Long overdue update .....

A long over due update….. Carol’s ongoing journey with this disease certainly embodies the above quote from Winston Churchill…. She continues the battle with courage, strength, tremendous commitment and effort and she most certainly is not giving up.  Our friend continues to amaze and inspire with how hard she is fighting… with a steady quiet calmness as is Carol’s way. 

 In brief, some of the cancer has retreated and in other areas it has not.   As to treatment,   Carol incorporated some additional treatment this past summer in the form of holistic elements to her regime.  She attended a retreat for women diagnosed with cancer up at Whistler and also began treatment with a naturopath.    This has not replaced the treatment that her oncologist has suggested with whom Carol has great faith in- but Carol felt it would be well worth trying some additional treatments and reports she felt good about this decision.   With the confirmation that cancer continues to appear in some areas, she recently began oral chemotherapy and also she has elected to join another study being done out at UBC and will be amongst the very first subjects in this study.  Nausea is a current issue but Carol continues to stay very active. She recently traveled to Tofino with Randy and the kids for a long weekend and had a great time.  She continues to walk pretty much daily and began meditation classes this past fall as well.

Carol agreed that she would appreciate some frozen meals again in the New Year. The meals she received over the spring and summer have only recently been used up and she commented how helpful they were at the end of long or busy day.  On behalf of Carol and Randy~  Thanks for the support!

Susan

Re-calibration ...

The old writer in me always has me looking for a title to begin any writing as a way of looking for that central theme… and for the last week or so…the “titles” that have been swirling through my brain are…”Re-calibrating Her Life” & “Fighting for Her Life”. Carol has been doing a lot of both. No one will be surprised by how bravely she’s doing it either; with grace, courage, intelligence, and such determination. I was fortunate to spend some good quality time with Carol this past week and I found myself asking internally, could I ever find the inner strength to do what Carol is doing- which in my view, is  fighting this fight incredibly well and re-calibrating her life with such courage and strength.

First of all, as to the fighting part…..she’s taking very good care of herself. She’s eating amazingly well taking care to eat the healthiest, purest forms of food she can. She’s exercising every day with walks that have had her getting a little further each week. Some days are better than others of course and a good day is often followed by a day of more fatigue. Carol continues to experience some back pain and numbness in her legs which waxes & wanes.  She is mindful to rest every day as she needs to.  

Another way she is doing an amazing job of fighting the fight is by doing tons of research and being open to all kinds of treatment options and alternative approaches. She’s actively talking to people and reading books some of which have amazing stories of people’s phenomenal victories over this disease through adopting alternative treatment approaches.  While remaining constant with the traditional treatment as prescribed by her oncologist through the Cancer Agency, she has begun to learn more about the Gerson natural treatment developed by Dr. Max Gerson which involves boosting the body’s immune system through diet and shifting the body’s environment from acidic (cancer promoting) to alkaline which cancers don’t like.  Another step Carol has taken is to focus on stress-reduction strategies which include meditation, deep breathing and guided imagery exercises. She looked into a couple of different retreats and is attending a Callanish Society retreat which specializes in retreats for cancer patients and their families.

As to re-calibrating her life… fighting a fight like this one certainly involves having to re-calibrate one’s life and working on finding a new equilibrium of sorts- both in practical terms and  emotionally. This undeniably involves dealing with a lot of letting go of what she feels she no longer needs or is not realistic for her now. Carol is cleaning closets as her energy permits and going through lots of old stuff.   As you know, she’s lost some weight and therefore had to do a little shopping to get some new clothes that will fit better.    Carol has shared how she (and her family) have all had to re-calibrate their lives to accommodate what is realistic at this point in time. For an active family such as the Daggitts, this has meant a real change in the pace of their lives and in the general activity level within their home; necessary of course, but as we can all imagine, a real process emotionally for all of them.

Carol asked that people know she still enjoys the calls and visits. They’ve really made a difference to her and although many of us are concerned about the energy consumption visiting requires, it also energizes her to see her friends   so keep up those calls and visits please. She’s hoping to get up to their cabin in early July and is looking forward to Randy’s sisters coming down for a week also in July.

I’ve come to feel more connected to many of Carol’s friends and family, some of whom I do not personally know, but now feel a stronger bond. It feels so good knowing she’s not alone nor are we… I close with a deep breath-   Thanks for reading~~~ SusanJ

A NEW MONTH ...

Hard to believe it's June and we are staring at the rain .... still.  But on a brighter note, Carol's health is improving to the point that they felt the meals for June could be put on hold.   Fortunately they have a freezer full of donations from all of you that they hope to enjoy for this month .

We will check back at the end of June to see how her recovery is going .  If the " Meal Wagon " needs to start up again, we'll post on this web.

There may be the odd day in June that they family could use a meal so keep checking back .  Carol is still travelling to BC Cancer Agency for tests with her next full day appointment June 21.

This month will be the celebration of Hailey's graduation from High school.  The family is enjoying the festivities that go along with the tradition.   Way to go, Hailey !

The Annual EMS Fashion Show was a huge success thanks to Carol and so many others!

~ a post by Pam W ....

Carol's daughter Hailey and my daughter Jenna have been friends since they attended a daycare together when they were just 3 years old.  Little Hayden was there too!

So when Carol asked me to co-chair the girl’s high school fashion show with her in November, I could hardly say no. She was right when she told me that it would be a really fun thing for us to take on. Of all the huge fundraising events in the girl’s final year of high school this did seem like one both Carol and I would enjoy the most.

We started our first meeting off with a bang when Carol decided to hand out yellow folders to each committee head (15 in all!) with info from previous years shows.  Later I had some of the ladies comment that they knew the event would run smoothly when they received the yellow folders. They said that in all their years of volunteering for school events they had never seen this level of organization. 

As the coordinators of this event, our biggest obstacle was finding dedicated choreographers who could give up many of their lunch hours to work with our 112 models - no small task.  We were thrilled when we had 3 very unique and talented ladies rise to the challenge just after Christmas. Carol and I knew the models were in good hands after our first meeting at Starbucks - the creative juices were really flowing. 

In January and most of February I had to work full time and Carol spent many hours labouring on the coordination of the fashion show.  She truly put her heart and soul into the production.  I asked her if she could do all the speaking at the meetings and she agreed. I seemed to fall into the role of being the secretary. Along with our committee heads we were becoming an effective team.

When I came home from a spring break trip to Mexico I was shocked to find out Carol was battling cancer again.  No one told me since they didn't want to ruin my vacation. I was touched by this kindness. While Carol endured the torture of radiation the plans for the fashion show kept rolling on.  It took me a few days to wrap my head around this; without Carol I didn’t even want to continue.  When I was in Mexico Carol had met with her long time friend Joyce B and Joyce agreed to take over where Carol had left off.  I would have been lost without you Joyce - thank you.  We both knew how important the fashion show was to Carol so with allot of help from so many dedicated women we made sure the show would be extra special.

I know that everyone who knew Carol through working together on the fashion show went that extra mile in hopes that she would be able to see the show on April 19th.  I was afraid to call her since I was worried she wouldn't be feeling well enough to attend the show that meant so much to her.  When I did call she told me that she was really hoping to come but if she did she would probably only be able to see the first half since she became really tired at night. 

The fashion show ended up being a truly magical evening. It is difficult for me to find fault with anything.  Every committee had their area just perfect.  In spite of heavy competition from the Canucks game the event did sell out 325. We raised over $9,000 and DVD sales are still coming in.  Here are some of the comments I heard. "This was so much more than I had imagined"  "It was truly magical" "All the mum's were crying during the grand finale" "I am so happy Carol could attend". And best of all from the students “I will always remember the fashion show” "I am so glad I did this" "I wasn't really into it, but I ended up having so much fun"

The fact that the show and the grand finale in particular were so wonderful was something I will always remember.  The fact that Carol came and stayed for the entire show made it so much better!

Thanks for pushing me outside my comfort zone and asking me to take this on with you. It was a great experience and a lovely grad gift to our little girls.

MEAL CALENDAR Update... move to Tuesdays and Thursdays for May

Had a quick note from Carol.   Randy had some  tickets in a suite to the Canucks game last night against Nashville and talked Carol into going.  Luckily they could use the underground parking and elevator right up to the suite so Carol agreed to join him.  But it went into double overtime ... and they lost !   She came home very tired but glad to do something "normal" again.

Seems to me Randy was at Game 5 against the Hawks.  Lost that game , too...so....I'm just saying . But I digress.

The good news is that Carol is feeling better.  She feels ready for the time being to move to 2 meals a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays.    A couple of Sundays for May are booked so we will keep that but the rest of the month to just Tuesday and Thursdays.   Wonderful news that  her recovery continues to  improve. 

She is very appreciaive of the meals for those days as she finds the later afternoons, evenings is when she is worn out.  The kids get home and Randy drives back from downtown so having a meal ready has been a blessing for them.  Weekends are a bit less hectic.

The news just keeps geting better and better.

and go 'Nucks go..

~Brenda

“Anyone feel like baking?”

I had a nice little visit with Carol last night about the clinical trial which has begun. She informs me that she has weathered the first injection quite well of the estrogen blocker called- Fluvesterant (I probably have that spelling wrong.) Actually, she receives two injections - one on each side.  This will be repeated biweekly for a bit and then after that monthly.  The study that Carol is participating in is designed to give her this drug at double the dose that it is currently approved for use by our provincial formulary.  The other piece of the study is that she may be getting an additional drug (or perhaps not as it might be the placebo) which is supposed to inhibit the blood vessels around a tumor.  Along with that, she receives a bone strengthening agent also via injection on a monthly basis which strengthens her bones. (This isn’t part of the clinical trial.)  It sounds pretty exhausting as she has to undergo interviews and lots of tests to establish baselines for the trials including her heart function. 

Some wonderful news is that she is no longer on any pain medication and also reports the burning in her esophageal cavity has greatly reduced.  Carol is starting physio 2x per week after her initial regimen of 1x per week. She is also is walking 1-2x per day.  She continues to be an inspiration in her determination to be as physically active as she can- even though fatigue is a daily issue. She even turned down a hockey game with Randy knowing it would be a bit of a stretch for her.  She looks great as most of you know who’ve seen her lately.

Now to the baking….. I asked her if she had any particular food items on her wish list and she said “YES!”.  She’s asking for muffins which she can freeze and eat as a snack.  The only requirement is that she would prefer they not have sugar, oils or butter and would be made from whole wheat or at least partial whole wheat flour. She’s trying to pack as much nutritional value with each bite of food she takes.  I’m off to Seattle for a ball tourney or I would be scouring recipes.com so I thought I would throw this request out to the troops. Last time I did regards the driving- the response was amazing…

Love knowing there’s a nice wide circle with Carol right smack in the center ~~~ J    

Susan Z

EMS Fashion Show had a special guest.. . and volunteers needed for May

Hi Friends 4 Carol ,  

Nearing the end of April and Carol's health is still on our minds.  I picked her up from her medical appointment on Wednesday and she was using only a cane !  Randy passed over her bag and took off to work while I tried to keep up with her as she hoofed it back to the car .  I was thrilled with her energy !
 

On the drive home, she told me she was able to attend the EMS grad Fashion Show the night before which she co-chaired.  Though she said it was a bit long for her, she really wanted to stay until the end.   I know everyone was so glad to see her ! 

She is having weekly physio in a pool that she finds gives her great relief.  She will continue to go to BC Cancer weekly for the month of May for injections and tests.  Thanks to all the folks who haved offered to pick Carol up from her weekly medical appointments for May.   

On the food front, she is limited to "softer foods" ...soups, smoothies due to the upper abdominal pain.  She suffered some damage to her lower esophagus from the radiation treatment. This will continue to heal over the next few weeks. 

Randy and the kids are grateful for the home made meals from all her friends and family.  A group from her work have donated a number of frozen meals to help with her recovery. 

There are available spots on the MEAL CALENDAR for May.

keep in touch ..have an enjoyable Easter weekend with your family ...

Brenda

CONTINUED OPTIMISM ...

A brief up date from Carol includes several positive events…

She reports that she has experienced less nausea and pain these past few days. She is taking ½ the morphine she was taking last week and consequently is feeling less groggy and more like herself.  She is walking to the end of the cul-de-sac with the walker and begins some physiotherapy in a pool on Monday which she is looking forward to.  She got out Friday for a little drive and Randy accompanied Carol down to the beach for a walk a few days back.

Her niece and nephew from Quesnel were here for several days and they have now returned home.  Randy went into work for a few hours Friday and is likely going to work a bit next week as well.  Carol is appreciating these little steps toward normalcy.  She is very much hoping to attend the EMS grad fashion show this Tuesday evening  which she helped to co-chair. ( check if tickets are still available !!)

Her friends and colleagues at Peace Arch have banded together and are helping out with meals as well so more food is due to arrive soon.

She continues to feel everyone’s love and support~ keep it coming!

~ Susan Z

APRIL 12... A GOOD DAY

Today Carol received some good news…. The cancer has not spread to other areas in her body.  She is going to be a participant in a clinical trial which will allow her maximum dose of an estrogen blocking drug to treat the cancer in her spine.

Carol willl be monitored closely every 3 months by CT.  She is starting to slowly feel better and stronger and took a few laps around the cul de sac with the aid of a walker. 

This truly is a blessing.  Carol is so thrilled with the news and remains upbeat about her prognosis.

She even teased that Randy would be back at work on Monday and she would have to start a few day later....

Again, thanks to all of you for your continued support !  It means a lot .

MORE FRIENDS 4 CAROL

A group of students from EMS showed their support this weekend ....

Over 50 kids from EMS signed the card that Katie, Quinn and I made for Carol. Including family friends, parents, the vice principal Ms. Campbell, groups from the Fashion Show and even kids that do not know Carol personally - signed the card. Most were not sure what to write, as it is a difficult situation to find the correct words to say but it truly is the thought that counts. My mom and I stopped in for a visit yesterday afternoon. Carol was looking much better than what my Mom had told me from her previous visit. It was an amazing feeling to see Carol smile when she opened the card and read all the meaningful messages. We are all so grateful to have such wonderful people in our community and would like to share on my behalf of how appreciative Carol was Saturday afternoon, we couldn't have done it without you.

Thank-you,
Jenna W

April Meal Calendar FULL

Wow! Great how the community has come together. Carol and Randy are so thankful for all the support right now . Meals for month of May are available so hope we can keep this up and running! Check "How You Can Help" tab.

I can't forget to thank Sandy K who helped start this website for Carol. Sandy battled breast cancer in 2007. She threw her support to help us as soon as she heard of another one's fight.

The good news....happy to report that Carol is "feeling" a bit better from her 14 days of radiation. She was even talking about "rattling some pots and pans myself to prepare a meal..". Her color is great and she is more mobile which has lessened the burden on her family. Carol is not going to quit here, no way. In the words of Debi, a friend and organizer for Nite of Hope, "her attitude is positive and this disease needs a strong attitude to be beaten" ... Love that!

Take a peek at Carol's amazing video. Roll your mouse over Images of Hope and click.

There will be other places of inspiration on her web. Don't forget to pass on comments for Carol on this site. It means so much to Randy and the kids ,too ! A special hug to Hailey for the poem to her mom...

NITE OF HOPE

Last night was an amazing night at the 6th annual “Nite of Hope”- a gala fundraiser to help raise money to fight breast cancer. I was delighted to have been invited to accompany the family and attend my first Nite of Hope. Carol has been a supporter of this event and invited me last year but as I couldn’t attend -was lucky to get another invite this year. It certainly won’t be my last - it was an amazing night!!

Little old Centennial Arena was literally converted into a beautiful, dazzling banquet hall with top notch entertainment, amazing food, and lots of incredibly committed people – many with deep pockets. Last night’s gala topped last year’s earnings of $200.000 by $100.000. 3 dedicated women- one being a good friend of Carol’s and mine (Deb - herself a 9 yr breast cancer survivor) along with their committee and probably close to 100 volunteers, earned over $300.000!

The only thing missing last night which would have added more dazzle to the room was Carol. She knew a week ago that she wasn’t likely going to be able to attend but definitely wanted her family there and also urged me to accept her initial invite and attend without her. You see, this year’s Nite of Hope (view video) was due to be a special one to the family because of a personal interview with Carol and Hailey about their ‘Up Kili” climb a couple of years ago which was featured in the night’s program.You’ll all remember Carol’s and Hailey’s amazing journey up Mt. Kilimanjaro to help raise money for breast cancer. Deb wanted to highlight their experience and therefore arranged a taped interview a couple of months ago. Carol and Hailey looked amazing up there on the big screen talking about their life-changing experience.

As I sat there with Randy, Hailey, Grandma Joyce and Auntie Tammy (just having arrived from Quesnel and persuaded to jump in the car and attend), I saw and felt some more heart ache as everyone of us along with other friends in the room, felt Carol’s absence no more keenly than at that moment. Many of Carol’s friends who I have spoken with in the last couple of weeks have used the phrase “heart-breaking” to describe their feelings of sadness at learning that Carol is facing this horrible battle again. There is no more apt phrase in my opinion to describe what we feel for Carol and her family. I know I used that phrase often when I sat with my father near the end of his battle with cancer and again when my husband fought (and won) his fight with colon cancer last fall. I can feel that heaviness even now as I recall those old moments in my life now re-stirred with the freshness of our news of our dear friend Carol. I’m sure many of you have your own personal experiences of cancer touching your lives and will know exactly what I’m talking about.

As to an update on Carol, Randy shared briefly last night that Carol’s pain along her spine is definitely on the decrease and therefore the feeling is that the radiation is helping. Her last day of this regimen is today. As well, she began receiving injections 4 days ago to treat the spots in her bones. They won’t get the results from the tests done yesterday to find out if the cancer has spread to other areas in her soft tissue until next week. Her nausea is still one of the biggest problems and is making it hard for Carol to eat much. But Randy thought the anti-nausea meds are helping a bit.

So, to wind up here…hope is everywhere. I found huge hope in Carol’s own words on the screen last night for hundreds of people to hear… her dream of a world for our daughters free from the worry of breast cancer. There was indeed a hush in the room when at the end of Carol and Hailey’s interview, the screen read that since the taping of this interview, Carol had been re-diagnosed. The harsh reality of this fact may have influenced people to dig into their pockets a bit deeper…who knows. At any rate, BC Cancer agency has $300.000 more today than they did yesterday to fight this disease. More hope. Hope surrounds Carol in the faces of her loving, brave, and courageous family. They are amazing.

Last night her father-in-law who had also just arrived from Quesnel, stayed home with Carol along with Hayden and as did Carol- urged the others to go to the gala without her. More hope arrives today from Quesnel… her niece and nephew.

Thank you so much for last night Carol, I missed sitting next to you….but you were there.

~ Susan Z

Carol's progress Wednesday April 6

Today Carol completed 7th day of radiation and reports that “treatment went better today.” It seems that she is experiencing a reduction in pain around the tumor- maybe not such a little victory. She also was visited by 2 home health RN’s who are on board to help monitor the pain medication that she is on.

Carol also is receiving some physiotherapy in her home. Feels good to know she is surrounded by not only loved ones but by professionals who are helping her through this. A big challenge at present is nausea and abdominal pain. She was going to try some clear soup tonight and was also started on an anti-nausea medication today which hopefully will help.

Carol will undergo more tests tomorrow – a CT scan – to further answer questions as to what exactly, where exactly, etc. She’s also getting more radiation tomorrow and finishes this regimen of radiation on Friday.

More support arrives tomorrow in the way of Randy’s Dad Ray and sister Tammy from Quesnel. Keep the prayers, food, and love coming… she knows we’re all pulling for her.

These updates are provided by Susan Z . We can't thank you enough for putting into words the difficult treatment Carol is enduring. We will pass on info as it becomes available. Everyone remains hopeful and positive.

Thanks to the enormous out pouring of support on the MEAL CALENDAR. We are off to a running start. Please do not feel you have to commit to a specific dish when volunteering. It just gives us a way to not double up on meals and allows others to plan for future meals.

“If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or Fight Like Hell.”
Lance Armstrong

Welcome to Friends 4 Carol

Carol is once again facing a battle with cancer after 5 years remission from breast cancer. Her symptoms began with pain in her back and she was diagnosed with a tumor on her spine on March 28th. The cancer is also showing up in several spots on her bones. She was started on a regimen of daily radiation immediately in hopes of shrinking the tumor and alleviating the extreme pain the tumor is causing. She will be undergoing further tests to determine if the cancer is in other sites as well.

Randy and Carol have embraced the support of family, friends and community through this difficult time. This blog is a way for folks to keep updated with Carol’s health and to share in the ways we can help continue to help her. It will also give you an opportunity to communicate with her during her treatment.

Randy plugged in an extra fridge which is in the garage if you are feeling called, inspired or whatever and want to make something that can be frozen, etc… feel free....however, the better way to go is to sign up for the meal calendar.

We all remain hopeful for Carol. In spite of her treatment, Carol has not lost her humour. Her strength is truly inspirational.