Monday, January 30, 2012

Iron Chef: Jose Garces (said in over exaggerated Japanese Accent)




Yea there is the birthday boy. He sure as hell doesn't look like he has cancer. Damn you wouldn't even know that earlier that morning he was sick as a dog from chemo. But he picked himself up and got all sexified for our romantic birthday dinner for 2 at Amada.

If you know Eric at all, you would know he LOVES Iron Chef. So I thought it would be a great idea to go to Jose Garces' place. We loved it, and as a bonus it was restaurant week. We had a great time. He even said next year we should go out with a few couples/friends. I loved hearing that....next year. Damn that man is so positive despite everything.

On another great note I got to tell him today that his CEA level went down from 6.0 to 5.3. Basically the cancer cells are dying....the treatment is working. Woohoo!

Thanks for the continued prayers...keep 'em coming. I would also like to send a special prayer request for another Cancer Warrior, Linda T. Linda just found out her breast cancer is back after 8 mo of remission. It is in her liver, nodes, and bone. She has 3 kids, and her hubby is a Philly cop. She needs those prayers too. Damn I hate this disease.

Friday, January 27, 2012

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”


Dr. Suess....he was the man. too bad cancer snatched him too, although he did live you the impressive age of 87. He brought joy to so many. He made a difference in the world.

Yesterday was Eric's 36th birthday. Just another day he said. He has never been a big birthday person. It was I who made the big deal about birthdays. Last year he spent his birthday at Princeton University Hospital. He went to the ER and was admitted on his birthday. His gift for his 35, 5 fun filled days in a private hospital room. It was kinda cool, the room had 2 couches and a coffee table in it. Too bad it was a quasi blizzard and I couldn't entertain. But I did get him a birthday cake from nutritional services, Even a candle, but I couldn't light it.

This year for his 36th birthday, Eric spent it sick in bed from chemo. Infusion started on Wednesday and runs until this afternoon. I will de-access him when I get home. We didn't do anything special. I got him fried chicken because the grease helps the nausea, and i laid in bed with him scratching his head and trying to sooth his broken out skin (this chemo makes his skin burn...he looks like he had acid poured on him).

So this birthday wasn't a fancy one. We didn't have a big party or go out. Heck I even forgot to give him his card. But this year was a testament to his survival. He made it to another birthday, with hopefully many more to come. Birthdays really aren't a big deal. At least not until you aren't sure just how many of them you will have left. Then, they take on a whole new meaning. They become milestones...and another mile marker in ones journey. Eric has been alive 36 years. I have been blessed to have shared 7 of those years with him.

So i guess I am the one who received the gift when you really think about it. I am the lucky one.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

So take a deep breath, pick yourself up, start all over again

Now nothing's impossible, I've found for when my chin is on the ground,
I pick myself up, dust myself off, and start all over again.
Don't lose your confidence if you slip, be grateful for a pleasant trip,
And pick yourself up, dust off, start over again.
Work like a soul inspired until the battle of the day is won.
You may be sick and tired, but you be a man, my son.
Will you remember the famous men who have to fall to rise again,
So take a deep breath, pick yourself up, start all over again...


Ahhh, Old Blue Eyes....if only life were that simple. But there is some wisdom to that. And that is exactly what we are trying to do.

A day after we came back from out amazing respite thanks to FPS, Eric had to go to Sloan for a CT Scan, and to meet with his oncologist followed by treatment. It was a long day to say the least, and he was stuck up there himself.

Sadly eric was told by Dr. Kemeny that they found more tumors on the liver. I guess this was to be expected, considering the PET Scan glowed when he had his tumor removal surgery a few weeks back, but it is still tough to hear nonetheless. I was hoping that the rounds of chemo since the surgery would have made them nonexistent, but those suckers are fighting the chemo and not backing down. Luckily, Eric handled it ok, and even posted on facebook a status about how it looks like this beast (cancer) wants to go a few more rounds with him, but he's ready to keep fighting it. He said he won't give up. Its a beautiful thing to see despite getting pretty shitty news. I am so proud of him.

On the plus side his CEA level FINALLY went down to 6 after holding steady at 7.9 for over a month. In the words of Madea...


So we keep fighting on. Taking every day as a gift from God, being thankful for all that we do have, and continue to be blessed by crossing paths with special people during this journey. I have said this before, and I truly mean it, if it had not been for this experience, I don't think we would have learned what love means. Love isn't just a word or a feeling, it's an action too. And we have been shown love in so many places we may never have seen it. I have also learned a lot about life. Wisdom and beautiful secrets usually only those with many more years then I get to share. As much as cancer sucks, and boy does it suck, we are lucky. Without cancer, we would have never been so truly blessed and touched in so many ways. Much love and happiness to all who read this....(if anyone even does).


Monday, January 16, 2012

For Pete's Sake, We took a break from Cancer...

As many of you may already know, our family was blessed to be the recipients of a respite vacation to Florida, thanks to the For Pete's Sake Cancer Respite Foundation. For a few days we got to be a regular family. This quickly became a vacation that will always be closest to my heart. Word's cannot even describe what FPS has done to raise our family up. We are so lucky, and hope to pay it forward by participating in the For Pete's Sake, Walk fun walk at Citizen's Bank Park in April.Click here to directly join or donate to our team, "Phightin' for Officer Dial.

Eric and the boys were shocked the day we left for our respite to open the front door to several area news outlets, a limo, Marci the founder of FPS, and several of his fellows Officers in the Philadelphia Police Department there to send us off. One of the longer pieces was done by CBS Philadelphia...click for the report. Logan was a hoot when they interviewed him, I think I looked like a dork.

One of the things they ask you to do as part of the respite is to write an entry in the journal at the FPS home in Davenport, FL (yea they bought it for cancer patients and their families...soooo cool). The first day we arrived I read through the journal and read the other entries from Sailors and there families. It was really touching. FPS have touched the lives of so many people. FPS paid for our flight, lodged us in the organizations home (a beautiful 3 bedroom with a heated pool right outside Disney) tickets to Disney/Universal/Sea World, a rental car, and a stipend for food and other expenses. WOW. Anyone who can donate to this group, we would be so thankful. They are good people. I blogged about FPS before here. Please take a moment to read that post, as it will explain FPS even more.

I'm still trying to figure out how to share with you the magic of this experience. I think the best way is to share with you what I wrote in the journal at the home, and to share with you a picture I took right before we watched the sunset into the Gulf of Mexico....


Happy New Year! May this year bring us all good health, amazing memories, and much LOVE. Thanks to FPS, our memories have already become beyond amazing. Since Eric's diagnosis in Oct of 2010 (Stage IV Colon mets to liver), our entire family transformed from "normal dysfunctional" (lol) to "battle mode". The Dial's declared WAR ON CANCER!

Every step of this process was an easy one. Peg and Mariann went out of their way to make this the most amazing respite possible. And Marci even showed up at our house the day we left with a limo and 3 news stations! Imagine my husbands surprise when he opened the door to see over 20 of his fellow Philly Police Officers, along with Marci and the limo driver (as well as the cameras all around). Our boys were in just as much shock as well! Until we boarded the plane, the youngest had no idea where we were headed.

15 months afo my husband was told he had 8 months to live. Yet this week he laughed and smiled as if those words had never been said to him. He was once again the man I fell in love with. Even though he felt sick in the beginning of our trip, he pushed on, determined to enjoy every minute of his break from cancer.

One of the magical parts of this trip was watching Eric reconnect with his 16 year old son. This was something they truly needed. Cancer had really reeked some havoc on relationships. Now I have captured special moments, and they will have memories stored up that will help them get through the tough times ahead. See in November, after 6 months of being in remission after his liver resection, and sending 21 days in the ICU from post surgical infection , Eric was told his cancer was back. Tumors were found in the remaining "healthy" part of his liver. That sad news made this trip mean that much more.

Tomorrow we leave and go back to reality; the kids go to school, I go back to my job as a teacher, and Eric back to being a Philly police officer. And the day after that we go back to cancer, and another CT scan at Sloan-Kettering in NYC. But for 1 glorious trip, cancer did not define us, we DEFIED it!

Much Love,
Eric, Jeaneane, Mark & Logan





Wednesday, January 11, 2012

2 VERY special Events

Hello all! I will be sending out an update soon about our amazing respite. But in the mean time, I wanted you to all mark your calendars for 2 upcoming events that are very important to us, and that we will be participating in, the "Get Your Rear in Gear" and "For Pete's Sake, Walk". We have created teams for both, and below I will give you more information.



Philadelphia Get Your Rear in Gear-
5K and 10K Run, 2 Mile Walk and Kids Fun Run
Sunday March 18, 2012

This is our 2nd year participating in this event, which benefits the colon cancer coalition. The event is held at the Art Museum. Non runners can easily participate. Last year we had a nice turnout for our team and raised over $1000.

you can register for this event here:
http://www.getyourrearingear.com/events/list/2012/philadelphia-pa-2012/

click on "JOIN A TEAM" we are DIAL'S POOPER TROOPERS



THIS IS AN AWESOME FAMILY EVENT!!!!! AND THE KIDS WILL LOVE BEING ABLE TO GET ACCESS TO THE PLAYING FIELD AT CBP (AND ADULTS TOO)

Enjoy VIP access to Citizens Bank Park - without the lines! For Pete's Sake, Walk! is a 3 mile fun walk. Following the 3 mile route, walkers will be allowed to round the bases and take a photo in the dugout!

You can walk as an individual, register your family, join an existing team of walkers or form a team of your own!

You can register the entire family here:
http://takeabreakfromcancer.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=997534&lis=1&kntae997534=BA5CB0666D674FB0BBA9F3B7643E3756

and please join our team: Phightin' for Officer Dial

FPS has a very special place in our hearts and we would really love for all of our friends and family to join us for this very special event. FPS sent us on our amazing respite to Florida last week. We would love to help other families be able to enjoy this amazing experience.