Friday, August 14, 2009

The Above photo is a picture of my 91 year old Grandfather Frank Johns and my Cousin Ethan: This is Faith, Hope, and Love

"It's like having a broken heart; seperated in two places"

Hello everyone,
Sorry for the slight gap between posts. I am trying to stay on top of things. Since my last post, I had a great trip to Kelowna to see two of my favourite people in the universe; Dallas and Annie Davidson. I had a great time with my best friend Dallas as we talked, fished, played darts, drank Bud Light Lime, golfed, beat each other at UFC for XBOX, and played with his new puppy named Bryan.
It was a great break and a great time with friends. I have missed both Dallas and Annie a lot since they left for Kelowna, however I cherish the moments and great talks we have together. They are such amazing hosts and Annie is such a great cook! Thank you so much friends.
On another note, my dad seems to be doing fairly well these days. He seems his usual self and as always, seems to have figured out a system for his current situation. I think he looks like he has put on a few lbs. however the scale says otherwise. He and my mom are actually taking a few days and going to Jasper! My dad loves the mountains and was and is a huge hiker. I hope they both have time to rest and escape for a few days. Even though there is a ways to go and questions to be answered, we are so glad God has helped him get this far. Thank you for your continued prayers.
I am back at work and stuck in the office until September. I have been back for a week and a half but it feels like I have been here for a month. I think back to the episode of the Simpsons where Bart is watching the clock in class and the hands start ticking backwards. Although all of the kids out there will hate me for saying this; I can’t wait until September! I need to get back to giving presentations.
On another note, I have been looking in to the possibility of going back to school myself. I am looking at the idea of going back to do a two year teaching degree; perhaps in Kelowna?? I still have a lot of researching to do especially surrounding the validity of my applied under grad degree from Mount Royal College. Over the past year I have been trying to be patient with God and with Africa. If I felt right about the situation, had blessings from Hands at Work and felt led by God, I had been thinking of going back to Africa Summer 2010 for an approx. 2 years. Although I have been saving fairly diligently, I don’t know if I will have enough money by next year to head over there. I am also struggling with what I will be going over there with. What do I truly have to offer? Will an open heart and mind be enough over two years to allow me to be more of a blessing then a burden?
As many of you know, working with children is a passion of mine and I believe a God given gift. However, as it comes to teaching kids, I really don’t know enough about the techniques, the planning, and curricular development surrounding teaching. I am wondering if going back to school will provide me with tools I can use in Africa. I would love to support community teachers as they teach their amazing students. So once again, I am stuck in between. Do I pursue a life of committing to this cause that has transformed my life now and trust I have the tools already? Or do I look long term and go back to school to acquire more “tools?” If I do go back to school it may mean being away from Africa for two or three more years. This idea just tears at my heart and soul as I feel half of me is still there. I had a great talk with a friend yesterday who returned from Africa in January and she was discussing how she has been feeling since her return. She said “It’s like having a broken heart; separated in two places.” I think that is so beautiful and frames my story over the past few years so completely. I don’t usually ask for prayers, however I could use some help with direction and which path to take.
P.S. There is an album of photo's from my Sask. trip just beside this post.
Oh, also, I’m on the Twitter. www.twitter.com/danielwjohns
God Bless

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Breaking the chains and keeping them off

Well, I returned from Saskatchewan Sunday night after a fantastic trip away with family. I drove to Sask. Wednesday morning with my Uncle Dave to the cabin in Fort Qu’Appelle. We had a seven or eight hour drive ahead of us (Although, with the BMW we made good time). We picked up my Auntie Sue in Regina after she flew in from Vancouver and headed to the cabin. My Auntie Bard (Dave’s wife) met us at the cabin and we had a great night catching up.
The following evening, the rest of the crew came up including my cousins Nathan, Mike, and Janette. Mike’s girlfriend Ashley and Janette’s boyfriend Jordan also came up. So, we had nine people and two dogs sharing a two room cabin. Somehow, we made it work and we had a great time.
We were all blessed with the weather as it was nice and sunny and the mosquitoes were kept to a minimum for the most part. My first task at the cabin was to fish. My dad will tell you, that our family is cursed when it comes to fishing. We can’t catch a damn thing. However, I may have made some progress breaking that curse over the weekend. I was able to catch six walleye during my time there and we cooked them up; man were they delicious. My cousin Nathan and I fished a lot and it was really good to see him and hang out with him.
It was a true blessing to be with family and live cabin life last week. Although I was looking forward to the break, I have really had a hard time getting excited for anything over the past few months. I don’t know if it’s a lack of energy, being stuck in the 9-5 working thing, or just some other person issues, but it has been difficult for me to get up and get motivated about activities or events. However, this trip seemed to break me out of that. I was able to relax, and just think about my next golf shot, or my next cast on the fishing boat, or frying up pancakes on the open fire. I also slept like a rock!
Now, I know that is exactly what vacation is supposed to do, but it was the first time in a very long time where my brain was able to shut off, my heart and soul were able to relax, and my anxieties were lifted. I felt, well, happy. So, to everyone who I spent time with at the cabin, thanks!
Unfortunately, even being back for a day I can feel those old feelings and anxieties creeping back in. Hopefully I can figure out some strategies to keep those things out.
During the trip, Nathan, my Uncle Dave, and I went golfing in a small town called Indian Head. The town was beautiful. Nice big trees hanging over the streets, old houses on big lots with beautiful flowers were everywhere. I think I am becoming a guy who could find himself living that small town life. However, I do realize the winter months would be a different story. I am becoming a person who could live in a slower paced life and a tight community setting. Anyone else out there feel that way? I can send you the link to Indian Head’s website if you are interested? HaHa. I will try and post some pics from the trip shortly.

On another note, dad seems to have more energy these days. He thinks he gained one pound this week!! So, that’s good. Unfortunately, he may have another complication concerning his health. As soon as we receive more details I will let you know. I think he has another doctor’s appointment in the coming days. Thanks for the continued prayers.

Monday, July 13, 2009

It's time to get fat. FAT!

Those of you who listen to the Jim Rome show should understand my extra "fat" reference in the title.

Well,
Dad has been out of the hospital for a while now which has been great. It’s good to see him at my parent’s house. He is still extremely thin and seems to be having a tough time putting on weight. It looks like he might have even lost another 1 or 2 lbs this week. His energy level also decreased a bit as the week went on which I think is very discouraging for him. He has always been a very disciplined guy when it comes to his health. He has been extremely disciplined in his recovery and when he doesn’t see too many positive results, I think it makes it that much more frustrating. Although, he keeps his head up and pushes forward and keeps trying to find new ways to fatten up! I’m really proud of him.
He saw his surgeon last week, and the Dr. said it would be a couple weeks before dad could feel his energy level going up. His body is using up all of his energy heeling and getting us to the fact that 2 and a half organs are missing. Plus, with no colon, his body isn’t able to absorb as much nutrients as before which makes things a bit tricky. So, hopefully we will see some improvements over the next couple weeks.
I am off to Saskatchewan on Wednesday. My dad’s brother Dave, (who I was in Zambia with for a short while last year) just flew into Calgary after a trip to Serbia. He and his family have a cabin north east of Regina so I am heading up there with him and some other family for a few days. It should be a good time as I haven’t seen my cousins in quite a while. We are driving there as well. Now, some of you might be feeling bad for me that I have to drive 7 or eight hours to Saskatchewan. However, my dad is letting us take his 20007 BMW 335i!!! He took me out for a practice run the other day. I was driving, and as we took the corner to go up Bow Trail, he flipped the transmission into sport mode and told me to gun it. I floored it and before I knew it, I was going WELL over 100 km/h. It was scary how quickly I was able to reach that speed. I think it should be a good ride out there. Although, should probably budget for a speeding ticket or two.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Dad is home...Again!

Hi everyone,
Well, my dad is out of the hospital...Again! The blood clot seems to be under control and he is home. It’s still been a rough past few days. It’s amazing how much weight he has lost. Unfortunately, his system still isn’t absorbing food the way it should which also means that there isn’t any nutrients been absorbed. So, everything is just kind a flowing through him. He has been really weak because of it. For the most part, he has been stuck on the couch. There were a couple days where even talking was a struggle because of the energy it took. I did talk to him today and things seemed to be a bit better. The big thing he told me is that mentally he is in better shape today which is huge! He still has a lot of shots to take for blood thinners, etc.
So, it will be a long summer for him but we are so thankful for everything God has already brought him through. An enormous part of that has been the love and support from my mom. She hasn’t stopped supporting my dad since this whole thing started. She has been there in so many ways and I know she has been such a huge encouragement for my dad. She has even found time to listen to me and my problems!!
On another note, I am looking forward to the next few days. I am taking July 1st-July 5th off work and am excited for the break. I think I will play some golf and just hang out. So, if anyone out there wants to get together send me an email, Facebook message, or give me a call! The patio is calling!
Anyone have any thoughts on the new Alexisonfire album?
DJ

Monday, June 22, 2009

back in the hospital

Well,
the trip home was a short one for my dad. On Thursday, he became very sick and he was up all night vomiting. Early Friday morning my mom rushed him to the emergency room where they immediately admitted him. He was extremely dehydrated and his blood sugar level was dangerously high; around 30 (a normal level is about 7). After getting hooked up to the IV and getting some rest he was feeling much better. They believe this likely happened because there was a blockage in his system caused by some scar tissue. They decided to keep him overnight on Friday for observation. We had hoped he would be out on Saturday or Sunday, unfortunately that has not been the case. Through regular blood work they noticed his white blood cell count was too high, and was continually increasing. This is usually the sign of an infection. So, although they were very tentative to order another CT scan because he has had two fairly recently, they felt they had no choice. The CT scan discovered a blood clot near his liver. Initial indications suggested it was very serious. Thankfully, the doctor said late last night that it was only a partial clot, which is still serious, although it likely won't travel to the heart or brain which can cause serious damage and even death. So, he is on an anti-biotic and blood thinners and will likely be in the hospital until Wednesday. Dad is looking really low in energy and looks very sad. I'm also starting to feel very warn down from all of this and am getting frustrated.
As many of you know the one thing that breaks my heart in this world (as I'm sure it does yours), is the suffering. I know all of us have felt those hopeless emotions when we know someone we love is suffering. And it just plain sucks!
I really pray this is the last major hiccup in what looks like a long recovery.
Thanks for your continued messages and kind words everyone.
I let my dad know about each and everyone of you who have provided words of support and encouragement. He is so grateful, as am I.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

DAD IS CANCER FREE!!!!!!

Hi everyone,
I just received a call from my mom, and dad is doing great!!! His white blood cell count is normal, he is going home today, and the mass they removed from his pancreas was benign!!! Praise the Lord. He still has a long recovery ahead of him, however things look really good. let's just hope his diabetes stay's in check with only half a pancreas. But, so far so good!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!
Love to all of you,
Dan
P.S. Oh, and I will be getting back into the blog thing again. Not just about my dad, but just updates on what's going on with me in my little part of the world. Thanks!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

More energy, but still need some answers!

Hey everyone,
Well, today is day nine and dad is still in the hospital. However, he is doing much better. His spirits are up and he has a lot more energy. They have removed all of the tubes from him (which added up to ten when we counted!!!) except for his I.V. They also removed all 39 staples from his incision which I think was a big relief for him. Yesterday, he went in for another CT scan because they noticed his white blood cell count was a little high. We don’t know if they found anything yet. Also, we have yet to hear back on the results from the mass on his pancreas. Although that is still nerve-wracking, it’s great to see him with more physical and spiritual energy. As soon as we hear anything new, I will give you an update!
Thanks again everyone for the prayers and thoughts!
Dan

Friday, June 12, 2009

Update on Dad

Hi Everyone,
Sorry this update has taken so long. It’s been a crazy few days. My dad is doing so,so. After talking to the doctors on Tuesday, things went as well as they could. The initial surgery, the removal of the colon went well. Unfortunately, they had to remove about half of my dad’s pancreas to remove the mass growing on it. The doctor said this mass was the cause of his diabetes and we won’t know until next week if the mass in cancerous or not. We pray it is benign and that with only half a pancreas his diabetes won’t get worse. They also removed a benign mass from a lymph node while they were in there and they also had to remove his spleen that got nicked by the knife during the procedure. So, needless to say, a lot of unexpected work had to be done which is taking a toll on my dad. Unfortunately the pain for the first couple days was excruciating. They had placed my dad’s epidural to high on his spine so the medication wasn’t hitting the surgical area. Luckily yesterday was better pain wise and they were hoping to try a new pain drug today and take him off the epidural. Unfortunately, my dad’s spirits have been pretty low; something I have never seen much in my dad. Usually, he plan’s everything out and research’s everything related to medical issues he encounters. Unfortunately, we only found out about the mass on his pancreas and the extensive surgery the day before we went in. He really didn’t have time to process the whole thing and it has taken a lot longer and has been a lot more painful than he anticipated. He has been in bed for four straight days and he just looks very depressed and frustrated. So, that is my prayer request; that God will fill him with his spirit and give him strength and energy as he continues to fight. We also pray that the mass on his pancreas was benign.
Thanks again everyone. I have said it before, but you don’t know what it means to know all of you are with us.
Be blessed,
Love Dan