At the Princess request, I want to share this with you some really bad update about Estelle Gray, my married partner of 26.5 years. The  cancers is back.  It has progressed to Stage 4.  The following is written by the Princess:

"This is a hard for me to write but forgive me, it’s just a lot easier than talking to you all. My cancer is back. And it’s back aggressively. I am two weeks into chemo. They surgically put back in my chemo-port. The first scan to see if the cancer that has metastasized in my lymph nodes and lung will shrink is in 6 weeks. I’ll know more after that. Until then, no news is no news and I’m just gonna go underground and hibernate. Thank you for understanding.”

 

As for me, this is the hardest experience I have ever had to face. Life expectancy for the Princess is 1-2 years if the new tumors in her lymph nodes and 5 tumors in her lungs and possible other organs shrink.  If not, it is a matter of months .  The Princess has chosen to resist the cancer - she has a choice.

 

The type of cancer is called  upper track urothelial cancer -- a type of bladder cancer. The first tumor is inside her kidney blocking her urethra so she's lost function of one kidney but the other one is fine.  The tumor in her kidney  is growing aggressively and now  1.5" in size.  She also has 5 tumors in her lungs and however many lymph nodes are affected  as well. The side effects  of chemo are debilitating and cumulative.  She suffers from pain - horrible pain - and is on morphine. She suffers from the side effects of cancer -- fatigue, blood clots, neuropathy, painful constipation, no appetite, more pain -- and the doc's are trying to be hopeful - trying.

 

There's not much to say to her.  She likes positive postal cards if you want to postal mail them. She's teaching me how to cook as I do the caregiving and my cooking skills are very, very limited. I can learn. You all can help.  She does not want to discuss the disease at this time.  She wants time and space right now. You get it.

 

Thank you for being there for us -- I am not doing well either.

 

With heart and hopes that we can put this back into remission.

Sal Edwards

sal.edwards@heartzones.com

May 11, 2024

Medford, Oregon

 

Photos:   (1) Princess in our backyard with her compost bin working on our garden  (2) Paddling her new 17 pound inflatable kayak (3) Lake Klamath in Southern Oregon (4) On a hike with Lucy, our red healer, several months ago (5) the love of her life -- born blind -- Aggie, our rescue, who is now 3 years old.