Saturday, February 16, 2013

Trip to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

 Here is a subject I haven't mentioned very much, but the timing is right. Mr. Keith was diagnosed with multiple myeloma about 10 months ago and has been having chemotherapy for that long, first in Cheyenne Wyoming and then in Olympia Washington. Myeloma is a cancer that begins in the blood plasma and then affects the blood and bones. It isn't curable but can be controlled. Keith has been able to continue working at the KOAs and now Lost Lake RV Resort for the entire time. We came to Washington from Cheyenne in order for him to have a stem cell transplant, which we thought was finally going to take place this spring. This view is out the window of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, where we were waiting for our appointment. It's Lake Union, a fresh water lake that empties out into Puget Sound. SCCA and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center facilities are located here, just off the I-5 freeway.

The Space Needle!
We had 2 days of appointments during which it was decided that Keith would not be any better off with a transplant than he would with a maintenance treatment plan, mostly because of his age. He's in pretty good shape but is past the age they like to do the transplant. He was disappointed because of the long wait and anticipation he's had, but we had prayed for God's will and guidance and we feel this is the right course. It actually makes our plans much easier. We can continue on with our job here at Lost Lake and then will be ready to keep our job commitment at the Bozeman Montana KOA for the summer. We're excited about that! There is a cancer care center there also, which is affiliated with Fred Hutchinson.

 We were blessed with a free hotel room for one night, at the SeaTac Red Lion, provided by the Cancer Society. It was the nicest hotel or motel room we've ever had, with a king size bed and all the amenities we could want! We are grateful! This was our view of the foggy Seattle skyline as we journeyed into the city for our second day of appointments. I felt fortunate to get this as we sped by on the freeway amongst all the other commuters. 

I can easily see why the freeway is so congested. Almost every single car had only one person inside! We watched very carefully to make sure we were always in the correct lane for our exit to SCCA. I would not want to drive this very often! 

Home, Sweet Home! Glad to be back where we were greeted by fellow workampers, our manager, and some friends who were eager to hear our news. We're ready to start the next phase of this life's adventure. God is good, and He will be with us the whole way, rain or shine!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Dearest Keith & Ann,

Thank you so much for visiting us at the Red Lion Hotel Seattle Airport. It was our absolute pleasure to provide a complimentary room to you in conjunction with our American Cancer Society partnership. We were fortunate to have you as our guest, and are pleased to hear you enjoyed your stay so much!

We hope to see you in Seattle again in the near future!

Rachel Kirk
Sales | Marketing Assistant