We pulled into Mount Kidd’s parking lot and headed for the office to check in. The sun was out, but the air was chilly. After checking in we drove to our beautiful site and began to set up. As we pulled out the tarps and the tent, Tim pipes up and says “I know the rain is going to hold off, I know it...”
It didn’t.
It poured, I don’t know how long it poured for, but the two of us sat in our car waiting out the rain, soaking wet from attempting to set up the tarp to protect our tent.
From that point on, I had a chill, deep into my bones that didn’t leave until hours before we left our camp site two days later. Tim was fine, strutting his stuff in shorts while I suntanned in my red and white winter jacket.
The rain eventually stopped and we finished setting up, only to have it rain once more. We then moved into our tent for a nice picnic on our mattress. Tim made us tuna sandwiches, which somehow became completely soggy, Tim liked his . . . I could only stomach one half.
That night, we were pumped to start a nice warm fire, roast marshmallows and chat..but it rained AGAIN. We decided to drive into Canmore for dinner, and after driving around forever and testing Tim’s patience with my indecisiveness, we finally chose the good old Boston Pizza.
O by the way, did I mention I wore my winter coat the entire time we ate?
I’m a baby.. I know.
The rain let up, and even though it was a little bit chilly, Tim and I decided to make the best of our time together and like I said before, start a toasty warm fire and talk! Unfortunately, the store was closed, so our fire would have to wait until another night, plan B; A walk!
As I grabbed more warm clothes from the car, I swear I don’t know how it happened, but I locked the keys in the trunk! I searched my pockets, the tent, and even under the car. HOW could I do this? I never do this! We’re in the middle of the mountains!! O! My spare key, is in. . my wallet in the CAR!
A little girl who was camping with her family across from our site overheard our dilemma and told her mom, who then told her husband a firefighter from Edmonton. As Tim dug around in the car with a marshmallow roaster attempting to get in, our own personal fire rescue team (including two little girls) came and got us back into our trunk.
Because of my silliness we met an amazing family who welcomed us with open arms, and showed us what camping is really about. We’re going to hook up with them next year and camp at Mount Kidd!
Okay, so from there it really wasn’t so bad.
Tim and I sucked up the cold nights and enjoyed the sun when it was out. We went on a beautiful hike, bike ride, drive, roasted marshmallows, cooked on our Coleman Stove, read, and discovered qualities in each other we never knew existed. It was an awesome trip. I would do it again in a minute babe, believe me!
In a way, even though it wasn’t everything we expected, I was sad to leave. I can’t wait to go back and stay longer. Maybe I’ll leave my winter coat at home next time.
Today, I’m sitting beside Tim as he reads the bible; it has been an exciting day! Last night my amazing friend Amber let me stay at her apartment which is a two minute drive from the hospital. I woke up early and arrived just in time for Tim and I to head down for his one and only dose of radiation. We’d been prepped, but the process was so interesting. They packed Tim from head to toe in Vaseline and tapioca held in plastic. That is to equalize the radiation so it hits each part of his body without one area getting more than the other. We then headed into the radiation room where they got Tim into position and we all left. The staff taught me so much about the dose, the machine, what all the numbers meant and what exactly the radiation does to the cells in Tim’s body.
Later on, the team arrived for the transplant! Today was really his “second” birthday as he received his new immune system. We decided today that Tim and I would from this point on always celebrate his June 15th birthday and the birthday of his brand spankin, always healthy NEW immune system!
You can check out pictures of the camping trip, transplant, chemo and radiation at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=135900&id=567125201&l=9ef205f5a5
The smell on the other hand is dreadful. If Tim even turns the wrong way I get a horrible whiff of cream corn. The preservative they use to harvest the stem cells stinks as it leaves his system through his pores. It’s honestly like really strong, hot and steamy cream corn. I just have to keep remembering my vows “for better or for worse...” in good smells and in really really bad.
What a relief all the treatments are done! Its time to relax and recover and everybody on staff expects Tim to do incredibly, so do I! God is bigger!! Dr. Stewart says Tim will be fine, and everything is going exactly how he wanted it to.
It blows my mind every single day that all the things I’ve been taught the past few years at Springs Church are really truth. I grew up thinking that God’s will was to sometimes heal, but his perfect will is healing ALL the time. Not sometimes. Not maybe. Tim and I are seeing that each and every day. The cancer is gone, the side effects are zilch, and God is growing us into people of purpose. Tim has adopted a new mind set too, so have I, our faith has stretched, and we cannot wait to help others who are facing the same thing.
The doctor just came in and Tim and I are outta here until Monday! He is doing so well they are letting him leave. We will keep you all updated! Don’t stop reading.
The smell on the other hand is dreadful. If Tim even turns the wrong way I get a horrible whiff of cream corn. The preservative they use to harvest the stem cells stinks as it leaves his system through his pores. It’s honestly like really strong, hot and steamy cream corn. I just have to keep remembering my vows “for better or for worse...” in good smells and in really really bad.
What a relief all the treatments are done! Its time to relax and recover and everybody on staff expects Tim to do incredibly, so do I! God is bigger!! Dr. Stewart says Tim will be fine, and everything is going exactly how he wanted it to.
It blows my mind every single day that all the things I’ve been taught the past few years at Springs Church are really truth. I grew up thinking that God’s will was to sometimes heal, but his perfect will is healing ALL the time. Not sometimes. Not maybe. Tim and I are seeing that each and every day. The cancer is gone, the side effects are zilch, and God is growing us into people of purpose. Tim has adopted a new mind set too, so have I, our faith has stretched, and we cannot wait to help others who are facing the same thing.
The doctor just came in and Tim and I are outta here until Monday! He is doing so well they are letting him leave. We will keep you all updated! Don’t stop reading.
-Christa
Hello Tim & Christa,
ReplyDeleteFirstly congratulations on your marriage-wonderful for you both to have found that special someone and to make a committment to share that love. May God grant you many many decades of love, health and happiness together.
I have just found out about your relapse today, and it made me think back to a day over 2 years ago now...when I met both of you in the Oncology unit at the ACH in Calgary; when you were on tour and my son Ethan was on treatment. Wow! You were such a well spoken young man, who came into our lives and gave us hope for a cure for our son and the many other little ones that were there. It was a very special day for us to have met a young man like yourself, a survivor, a fighter and a man on a mission to change things for the better; one child at a time! You gave us hope to continue on.
You were gracious, kind and giving when we asked for a clip of the video that you had taken that day of our son, waving goodbye to you as you left his room. It is a cherished moment that we watch often...I can't thank you enough for that little clip, it means the world to us ... especially now. Your photo of you holding Ethan and standing with us, is still on our fridge!
Keep fighting the Cancer, keep your spirits up on the rough days, and know that we're all standing behind you; praying and cheering you on. It's our turn to hold you up, and give you hope, friendship and determination to continue onward to a cure, you can beat this ugly disease. You've given so many people--children and families many reasons to carry on, to continue fighting and to raise money for childhood cancer...you are simply amazing. Keep going, this world needs more people like you; and we're not finished with you yet...you've got a whole life ahead of you and with Christa, so stay strong, keep fighting and we'll pray and send cyber hugs. Give your Mom a hug for me too, I remember her giving me some encouraging words and a hug that day in Ethan's room...I remember thinking she was so kind and sweet to have spoken to me and that she must be so proud of her son. We were honored to have met you. You touched our lives in many ways. May God Bless you and yours always.
Colleen, Erik, Kevin, Cameron & ^^Ethan^^ O.