What a difference a day makes. No...what a difference prayer makes. Larry had an outstanding day today. He ate three meals, took his medication, did some cleaning around the house, got to play on his new computer, didn't take any naps and he and Sherry didn't have one argument!! It could be that being back on some of his previous medications is helping tremendously, yet we also believe that the faithful prayers of many are having an impact in Larry's life.

Melody, Larry's daughter, spoke with him today and said that he sounded "like dad". That was a very welcomed sound. He is still in need of oxygen and the pain meds for his fractured rib, but we are so pleased to hear that this is the best day he has had in weeks.

Larry has been resisting the help that Sherry has been trying to give him, but he has since come to realize that she is only doing what the doctors have told her to do. With that, Larry has become far more cooperative and less combative. This is a positive change.

Please continue to pray. Larry goes back for chemo treatment Tuesday and to the urologist for a follow-up on Thursday. He still has a ways to go.

Thursday, March 12:

Larry went to see his regular doctor today in hopes of getting some additional pain medication for his fractured rib. He was given a patch that has a medication similar to morphine on it. The patch lasts 72 hours - he has 5 patches. Hopefully this will give him the relief he needs. The stubborn Larry tried to put on one of the patches on himself and dropped it...not on his body... but probably in the couch. Hopefully the dog won't find it. That would be one loopy dog. The doctor said it is really important not to touch the medicated side of the patch. Pretty powerful stuff, but that is what he needs.

His doctor also put him back on a few of the medications that he was on prior to being diagnosed with the cancer. They are all medications that he has taken for several years - so to have gone cold turkey with them has possibly caused him some problems. He was given Dramamine for nausea and has been put back on an anti-depressant.

Larry continues to be in quite a bit of pain. In our last update we mentioed that Larry's son, Greg, would be coming to town. Because of this, Larry's cancer doctor agreed to move his chemo up a day so Larry can spend a little more time with family without his chemo pump on.

Sherry is caring for the dogs as best she can and looks forward to spending a little time this weekend picking up the house. These have been 3 crazy weeks and we are anticipating good things once Larry gets back on track with his treatment next week. Family and friends nearby continue to assist as they are able.

We'll check back soon....

Wednesday, March 11;

A very tough day at the Cameron household. Larry is still experiencing allot of pain. Certainly the majority of it is from his fractured rib and we have to remember as well that he is very sick with cancer. He could hardly eat anything today...or let's just say he attempted to eat, but became very sick several times and "lost" anything he had eaten, including medication. He is remaining on oxygen all day long. Larry has an appointment Thursday afternoon. At this appointment they will try to see what additional medication he can have for the severe pain. He has another appointment sometime next week with the urologist to check the infection that landed him in the hospital in the first place. Next Tuesday doctors hope that Larry will be stable enough to begin chemo treatment again. He will have treatment Tuesday thru Thursday. So, it is still a rough time for Larry. We are praying that his health will stabalize so that he can get back to as normal an existence as possible, whtever that looks like.

Larry's son, Greg, and his family will be arriving next Tuesday from Tennessee for a week. Larry is very excited about this visit and is grateful for those who have made it possible. Larry has not seen Greg for many years. There couldn't be a better time for the two of them to meet again. We plan on having some good quality family time with Larry next week with Greg and his family, and Melody, Larry's daughter, and her family. It is uncertain how many such opportunities we will have in the future.

Nathan Rotzien, Larry's nephew, will be taking over Cameron Plumbing for the time being. Nathan is himself a skilled plumber with his own business, and is eager to help out his uncle in this way.

Please continue to pray for Sherry. She, along with Larry, is having a very hard time getting needed rest.

We appreciate all of you who are taking the time to keep up with Larry's health crisis. We can't wait until we have more good news to share - whatever that may be. For now we will continue to share the realities of the situation, even if it is difficult to do.

Peace...

Hello friends and family,

Larry has slept a majority of the time since coming home from the hospital. Last night was a bit rough as Larry is in quite a bit of pain - mainly from his fractured rib. Sherry will be speaking to the doctor tomorrow to see if there is a pain medication Larry can take - something a bit stronger than what he was already prescribed.

Adjusting to life at home is not without its challenges. While in the hospital, Larry was constantly monitored, watched, served and cared for. At home Sherry has to leave for work so Larry must tend to things himself throughout the day. Not easy given his situation. He has been somewhat obstinant in taking his medication. He realizes he has a very long road ahead of him, and will require him to work hard at taking care of himself. This includes eating properly, taking the necessary meds and going for his regular chemo treatments. There will likely be a visiting nurse who will come to their home each week to check up on him. Hopefully knowing the nurse is coming will force Larry to "follow doctors orders" and behave. So we continue, as a famly, to covet your prayers for him.

Lastly, we want to say special thank you to Sherry's employer, Ash Creek Associates . The folks at Ash Creek have been amazing in providing support, necessary time away and flexability in her schedule so she can tend to what is the most important at this time. Their compassion and understanding has been exemplary.

We'll be in touch.....

Great news!!! Larry is being released from the hospital today (Monday, March 9). We haven't got much more detail at this point, but that is the most important detail. Certainly he was well enough to rest at his own place then in a hospital. He is eating better, walking better, his breathing is better, he's just in much better shape then he was a week ago. But, Larry is far from "out of the woods" with his health concerns so we covet your continued prayer support for healing, strength and peace. Thank you again on behalf of the family. It will be nice to have Larry home.

We will continue to update this blog. Check the blog often for updates. Also - leave comments. The kind words you send encourage Larry far more than his wife's TV dinners !!

Until there's more to report......

Larry is settling in for a much needed nights rest tonight. He remains stable, although his blood pressure has dipped a bit again. Doesn't seem to be too much of a concern but the nurses are keeping an eye on it. He has not been eating much but Sherry has filled out menu requests for the next few meals, selecting things she knows he likes. That way he has a better chance of eating it. He hasn't taken too kindly to hospital food. When asked yesterday if he missed Sherry's home cooking he said "yes, especially those TV dinners!".

His oxygen level remains good. He has gone from needing 4 litres to 3 - that is a good sign. As to his release, it may be Monday but he would need to be able to swallow a pain pill, be able to walk better and eat more. He did walk a bit more today - a little more than yesterday.

Sherry's sisters (Charlene, Cathy and April) continue to provide allot of assistance to Sherry, helping her get to and from the hospital each day and doing things around the house. Sherry is only able to work part-time, and of course, Larry is not working at all. Larry's nephew, Nathan, who is also a plumber, has been talking with Sherry and Larry about helping cover some of Larry's plumbing commitments. We appreciate Nathan's willingness to cover while Larry is not physically able to do the work himself. A couple folks have arrranged to fly Larry's son Greg, his girlfriend Jennifer and their little boy Tyler out from Tennessee in a couple weeks. Greg has not been to Oregon for several years and Larry has never met his grandson Tyler. It will be good for Greg to reconnect with the family at this time and see his dad. These are just a few examples of how family and friends stepping up to help out in their time of need.

The family can't express enough how grateful we all are for your prayers.

Talk again soon.....

Things seem to be slowly improving for Larry. His blood pressure is more in the normal range then before and he continues to improve little by little with his breathing. Much of this due to the pain meds he is on for the fractured rib. He remained stable throughout the night. Sherry was heading to the hospital around noon today and will update us a little later this afternoon once she has opportunity to visit with the doctors and nurses.

Larry's granddaughter, Kaity, added a slideshow of some of her grandpa's photography. Take a look at it and be reminded that the same God that created the stunning beauty that Larry captured in a photograph is the very same God who is at work in Larry's life, providing comfort, healing, peace and hope. We know Larry is trusting God for the future, we will all do the same.

We will update again this evening......Peace

Larry's Photography