Christmas Letter 2009 (penned by David)

Greetings –

Well, this year started off rather inauspiciously when we discovered just before last Christmas that Laurie’s colon cancer had returned as a metastasis on the left lobe of her liver (the small part often used for donation). We knew one of our first challenges of the year would be surgery. The surgery was done at Stanford by one of the world’s leading liver cancer surgeons. They also took her gall bladder out when they saw a second small lesion above it. After several months of recovery and another 6 months of chemo there has been no recurrence. Laurie continues to alternate between PET and MRI scans every two months. They’re continuing to look clean and we look forward to less frequent and equally clear scans as the years roll by.

Laurie also had the first of 2 bunionectomies done in November. The surgery corrects bone growth in the foot so that the bones are now straight and that will remove a lot of pain that she’s been having. There has to be 3 months between surgeries, so Laurie will have her other foot done in late February.

David’s continuing to work at Cisco. The work isn’t quite the same as he originally signed up for, but it is gainful employment and he feels there’s value in what he’s doing. Most importantly, the job and pay are solid along with great benefits. Now if only they’d stop forcing vacation times on him so that there could be some planned time for him to do stuff with Laurie.

We wouldn’t consider our life normal if it didn’t include a little chaos. Laurie finished her last chemo in August and was looking forward to a little relaxation time before considering a possible return to work. With the previous 19 months of her life pretty chaotic and lost with surgeries, chemo and recovery, it was decided that it was time for Laurie to slow down, relax and start to enjoy life for a while. Well, that was the idea at least. Then Laurie made the mistake of mentioning to Theo’s breeder that he seemed bored at times. Well, 3 weeks later Francee contacted Laurie and said she had a long coated female that was 9 weeks old.

The timing was right for everyone, but we also knew this would pretty much trash any chance of the next 10-12 weeks being quiet and relaxing. Less than 3 weeks later we met Francee and Hollie in Petaluma and returned with the most loving 12 week old ball of fur you’ll ever meet. Cassiopeia (aka Cassie) is gorgeous, loving, affectionate and full of life. Theo hoped she’d leave for the first couple days, then put her in her place for a few days. Now he just lets her do whatever she wants. She is constantly goading him into play and has brought the puppy out of him again.

The conclusion is all is right in our life again. Laurie may decide to return to work in the future, but for now she’s just keeping her license up to date so the options are open. Theo and Cassie are definitely our kids. We are very happy that Laurie is healthy and in the clear.

We wish you all a Happy New Year and Joyous Holiday Season.

Laurie, David, Theo, and Cassie