Dear Friends,
We are so very blessed to have met each of you who attended the recent SWBB Rally in Quartzsite and thank Phil and Curt for making it happen.
Now for the hard part, the part where I try to appropriately thank you again for all you have done for our son Brian. I wish I could write as eloquently as our friend Gregory O'Conner does, then it would be easy, but I can't so I'll put it in simple words and just say thank you!
As you probably know by now, in January 2007, 45 year old Brian was diagnosed with incurable and inoperable cancer that began in the bile duct of his liver, grew to nearly 17 cm tumor, and metastases to his ribs and lungs. He was given two to six months to live. Looking back I realize that the doctors couldn't predict the future for someone so strong. It hasn't been an easy year for him since the weekly chemotherapy treatments have played havoc on his poor body, but he is still alive and that's what counts. There are many days when his wife Terri can't even leave the house since he is so very sick. Brian knows that there's no guarantee that he will see tomorrow, in fact it is probable that he won't even make it to this summer. So, because of that he's attempting to use all the time he has left wisely, and we applaud him for it. When I told him of your generosity he wept. Later he called me back and asked if I thought you would care if he used part of the money to take his wife on a road trip. Terri and Brian have been married for 23 years and have never, ever, taken a vacation except for short duration fishing trips near their home. Even though they should use the money for other things but given the circumstance I told him I didn't think you would mind.
Brian sees his oncologist every single Tuesday and today was no exception. Up until the past couple of weeks those visits included 7 to 10 hours of chemotherapy. Two weeks ago his kidneys began to fail so for a while now he will be off of several elements of his chemo cocktail. At his visit today he asked his doctor for permission to take this trip, and he received it. Two whole weeks without any treatment seems wonderful for him. So on the 7th of February they will be headed for Yuma to see us with a stop in Las Vegas to see the light show on the way home. They've never been to either place - Terri has never even seen a cactus outside a flower shop. Brian is longing for the sun and has always wanted to see how the old folks spend their winters. So because of you, they will leave the cold and snow of Arlington, Washington to take this their first ever vacation together.
I want to add my personal thanks to Blue Birders Linda Marsh and Tim Vasquez who have been my rocks through-out the past year and I owe them more than they will ever know. I also need to thank Adrianne Barrette for planning the auction and holding my hand when it was over. But mostly I want to thank each of you for your big hearts and amazing generosity. You are the best!
Dick and I thank God with humble heart for giving us such wonderful friends as you. Some day, if you ever need us, we will be the first in line.
We love you,
Dick and Joyce Hayden
FOLLOW-UP:
Unfortunately, Brian and his wife were unable to make the trip. Here is part of the message I received from Joyce:
"FYI - Brian will not be able to take the trip down here as planned. He wanted to come and for a while it was all he talked about. It was hard for him to finally come to the realization that he just couldn't do it. Every single day he thought he's going to feel better the next day but it just didn't happen. His tumor marker counts are moving back up, indicating that the cancer is probably growing, so his Doctor has now put him back on the chemo therapy that makes him so sick. We are praying that his kidneys will tolerate it this time. It's a real catch 22. So instead of a longed for trip, he will spend part of the Quartzsite money for a new bed for his 11 year old Kailee, something she needed really badly and something they probably should have done anyway. "