Uncle Evan

Our trip to see Uncle Evan went well, considering. The girls were good the first two hours in the car, and then we picked up Mom, and they were very good. They don't see Mom very often -- she lives across the country in North Carolina -- but they adore her and she kept them entertained. When we got there I got to see several relatives that I haven't seen since Grandma's funeral over 15 years ago. It was wonderful to see everybody again. Uncle Evan had a terrible night the night before, and he had finally gotten to sleep right before we got there, so we were there several hours before we got to see him. When we did see him it was just for maybe two or three minutes before he got tired and needed more rest. It was still worth the trip. It meant a lot to Aunt Fran to have so many of us come. We were there from Iowa City, Des Moines, Colorado, California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Vermont.

It's amazing how much life can change so quickly. His stomach began bothering him in January. The doctor tried the common treatments first and after nothing helped they scoped him earlier this month. They found a big tumor in his stomach and did a CAT scan. The CAT scan showed the cancer had spread to his abdominal cavity, vertabrae and pelvis. There is nothing they can do but try to keep him comfortable. Unfortunately some of the pain meds he has gotten have had bad digestive side effects. They are working hard to find the right combination of drugs to keep him comfortable without side effects, and without completly sedating him.

He seems to be at peace with God, and is mostly worried about Aunt Fran. It will be tough on her, but she has lots of support and I think she will make it through OK. I can't imagine that there is any hunting or trapping in heaven, but for Uncle Evan's sake, I hope there is something comparable.