot.com/2019/07/im-baaaaack.html

<Gulp> I truly did not realize that I have not written anything on my website for about three months! I knew it was a little while but, seriously, I did not think it was that long until my daughter mentioned that people were asking about me. I did want to keep things private but realized that this was taking an emotional toll on my daughter's health and so I am coming out to share some news.

Here it comes… What is going on with me these days.

Do you want to know something silly? I really was not sure how many people were actually reading my articles. It did not really matter to me if anyone came to my website at all these days because I was really writing for my own purposes as a release from some of the tension under which I was living after my illness.

I am an old guy after all and who knows how many years more I am supposed to be around here. Until fairly recently, I felt so healthy that I expected it to be a very substantial number. Surprisingly, I really do not feel much different now but my situation changed significantly after one of my normal cancer screenings. 

I have prostate cancer. 

It is an illness that many men have. It appears to be in the early stages and localized, which has a better prognosis than later stages.

It took quite a period of time from the date that I had a biopsy done, and then various other tests to confirm the diagnosis. 

So what's next for me? I am booked to see a radiation oncologist at the Cancer Center on Kildare Avenue here in Windsor in a few days for a consultation. From what I have been told, he is a wonderful man and very knowledgeable in this area. I look forward to meeting him! He will decide what treatment options are best.

There are many forms of radiation available, some which occur every day for a specified amount of time and others that are shorter in duration but more aggressive to treat the cancer cells.  I'm not a doctor, I'm a lawyer, so I will leave it up to the experts to tell me what will be most effective.

The sad part of all of this is that I hope my treatments don't affect my attendance at such an important event coming up. My daughter is getting married in September and I must walk her down the aisle. 

I hope you understand now, dear reader, what caused my Website “invisibility” and I will update again soon.

Wish me luck on my first visit this coming week. 

Asiatic Lilly

All of a sudden, this Asiatic Lilly bloomed in our front yard. A gentle reminder to cherish the moments. 

As Ferris Bueller so eloquently stated:

"Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

This is for my Dad.

Exercising & Recovery with VON Erie St. Clair Services

Many of you know what happened to my Dad 3 years ago. Life changed dramatically for all of us, but with the amazing on-going care of countless doctors and specialists here in Windsor, as well as the enormous outpouring love and support from our family, friends, and even the kindness of strangers, he beat the odds!

If you click on the link, you can hear some of my Dad's story and how VON Erie St. Clair has helped him in his recovery!

The VON SMART Program (Seniors Maintaining Active Roles Together) is a research and evidence based exercise and fall prevention program provided by the VON Erie St. Clair. SMART is designed for community members 55+ who, regardless of current levels of ability, wish to maintain or are deficit in one or more of the following areas: upper/lower body strength, balance and flexibility. The SMART program is ideal for individuals with barriers to traditional exercise groups due to health issues, mobility restrictions and/or chronic disease.  All of our programs are client-focused, and tailored to the needs of participants.  We include an educational component within our exercise classes detailing falls prevention strategies and interventions to help reduce fall risks. 

If you or someone you love is in need of care and support, contact VON in any of the following areas: Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent, Belle-River, Sarnia-Lambton, Pelee Island areas.

Please feel free to share.

*Video credit: Marvin Edward

Physiotherapy/Occupational Therapy Assistant

TEAM LEADER for SMART Exercise & Fall Prevention Program

(Seniors Maintaining Active Roles Together)

VON Canada

400 - 4520 Rhodes Dr.

Windsor, ON   N8W 5C2

Office: (519) 254-9301 Ext. 6240

Toll Free: 1-866-354-4866 Ext. 6240

Family Moments 2015

Family is one of the most important things in my life, so I am taking the time to share a few photos that I took over the weekend. Enjoy!

My Dad loves his flowers, so I took a picture of them all blooming so vibrantly outside. 

My parents. They are really happy living in Tecumseh.
Although I wish my Dad's illness never occurred, it has brought my parents closer together
 in so many ways, not to mention the rest of our family.

What's that, only kids colour? Ha! Adult-colouring helps to promote relaxation and it stimulates the brain in a lot of positive ways.  My Dad was not keen on doing this at first, but it's growing on him. He did a really good job!

My dad is happy to be able to use his computer to keep up with what's going on in the world.
A big switch from the monster desk at the old house, but he really likes it.
We got my mom a matching desk too!

We had a great Sunday afternoon taking a walk. That is usually one of the "must-do" activities when I come over.
I also wanted to snap a "selfie" with my Dad.
This is our first one together. A bit awkward as I looked the wrong way, but I hope you like it. lol

Happiness & Progress: Ed Arditti

Sharing a recent photo that my mom took of my dad. :) 

A very happy moment here.

Updates and spiritual greetings

I apologize for not blogging. If you've been following along, you know that back before Christmas 2014, my dad was stricken with a virus called Encephalitis, which caused severe inflammation in his brain. Chances are 2 in a million, but the amazing team of specialists at Hotel Dieu hospital were able to help save his life. Since getting out of the hospital, my dad has made great strides of improvement.

Looking at the date; May 15, 2015, my dad is still with us and recovering well. I will write more about the last several months in future posts.  Right now, we are in the process of moving my parents out of their three-story home, into a smaller yet lovely one-floor townhouse. There is a basement, but that's used for storage. It is a huge transition, but one that is needed, not only for my dad, but so my mom can take care of him without dealing with all the maintenance that comes with home ownership. A plus is that we met several of the neighbours, and they are extremely friendly and welcoming.

My parents house sold in less than a week! Buckingham Realty rocks.

New home in Tecumseh. Welcome to condo living!

My dad just turned 70 yesterday, and driving to the house, I caught a glimpse of this gorgeous rainbow cloud. 

The spirits in the sky were saying Happy Birthday! :)

That's it for now. I will update again soon.  Thanks to all my readers for such kind words and messages.  

Oh and just so you know, when my dad took permanent leave, as a writer for Windsor Square, I decided to take that path as well. My musings will continue to be on Blogger from this point on, so once things settle down, you'll get to enjoy some more restaurant, movie and product reviews from me. 

Ed Arditti: Never Give Up (Family Motto)

The virus that attacked my dad's brain at the end of 2014 could have taken him away from us. Thankfully, he is still with us and progressing day-by-day.

Bill took this photo on Sunday. My dad's smile lights up the room (and his shirt lol). Oh and yep, he is 40 lbs lighter.

We love you Dad.

Dad's progress

UPDATE: Just another update on my dad since I know a lot of our friends want to know how he is doing.

So I guess I could say that everyday is certainly an adventure for all of us! When i walk into the room, either my dad knows who I am or it takes him a bit of time to process. At first this was really hard to handle emotionally, but I have come to terms that there may be days where he doesn't remember my name, but he recalls details. The other day, he realized that I had my haircut.

My dad is feeding himself and we are trying to keep meals healthy. His appetite is still weak, but way better than before. He is also walking around a bit more and doing exercises that were prescribed by the physiotherapist, instead of always staying in bed.

We got him a whole stack of dvds and musicals to watch, so Fiddler on the Roof has been playing pretty much non-stop, along with The 3 Tenors. It makes him smile and stimulates his brain. We're going to try some cards today.

He is also communicating better as well, cracking jokes at times, although still a bit jumbled especially when he gets tired. So although some days are better than others, we are still very hopeful for more improvement as time goes by.

We are welcoming visitors who are able to provide *only* positive and upbeat conversation because that is what my dad is really responding to. Sometimes his mind goes back to certain topics, but the best thing to do is just say "everything is taken care of and there's no need for you to worry" and then change the subject.

I guess that's it for now. Our days are long and sometimes physically and emotionally exhausting. We just want to say thank you again to those who have actively been helping our family, in even the smallest of ways. Every bit counts so we can provide the best possible care and continue the path of recovery. It is all greatly appreciated.

~The Arditti Family~

Ed Arditti: MIA

Hi everyone.

I apologize for not blogging very much, however, the start of 2015 has been a rollercoaster ride for our family. I wanted to write a blog, but I haven't had the time nor the energy to put insightful or thoughtful words together. So please just bear with me.

Over the holidays, my dad fell ill with a terrible Encephalitis virus that severely attacked his brain. He was in Hotel Dieu hospital since the first of January, and finally came home on the 13th.  I know this has been devastating to everyone who knows him, including us.

Unfortunately, his cognitive abilities are rather delayed right now. He is currently taking anti-viral medications to reduce the swelling in his brain, which comes with its own side effects, but this is our best line of defense. We have around the clock care from a wonderful organization here in the city of Windsor called CCAC, from nurses to PSW's, an occupational therapist etc...

I wish that I could give more details or at least say that my beloved father is going to fully recover, but we don't know. No one seems to know specifics, it is a situation of wait-and-see, plus keeping up with blood tests, doctor's appointments and of course, monitoring any changes.

As you can imagine, this has been a very difficult time for our family, both physically and emotionally. This was not something we had anticipated and it has thrown our lives for a loop.

We appreciate all the support, deeply and truly.

I took this photo last year when we spent a nice day at the park together.

I love my Dad so much.