Merry Christmas all...

[Darin Bastedo]

I haven’t been posting much in the past few months as model building has taken a back seat to what’s been happening in my life lately. For those interested I’m posting an update on how things are going.

Last many of you have heard from me I was traveling to Northern NY to move my Fiancée and her daughter to Tennessee with me but shortly upon getting there tragedy struck, and she was diagnosed with colon cancer. With that news we decided that it would be best if she were to stay in NY where her support system, and family was, so I quit my job and moved there to take care of her.

In august she underwent surgery in Burlington VT to remove the cancer and that went well, as they were able to remove all visible cancer and she recovered well. The trouble started when the chemo started. The Oncologist we started with here in Potsdam NY screwed up badly and overdosed her on the drug and it caused a neutropenic infection which nearly killed her, and left her hospitalized for nearly two months, and was bedridden until about two weeks ago.

We have switched oncologists and this one is one of the best in the region. On Jan. 16 she will resume treatments and we have every assurance that it will go smoothly. She should be through with chemo by April and we can hopefully get back to a normal life.

Through all of this we have been helped greatly by our friends, neighbors and the American Cancer Society. The ACS has been especially helpful as we often have to make many 190 mile trips to Burlington VT for appointments and her treatments. They have allowed us to stay at the ACS Hope Lodge, (free housing for cancer patients) and have re-reimbursed our travel expenses. When we get back on our feet the American Cancer Society will be our #1 charity. We would like to encourage those who are financially able, to donate to this cause also.

Many of you have written to show support and to offer good will, and we have appreciated your kind words. We have been blessed to have many close friends. I hope you and yours a Merry Christmas. After April I hope to become involved in our hobby again, and correspond to all of you about happier subjects.

Thank You all, and God Bless you,

Darin Bastedo & Family

[Peter Lombardo]

Whoa, I was wondering why you were not posting anymore. I am sorry to hear about your fiancés run in with the dreaded “C†word, glad she is doing much better.

About three or four months ago a very, very good friend of mine was “accidentally†diagnosed with colon cancer. His wife had a small run in with some skin cancer two years ago so her Doctor wanted her to have a colonoscopy, while they had her scheduled, they told Chet, my friend, to get one too as he is older (65). She checked out fine, but my friend unfortunately did not as they found a rather large tumor. It was removed without incident and a few weeks later he was scheduled for chemo. He had such a bad reaction to the chemo, whether it was rightly administered or not I don’t know, but he was back in the hospital and very close to death.

After weeks of “touch and go†experiences he pulled through, but they had to take him off the chemo. Looks like the “cure†is worse then the decease in some cases. He, like your fiancé, is now much better, but it was rough for a while there.

When you experience “close calls†and brushes with your, or a close friend or loved ones mortality, you gain a whole new outlook on day to day life. All of a sudden, the boring mundane tasks that we take for granted become important. We tend to take life for granted and it is not until it is almost ripped away from us that we begin to realize how very precious it really is. Enjoy the time you two have together now…every minute is a gift. It is great that they are making strides with Cancer research and the survival rates are increasing all the time. I guess that is comforting, but only marginally if you are the one diagnosed with it.

Again, glad to hear that things are looking up…hang in there as, like everyone is telling me, 2009 will be a better year.

[scummy]

G,day Darin , after all the recent things that have happened in your life you still take time to wish us all a merry christmas , you are truly a great guy so i wish you and your fiancee a very merry christmas and a mega new year mate .