November update

Well...it's been awhile and "no news is good news" until last week...
We are putting in a new driveway and Craig being the handy do-it-yourselfer that he is, figured out how to run the tubing underneath the cement to heat the hill of our driveway. After the concrete company came in and demolished the old driveway and prepared everything for the new driveway, Craig and Chase put down the reflective insulation and wire framework to attach the tubing to run the natural gas heater water through to create heat and melt the snow and ice. Last Tuesday, as they were bending rebar to hold down the tubing, Craig had his finger in the rebar cutting/bending machine when Chase pressed the handle down. The glove on his hand got caught in the machine and Craig pulled out his hand minus the tip of his third finger on his left hand which stayed in the glove! The glove wasn't even cut, his finger tip and entire nail were literally pulled off!

Sorry, it is rather gruesome. Chase rushed Craig to the ER and a plastic surgeon stitched his finger back together by shortening his finger slightly so he could close the remaining skin around the tip. He's done great the last 6 days and his pain level has been low from what we thought it might be. He was back on the driveway the next day finishing the job (with the help of his brothers and friend Jason, and Chase) with his left hand tied to his chest to keep it above his heart. Friday the concrete was laid and Saturday morning they covered it with blankets and by Sat. night it snowed! Lucky us!
The other obstacle to no postings on the blog the last 6 weeks has been having my right arm in a sling from shoulder surgery. This is the first week I've been able to use 2 hands on the keyboard! Not the most fun I've had...but I am healing and with physical therapy for a few more months I hope to get back to 100%. I also had a little squamous cell carcinoma removed from my face after years of not faithfully using sunscreen. I am duly admonished and have looked like an accident victim for weeks to rub it in! Maddie and I did get in a fun trip to San Francisco before all this and thanks to Nick and Kim for the great accomodations! Maddie got this great raccoon hat there...

Craig is still on the oral chemo, Sutent, and tolerating it rather well. Another Thanksgiving coming up and we're totally thankful to Pfizer for Sutent. If he was still having the chemo embolization to fight this cancer, Craig would not be here or barely holding on. This drug has made living with cancer a bearable endeavor.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! We all have a lot to be thankful for, I promise!