August 19, 2011

Did not sleep last night starting to get the chills and nausea is returning. Yesterday was one of the better days I have had. The doctors are administering my chemo and adjusting in to my ever changing PH balance was not where it should have been so they had to slow the chemo. I am four hours behind schedule. The next chemo they started me on in conjunction with the first causes burring of the eyes. I am now on eye drops and feel real sick.

August 17, 2011

Yesterday was another beautiful day in my life. This day was not representative of the weather but of the good friends and people who make my life so wonderful.  I was blessed to have a visit from the best the Air Force has to give Andrea, Fran, Susan and Mike traveled all the way from Hill AFB to visit and spend time with me lifting my spirits. Then I had visits from Dave, the Celestial Maids three women who live near me who came and cleaned my home, Frank the best 82 year old man you could ever think of. Then the family who brought dinner and the guests continued. The phone calls to cheer me on with Chemo and all who sustain me. All total there is so much sunshine in my soul today it all comes from all my friends and so many I had no idea I have at all. All I can do is sing praises to the Lord for you love and support. I am a very blessed man and I am so thankful to my worldwide family that provides so much encouragement and the way you have lifted my burden is beyond my wildest dreams and imagination. I have so much joy thank you all for making each day my very best. Well today I will start my next six days of straight chemo so I will sign off until I return home again. I will keep my notebook by my bed and will update when I get home. I love you all and again thanks for making my life so much richer.

August 16, 2011

Today I stand all amazed at the small Christian Army that descended upon my home to take care of things I am no longer able to do. Last night at 7:30 P.M. the Daybreak Young Single Adult Ward’s appeared on our doorstep with the “Rallying Cry” friend, neighbor, and associate elderly gentleman down.  In in a very short period of time my desperate landscape in short order became again one of the better looking landscapes in Daybreak Utah. It might take Desperate Landscapes of HGTV all day to accomplish something like this but it only took these fine and good Young Christian Young Men and Women a little over an hour to accomplish something that would take me a very long period of time to accomplish if I was well. The best part of this is that most often we do a better job of taking care of our yards than anyone else would.

When Jan and I looked at the yard and this small Christian Army how could we ever be think our yard looked good in the past. These youth under the Direction of their Bishop Scott Mayfield and under the leadership of other young single adult leaders from their Elders Quorum Presidency and Relief Society Presidency and other Ward organizations performed a miracle in their service.

This act of love could not be of greater value if it had been performed by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ himself. I know our Savior of the New Testament is so proud of the service given last night. The testimony of the Savior was in the eyes and directly reflected in their good deeds. Jan and I have been touched and blessed again way beyond what I could ever feel worthy of.

My dear brothers and sisters that compromise the Daybreak 15^th Young Single Adult Ward, my many thanks and love for what you have done. I have a testimony “That Charity Never Faileth”

OUR YARD LOOKS THE BEST! OUR HOA NEEDS TO KNOW OF THIS GOOD DEED.

August 15, 2011

This truly has been on lazy day; I have not had enough energy to do the blog. I get to the computer and I am only here for about a minute and then I am so tired I need get on the bed. My computer is next to the bed here in the bedroom. Well I want to share a little bit about my day yesterday. I felt good enough to go to church for about 35 minutes and then I came home to rest.
Early in the evening we had a great meal prepared by my wife’s good mother and talk about a feast I have not eaten so much in several weeks the food was outstanding we had pot roast with wonderful potatoes, gravy, cooked carrots, beans fresh rolls and desert. I guess I just ate so well that I have not had the energy to do anything else

August 14, 2011

I think I will call today’s entry the “Rallying Cry” You may be asking yourself what has this got to do with all I am going through. As I look back as some of the most discouraging parts of diagnosis, treatment and being sick and weak the one thing that comes to mind is the rallying point. You might be asking yourself what Dale is talking about.

Well when you are diagnosed and find out what is going on it is not the most exciting time in your life. But then again with friends when the rally starts you feel a strength that you never knew you had. This new strength does no come from pity but it come from the battle cry of friends who say. I will be there, let me know what is going on. How are you feeling you are not going to be going through this alone?

When everyone took an active part at work and wore arm bands wow this was an amazing feeling. The best way for me to share this is you have a group of military personnel.  A small squad is off in the distance fighting and they get seriously hit.  It could be hopeless but the rest of the platoon decides to rally and rescue the fallen squad. Then energy level increases for all those going to the rescue and those being rescued. It becomes all for one and one for all and a new commitment to unit and self grows out of a crisis and a new level of trust and binding friendship grows.

This is what I have felt the strength I have does not come from me myself and to know that I will live another day is a great blessing. This” Rallying Cry” from my friends and family has been all I need to keep going.

To all you good friends and those who truly understand thank you so much you are the greatest and I would like to mention names but there are so many of you from all walks of life. Thank you for the great lessons you have been teaching me.

August 13, 2011

I am up again the pain and discomfort is not allowing me to sleep. S such I thought it was good time to write what I am feeling at this time.  I have been asking myself as I get weaker what keeps me going. I could be so discouraged at this point and time. But as I look at it and try to figure where the strength comes to fight this disease and the strength to keep going as I had no idea how difficult this was going to be. Then I know where it comes. It comes from those who truly care about you those that you never ever thought would have cared about you.

It is my world family, who makes up my world family I ask myself? For sure is it is those closest to you in my case my two children Lisa, Brian their families and my good wife Jan.

My strength does not start and end here it goes on it comes from so many truly good people who call and who you know care. It comes from the stranger you don’t know today but you know tomorrow who you have shared some feelings with.

The places I always thought I would get the most support have been most surprising it has not come from them.  My family at work is so good, Jan’s family at work is so good and I never had any idea how great my neighbors would be. Yet today I stand as a witness knowing where it comes from as I have struggled the past few days in the hospital as my tank of energy and home seemed to be diminishing and was wondering how I would do it. I found that I have a reserve tank, this tank is filled with those who keep calling and asking how I am doing how I am feeling and knowing that I have not been well keep calling and offering love and understanding.

My yard concerns me a great deal it used to be my pride and joy having a good looking well-kept yard. I have some bushes that have become over grown and when I came home yesterday from the hospital I saw them and the task was overwhelming. How would I ever get it done and the yard back to shape? This task was too much for me to concentrate on far less something that I can even accomplish.

Then last night I got a call from the Daybreak Young Single Adult Ward, these youth are so great they called and said we need a service project is there some yard work or something we can do. Then they told me they will be over Monday night to take care of my yard. I broke down in gratitude and thanksgiving for their support.

I have found at times like this you truly find out how good people are and how much it means to have friends and family that support you. This is a journey I cannot make on my own regardless of the outcome but the compassion that is being shown is so good. The phone call Dale how are you today and I will call tomorrow to see how you are doing sustains me.

The one thing I am now sorry about it that I did not take more opportunity to serve during my life time. I truly have a testimony of service and how we do adopt others into our families. I want to thank everyone who has called and offered their support and condolences. I want to thank Jan and my extended families of the community for all the great things you have done on our behalf.

I see the world in such different terms. Yesterday as my good friend Bill was driving me home from the hospital I truly understood something else. As a society we move far too fast I was watching the cars speeding in and out of traffic cutting others off failing to signal and said what a different world I am seeing on the road. This is so different from the kindness and understanding I have been feeling at home.

I thought about families and though how often and different they are I have a friend who told me almost every Thanksgiving he hates to get with family there is always an argument and it usually erupts over alcohol. Then I have friends who come from humble backgrounds and they have the strongest of families. In contract when I look at these friends who have talked about why they like or dislike Thanksgiving I see things in a different light. One family it is a duty and they lack support they don’t talk much during the year and they don’t truly care. The other family they are always sharing things, time stories and the simple but meaningful things of life.

I think today I have been too reflective about what is going on but I want to thank everyone who calls and checks up it keeps the gas in my reserve tank. Well my hair was falling out so fast it was time to shave my head it will be close to a year before I get some of the roof back.

August 12, 2011

Wow, another day and I am just struggling to keep moving. This has been a horrible day I have not had any energy and then I got very ill and started running a fever. I had to be taken to the hospital where I remained with what appeared to be an infection. Lost several pounds of bodily fluids within about a fifteen minute period of time, this makes three days that I have been back to the hospital since I was released I am so week I can hardly walk at this time. I am walking and trying to show signs of strength. This is starting to be one of the greater challenges in life just trying to move and be active at this time. I appreciate Jan and all her patience and my good friends Bill and Kit they came to the hospital and spent time with Jan and I while we were in the emergency room and the University of Utah Hospital.  So tired not much to say I am not connected with the world the way I have been feeling.