Wednesday, September 14th - Letter to the Editor of the Oran

Letter to the Editor

Community Spirit is Such a Healing Opportunity

Since we first came to Cape Breton in 1997 this place has been a magical opportunity of “nuggets” for our family.  We came to share our love and passion for the music and dance, and went home each summer for the next 12 years with tears in our eyes, and our hearts brimming with the love for this island.  (I am sure many others have a similar story as they head back to their working lives each fall).  Each summer we found a few more days of vacation we could squeeze out of our busy working schedules, until a beautiful old house caught our eye and became ours in 2008.  Then, without really realizing it, we knew we had to make Cape Breton our permanent home.  So, in June of 2010, we sold our businesses in Alberta, packed up our belongings and left our busy, fast paced life behind to live where our hearts had already settled so many years before. 

Our daughter, Michellie, began Grade 10 at Dalbrae Academy and spent the fall making new friends and adjusting to her quiet schedule.  This all changed for us in December when she was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma.  It was just before Christmas break, and we were caught in a whirlwind as we rushed to the IWK in Halifax for what would be months of tests, treatment and healing.

We had often wondered about how people could justify such long and frequent trips to Halifax for shopping and such.  Alas, we have become those same people!  We spent the deluge and flooding of December 2010 on the road, and nearly every subsequent trip to Halifax or Antigonish for treatment was during a blizzard.  It was a hard way to spend the winter, but by April, Michellie had finished her treatments.

What did we learn about the people and hearts of Nova Scotia, Halifax and Cape Breton through all of this?  The people love their community and they are there with open arms to help wherever possible.  Over Christmas we were blessed with a special program called “Home for the Holidays” sponsored by the Delta Hotel, where we were treated royally for several nights when our nerves were frazzled and our hearts deflated.  Irving Gas helped us with gas vouchers and Bell Aliant provided us with phone cards to call family and keep everyone posted.  Our friends in Halifax were a priceless,  taking such incredible care of us, and our friends and community in Inverness County were the same.  We had special messages, treats, and support shared with us everywhere we went. 

The student and staff at Dalbrae Academy rallied around Michellie.  On their own initiative, the students fundraised on two occasions to help cover our travelling costs for the first two sets of treatments.  They held a special hat day for Michellie when she lost her hair, and her new friends visited or texted to keep her spirits up.  When she returned to school, the teachers helped Michellie with special tutoring in the resource room while students would pop in for a visit or to help study.  She couldn’t roam the hallways for many weeks to keep her exposure to germs at a minimum, but friends were always close by.  We were so grateful for everyone’s efforts to help Michellie find her place at the school and to succeed with her studies.

At the IWK there were several programs that supported us and lifted our spirits.  There was a pajama gift that arrived on the third day of our visit as Michellie underwent surgery.  Those soft pajamas were a godsend as Michellie tried to cope with IV bottles and being sick.  There was a Christmas program where we could pick out a gift for her and wrap it, Ronald MacDonald House had special meals and quiet time in a homey atmosphere, and another program provided Michellie with her own Christmas tree and decorations.  All of these programs were supported by incredible people who knew how to reach out at such a crucial time. 

When Michellie was finished treatment and able to return to school, the community continued to rally for her.  Our good neighbours at the Hillsborough-Glendyer Community Association sponsored one of their Saturday Evening Jam sessions and raised money to help us with our expenses.  Many local businesses contributed donations for the raffle as well.  We felt so honored.  We knew that there were more people in need in similar situations and that money was able to be shared with more Cape Breton families at the IWK.  Since that concert, many musicians and audience members have stopped us while we have been out and about.  They have kindly asked about Michellie and shared their concern for us. 

People ask us how in the world we came to be here and not in Alberta when so many are heading west for work.  It is simple.  The spirit and the energy of the people of this island and Nova Scotia are like no other place in our country.  We love the “slower” pace, the sense of community, the family trees that are much bigger than ours, the music, the dance, the song and the spirit.  It has been a challenging year for us, but we would not have wanted to experience it any other way.  We feel so blessed to be able to call Inverness County our home, and we feel loved and cared for here. 

Thank you to everyone for all of your support through Michellie’s illness.  She is now a healthy and glowing Grade 11 student that will be celebrating her 16^th birthday this week.  She spent the summer relaxing and healing with trips to the lake, the ocean and the hiking trails with her friends.  She has a clean bill of health with no cancer left, and as her stamina continues to grow she blesses us with the radiance of a strong, young woman.  We are so blessed to have her with us, and to have the love of this community to continue to share and grow with.  Thank you everyone for all that you have shared and for all of the prayers that were said in Michellie’s honour.  Each person’s efforts towards her healing was felt and appreciated.  And, we know that Cape Breton is home.

Michelle and David Greenwell

Hillsborough

Friday, September 16th

The Greenwell's arrived Thursday afternoon, and Michellie was able to finally get a hug from her Grammy and Grampy.  It is great to have them here and we are enjoying sharing some relaxing and quiet time.  I am not sure if they would call it that, but we worked hard to finish projects before their arrival, and it has been delightful to sit and chat and relax at the dinner table.  David's birthday was Thursday, and we celebrated with a steak dinner and lemon pie.  It was very nice.

While on her trip to the oncologist, Michellie and her Dad had a run in while trying to stand and David ripped her flip flop from her foot.  There was a lot of giggling over the incident.  Some nursing tape was applied to the shoe to get Michellie to the car, and the Dr. couldn't stop laughing.  She was teaching Michellie how to use this to her advantage to get some really nice new and expensive shoes.  We chuckled about this for a long time.  So, today we needed to travel to Sydney to get some new shoes before the flip flops are replaced with winter boots.  Or, so Michellie thought.

We left for Sydney right after school and we raced through the mall.  It was the fastest shoe shop ever, but we did have some success (however ugly they may be, they are flip flops).  Then, I took a wrong turn and ended up at the airport.  Michellie was appalled.  Didn't I know she had a rinker to go to?! (Dance at the Arena for the high school students).  Yes, I did know.  But this was the start of the birthday surprises.  We were at the airport to meet Chelsie-Anne.  I told Michellie before the plane touched down.  Initially she was in shock.  Didn't I remember that she didn't like surprises?  Yes!  But, Kenzie had a few shockers for his 16th Birthday, fair turn!  Always wanting to be prepared and organized she couldn't fathom how this would fit into any of her plans.  But, when Chelsie-Anne came through the door and they got the first hug - well, enough said...grab your kleenex.  The girsl talked non stop all the way home and we arrived just in time for their ride for the Rinker!  Chelsie-Anne was initiated into what she calls a "science experiment" - drunk kids and no water.  She was resourceful and helpful as the two non drinkers dealt with everyone else.  They giggled and laughed when they returned home, these events are always an experience. 

Tuesday, September 13th

School and its associated studying has settled into our schedule.  Mornings are quick with a smoothie and a little lunch packed.  Michellie is best with a little something to go, some snacks for throughout the day, and a ham and cheese wrap for whenever she decides to eat lunch.  So far she has made the bus every morning and with a smile on her face. We are embracing this wonderful time and the energy she exudes as she goes down the driveway.  This Friday was the first day Missy followed her to the bus stop, so Dad had to get out of bed and go out in the rain to catch her so she wouldn't follow the bus.

Michellie is enjoying her classes and settling in with a group of friends.  She is challenged by the review of her math material from last semester, and looks forward to when they get out of review mode and get to trig.  We hope that math is easier for her as the semester progresses.

Saturday night last we attended Madison Violet and volunteered.  Michellie was a ticket taker and was so great with getting everyone towards their seats.  Afterwards we had our pictures taken with both entertainers. 


Madison Violet




Michellie and Francesca


Sunday we headed to Halifax for an overnight.  We spent the afternoon with Francesca's family near the hostpital.  The girls went shopping while the parents enjoyed sharing a lot of things in common.  It was really wonderful to share our stories about treatment and recovery, and about our own energy and our own recovery.  There is so much more that happens after the treatment finishes.  We all felt our reserves were definitely drained and that the slightest bit of stress could completely deplete the storage of energy.  Each trip for another test was stressful, and the side effects of the drugs show up at different times and at different stages.  So, there is an ongoing adjustment to these changes.  Francesca has a bit more of this to deal with than Michellie, but both girls definitely have lost their sense of innocense and trust that a child holds on to.  Being at school is almost surreal as they deal with their recovery and their desire to fit in.  We had a lovely visit and we look forward to many more times to share in the coming trips to Halifax.

Our visit with the Krochko's was wonderful as always.  It was really hard to fathom that we were going for our 6 month post treatment check up.  Sitting with them at the dinner table seemed like nothing had ever happened, and like everything had and they were such a part of our process.  Michellie was relaxed until later into the evening and then she couldn't sleep most of the night.

This post treatment visit had us to the gynechologist, the gastrointestinal specialist, for a CAT scan, a nurses assessment and an oncologists checkup as well as blood tests, weight and measurement.  Michellie was the same weight as the beginning of the summer at 120 lbs., but she had grown a whole inch through the summer.  She is now 5 foot 7 inches.  She was lamenting the fact that she was the tallest girl in her grade as everyone in Cape Breton averages 5 foot 2 or 4.  We did not have the test back from the CAT scan during the oncology review, but everything was looking good.  Aside from low energy and muscle weakness, the eating issues and stomach issues seemd to be sorting themselves out.  Michellie avoids mozarella and limits her wheat intake and this seems to help.  She is very aware of how her stomach indicates her stress level, and she tries to calm herself through those situations.  We will continue to work on this.

So, now we prepare for the arrival of Michellie's Grandparents and some fun with birthdays and such.

Wednesday, September 7th

A huge milestone happened last evening that marks the end of an incredible journey.  Sam Cook, Michellie's boyfriend since last December, has been a driving force behind Michellie's healing and spirits through her entire cancer journey.  They ended their relationship last night after a summer away from each other, and a long distance challenge for visiting.  Sam was with Michellie through the surgery, the hair loss, the weakness, the sickness and the recuperation.  He was so calm and patient.  He pushed to get her outdoors more and to hike and camp.  We enjoyed his visits here and Michellie had enjoyed her visits to his home as well.  We are very grateful for all of the support and love that Sam shared with Michellie through her cancer recovery and we wish him the best as he finishes his last year of high school.

Tuesday, September 6th

We sure enjoyed the last week before school.  There will be some more cool pictures coming.  Michellie spent some time down St. Peter's way, she did a trip to Antigonish with a friend, Glencoe Dance, a Celtic Colours Youth Concert in Sydney and as much relaxing and sleep as possible.  There was some apprehension about going back as she prepared her backpack last night and a little nausea to go with it and some lock jaw.  She did recognize the emerging pattern for stress and tried to talk her way through it.  We were reflecting on the fact that when she left school in June she was still wearing a scarf and she had only a little bit of hair.  Her confidence for classes and friends is much higher after some of her summer fun, and she really is looking forward to doing some interesting things since it is quite quiet here most of the time (if you aren't going to all the concerts and dances).

Michellie actually was able to have a smoothie for breakfast, and packed lots of snacks for the day.  Her classes are good and she finished her math homework before she got on the bus.  She has a video class, math, and chemistry this semester and she is happy about her teachers.  We did not have the heat wave that threatened to cancel classes last year, but it was warm and Michellie headed off in flip flops and shorts.  The trip home was warm but wet as a tropical downpour began just after lunch.  Michellie giggled at how wet she was coming into the house, but that was ok.  Yeah!  We are thrilled by the enthusiasm.

New school year, new deck, new door... life is good!