O’Neill Update 14 November, 2007

O’Neill Update 14, November, 2007

Well, we are back from Europe and I THINK, over our jet lag. If 11 hours of sleep last night doesn’t alleviate the jet-lag for me, I don’t know what will. I woke up this morning and knew where I was and that was much better than yesterday when I startledly awoke to a little boy in bed next to me and instantly thought I was being assaulted by some strange Italian man, only realizing that it was Gavin, whom I apparently invited in. That is what exhaustion does to you.

Anyway, just to let everyone know, a few days before we left for Europe we heard back from Stanford and they said they thought the results of the scans were stable from the last scans. So, no shrinkage, but no progression, either. That is pretty good news. Brian continues to do okay. His right hand seems to have perhaps lost a bit of its dexterity. He walks slowly with a significant limp, but he walks. His speech is about the same, some days and hours worse than others. He is working most every day, now. He goes back to the doctor this week and will start chemo again this weekend.

On the home front, Europe was amazing. We had a marvelous time enjoying the sights and sounds in London – riding the tube (subway) to get around town, visiting Westminster Abbey, Windsor Castle, Tower Bridge, Burrough Market (seeing where Bridget Jones lived), taking in a London West End theater production (London’s equivalent of Broadway), etc.; and of Paris – riding the Metro (subway), trying to speak the language a bit, enjoying vin rouge (red wine) bread and cheese and onion soup (they don’t call in French Onion Soup since the French is assumed when you are in France) and pastries and crème brulee, visiting the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, The Arc de Triumphe, Notre Dame, Montmarte, Sacre Couer, and the Champs Elysee, and simply romantically enjoying one of hundreds of street side cafes watching the world go by; and then Rome – seeing the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, the colleseum, the amazing Ancient Roman remains of buildings, the vast number of churches, being present for the Papal Blessing on Sunday, enjoying vino rosso (red wine), trying to speak the language, riding in the taxis with the CRAZY driving (passing cars on the left to make a right turn 15 seconds sooner and vise-versa), and on and on. It was truly a remarkable journey and one that we are appreciating even more as we look back on it and our photos.

Thanks again to Brian’s folks, Ed and Jan for a wonderful vacation and to my folks, Karen and Larry, for keeping our kids and house in perfect order.
KEEP BELIEVING!