A great day with Bruce!

So, with brain injuries (which I'm becoming an expert at) there are good days and there are bad days! It's the luck of the draw! Either way we will take the good with the bad!

Today was a great day! The Bru-man said about 30 words at different times to me ad the kids today. I came with Kenzie and Corbin and spent the afternoon with him. The kids love playing with Brampa. I'm amazed at how much they enjoy how simple the relationship is. Playing catch, having him say the numbers on the UNO cards or cheering him on in the bike while he exercises! Well that is until Kenzie comes into the kitchen freaking out that he was tired! She freaked, Bru was fine, dripping with sweat! I have to tell ya though, 16 minutes on the bike was pretty awesome! He is walking well and he really spoke more than I have heard him since surgery. A great day for Bruce and a great day for me and the kids!

Every day is a new day! Keep the positive coming! What else can you do!

Happy Birthday to the Bru-Man

Just thought we would share this with all of you. We celebrated Bruce's 59th birthday yesterday. An exciting surprise to see Marie and Patrick from Texas! Bru got a NordiTrak recumbent bike and a "pint size" (a bruism) monster truck to torment the little kitties with. He had a cake from Ryke's, it was a huge hit! He also had a celebratory beer with the family! Might as well eat, drink and be merry!

Thought I would post this video of Happy Birthday for you all!

Merry Christmas!

From the Bru-Man group.... May this holiday bring you peace. Thanks for all of the continued support! Continue to pray.

The Bru-Man Christmas Shops!

The girls and I took Bru-man shopping at the mall today. We bought grandma some presents from Brampa and the boys! We had soooo much fun.

We ate Chinese food, strolled the mall and bought gifts! It really was an absolute joy to shut my phone off an spend incredible time with Bru and my wonderful girls! We had a blast. I'm always inspired by his courage!

I was approached by the salvation army ringer after putting Bru in and out of the car. She said as a healthcare worker she was touched by my girls an my love and devotion, she said he must be pretty special and that we touched her! Wished us a Blessed Merry Christmas and Godspeed for a strong recovery. She really made me feel proud of my daughters! I am so thankful this Christmas.

No matter what we endure .... We persevere! I learned that from my parents. Bruce is very special to me and to my family. We owe a great deal to him for his unconditional love and support the last 27 years of my life! Thanks Bru-Man, you continue to bring joy to my life everyday!

Bruce At Home!!

Well, where to start? I guess from where we left off, huh? Bruce came home last Thursday afternoon. He spent most of the weekend trying to get back on his normal sleeping schedule, i.e., sleep at night, up during the day. In the rehab unit that got somewhat reversed and he wasn't getting adequate rest. That's much better now :)

Bruce still doesn't speak much, although when I am conversing (and I say "I" because I do all the talking - nothing new there, huh??) he will just spontaneously add a comment. That's a step forward. Still has difficulty with either gathering his thoughts to express OR having the ability to actually say what he's thinking, thus the photo just added of what Bruce wrote to me last night. As he has short-term memory problems, he didn't remember what had happened to him, the brain tumor, the surgery, nothing. We know that this is normal during the course of his recovery from the surgery and the brain shifting back to its original placement. Unknown if that will get any better. Also unknown if his speech will be getting better, but we're an optimistic bunch, for sure!! And I concur with Bruce's thoughts last night, we SHOULD be in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and as soon as Bruce is capable of travel, we will be doing just that!

Ambulation is very slowly progressing. Bruce is now able to walk with a walker with one person simply assisting to make sure he doesn't fall. Not that he's gonna be running any marathons anytime soon, LOL. He has what is called a Lema strap that allows his left leg to ambulate. This after a short 3 weeks where he could only take one step forward, period! So proud of him and all his efforts :)

I would like to add that our children have stepped up to the plate for their dad. I am so proud of these 3. Guess we must have done something right in the way we raised them! They are going above and beyond and like to tease Bruce, make him laugh/smile, and show him he is so loved. VERY heartwarming to see and experience. Kudos to my and Bruce's families for everything they've done for Bruce and I thus far. The saying has always been you can choose your friends but not your family. Know what? We wouldn't trade our family for anything!!!

Life is very hectic around this house these days. It's like we have a revolving door. Speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and visiting nurses are here pretty much daily. Then radiation/chemotherapy will be started after the holidays, radiation to be 5 days per week for 6 weeks. We would love to have people come visit, sit and chat with Bruce, but we need a little bit of time (probably after Christmas) to get our schedules worked out with everything that's happening in the very near future. Please be patient, and once we have a routine set in place we would love to see each and every one of you! Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to call, write, prepare meals, send cards, run errands, lend a shoulder for me to cry on, and being OUR support system! You need to know that we appreciate it and gives us renewed strength to take one step forward (literally in Bruce's case and figuratively in mine!!) Will update soon......Val

Writing!

Mom will post details later

Quick Update

Hi all- apologize for the delay in posting. Bruce is home! Has been since Thursday afternoon! His room is nice and cozy, all necessary equipment and supplies are there and the family is settling in with a routine and schedule. We really need help with sitting with Bruce. He has to have to people at home at all times. Meals that can be frozen are needed as well. Visiting nurses comes during the week, mandi- his speech therapist from the hospital will continue therapy in the home and he will also have physical and occupational therapy ongoing at home. Bruce had his first cancer center appt. yesterday. I will leave the details to Mom on that one. I wasn't there. Again, sorry for the delay, we have been adjusting and settling in. Mom did get him a zoom tablet for Christmas that I have set up for him to enjoy all his favorite apps like motor trend, eBay, sports illustrated and all the free Seinfeld episodes he would new through crackle. A great app! Thanks to all, we would be lost with all the support!

Rehab Update #4 Video of Bru-Man Walking

Hey All - busy trying to get Bruce ready to come home on Thursday.  All the preparations for the house are underway. Thanks to Freddie Severson, he is coming to help install all of the assist devices that we need at home to welcome Bruce to an environment that ensures he is able to move as independently as possible at home.  We have been busy helping Bruce with his occupational, physical and speech therapy.  We have written down song lyrics and made a blank space for him to fill in for the last word of the verse, some songs we included: 5 o'clock World, With a Little Help From My Friends, Try to See It My Way and The Things We Said Today - Nothin' like the Beatles to keep him smiling.

I have discovered iMovie, an app on my phone that allowed me to edit the movie below and add in some suggested music (as you will see from the video) to help enhance our pride in Bruce's hardwork and efforts to rehab! His spirit is strong, we are learning everyday what it' like to live regardless of the outcome! Please continue the wonderful prayers, they are helping.


Enjoy the video, I know that it has reminded me of the perseverance my parents instilled in me. Bruce has demonstrated courage, the courage to endure! I'm so thankful that my children can learn this through their Brampa!

COMING HOME!!

Bruce will be coming home this next Thursday, December 8. He is still confused at times, has difficulty expressing what he wants to say, and has weakness in his left leg. On the other hand, he walked with his walker VERY WELL today, actually using momentum and a fashioned sling to facilitate lifting his left leg/knee to try to get the leg to activate in walking. The physical therapist, nursing staff, Mitch and I were ecstatic!! I kept bribing him with a kiss in order to get him to walk to where I was standing :) Too funny. Should have seen the grin on his face!! He shaved himself for the first time this morning (I had been doing the honors, and not very well, I might add!) He is now able to get from a sitting position to a standing position and back again with very little prompting from us. So apparently the brain is renewing those neurotransmitter pathways somewhere and sometimes :)

Now we are in the process of getting our home ready for his homecoming. There is a lot of preparation involved in this. The goal has been, and always will be, to make Bruce as comfortable as we can and help him to achieve the highest level of quality of life that we can offer. I have total confidence in our family and friends that we can and WILL achieve that very successfully....with a little bit of help from Bru-man :))

We are going to start organizing visits throughout the weeks so as to not overwhelm Bruce once he returns home. If you haven't had a chance to visit him yet, your time is coming, trust me!! He is grateful and appreciative of those who have come to see him, but I can guarantee that he will be absolutely over the moon to see everyone once he is at home and in familiar environs. Here's to progress!!! Luv ya all! Val AND Bruce

Here's To Progress!! December 1

Bruce had a lot of therapy this morning. He spoke to me more than he has ever before :)

He walked with his walker this morning but very slowly and unable to maneuver his left leg. Only walked about 6 steps.

This afternoon, however, the therapists decided to try to have him walk WITHOUT the walker! What a difference!! He was able to walk 100 feet down the hallway!!! He had assistance with his left leg, of course, but W-O-W!!! What a difference a day can make, eh? He is smiling much more every day and likes getting teased by the nurses/therapists (naturally!!) He was pretty tired when I stopped in to see him at 6:00 p.m. I brought his iPod up with the docking station so that he can listen to music whenever he feels like it. He had me turn it on for him before I left. I KNOW he is drumming out the tunes with his hands and trying to follow the songs' lyrics. Brings him such joy to hear especially Sea Breeze tunes :) Will keep you all posted! Have a great Friday, everyone. HOW did it get to be Friday already????

Pictures of Bru-Man post surgery!

Hi all, here are some pictures of Bruce in the hospital. He is doing well on our way up with the kids this afternoon!

REHAB UPDATE Wednesday, Nov. 30

Time for an update for all. Sorry, just been overly busy recently with all that's happening.

Had our meeting this afternoon about Bruce's progress in the rehab unit. The rehab team will be meeting Friday to discuss his progress and how rehab will follow after that time. We don't know at this point when he will be coming home. I asked Bruce today if he would like to see people who want to come to visit and he said yes. So if anyone would like to come to the hospital for a chat with Bruce, let us know when you would like to come over and we can give you his schedule when we know it. Generally, we know in the late afternoon what his schedule for the next day will be for therapy. He does better if there are only one or two people in the room at a time; otherwise, he becomes distracted somewhat. He is having language difficulties right now, but he has good days and bad days (I suppose like the rest of us but magnified to the Nth degree). If you happen to catch him on a good day/time, he may respond to you verbally. If not verbally, he WROTE very well today (YAY!!) and you can communicate that way as well. OR, you can just hug and kiss him, hold his hand and tell him how you feel :) He is working very hard at being ambulatory on his own. He tires easily though, which is totally normal after this type of tumor removal from the brain. Hopefully the brain will settle down, the fluid will drain, and the pathways for the synapses to occur will become more functional as time goes on. He has made FABULOUS progress from even 3 days ago. The brain is incredible but Bruce has suffered such a trauma that it takes an enormous amount of time and effort to regain even simple tasks. He smiles and laughs, and it is THAT which makes us so grateful, reassured, and appreciative of what he has accomplished thus far. :)

The oncology appointment has been postponed until December 9. I will update everyone when I get more information as to what is going to be happening and when in that regard.

Once Bruce comes home, we will also be needing whomever wishes to come visit, to do so. As we all know, people respond to positive re-enforcement and love, and Bruce will be needing/wanting that in the very near future!!

Thanks to all who have answered my calls to be with Bruce while none of the rest of our family could be. We so appreciate all of you. I will try to post more often, just been inundated with planning, scheduling, learning from therapy how to help, etc. LOVE TO ALL!!! - Val AND Bruce

Some Great Pictures!



Maddie and The Boys at the House




At the Pequets House in the Hot Tub




One of my favorite moments with the Bru Man!




Brampa and Kezie - A great day for those two - the look on her face is classic!




Maddie and Bruce after she came home from the neonatal unit!



GO BRONCOS!




Bruce and the boys on vacation





Mitch and Bruce on Vacation



A classic family portrait - disregard the groom! Pay attention to the look on the faces of Mom, Jake, Mitch, Maddie and Bruce........The Bride and Groom are the only ones looking at the camera and you can't forget Uncle Donn's behind in the background! A Classic Rissi Moment!

Rehab Update #3

Yesterday was Bruce's best day thus far, that I have seen.  We were all up there for therapy yesterday and it was great to see my baby brother Jake helping his Dad.  I watched Jake mature yesterday into a great young man.  He really stepped up yesterday and faced his fears and put himself aside and be a strong man for his Father. I was very blessed to be a part of it. Mitch is coming up this afternoon to help with therapy, it will be great to see him be a part of the healing process as well!

Jake learned how to transfer Bru to and from the bed and walker.  Bruce was especially talkative yesterday.  The physical therapist came in and asked him how we was doing and he responded, "very well Sue, thanks." YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY! That was awesome. He was very animated and lots of Bruman facial expressions that I haven't seen in awhile.  He said goodbye to us as well.  Mitch is coming up to do therapy this afternoon, excited to see him grow as a person as well. They really are stepping up to the bat!

Had a special dinner with the boys at BW3's which was interesting.  That's definitely a guy place.  The waitress was pretty smitten on Jacob! He's such a good lookin' kid! I had a great time hangin' with my bros and Dan.  Dan is really good with the boy and relates to teen boys much better than I do. Teenagers are bizarre as it is, but boys are really weird (I think they have cooties still)  Laughed, loved and had a good pep talk! It's nice to be able to connect with the boys in a way that isn't Mitch and I at each other's throats (which is most of the time). Mitch and I had a great talk and it's special that he feels he can come to me for advice on what not to do in his teenage years (another aspect of our family, I have great advice on what NOT TO DO!) We have a common thread of survival that I have never shared with my brothers. It seems (if anyone knows are family well) that the rally cry has always been to get me through some travesty in life.  Glad to be the one finally supporting everyone else!

I often wonder why things happen, learned in my many years of EMS service as a paramedic in Michigan, that we have no control over anything that happens.  As Sugarland said, "S*&t Happens!" what can you do. We are defined by the paths that we endure in life, it's the journey that we come to cherish in life! 

I am digging up some old pictures that should give us all a healthy dose of laughter to keep our spirits high.  There is a family meeting today at 3:00, we should have a really good update for everyone by then. I did ask Bruce if I could post a picture of him on the blog and he said yes. So just waiting on Mom to send me the pic via text. 

Jake and Mom are there for his morning session of therapy right now. Mom said she was going to take him outside to see the beautiful....yet incredibly cold....sunshine!

Keep the prayers coming! We love you Bruce, we are there and we will get through whatever this world has in store for us! That's what we do!

Rehab update #2

Just got back from the hospital. Mom is there every morning for breakfast, I am there for lunch and Di is there this afternoon for dinner.

Slow and steady wins the race. We are unsure of how long he will be in the rehab unit still. Hoping for some answers on Wednesday when we meet with the care team. Each of us has been part of one area of therapy or another. He did walk with a walker for me on Saturday. Bruce did confirm that he was up and walking this morning. He is smiling and speaking, did tell me to be quiet today:) at least he's expressing his needs. He did tell me today that he can read and has memory of the past few days. He does have some tactile tendencies with his hands. He keeps them busy a lot. The right side is much stronger than the left. His left hand is working just weak and physical therapy is really trying to get him to learn to manage his left leg which is weak and not moving a whole lot. He is speaking, he speaks with Mom a lot more than anyone else. All in due time. Patience is a virtue ( something I don't have a great deal of) After the overly solicitous comment, I try not to ask a lot of questions (God knows I talk too much already).

It has been decided that radiation and oncology treatment will start when rehab is complete.

We really appreciate all of those that have come and kept him company this past holiday weekend! It was very helpful. His room at home is all set up and we are anxiously awaiting his return home! Again, slow a steady win the race. Please keep sending positive prayers and prayers an strong rehab! He is in good spirits! So those prayers must be working.

Thanks to all. We will update daily!

DAY 1 - Rehab Unit

Well, here is another one for y'all. God love this man!! First of all, yesterday was a setback. Bruce became non-ambulatory, non-communicative, and overall not as well as the past few days. Another CT scan revealed no bleeds, but there was more swelling in the brain. So they ordered heavy doses of steroids (they had been weaning him off of them) to hopefully correct that. This morning he was a little better. I said, "I love you. You say it". He parroted me and said "I love you". Asked him who am I, his response "Val, my wife". That's a start.

Came back up late this afternoon and he was sitting in the wheelchair. The speech therapist was helping feed him dinner and doing more assessments. When she had finished and left the room, I pulled the wheelchair up close to me and spoke with him. Here is what was said, sorry didn't take it down verbatim and using my memory (which most of you know is pretty lousy).

I'm the Q, Bruce is the A:

Q Do you remember yesterday at all?

A No.

Q Do you know what has happened to you?

A (No response)

Q Do you know where you are?

A Hackley Health.

Q You had a brain tumor removed --

A -- the size of a golf ball.

Q No, the size of a tennis ball.

A (Gesturing with hand what the size was)

Q Yes, that's right. Did Dianne come to see you today? (His secretary)

A No.

Q I don't mean Di (my sister), but Dianne.

A No.

Q Dianne said she was coming up. You don't remember seeing her yet?

A No

Q Are you okay, babe?

A Overly solicitous.

Q (Laughter) I am being overly solicitous?

A Yes.

Q That's because I'm so happy to talk with you. Do you remember your brother Paul coming up to see you today as well?

A He is, too.

Q He is, too, what? Overly solicitous?

A Yes.

Q SWEET! (Do a little dance)

Sorry, Paul, I guess you and I are talking to him much the same way and asking too many questions. I just started laughing so hard! True Bru form :) Doesn't say to me just shut up but "Overly solicitous"!

A little later on Jake and I were talking with him again.

Q Who is that there, Bruce?

A Jacob. (YAY!!!)

Q Say "I love you".

A Turns to Jake but no response. Turns to me and says, "I love you".

Q No. Turn to Jake and say I love you. (Put my fingers on his throat to encourage his brain to activate his voicebox)

A (Turns to Jake) I love you.

(Jacob answers, "I love you too, Dad".)

Q Jake is going to go home right now. Do you understand what I'm telling you?

A (Thumbs up)

Q No, tell me.

A Taskmaster.

So precious!! His brain is working overtime to try to do very simple tasks, but the fact that he can verbalize is fabulous!!! I think he was joking with me but unsure. Again, WE'LL TAKE IT!!! His ambulatory skills are pretty much non-existent, but soon we hope his brain will tell his body what to do. Hence the reason for the steroids. Sorry this post is very long, but it was so humorous I had to share it with y'all. Baby steps, just baby steps, but progress is progress. So happy to hear him talk, albeit in a whisper!

We will be spending Thanksgiving snuggled up in his bed together and watching the Lions whip the Green Bay Packers - ok, so let me dream, will 'ya -- and having Thanksgiving dinner brought up by my sister Di and her husband Fred. Hope everyone who reads this will have a great Thanksgiving and that you hug your family and tell them how much you love them!! Oh, and we love all of you, too :)

OUT OF THE ICU!!!!

All right, so I'm lying in the recliner next to Bruce this afternoon, holding his hand, and he is grimacing. So I ask him, Bru, what's wrong?? His response? Sphincter pain! Are you kiddin' me??? My husband's first words to me since surgery aren't "Honey, I'm fine", "Babe, I love you", or "I am so glad to see you"; it's "Sphincter pain"!! But you know what? I'LL TAKE IT :) Not speaking much but he IS speaking. The weirdest thing is that I KNEW what he meant. You don't live with someone for 27 years and not know them well.

Bruce was moved out of the ICU early evening and transferred to the surgical floor. He will stay there until the rehabilitation unit feels he is strong enough to be transferred there. Once in the rehab unit, in-patient, they will work on getting him as independently strong and mobile before radiation will be started, along with chemotherapy. He was up most of the day today, hardly took any pain medications, and was more alert. He was able to nod for yes, shake his head for no, most of the time. He does things repetitively, but apparently that is normal in these type of patients. His swelling continues to lessen and hopefully he will regain most, if not all, of his deficits as time progresses. Oh, and he hugged me too!!! Great to feel his arms around me :)

As far as I'm concerned, every day is a miracle for our family!

MANY thanks to all who have been at the hospital for support, the many cards, well wishes, offers to help, food, and prayers!! WE couldn't do this without YOU!! Our family is so blessed! And Thanksgiving will truly be thanks-giving for all of us :)

DAY 3 - Recovery

Ok, so this one is a little late in the day. Bruce has been doing very well today. He is currently sitting up in the chair watching a movie :) He watched some of the end of the Lions' game ...... GO DETROIT!!!!

He still is not verbalizing, but he is way more interactive with us and more aware of his surroundings. He will most likely be moved out of ICU tomorrow, if he continues to progress this well. The plan is still to have him do in-patient rehab to help with speech and gross motor skills. We are extremely optimistic about his progress thus far. The swelling has obviously gone down inside the skull and his brain is still adjusting/adapting to the changes over the past 3 days.

Mitch and Jake came up to see their dad as well today. Jake joked that he had purchased a small hinge to attach to the top of Bruce's head so we could open up the brain at will. Mitch has now nicknamed Bruce "Cueball"! They were very glad to see their dad so animated today. Joyous day for the Rissis!!

We appreciate all of your photos, comments, and support! Please keep the prayers coming as we continue this rollercoaster ride.

Recovery- Day 4

Things are really great today! When I arrived at the hospital, Bru was sitting in the recliner while they were cleaning his room. He is nodding yes and no. He wanted some cappuccino! Saw my wesco cup hoping it was cappuccino! He nodded no when I asked him if he wanted some, it was coffee. He looked at the newspaper, seemed more transfixed on the sports section. He fed himself alone today and ate all of his breakfast. He looked at the blog on my phone and saw the "surgery a success" post and gave me a thumbs up. I read him everyone's comments. Gave a thumbs up for that. Which was great!

I showed him my black Friday app on my iPhone. Showed him a great deal on a Sony blu-ray player and he grabbed the phone and started investigating all the techy details on it. He is following commands very well! He will be out of ICU soon. He is very interactional today and wide awake at times. He is using both arms just fine and his right leg. He is discovering all of his gadgets and gizmos attached to him. He is much more aware of everything! Hoping mom will bring him some cappuccino with her. Keep praying we are doing well! Huge progress thru the night. Got him to laugh last night because of his turban, he thought that was pretty funny! He enjoyed the comments on the blog, keep them coming!

DAY 2 - Recovery

Bruce is resting well today. Not quite as agitated. He is not speaking other than saying "hello" to Maddie (granddaughter) yesterday afternoon. He does follow commands, although they must be repeated for them to register in his brain. He has decreased strength in his left hand and leg, foot. Spoke with the neurosurgeon this morning, He told me this will be a slow process and instructed the nurses that Bruce will be transferred over to the rehab unit of Hackley Hospital once he is released from ICU/surgical floor. We don't know when that will be and how long he will stay there. He will receive physical. occupational, and speech therapy while in the rehab unit.

Understand that he has quite a bit of swelling still in the brain and, because of the size of the tumor, his brain is shifting back to its original position and, as such, the neurological symptoms he is experiencing as referenced above are hopefully temporary in nature and he will become better as time passes.

ICU Update for Today

Hi All, spoke with my Mom this morning. Things are the same as yesterday. They did do a cat scan yesterday which showed that there was some swelling, which is to be expected. His verbal communication is very limited, just one word yesterday, but is interacting with people with hand signals. He is also following commands as well.  Keep those prayers coming. Mom will be at the hospital for the majority of the day and Dan and I are taking the night shift.  Thanks again to all for your continued support.

Pictures of the Bru Man Group

He Said Hello!

Brampa said hello to Maddie this afternoon! The first word we have heard so far! Woo hoo! Keep the prayers coming!

DAY 1 - Recovery

Spoke with the ICU nurse this morning. Nothing has changed. All indications are he is doing well. They have done another CT scan this morning to make sure everything is all right. Bruce slept relatively comfortably last night. Visiting hours don't begin until 10 a.m. and we are going to limit visitors to only immediate family in order to allow Bruce to rest. He seemed rather agitated yesterday so I have decided to keep stimulation at a minimum to help the brain to shift back into place and heal. I stayed in his room for quite a while last night, calming him so he could rest comfortably and that seemed to help. Will be doing the same thing today. Keep the prayers coming!

SURGERY - SUCCESS!! Yay!

I just want to say THANK YOU for all the prayers, cards, emails, posts, phone calls, and support from so many people. We are truly humbled. Bruce has made it through the surgery well. He is pretty out of it but recognizes us and gave me a kiss, (actually, a few)! ALWAYS a positive sign, in my opinion! Glad he knows who his wife is . The inside joke is that he now gets to hold up a sign that says "I HAD A BRAIN TUMOR" when asked anything and 'nuf said!! We are so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people, each and every one of you. Know that we love you and send out hugs/kisses as if you were right with us, even though you cannot physically be where we are.

Still don't know how long the stay will be in the hospital. It's too soon to tell. I will let you all know when that information is shared with Bruce and I. Keep the faith!!! Miracles DO happen! Already witnessed one; right???

He Is In Recovery!

Surgery went very well! Only lost a shot glass worth of blood. He is moving all of his extremities. There were no complications! The pathology did confirm that the tumor was in fact a glioblastoma (brain cancer). He will be moved to the ICU in the next couple hours. Family is doing well! Thx to everyone for all of your prayers! Keep them coming. Radiation treatment will start in two weeks and he will be put on an oral chemotherapy medication at that time as well. Chemotherapy wafers were put into his skull at the time of surgery today as well. One huge step towards progress!

We have taken over the OR waiting room!

Oh boy, we have moved the masses to Muskegon!

Update #1

Bruce is all done with the procedure, they are closing him up as we speak. I will post as soon a the surgeon comes out to speak with us! Sounds like things went well! Hang tight!

And we are off!

Bruce is on his way! He's in great spirits and feels loved. Thank to everyone who showed up to shower him with strong prayers and love. They said we have an hour of prep and then they will call when they actually start the surgery. It's expected to last about four hours, barring complications. We won't have complications though!

Waiting for surgery!

Prayers and Luck for Surgery Tomorrow

Praying hard and wishing Bruce luck for tomorrow's procedure.  We will keep the blog updated as soon as information is made available throughout the day.

 We love you Bruce, everything will be just fine and you will feel so much better after the procedure, have faith! We all love you very much and will be holding our breath and praying for all the wonderful things that we know will happen.

                     We love you guys, all our best for tomorrow….  Dave & Chris Pequet 

Bru-Man on the Drums!

So Aunt Marie sent...via Jerry, a pretty cool pic of Bru on the drums.  What a punk, kinda reminds me of Itchy Mitchy....God knows Mitch would crap if he knew that I called him that on this blog....ha ha what are sisters for, right!  Thanks again Marie and Jerry, great picture!

My Turn - Part 2

That wasn't very good, my original post.  Let's try again.  Val is my angel; I'm proud of our family.  Compiling a bucket list.  As many of you as possible will participate as time and events allow - Love you all - Bruce

My Turn

Thanks for stopping by.   It's truly great to share this way.  I've come to rely on Val and Dianne H. regarding spelling and composition.   I have been given a nice opportunity to have my family and friends share their thoughts and feelings with me.  Now I'd like to return the favor.  It's hard to accept so much help and support, but it's all greatly appreciated.  I'm very touched.- Bruce

Wanna support us......here's how!

So if you haven't noticed both my Mom and I are Connie Maxim on the blog. Just easier this way.  It is Connie typing this one, not Val....obviously Val typed the Breakfast in Bed one.....you get my drift :0) Anywho......

If you are interested in providing some support or help, we have a couple of requests. If you can help at all with anything listed below, please give Val a call to let her know

Babysitting Brampa?!?!?!!?!?

Yes even the grand kids will be keeping Bruce company after surgery, during chemo and any other time that it's needed.  I suggested to my Mom that she make one night a month her night where she can just go and be away and get a break.  If you are interested in helping with that, I think that she is going to choose a specific weekend night every month that she does this......the first Friday of the month or the third Saturday, not sure what day it will be yet but if we could get some people to cover her for this escape in the coming months, that would be awesome!

Calling all cooks - there are a ton of resources out there to keep Bruce healthy during chemotherapy and radiation.  I have looked over a ton of websites for nutrition/recipes/tips for helping with nausea and found a great resource on the Live-strong website (Lance Armstrong's Foundation Website) I am going to post some links below of recipes and nutrition so that we can start making a bunch of meals (single and family) for the Rissi household. We would really like to get a bunch of easily prepared meals that are chemo friendly that can be left in the freezer and warmed up right away. It actually kinda reminds me of a movie scene that enjoy from Babe. Farmer Hogat has to feed himself while his wife is away as well as feed the kitty. The scene shows all this Tupperware labeled for am and pm for the cat and Farmer Hogat.....in an early 1900's refrigerator.  That's what I am looking for. So that a meal can just be warmed up and eaten by Bruce that is chemo friendly and will help with the Nausea.  I actually have discovered that baking is therapeutic for me, that was post Val head injury, I was told that the banana bread just needed to keep coming this weekend.

Helpful Links for Recipe and Cooking Ideas!
Live-Strong.....that's exactly what we are going to do!

A hundred or so recipes from famous chefs for cancer patients! Designed specifically for chem recovery! Also gives some tips for specific post chemo annoyance like dry mouth and mouth sores!

Cancer Survivor Dietitian Blog on her diet while enduring chemo!

Mayo Clinic Health Recipes - 100s of meals.

Any help with frozen meal preparation for both Bruce and meals for the whole family would be absolutely helpful! Even if it's just one, that's one less meal to prepare.

A Big Thanks to All- Fall Clean Up

We just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the help. In four hours we managed to get every single area of the yard all cleaned up.  John, Dan, Connie, Kenzie, Jake, Maddie, Scott R. and Scott B. all really chipped in and helped get the yard spick and span. It looked great! Those are the wonderful things that are so very helpful to the family. Also thanks to the Rissi clan for coming for a great visit an bringing great food too. We are blessed and thankful!

Breakfast in Bed!!

Ok, so Bruce and my FAVORITE dessert are Dove Bars, so we each ate one in bed this morning for breakfast!!  So funny.  We were laughing about how we LOVED Dove Bars and hadn't had one in several years.  Yum!!  We shared some special memories this morning :)  At least we got our daily serving of dark chocolate and some dairy to boot!

Swimming for Brampa today!

Team rissi!

INFORMATION OVERLOAD- Here is some good stuff-jargon free to help with the details

Hi All,

Whatever you do, don't Google brain cancer, it's a world of information and sometimes it's not necessarily the best information. God forbid you Google and realize that Bruce has been abducted by aliens and is building mashed potato sculptures at the dinner table!  I have gotten together some links for you from validated sources that can help you to understand Bru's diagnosis.

Gimmie the Skinny on what the heck is going on...............

Brain Cancer Basics

American Cancer Society - Brain Cancer

Okay......I think I understand Glioblastoma......now what about all of those treatments out there......

The Treatment Goal

What the heck is a craniotomy!

Chemotherapy - Glioblastoma

Radiation Therapy - Glioblastoma

Craniotomy - Glioblastoma

Why are they putting wafers in his head?!?!?!? This is a site that explains the medication wafer that they will leave in Bru's head!

With now two Rissi boys being diagnosed with this type of cancer, all of us are thinking of our children, siblings and parents now and hoping that the genetic correlation isn't something serious. We did speak with the neurosurgeon on this, he did say as multiple family members begin to show the same history, it is typically genetic. There is hope, they are developing a vaccine for this type of cancer, read below:

A Promising New Vaccine!!!!!!

Prognosis - Here is the bottom line!

Prognosis - From the experts

Strap yourselves in - it's gonna be a wild ride!!

Let me begin by saying THANK YOU already for the outpouring of love/support Bruce and I have received thus far.  It takes a village, right??

Ok, on to the more critical information.  Bruce has a glioblastoma (tumor) in the right frontal lobe of his brain the size of a tennis ball, crossing the midline of the brain into the left frontal lobe.  This is a terminal condition, period.  The only question is how long he will survive.  Could be six months, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years.  The brain is a miraculous organ, but all the experts cannot predict survival rate.  He is scheduled for a craniotomy next Thursday at Hackley Hospital in Muskegon.  Approx. time of surgery, 3-4 hours, followed by chemo wafers inserted into the tumor cavity and radiation 2 weeks post-operatively.  He is expected to come through the surgery intact, meaning no loss of vision, speech, or with paralysis but the neurosurgeon cannot guarantee that as he doesn't know exactly where the tumor lies until time of surgery.  He is expected to be in ICU for 2 days, followed by 2 days on regular hospital floor, then home. On the day of surgery I will be able to access and post to the blog and give up-to-date information on surgery, recovery, etc.  t is our wish to do this locally because we want our family and friends involved and, quite frankly, the GOAL is to keep Bruce positive, upbeat, as close to normal Bruce as he can be, while being able to enjoy a good quality of life for however the good Lord allows him to be on this earth!    Feel free to share the link to the blog titled Bru-ha-ha with whomever you feel would like to follow it and read the blog to keep up to date on his progress following surgery and throughout our newest journey into the unknown.  Please be assured that Bruce appreciates all of your concern and well wishes (he is confused b/c of medications he's on right now to prevent seizures), but we will be looking at this blog from time to time to see what people have posted.  Please, please feel free to leave comments.  This is our best way to communicate with everyone.  We appreciate your support of our decisions as to how to move forward, and we certainly look forward to hearing from you!!  Please say a prayer that surgery will be successful.  - Val