Up Down Upside

I have a namesake.  Forrest Harland MacKay Kenny was born September 18.   This healthy boy is a brother to Sebastian and our two grandsons bring much joy.  Their parents are Sarah and Nate.  Our second daughter and husband, Bronwyn and Owen, are expecting their first child in mid-November.  Such wonderful event.

We had a family camping trip to Kicking Horse Campground in Yoho National Park in July.  This is a place with many memories of hiking and tenting for our family.  True confession:  Di and I stayed at Cathedral Mountain Lodge and simply crossed the road to our kids' campsites for dinners and campfires.  Nice!  We visited Takkakaw Falls and canoed on Emerald Lake, both wonderful opportunities to breathe mountain air!

My brother Dave was able to get in on a cancellation at Lake O'Hara, my favourite place in the world,
at the end of July.  This was a gift from my brother and sister and was a very special time.  We reminisced, canoed and had some wheelchair adventures on the paths.

I also enjoyed visits from dear friends from childhood, private school, university and medical school.  It was wonderful to re-connect.

The most recent MRI showed that the astrocytoma looks stable.  In any case, there was no growth.  I am currently on Avastin infusions every two weeks and this has allowed me to be more stable.  The temozolomide was stopped as it did not work.  I have significant weakness, some of which could be from the dex.  We are currently tapering the dose.  As well, the anti-convulsants are being increased.

As a medical residate said to me in June, "I am on a slow incline upwards."  ;)