Six Impossible (Or At Least Improbable) Things Before Thanksgiving Dinner

[dr_pretentious]

It's an especially thankful time here in Averyland. Another round of chemo, another round of imaging, and it looks more and more like my brother-in-law may win his cancer fight. The main tumor's shrinking "spectacularly," according to Dr. Bigwig, and the metastases are starting to respond, too.

Cancer makes you thankful for the weirdest things. The chemo alone won't be enough to finish the job; there will have to be a big scary surgery for that. When we got word that Zach would get to have his scary surgery, with its 50% odds that he'd make it off the operating table alive, we cheered. He gets to enjoy the holidays with the kids before the day, and those 50% odds are better than any odds he's been quoted for anything since June.

Back in early June, the first doctor thought he might live five months, on the outside. He's already beating that.

Is it Lewis Carroll who talked about doing six impossible things before breakfast? How about just one improbable thing before Groundhog Day?

Comments

[leapfaith.livejournal.com]

Yup, Lewis Carroll.

[vgnwtch.livejournal.com]

It's often possible to get a copy of a BBC radio programme on disk if you email them and offer to pay (this I know from a brief stint temping at the radio drama department). There's a fantastic 30-minute programme Radio 4 produced called Metaphor for Healing - if Zach can contact the producer and explain his situation, he may wangle a copy. It is astonishing stuff, and includes information on using Clean Language techniques to affect change in physical health, and an interview with Jan Alcoe, whose creative visualisations used during chemo and radiation therapy for a rare and frightening cancer were so effective that her oncologist was shocked - she became a hypnotherapist specialising in working with people with severe illnesses, and has created a book and CDs of tools and visualisations.

Basically, if Zach has any imagination at all, he can use these resources. You told me he is a determined and creative man, and I believe that he can make a huge difference to his chances and to his experience by using as many tools as possible - and these are just some more that others are finding work really well.

T and I are so glad to hear that he's already kicking the cancer; we're betting on him.

[jasminewind.livejournal.com]

That is so great to hear. Zach has been regularly in my thoughts & prayers. I'm so happy for him and his whole family!

[karenjunker.livejournal.com]

What good news! Blessings to Zach and to all of the family...

[tigira.livejournal.com]

Still thinking good thoughts for you and Zach and his family!

[tyellas.livejournal.com]

Huzzah for the good news! A writer whose blog I follow who is fighting cancer said, "If love and good wishes made you better, I'd be the healthiest sonovabitch in the world." Sounds like Zach would also be healthy if that was the case...

[jeneralist.livejournal.com]

Wishing groundhoggy goodness for Zach!

[rednikki.livejournal.com]

Hooray! I'm so, so glad to hear that. You guys deserve some good news.

[violet-moon25.livejournal.com]

Let's hope he gets to experience Ground Hog Day over and over again for many years to come.

[kistha.livejournal.com]

YES!

It's so nice to hear good news! I still am thinking of Z and the family and wishing them all well...

SO, SO, happy for you all!

[jongibbs.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear the encouraging news about your brother-in-law.

[spindlewand.livejournal.com]

Been keeping Zach in prayer here and fantabulous that he is doing so well!!!!!

[travelingtim.livejournal.com]

I don't remember Lewis Carrol talking about six impossible things before breakfast, but I remember the Douglas Adams quote about that.

[radiotelescope.livejournal.com]

The nitpick is that it's *believing* six impossible things before breakfast. *Doing* them is the easy part, right?