"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters
compared to what lies within us!"    -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Postings for family, friends and colleagues

June 11, 2008

School's out for summer......finally! Our boys are officially off for the next 8 weeks and thrilled to be in the throes of track practice, staying outside until the sun sets at a leisurely 9pm, no more homework, etc. They both wrapped up spring soccer with tournament wins for their respective teams and plenty of celebrating and chaos. All good fun.

We recognized Roger's 2 year anniversary since diagnosis by walking in the Angel Adventure/National Brain Tumor Foundation 5K last Saturday at Sloan's Lake (well, almost everyone walked...Hayden and Sam Walmer ran it). For the rest of us, it was a great "conversational pace" and we thoroughly enjoyed catching up with all our marvelous family and friends who showed up to walk with Rog. Thank you to EVERYONE (40? 50?) who walked and/or donated! You all rock our world and keep us going. Here's to the best of summer.......lots of sunshine, hot days, cool beverages, and kicking back. We're expecting nothing but stability on Roger's next MRI on July 1st (the glass is half full, right?!?).

Until then,
Heather, Rog, Hayden & Brady

CLICK THUMBNAIL IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW

"Between the wish and the thing,
life lies waiting" -unknown

May 16, 2008

TGIF! It's been a loooong week for me (Heather) as I've been on the couch, on crutches and unable to drive all week. Just a little arthroscopy on the knee but darn I don't remember being down for so long with the last scope! eeeek. Getting old. Thanks to everyone who has been chauffering the boys all week, bringing me ice daily, the meals, the coffee, the treats, all so very much appreciated

This coming Monday the 19th is the 2 year anniversary of Roger's GBM diagnosis. Considering that the doctors told us the average life expectancy was 9-12 months with this aggressive form of cancer, we are stoked that Roger has "improved the averages" for all GBM patients and is still living strong! We are walking in the annual Angel Adventure/Brain Tumor 5K Walk to benefit the National Brain Tumor Foundation and fund research for all brain tumors on Saturday, June 7th at Sloans Lake Park in Denver.

We'd love to have you walk with us in celebration. Join our team, "Roger's Road Warriors II" by registering at www.braintumor.org. If you have one of the "Roger's Road Warriors" t-shirts from 2 years ago, wear it! If not, no worries, just grab a white tee and I'll be handing out Hawaiian leis to all our team so we'll stand out and be stylin'.

Love & Cheers,
Heather, Roger, Hayden & Brady

April 3, 2008

Despite having an MRI scheduled on April Fool's Day (being superstitious I almost asked to have it changed), we are happy to report that Roger's scans on April 1st showed no new growth! His oncologist even commented that they are almost identical to the last round from January and that the Tarceva appears to be keeping any new growth/enhancement at bay. Tarceva isn't technically a chemotherapy agent, but is classified in the "anti-angiogensis" category of drugs that interfere with the cancer's cells ability to communicate. Roger has been on Tarceva--at various doses--for 18 months now (previously in combination with Temodar, and then CCNU when he had breakthrough growth with Temodar). Since October however, it's been solely Tarceva. No changes to the treatment protocol at this point, other than we were able to delete another med from Roger's stable of drugs. The fewer, the better.

I've been off-line for the past couple of months in the spirit of "no news is good news" and we are doing our best to stay focused on the good things in life. Which in our house, in the Colorado winter, means skiing. Thanks to everyone who skied with us this season (Aunt Jill & Uncle Jim in Steamboat; Roger's brother Troy, wife Dee Dee & our nephews Hunter & Grayson; soccer pals Sonja, Christian, Chris & Cooper; Hayden's buddy Drake & his mom Nancy; and Pete, Tracy, Connor, Joe & Ellie). I'm sad that it's already April and I'd love to squeeze in another day or two of spring skiing.....so I'm not taking the racks off the car just yet! Hmmmmm. Maybe a day at the beach at A-Basin anyone?!

In the entertainment arena, Roger and the boys have probably watched The Simpsons Movie 10-15 times since Hayden & Brady picked it out for their Dad for Christmas. Hayden and Roger laugh so hard they have tears in their eyes and all 3 can quote scenes in the movie verbatim. I just don't get it. Is it a guy-thing??? And you know what has me pondering? Roger can quote lines from that movie---meaning that somehow (perhaps the 10-15 repeat viewings) his short-term memory has kicked in. Alas. Maybe we just need our life to be more like Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa & Maggie and then Rog could remember everything!

Brady is still enthralled with karate and is currently an orange belt. Spring soccer started last month and we get to juggle karate 2x week and soccer 2x week for him. Hayden has soccer 4x week and fencing 1x week. Yes....it requires multiple drop-offs and pick-ups and I am so thankful for all our friends out there who are helping out with rides to and from. It takes a village!

A huge welcome to our new nephew Camden James Wulforst who arrived last Friday March 28th. All four of us were on hand at the hospital when my sister's hubby Rich walked out of the surgery room with the perfect little guy. Erin and Cam came home from the hospital this week and they are all adjusting to life with an infant and a very industrious 2 year old (that would be Trey). aaahhhhh. I remember that shell-shocked feeling myself. But it's all good.

The numbers board:

Total # of grandsons for Heather's Mom & Dad:	4
# of days each week at a soccer field:	6
Roger's meds count:	7
Lucy's weight (everyone keeps asking):	90 lbs
Roger's ski days this year:	6
School days left until summer vacation:	45

Save the date! We are making plans to participate again in the annual Angel Adventure Walk for the National Brain Tumor Foundation. Saturday, June 7th at Sloan's Lake Park in Denver. This year, we are going to join forces with another GBM warrior (John) and his family---the Brostrom's. His wife Frances and I became connected through a mutual friend and finally got the chance to meet in person yesterday for lunch. Watch out---we are in cahoots and working on a joint team name. Stay tuned and I will post again with the team name and more info on how to register and walk with us.

Peace and Love,
Heather

"Good timber does not grow with ease; the stronger the wind, the stronger the trees."

Photo of the 4 skiing Hogoboom"s	Photo of Hayden & Brady and new cousin Camden
CLICK THUMBNAIL IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW

Jan 17, 2008

Well I had an MRI yesterday and the results were good news: no new growth. The oncologist said to "continue as is" with the current medications (Heather says I'm down to 8) and to "keep doing what what we're doing". Which is at times funny (and at others depressing) to think about because sometimes I don't feel like I'm doing much of anything but crosswords. But I'll take it. So until I go back for another MRI in 10 weeks, I just want to stay busy and have fun. If you have any ideas or want to participate, give us a holler.

Thanks for staying in touch and helping us out,
Rog

p.s.
We want to acknowledge that the great photos of the family that have been added to the site (and on our holiday card) are the handiwork of our friend Laura Arneson. We've received many compliments and wanted to pass along kudos to the talented individual on the other side of the lens.

Jan 1, 2008

Happy 2008 to all!

Since my last post in mid-November, I just want to acknowledge the crew that pulled off the surprise tailgate birthday party for Roger the day after Thanksgiving. Despite the frigid temps in Boulder that day, the action on the field kept us all warm as CU had a fantastic win over Nebraska. Rog was in true Buff alum form and thoroughly enjoyed himself! Gracias to the Marcum's and the Doig's and to all the Leary's for making it all possible.

The holidays just wouldn't have been as merry if it wasn't for our friends and fam who helped out around here: Christmas kudos to the Schindlers for the shopping day for the boys and getting our tree up; to Roger P. for getting the outside lights hung; Jamie for taking the boys to the Avs game & the hotel sleep-over; Fuj & Steve for hanging here with the boys on several occasions; Dad for making sure all our bills are paid and our finances in the black; all the help with getting Hayden to soccer games and Brady to karate (the Graybill's and the Fixler's respectively); and to Troy & Dee Dee for helping us get the foos ball table assembled Christmas Eve -- just in the nick of time!

We don't have a scheduled day yet for Roger's MRI this month but are thinking positive thoughts as all outward signs seem stable. It truly is a battle of highs and lows and I am so grateful that we were on the "high" side of things for the holidays this year. To all my fellow GBM spouses out there, I just want to wish you peace in 2008, and more good times than bad. Although some of us have never met in person, our shared struggles make me yearn to give you all a huge hug on days when I read a post that conveys the extreme difficulties that this disease inflicts on the entire family. You all are in my thoughts and prayers too.

Peace and Love,
Heather

November 15, 2007

Thanksgiving came early to our house this year by way of Roger's MRI from this week. The tumor cavity continues to close up in the frontal lobe, the tumor in the occipital lobe actually shrunk a little since September's scans (shrinkage can be a good thing!), and the non-enhancing areas in the temporal lobes are unchanged. YAHOOOO! So the break from CCNU afforded Roger not only an improved appetite and activity level, but we didn't lose any ground with the tumors.

So no change in protocol for now and he goes back again in mid-January for another MRI and oncology appointment. That, my friends, is one heck of a good birthday present for the guy who's tough to buy for!! His bday falls on Thanksgiving this year and I know what we'll all be toasting: health, happiness and all our amazing friends and fam who are supporting us.

"The most important things in life aren't things." -Unknown

With Gratitude & Cheers,
Heather and all the guys

November 2, 2007

The month of October is a blur. We took full advantage of all 31 days in the month....

Where to start? Well I'm happy to report that the appetite stimulant was extremely successful. So successful in fact that on several occasions, Roger would wake up in the middle of the night and raid the kitchen. All good. On one midnight run however, he was craving a frozen pizza and so marched himself to the back door out to the garage freezer and BAM! neglects to notice the flashing red light on the house alarm keypad (e.g., "System is Armed") and therefore trips the system to the ear-piercing siren. He proceeded to the freezer and was just coming back into the house with his snack and I come barreling down the stairs with a golf putter, heart-pounding, adrenaline-pumping and ready to do battle with what I assumed was an intruder. Ha. Try and get your heart to slow down after that one...I can laugh about it now (I wasn't exactly cheerful at that moment-LOL!).

Nevertheless, the stimulant has really done wonders. Roger hasn't taken any of it in weeks, since once he got going again on food, and therefore felt better, he would get out of bed more, and work up a natural appetite, and then the circle just keeps going. Hooray! Small achievements that make a world of difference. And he has felt much improved just overall. Don't know if it's the break from CCNU, getting off the other meds, or just going through a great phase, but we'll take it.

Thanks to our fabulous friends the Finholms, Rog and I got a little adult weekend away with Tim and Jacquie. They asked Roger where he'd like to go, and he said "New York--best city in the world". Well this worked out extremely well since we had been meaning to do a NY weekend with those 2 for years. Plus it was Jacquie's maiden voyage to the city that never sleeps! Lots of eating, laughing, walking, and reminiscing. Roger definitely misses not getting out to the city on a regular basis as he used to with his job. He still remembered which subway line to take to get downtown to the financial district, where the NASDAQ offices were located, hotels we'd stayed at in the past and more. Kudos are also in order for Craig and Brenda Eischen for lining up our swanky dinner out at Spice Market and spending time with all of us. I don't think we could ever tire of visiting NY!

Y gracias tambien to my cousin Greg, his wife Lisa and their kids for letting Hayden, Brady and I do a little So Cal visit while the boys were off school for fall break. It was a surprise trip for the boys and they had a blast. Getting to hang with their second cousins, a day at Laguna Beach, and then 2 days at Disneyland/California Adventure. This was their first-time to experience the "magic kingdom" and they were lapping it up. Favorite attractions? At Disneyland it was the Jedi Experience for both of them (with a close second to Space Mtn for Brady and Indiana Jones for Hayden) and for me it was just seeing their amazed faces, laughing a ton, and giving them 100 percent of my attention for a few days. Oh yeah and seeing Brady chase down characters to get their autographs! Thanks to Roger's mom, Mary, who stayed here with Rog so I could do the trip with the boys.

We closed out the month with only one medical-type procedure: Brady had to get his bottom 2 baby teeth extracted. His adult teeth had come up behind the baby teeth and those baby teeth required some serious dental tools. eeek. Brave kiddo and let's hope that's it for a while.

Thanks to all of you who keep in touch, help us out, pray for Rog, and make us laugh. We're just grateful for this spell of stability right now and are doing all in our power to maximize each day. "Carpe diem"!

Love and Peace,
Heather and family

Heather, Jacquie, Tim & Rog at the top of the Rockefeller Center	Brady in Jedi Training at Disneyland	Hayden battling Darth Vadar at Disneyland
CLICK THUMBNAIL IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW

October 3, 2007

Well....after lots of "sleeping on it" and mulling things over, we reconvened with 2 of Roger's docs today. I feel pretty good about the meeting and it was very helpful to have everyone involved all in the room together. Essentially it came down to this: Roger has had 2 scans in the past 6 months that have been stable/no apparent change in the remaining tumors. While there is no protocol that dictates how long a patient needs to have stable scans before one would consider taking a break from chemo, Roger's oncologist has typically waited until around 9 months (or about 6 cycles of the chemotherapy agent). Roger has had 4 cycles of CCNU so far---the chemo we switched to when the Temodar wasn't keeping the tumors in check at the beginning of the year. But she is in agreement that if Roger wants to take a break now, she is fine with giving it a try.

So......Roger is going off the CCNU at this point. He will remain on Tarceva ( Tarceva is designed to block cell tumor cell growth by targeting a protein in your body). He will go back in for an MRI in November.

We also are going to taper off his Propranolol (a beta-blocker that slowed down his heart rate to control the hand tremors) since he no longer has that problem; and his Doxycycline (one of the antibiotics he was taking to counteract previous reactions to the Tarceva (long since remedied). But he does need to start taking an appetite stimulant in the hopes that we can get him eating a bit more.....he's gotten way skinny and we need to put some "meat back on his bones"! So a net decrease in 1 of his meds and he's now down to 12. Ha. Now it doesn't sound like much of a change! I feel like I can breathe a bit as this dilemma was hanging over us for the past 3 weeks with all the "what ifs". We now have a game plan and will proceed with it. Obviously if anything changes in Roger's physical or mental state we will be in to see his oncologist immediately, but I'm feeling good about hopefully alleviating some of his problems with this shift (it's "baby steps" but at least it's a start).

On to the F&F (fun and fabulous) news front. All 4 of us attended the CU-OU game last Saturday in Boulder. Thank you Jill, Jim and Taylor (you will always be Bubba to us) for getting us tickets!! The boys had a blast seeing Taylor run Ralphie (the best college mascot ever) and experiencing such an amazing game at Folsom Stadium. WAY TO GO BUFFS! Brady wanted to rush the field with the rest of the college students....(he did not like being told "no")....ha....too much foreshadowing perhaps of his future antics?!?!

And I'm happy to report that our youngest nephew Trey is now calling Roger "unck-ah" and me "ann-eey". It's the little stuff that makes your day, you know?!?! Watching Hayden and Brady play their hearts out on the soccer field, enjoying some gorgeous Colorado fall afternoons (translation: 80 degrees, sunny, leaves just starting to turn), watching our older nephews play football, watching the Rockies win.....aahhh. Hold on to those good thoughts.

Love and Luck and Peace,
Heather and family

Hayden & Brady with cousin Taylor	Roger with his Aunt Jill	Hayden & the winning score	Heather & boys outside the stadium
CLICK THUMBNAIL IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW

September 19, 2007

Last week's MRI showed no major changes. No growth, no shrinkage. I guess I always go into these appointments hoping for more. Hoping for some sort of miracle in which the doctor is going to tell us that the tumors have disappeared, that Roger's short-term memory function will repair itself, that he'll be able to go back to driving in a few months, and (most importantly for him) that Roger will be able to return to the work/profession that he so enjoyed. No such luck. It's becoming more and more crystal that while stability is good (and an accomplishment in itself), it's just extremely optimistic that an individual can ever be completely rid of the effects of a GBM.

This has led to much debate. Roger has been suffering more physically than in the past. While last year it was more noticeable externally that he was battling cancer (e.g., the hair loss from radiation, the redness and puffiness from the steroids that affected his face), this fall it appears to be more of an internal battleground for him (nausea, inability to keep food down, etc.) but yet on the outside everyone is commenting "how great he looks". Tough. Because he and I want both for him.....to feel good inside so that he has the energy and wherewithal to enjoy everyday activities, but also the confidence boost that comes with not being readily identifiable as a "cancer patient". So for now.....Roger did not take his scheduled round of CCNU and he will wait until we come to consensus with his medical team. We met with one of the clinical psychologists who directs the brain tumor support group today and hope to loop back in with his oncologist next week.

Otherwise......the boys are back into the school routine and thriving. Hayden is thrilled to have chemistry labs and Brady continues to come home immediately after school and knock out his math homework. Clearly their interest in these subjects was inherited from their dad. The four of us squeezed in a quick mountain escape over Labor Day weekend to a dude ranch outside of Granby and pretty much our weekends are filled up with soccer games from here through early November. Busy is good.

Lucy is doing well with our new "Aussie approach" training/obedience. Thank you Suzy for that referral---it's working wonders. And Roger has been temporarily relieved of his status as "primary patient" in the house since last Friday Lucy sliced open her paw and had to have surgery. So for now, I am dispensing meds to both human and canine patients.......

Onward day by day.

Peace & Love,
Heather

August 1, 2007

Yesterday's blood draw revealed that Roger's platelets had bounced back up above 100 so he received another 100mg of CCNU. A few new drugs have been added in the past week or so--the most newsworthy of which is Dilantin. Roger suffered another grand mal two weeks ago while we were at the bi-annual Hogoboom family gathering and that basically put me over the top. Two seizures within 2 months......and this most recent suffered with Hayden at his side. Aaaagggghhhh! My ranting voice mail to the oncology nurse resulted in the addition of Dilantin, which is on top of the Keppra anti-seizure medication he already takes. So far, no major side effects--at least that are any different from what he's used to--so I am praying with all my heart that this will keep Roger seizure free (or at least make the likelihood of recurring seizures incredibly small).

The statistical board:
Rog's variety pak of meds:	13
Hayden's time in the 400m:	80
Lucy's weight:	85
Seizures to date:	6
Brady's # of strokes in putt-putt:	averaging 6
Days left until school starts:	13
Number of months "living strong":	15

Until next month....peace and happiness to you all,
Heather

July 17, 2007

Delinquent. That's what I've been this summer when it comes to keeping the website current. My schedule is not my own" and I've got 2 boys with full agendas that primarily include being a) away from the computer, and b) that allow me barely enough time to text an abbreviated, fragmented text message at best. But it's all good!

Roger had his regular oncology appointment today and all is well. Well....almost! His platelets are currently too low to take chemo......so he's got another 2 weeks to rest and get them back up above 100 before he gets another round of CCNU. He continues to taper off the steorids and this is fabulous. His doctor is doing some switching with a few meds to try and help ease the nausea and if she can get that figured out, Rog would be a very happy camper indeed.

Otherwise, so far the summer of 2007 has translated into:

• sports camps
• dinner picnics with friends
• swimming
• all-day track meets (did I mentione HOT?!?!)
• visits from fabulous friends
• playing tennis
• yurt camping with the Finholms (we'll be back to tackle the caves next time!)
• Cirque du Soleil (the boys first time)
• sleepovers
• Rapids' soccer games
• Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix opening night with Uncle Rich
• wonderfully relaxing BBQs with great friends and family

And for Roger, the continuation of 10 different meds that he oh-so-cheerfully takes twice every day, some with alternating schedules, requiring a fun spreadsheet document in order to keep us all straight. (Yes, we employ a little sarcasm in our daily lives to keep us on our toes..... But I digress.)

Rog has been extremely thankful for the guys who have snatched him for a night of shooting pool, bowling, or working out, or hanging and watching a movie. All I can say is thank you so much and keep it comin'!

Here's to enjoying summer,
Heather, Roger, Hayden & Brady

June 8, 2007

TGIF in more ways than one!

A full yesterday....MRI and blood tests in the a.m. and then a LOOOONG afternoon until we finally met with Roger's neuro oncologist Dr. Damek. But it was worth the wait: his most recent scans look good. No new growth in any of the tumor areas so the CCNU is doing a good job of keeping things stable (a word we've grown to like around here)! And Roger gets to taper down again on his Dexamethasone (which controls swelling) since he doesn't have any worries in that department right now. We'll be back in another 6 weeks for another dose of CCNU, and another MRI in 3 months.

So......we've got lots to celebrate this weekend! The boys officially finish up the school year at 11:30am today and then we can start summer off in style. Swimming, track, tennis, sports camps, sleeping in (what's that??), concerts, camping.....let's do it all!! Rog and I did get it started last weekend thanks to our friends Tracy & Pete who treated us to a night at Red Rocks to see one of our favorite bands--Big Head Todd & the Monsters (for those of you with Colorado ties-- remember when they played The Walrus in Boulder and there was no cover charge?!?). It was a crazy Colorado night on the Rocks.....a little sprinkling of rain, then a quick hailstorm, then a gorgeous moon and clear night to finish it all off. Oh yeah. And having Roger go M.I.A. for about 10 minutes (felt like hours). Splitting up at the restroom lines and agreeing to meet up right outside unfortunately is the kind of immediate/short term memory stuff that has been zapped by the tumors/radiation/chemo. So after some quick cell phone calls back to the group at the seats, an all-points bulletin was issued for Rog and thanks to the party group of 20+ people, someone in our group found him (to Roger's credit, he called me from his cell but couldn't hear me telling him to stay put 'cause it was so loud obviously). Thank you friends and friends-of-friends that night---I'm very grateful! And Roger DOES remember the concert so perhaps there's some "selective memory retention" going on here.......

This Sunday June 10th from 2 to 5 pm is our very informal gathering at the park (see previous post below and click on "Fairmount Park" for a map). We'd love to say thanks to all of you out there who have helped us make life manageable this past year . . . it's a big milestone.

Smiles,
Heather

June 5, 2007

Just a quick note to let ya'll know that Roger's MRI has been bumped to this Thursday, June 7th. Unfortunately insurance approval didn't come through until yesterday, and by then, they couldn't accomodate Roger into the schedule. I'll post the results by Friday...... Until then, LIVESTRONG!

-Heather

May 15, 2007

It was exactly a year ago that Roger and I sat in a neurosurgeon's office and were shown his MRI films. We had spent the weekend trying to act as normal as we could when inside we were both anxious and scared as to why they had kept him so long in the radiology department that previous Friday. I'll never forget that doctor's face and how he bluntly stated that it was amazing that Roger was even functioning....given the extent of the tumors. That day was overwhelming to say the least, especially all the scary statistics that were thrown at us in terms of life expectancy.

Well here we are 12 months later and I'm proud that Rog has "beat the odds." Being a 1-year cancer survivor with a GBM is a major accomplishment and I want to reiterate how much we appreciate everyone out there who has helped us during the past year.

In celebration, Roger, Hayden, Brady & I are throwing a survivor "PARTY-AT-THE-PARK" on Sunday, June 10th at Fairmount Park in the Golden area. Stop by anytime between 2 and 5 pm for cake and watermelon on us!

We'll have frisbees, volleyball, soccer, etc. for kids of all ages. Please BYOBeverages (plastic or aluminum containers only). All are welcome----we will not be doing any formal invites for this---just posting here and word of mouth. If you can stop by, fantastic! If not, no worries and please know that we understand. On a related note, several people have inquired about the Angel Adventure Walk for brain tumor research. The Denver date has been moved up to June 9th and unfortunately conflicts with something on our family calendar. We made such a huge impact last year with "Roger's Road Warriors" and are still glowing from your support and participation on that one! We are thinking ahead, however, and want you to know that we plan to do the 2008 walk. In the interim, if you are interested, you can go to the Denver Angel Adventure site. I also have a former colleague who is organizing a Denver team in support of her boss on the East Coast who is battling a GBM. I would be happy to put any walking/running fiends in touch with her if you'd still like to participate in this year's Denver event.

And finally, YES, we made it to Florida at the end of April! Roger took his chemo on the Friday prior and we flew out the following day for a week of relaxing, shell collecting, boogie boarding, floating in the pool and watching sunsets. Thank you Mum & Dad for renting the beach villa...it was fantastic. Thank you Erin & Rich & Trey for joining us as it was great fun to witness Trey's first experience at the beach, and wonderful to have "many hands on deck" to juggle the desires of 3 boys (Hayden, Brady & Trey). Thank you Uncle Dick & Aunt Millie for driving up from Ft. Myers to come see us all (Roger's great uncle to be exact).

Let's hope for a relatively calm summer ahead. The "no news is good news" mantra will be in effect and I'll try and post just a monthly update to keep you all in the loop. Next MRI is supposed to be June 5th......

To a happy & healthy summer! Love & Thanks,
Heather

April 12, 2007

No chemo this week. Roger's white blood cell counts were too low on Tuesday and Dr. Damek therefore has postponed his next dose of CCNU until April 20th. Otherwise.....we are just taking it day by day.

Until next time,
Heather and the fam

April 1, 2007

I think I hit the "wall" the latter part of March and was just unable to put my finger on precisely the appropriate amount of info to share. Or maybe I was just suffering writer's block. So here we are at the beginning of April which means Roger has been battling this nasty cancer for 11 months. That in itself is reason to celebrate because the statistics for Glioblastoma patients are so very grim. So on the bright side....

The month of March flew by!
More skiing with the boys.
The start of the outdoor soccer season.
Spring break.
Hayden racing in the national NASTAR finals in Steamboat (he did great---there was plenty of anxiety, lots of stiff competition, but he finished in the top third of the pack and most importantly had a blast and wants to do more).

A small scare with Roger's platelet counts just last week (they dropped to 42,000 which resulted in repeat blood tests all week...by Friday 3/30 they had bounced back above 50,000 so therefore he doesn't have to get a transfusion. Hooray!!)  Dancing up a storm at cousin Shawna's wedding reception just last night (yes, Rog & I can still get jiggy with it).

Our next appointment with the neuro-oncologist is April 10th and Roger will receive another dose of CCNU at that time. The plan is still to wait until that 6 week cycle is completed before doing another MRI in late May. In the meantime, we've been cleared for a beach trip by his doctor. Yay! Thanks to my mom & dad for renting a beach house that will accommodate the 4 of us, my parents, and my sister Erin, brother-in-law Rich, and their little guy Trey. We are going to Anna Maria Island on the Gulf Coast of Florida---a great little beach town the 4 of us visited back in 2002. So keep your fingers crossed that Roger will continue to be stable and able to enjoy some fabulous R & R (I am relieved to report that we are staying within 10 minutes of the local hospital just in case). Until then, no news means good news around here.

"Follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be." -Joseph Campbell

Love & Peace,
Heather and the clan

Hayden in the starting gate	Brady and Lucy the 70 lb puppy	Roger & Heather at the bowling benefit
CLICK THUMBNAIL IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW

March 6, 2007

"True friendship is like phosphorescence----it glows best when the world around you goes dark."

The Hearts for Hogoboom gathering last Saturday was incredible and truly jaw-dropping for Roger and I on so many levels. It was a tremendous gift to be able to see and hug and greet friends and family from all stages of our lives (grade school, high school, college, work, neighbors, friends-of-friends and more). The Golden Bowl was packed to the gills and every bowling lane was filled. Who would have thought?!

The best part of the entire evening was seeing Roger have such an amazing time. Seeing him enjoying LIFE was a huge gift that is priceless beyond measure. Yes, Roger bowled and bowled like a pro----he was knocking down spares and strikes for a good 4 hour stretch and closed the place down with a bunch of his buddies. I'm doubtful that a stranger walking in off the street could have guessed that the guy with the baseball hat, throwing his arms up triumphantly after another strike, is battling brain tumors. It was that good ;=)

Hugs and love to all my girlfriends/sis/mum for their tireless efforts on creating, planning, and carrying out this event (Tracy, Erin, Mum, Sarah, Leslie, Tracey, Fuj, Joan, Susan, Jill, Sheryl, Denise, Laura, Sara, Carolyn, Linda, Julie, Jen, Suzanne, Cindy, Brenda, Holly, ..... who am I missing?!?!) . A big thank you to Rich Wulforst---my brother-in-law---for doing such an eloquent job as family spokesman and MC that evening. And gracias to all the hubbies & family members who helped with the loading/unloading/set-up (Sparky you're the best), errands (Rog Penn), event program( Scott & Denise you 2 rock), computer issues (Scott Musson), support and promotion and assistance (Cornerstone Montessori), you name it--people volunteered and pitched in.

Unfortunately, I was unable to verbalize my gratitude into the microphone at the event (call it stage fright, call it panic attack, call it emotional overload), but please know that everything you all have done is appreciated beyond measure. The wonderful items for the silent auction. Your generous donations. Your thoughtful messages. Your smiles. Taking Roger to appointments. Making us laugh. Doing goofy stuff with the boys (Roger included). Being there when we cry.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all you have done on behalf of Roger, Hayden, Brady and me. This battle is a marathon and we're thankful we have lots of "aid stations" to keep us going along the way......

Love and Peace,
Heather

February 28, 2007

Roger and I met with his neuro oncologist yesterday. The consensus from Tumor Board was to continue this battle with new chemotherapy agents, as surgery or radiation at this point might have more adverse affects than we're willing to gamble. Since he recently had breakthrough growth while on Temodar, he is being switched to CCNU (also known as Lomustine). He was given his super-dose yesterday at the cancer clinic and will be on a schedule of taking it every 6 weeks at the doctor's office.

The most prevalent side effect of CCNU will be its toxicity on his white blood cells. The doctor expects that around week 3, Roger will be really fatigued and his cell counts will drop pretty dramatically. We'll then be going in every week for blood work to monitor the situation. We had to rule out a couple of the other chemo options due to the fact that Roger has had pulmonary embolisms and is still on blood thinner---the small amount of data out there on some of the newer drugs for GBMs has shown an increased chance of intercranial bleeding (no thank you, we'll pass on that one).

So...that's the short and sweet from Colorado today. We're getting hit with plenty of the white stuff today so Lucy is one happy camper (as long as the mountains are getting it too, then I'm happy).

Hugs from us to all of you out there.....we're so humbled by your friendship and support and love,

Heather and Roger and boys.

February 20, 2007

As promised, I'm sharing the results of Roger's latest MRI. Despite all outward appearances of being stable and feeling good physically, Roger's scans showed that the tumor site and tumors are growing again. In a nutshell, the surgical cavity in the frontal lobe is now showing "enhancement" or growth around the perimeter edges. The lesion in the back/occipital area has grown as well. His oncologist wasn't happy with what the scans showed and is bringing Roger's case before Tumor Board again next Tuesday (to get input from his neuro surgeon, radiation oncologist, and other faculty members). What we do know right now is that Roger's chemo regime will be changing. The Temodar isn't making progress anymore so it's time to move on to another drug protocol. We will be meeting with the neuro oncologist again next week to hear the consensus from Tumor Board and talk about the pros and cons of the alternatives out there (CPT-11, Avastin, PCV, CCNU, BCNU).

BTW--I'm sure I hexed myself with my previous posting. Just a few days afterward, Roger had another grand mal seizure (so much for my "glowing start to the new year".....) As is normal, he doesn't remember a thing, but unfortunately the boys witnessed this one. It's scary for an adult to witness, so you can imagine how traumatic it is for children. It was really rough for a few days as they were worried it was going to happen again at the kitchen table and were even scared about sitting too close to their Dad. This is what I LOATHE about this battle....what it is doing to the psyches of our boys.

On the flip side (thank goodness there is one), we had a great weekend of back-to-back ski days for Roger. His tally is now at 4 ski days so far this season. Now that's something to celebrate! Although he still struggles with immediate and short term memory (don't ask him where he skied), his spirits are good and his sense of humor is very apparent again. That's huge for the boys and me. Hayden and Brady wrap up their 2 months of Bomber ski camp at Breckenridge this weekend and it's been a great escape (thanks to the Finholms for finding, securing and sharing the ski condo with us)!

I'm signing off now. I'll post again when we know more.

Love and Thanks,
Heather

January 31, 2007

Roger has been battling strong for 8 months now and we're getting a little better at facing this situation on a daily basis. Yes, life is out there and thank you to everyone who is ensuring that we make the most out of every day. That's not to say we don't have our down days and frustrating episodes......we have plenty of them. Which is why I have to keep it simple, keep my chin up and be thankful for what we do have.

On a that note, I am thrilled to report that Roger skied on Saturday ;=) It was a beautiful, blue sky day on the slopes and after a few cruisers to warm up, he refused my plan that we split up (Roger and I to continue with blues, Hayden and his Uncle Rich to head off for some bumps). So we all skied a few blacks together and other than getting a bit winded, Rog held true to his signature skiing style. A grand day it was......

So far, it's been a great start to 2007. No trips to the ER this month. Steroid dose cut in half again. No problems with chemo. Down to a total of 9 different meds. Lucy weighing in at 67 pounds. The boys skiing their tails off every weekend. In that respect, life is good. Roger's next MRI is scheduled for February 20th. . . so I am thinking positive that we will have smooth sailing until then, and obviously happy news to report at that time (fingers crossed).

My gal-pals have made serious headway on the gathering mentioned previously. If you're so inclined for some bowling, silent auction fun, and mingling, then mark the evening of Saturday, March 3rd on your calendar. The gathering is being held at an eclectic little bowling alley in Golden called Golden Bowl. Roger and I will be there of course.....we have a notorious track record at silent auctions as many out there will attest. For more info, you can contact Tracy Doig (for event info) @ tracyldoig@msn.com or Jill Penn (for silent auction info) @ jillroge@msn.com.

Until next month,
Heather and family

December 28, 2006

With 2006 coming to a close, I'm realizing that I've been somewhat delinquent in updating the web site. Hopefully you all can relate to the holiday time crunch. Add on to that the Denver blizzard from last week (housebound with 2 adrenaline-pumped boys) and you might get a clearer picture as to why I've been a bit behind. At any rate, no news is good news on our web page.

Roger is back on chemo (oral Temodar) as his blood counts jumped back up right before Christmas (nice holiday gift, eh?). I'm not sure if it's just the holidays, or the low platelets, or a combination of both, but Roger has been sleeping a lot lately. He gets tired pretty easily and it was wild around here last week. Roger's brother Todd and family flew in from North Carolina on Tuesday and then Wednesday the big blizzard hit Denver and school was cancelled for 2 days (the same 2 days that Roger and I had planned to get some shopping completed and groceries taken care of). The kids had a blast with the 26 inches of snow that graced our yard (plus drifts) and it took until Friday a.m. for us to get one of the SUVs out of the garage. It was a busy weekend of family gatherings and undoubtedly one of the best "white Christmases" we can remember. Lucy has been in heaven with all the snow and has managed to beat all of us at the "come get your mitten back" game. Thank you to our friends and neighbors for shoveling our driveway, helping me start our snow blower, and bringing food. As I write, we are getting hit with another big snowstorm tonight. Let's hope it dumps just as much in the mountains.

There are tentative plans for a fundraiser dinner/silent auction to benefit the fund for Hayden and Brady in early March. A group of friends are beginning work on this and will post more info on this site once details have been confirmed (and for those who are so inclined to help with auctions---they may be calling for help/ideas/donations).

Hope you all had a blessed holiday. Our best wishes to you in the new year and much gratitude for your kind thoughts, gestures, help and prayers that helped get us through the latter part of 2006.

Peace,
Heather and family
 

A few new photos to share.....
Lucy the snow dog, Hayden out our front door, Heather & Rog on Christmas Eve, Hayden & Brady at A-Basin

CLICK THUMBNAIL IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW

December Stats as of 12/7/06:
Number of days skied so far: 1 (Hayden)
Number of cracked ribs: 2 (Heather)
Number of light strands across our house: 7 (thank you Mike)
Lucy's current weight: 56
Roger's platelets: 74,000

Just had our monthly visit with the neuro oncologist and this is the first time Roger's had low platelets. They like them to be above 100,000 so the doctor has suspended his chemo for the time being until we can boost the lymphocytes back up. It also means we've got another antibiotic added into the daily mix to prevent Rog from getting something like pneumonia. Otherwise he is stable.

Hayden logged the first ski day of the season with his Uncle Rich at Breckenridge and we are hoping to get all 4 of us up there before the holiday crowds to work out the kinks. The boys are signed up for Breckenridge Bombers ski camp again which will start in early January. We've been given clearance for Roger to ski a bit.....with the caveat being that he absolutely has to wear his helmet (this was a 50-50 thing in past years) and he has to stick to mellow slopes.

Thank you to our friends out there who have been coming to visit and help us out around the house. Couldn't have accomplished all the holiday decorations or volunteer commitments or gotten in some physical activities without you. Although maybe I shouldn't have played soccer THAT night and I wouldn't have collided with another player resulting in my fractured ribs. It really bites getting old! But seriously, that has been one of the best gifts....for Roger to have some visits from friends and to allow me some time away to get things accomplished. It's hard to predict exactly when we need it, so please just call or email if you've got an hour or two to spare and want to visit or take Rog out (I think he's probably tired of me being the sole chauffeur these days).

Here's to slowing down and taking time to appreciate the season. Sometimes it's the little things in life that bring the most joy.

Love, Peace & Happiness to you all,
Heather

November 21, 2006

Believe it or not, our most recent medical news is affiliated with Lucy and not Roger. Lucy is officially unable to have pups now. She weathered her surgery extremely well and is back to her usual puppy antics. The most traumatizing moment for Brady was when we picked her up at the vet's office after surgery......he was a bit freaked because they had to shave her abdomen. Both boys have been extremely cautious and respectful of the "doctor's orders" about Lucy and who knows?? Maybe we'll have a future vet on our hands.

Roger had another MRI last week to check the status of all the nasty swelling that put him in the hospital last month. Things look much improved and back to normal up there. The tumor cavity up front is pretty clean and the tumor in the back is slightly smaller (yahooo!). The oncologist isn't changing any meds right now...just sticking with the 7 on/7 off schedule of chemo as it seems to be keeping things under control. Now our task is to slowly wean down off that darn Decadron (the steroid). You love it because it keeps the swelling down in the brain, but you hate it because it causes all sorts of swelling on the face and causes mood swings (oh yeah--and sugar cravings--too bad for the boys that Roger has been snacking on that Halloween candy).

Speaking of the boys, Brady is big man on campus these days with a 6-year-old spring in his step. Happy bday little man! And another birthday is on tap this week as well....this time for Roger. Don't ask me his age....we're both envisioning ourselves as thirty-somethings with really good knees.

Have a peaceful Thanksgiving all....and thank YOU for your kindness and interest and prayers. We wouldn't be surviving if we didn't have this amazing support network out there that keeps our spirits up.

Heather, Roger, Hayden & Brady

p.s.
The response to my query about illustrators has been phenomenal. I have learned much in such a short time and I have my work cut out for me. It appears that consensus says to hold off on hiring my own illustrator until I can find out if a publisher will bite first (and then they select their own illustrator). Anyone with experience or contacts in the publishing world and getting my story copyrighted, please email: h2heather@msn.com  If I haven't had a chance to respond to a previous email on this topic, never fear, I'm still getting through them all. Merci!

November 1, 2006

Two weeks of near bliss.....no headaches, no ER visits, no new medications tossed into the daily breakfast and dinner meds cocktail.....what more can one ask for?! (okay, don't get me started). Nevertheless, it's been pretty "slow" around here compared to weeks past. The latest rounds of chemo (Temodar) haven't caused any adverse reactions this time and Roger's only appointments have been to check blood levels (because of the blood thinner) and see the dermatologist (keeping that Tarceva-induced skin irritation at bay). We're in the midst of another round of Temodar as I write.

While the medical side of things has been stable around here, it has been wacky outside as of late--rain, then sunshine, wearing shorts, then snow, then back to 70 degrees, then snow again. Even though the boys still have soccer games left to play outside, the skis are being tuned and Hayden is now checking the daily snow report. Gotta love it.

In the "help needed" category, I have an unusual request......Does anyone out there have any connections with illustrators? I'm getting pretty darn close on finishing some roughs for a children's book that I've been inspired to write based on experiences that Hayden and Brady have embraced/battled since Roger's diagnosis. Please let me know if anyone can help in this regard.....it's been a good outlet and distraction for me.

Of course it was COLD tonight for trick-or-treating. Check out our very own Captain Jack Sparrow (Brady) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden) and nephew Trey the lobster.....plus Lucy the bat (hard to see her wings---they just blend right in). How many people can say they've seen a 50 pound bat?!?!

Peace and Love,
Heather and the crew

CLICK THUMBNAIL IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” -Anais Nin

October 16, 2006

Hi to all out there. This is Roger writing. I just wanted to let you all know that I'm home (thank God) and thrilled to be away from beeping monitors, IVs and hospital food. Oh yeah--and bad cable television. Even Brady commented on the lack of interesting channels during his visits. To my visitors who came bearing meals and treats, a huge "bless you" for giving me some decent sustenance during my weeklong stay.

God bless you all,
Roger

p.s. from Heather
Yes, it's true....Rog came home today and has been busy hanging with the boys (they are on fall break) and tossing the frisbee for Lucy. The MRI spectroscopy report revealed a little bit of tumor enhancement around the perimeter of the surgical cavity, but the majority of the swelling appears to be treatment effect from the radiation and chemotherapy. So this new dosing schedule with the Temodar and Tarceva should hopefully keep any additional growth at bay and the steroids should keep the inflammation down and let Roger get back to enjoying LIFE.

p.s.s. from Erin Wulforst (Heather's sister)
Thank you to everyone for your incredibly generous contributions to the Dream Meals account over the past few months. The meal service has enabled the Hogobooms to have more time to focus on important things like being together, and has given Heather a quick reply when asked the age old question "What's for dinner Mom?" :)

The Hogobooms are very fortunate to have so many friends and family who care about them and want to extend their heartfelt appreciation for your generosity. However, at this time their account balance should carry them through several more months and we ask that you suspend further contributions to the meal service at this time. Thank you again for your thoughtfulness!

October 13, 2006

Roger's physicians ordered an MRI spectroscopy earlier this week (Wed) and we are still waiting to hear the results. This type of scan involved injected dyes and will hopefully give the physician team a clearer picture as to what kind of tissue caused the swelling But the kicker is that the radiation department has yet to release its official report so everyone is waiting (his oncologist and neuro surgeon included). Evidently these scans are a bit more cumbersome to interpret and not as many technicians are trained to evaluate them.

Today Roger was moved off the ICU floor to a regular Oncology unit as he has regained much of his right side mobility/strength. He is starting chemo tonight since his oncologist feels strongly that we should move ahead no matter what the scans reveal. However, she's changed his dosing schedule to a "7 days on, 7 days off, 7 days on, 7 days off" monthly rotation with the Temodar. He doesn't have as much of a recovery period in between but we are hopeful Mr. Iron Stomach can fight through it.

It's been a tough week for the boys. Each hospitalization gets harder to swallow for them. I truly love all the great messages you are sending us via my voice mail and email because I can save and replay them or print them out so Roger can share in the good vibes too. Thanks for understanding that if I don't answer the phone, it's probably because the boys are with me and it's just too much for them to hear me retell the situation. Otherwise, I so appreciate your encouragement and prayers!

On a lighter note, we have been urging Roger to put up a "Bake Sale" sign outside his door as he is flush with goodies of all kinds---thanks to wonderful friends and family who know about Rog's sweet tooth. No specific timetable on discharge at this point, but I'll post more as we learn more about all of the above......

Thanks, Peace and Love,
Heather and family

October 11, 2006

A not-so-good turn of events during the last couple of days...Roger is back in the hospital. Weakness on his right side and a sudden onset of headaches (among other things) resulted in calls to his doctors on Monday. He ended up being admitted late that night after a CT scan revealed swelling in the brain.

After a more thorough MRI Tuesday, it was discovered that Roger has tremendous edema in the frontal lobe (where surgery back in May debulked that tumor). This could be the response to the chemo and radiation treatments, it could be necrosis (dead tissue), or it could be tumor regrowth. The doctors just don't know at this point. He is receiving some fairly hefty doses of IV steroids in the hopes that this will decrease the pressure and aid in the evaluation of the next scans (after he's been on the steroids for approximately 48 hours, the doctors will be ordering another round of scans to check the progress). We are so hoping that the next scans will show improvement.

I'll post again once we know more specifics....at this point all we can do is wait and pray that the Dexamethasone brings him some relief.

With gratitude for your support and love,
Heather and the boys

September 29, 2006

For those of you who assumed I fell off the face of the earth the last 2 weeks, you're pretty close to the real answer. Technical difficulties were underway with the Hogoboom family (no DSL service and a cell phone that would disconnect calls when I attempted to open my phone----aagghh!). Major frustrations and a scary wake-up when you realize how much we depend on all our tech toys to keep life running smoothly. Merci to my pals who helped me get back on my feet.

Last week for Roger was what we are know calling the big "chemo hangover". No appetite, feeling dizzy, tired, basically yucky and depressed as all get-out (and nothing fun to blame it on). Five days of being buried under about 6 blankets in bed. Enough. This delicate balance between meds is very precarious. And they all have side effects that are the length of most grocery lists. However, he started seeing a dermatologist at the end of last week in response to the skin reaction he's been battling from one of his chemo meds. So far it's helping. My apologies as many phone calls are still on the "to call" list and lots of emails are still in the queue to "reply", not to mention all the plans we had to postpone. Thanks for your understanding.

I also wanted to let all the 5K walk/run participants know that your contributions through the t-shirt sales and "Roger's Road Warriors" bracelets have been placed in custodial accounts at Charles Schwab for Hayden and Brady. Thank you for thinking of them and for being so kind. If you have any questions or want to follow-up, you can contact Rich Wulforst at 303-303-260-5908 or richard.wulforst@schwab.com

Yes, the rumors are true. Rog and I had our 17th anniversary last weekend (really, we got married when we were babies). Although we didn't do anything wild and crazy, we did smile and laugh about all the fun memories of the past 17+ years (we've actually known each other since high school so there's plenty to reminisce about!). Enjoy every day and make the most of it, right?!?!

Peace and Thanks,
Heather

September 14, 2006

Traditionally I guess the saying goes that "no news is good news." For the most part, I would agree. But I also must be honest and say that sometimes, I just want this all to go away and for the Roger-Heather-Hayden-Brady unit to be back to normal as in LBTT (life before the tumors). Thus my delay in posting an update to our webpage. I've just been worn out. That being said, I know I wouldn't even be upright at this point if it wasn't for the amazing support network that leaps into action when we've needed it. You know who you are---you crazy people--who have driven us places at all hours of the night, brought us food, let us stay with you, made hospital visits, done the grocery shopping and Costco run, and entertained and loved our kids like they are your own. Muchas, muchas gracias.

We had a hiccup in late August with another seizure. But Roger rebounded really well and after a stint in the ER for a couple of hours and an IV full of anti-convulsants, he was discharged that same night. Apparently blood thinners and anti-convulsants aren't very friendly to each other! As a result, his doctors initiated a change in meds to control the seizures and he is coming off Depakote and ramping up on Keppra.

We had appointments with both the radiation oncologist and the neuro-oncologist this week and both echoed the sentiments of our neurosurgeon in saying that having a fairly clear tumor cavity and halting the growth of the other tumor indicates that the trio of surgery-radiation-chemo appears to be working. At this point we won't see the radiation doctor until January (she doesn't see a need for further radiation at this point). Roger started the 5 day chemo cycle with Temodar last night. The forecast calls for a likelihood of fatigue and naseau in the days ahead....so bear with us if we're slow to return calls/emails/etc. Rog still enjoys all the great emails you are sending......even if we can't respond, know that it's fabulous to hear from you! h2heather@msn.com

In other news, soccer season is in full swing (a W for both teams last weekend) and Lucy is tipping the scales at 38 pounds (just one pound shy of Brady's weight when soaking wet). Rog, Heather, Brady and Lucy made it to Steamboat Springs during Labor Day weekend (ask Brady about the bull riding competition) and Hayden went on our annual yurt trip with his godparents and climbed New York Mountain (the budding mountaineer). Oh yeah-Lucy started puppy kindergarten, too. And Rog is sporting the dome. We decided it was a sexier look and frees up some of the shampoo budget in our house for other fun stuff.

Here's to a stable, healthy and beautiful fall......Love and Thanks,
Heather

August 25, 2006

Rollercoaster is the word of the week......

Roger successfully endured the 5 days of Temodar on double the dosage he'd received in the past. It definitely put him on snooze mode from day 3 forward, but no other major problems. He'd been coughing during it, and we figured his low white blood cell count (a result of the chemo) had made him susceptible to some kind of nasty bug. So on Monday we went to our primary care doc to see if Roger needed antibiotics. Next thing you know, Roger is being whisked away for a CT scan of his lungs and then we're informed that he is being admitted to the hospital because they found 2 blood clots on his lungs. Whoa. Slow down and let us off please.

At any rate, we tried to look on the bright side and told the boys that Dad would be staying at the hospital where both Hayden and Brady were born (Rose Medical Center). Needless to say, the novelty was short-lived after Dad didn't come home the following day. Then the realization set in that our much anticipated MRI was scheduled for Thursday at another hospital (and the docs weren't smiling when we asked if we could just walk Roger to University down the street with his IV and oxygen pole). So with some pleading and juggling, we got him in for an MRI at Rose, and got a CD of the images to his other docs at University.

It was all worth the hassle and anxiety because we got some wonderful news Thursday morning. From just a first read with one of the doctors, it appears that the tumor in the occipital lobe (basically at the back of the skull) hasn't grown at all since June, and it might have decreased slightly. We won't have the official radiology report with measurements and details for several days, but in comparing images from June to now, it looks promising! And the surgical cavity in the frontal lobe looks clear (this is the location of the tumor that was removed and where the Gliadel chemotherapy wafers were placed). The next scans--in October, and then again in December--will probably be much better indicators of how the chemotherapy and radiation are working. In the meantime, we are smiling and celebrating with a big glass of chocolate milk-ha!

And then we had another good rush--a ride home from the hospital Thursday afternoon for Roger. He was discharged on the condition that he remain on oxygen and injected blood thinners. So if you're looking for the hip O2 bar in the suburbs, just come on over....

Keep smiling and keep the faith,
Heather, Roger, Hayden and Brady

p.s.
APPLAUSE please for our neighbor and friend and webmaster, Anthony Rael, for keeping this site up and running as I know so many people have acknowledged how helpful it is!

p.s.s.
And thank you to whomever is sending Roger the "Financial Times"---definitely a good read and much appreciated ;=)

August 14, 2006

Sand castles, sunning by the pool, and Shamu were the favorite memories of our little escape to San Diego last week. We had 4 beautiful nights at the Del Coronado Hotel and we enjoyed every minute. We spent lazy afternoons by the pool and out on the beach just watching Hayden and Brady run with the waves, body surf and build castles in the sand (they would have slept on the beach had we let them). Hayden became quite the gentleman gourmet ("I'd like to start with a Caeser salad, and then have the grilled salmon") whereas Brady excelled at utilizing the room charge ("Can you put a hot dog on our account please?"). And we were fortunate to have our good friends--the Finholm family--vacationing in San Diego at the same time. Thank you Tim, Jacquie, Olivia and Alden for the airport pick-up, dinner shuttle service, and our joint adventure to Sea World. We packed in 10 hours there and surprised ourselves with the stamina exhibited by every member of our group.

We definitely feel rested and ready to face the rest of August now. The boys go back to school this week (Brady is starting Kindergarten and Hayden is going into third grade). Roger has an appointment with his neuro-oncologist this week and will be starting on a new dosage of Temodar (the chemotherapy drug). Hopefully he'll be able to stay strong and weather the effects much like he did during radiation when his chemo was at half-dose. And the next MRI scans are scheduled for August 24th.....we are keeping fingers and toes crossed for some positive news.

That's all for now....may you all be enjoying wonderful summer weather wherever you may be!

Love & Good Thoughts,
Heather and Roger

CLICK THUMBNAIL IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW

August 4, 2006

Some dog-gone good news......
Shortly after the 5K fundraiser, we received the call we've been waiting for all summer--from a breeder of Bernese Mountain Dogs who had a female puppy that was ready to go to a new home. We literally jumped in the car and made our way to Colorado Springs that same day and returned home with our new addition: Lucy. I've finally got another female counterpart in the house! It's been a much-needed distraction and so much fun to see the boys with our puppy. Hayden and Brady are doing an incredible job of being responsible and caring with Lucy and she is a spunky and sweet gal. As a result, our focus these past 10 days has been on "puppy stuff" and for that, we are thankful.

Roger had his last radiation treatment on Monday the 31st and we are happy to have that behind us for now. The worst side effect was probably leveled on Roger's ears (evidently in the field of radiation) as they got pretty toasted to where he couldn't wear sunglasses or hats for a few days there at the end. Thankfully, they've healed a bit this week and should be in good shape for wearing sunnies while we're on vacation. However the hairline saga continues, so we may have to wait and see before I post any updates on that!

Thank you to all our friends out there who are keeping him in hip baseball caps. Once word got out (especially the one about Roger wearing the cap of another Big 12 university), he has become the Imelda Marcos of baseball hats. So he is now on a "hat rotation plan" and you just never know what sports team or college or company or organization Roger will be wearing on a daily basis (I guess we need a "hat cam").

Thank you to all for the continued good thoughts, special visits, and treats. The spontaneous game of football with the kids was a favorite with Rog this past week.....and the kiddos are still talking about their day at Six Flags and the "dinner picnic".....and me?? Thank you girlfriends for the spa escape!
You keep us going every day.

Lots of Love,
Heather

July 23, 2006

Hola amigos y familia!
We had an incredible turnout for our team today at the Angel Adventure 5K walk for the National Brain Tumor Foundation. I lost count after 120? 130? Our team was by far, the largest group in attendance and it was heartwarming to be surrounded by all our family, friends, colleagues, teachers, neighbors, and friends-of-friends. The 12 and under contingent alone was around 45, and we had all ages of runners, walkers, babes in jogging strollers, surfer boys, soccer girls, (plus one set of twins in utero).

As of today, team "Roger's Road Warriors" has generated $19,000 + towards brain tumor research and we are currently the number one fundraising team in the U.S. for the NBTF this year. THAT IS PHENOMENAL! Thank you all who came to join us......too many to name here....but please know that your participation has made our day, our week, our month. Merci Tracy Doig for putting your finger on exactly what we needed for the latest quote posting. It sums up the feeling in our house perfectly right now ;=)

For longest distance traveled, we want to acknowledge Mike Gatto from Atlanta--one of Roger's CU fraternity brothers, as well as Jackie Whelan from San Francisco--one of Roger's NASD attorney colleagues, and Elvis (a.k.a. Roger's brother Todd) and his daughters JoEllen and Patsy from North Carolina.

For the "future business leaders" award in fundraising 101--Rebekah and Kaitlyn Krieg (ages 9 and 7), who turned in $106 that they raised with a lemonade stand. For youngest participant, the award goes to our nephew Trey Wulforst (check out the photo) who is 5 months old. And muchas gracias to Jacquie Finholm for designing and getting team t-shirts and to Lynn & Steve Lengyel for securing our very own "Roger's Road Warriors" bracelets.

CLICK THUMBNAIL IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW

The mile "high" we experienced today caps off a darn good week as well. Roger is on hiatus from chemotherapy for the next 3 weeks and only has 6 more radiation treatments to go (last one is scheduled for 7/31/06). We have been given the green light for a short trip to celebrate the completion of this first treatment phase and are bound for San Diego on August 6th (all 4 of us). Shamu and the sand are calling our names!

Lots of Love,
Roger, Heather, Hayden & Brady

p.s. And to our mystery friend out there .....you are too generous.....and such a "secret santa"....we are very grateful and will put your gift towards our San Diego trip! Much love and thanks.

July 14, 2006

Roger has passed the halfway mark on his radiation and is still holding strong. He has had the energy to go all day, every day for the past 3 weeks (so much for the naps that the doctors warned us about). It's wearing me out -- just kidding -- but if truth be told, I am the one crashing and burning by 10 every night and he's become quite the night owl. As to how he's doing with the other side effects, well.....same story, different verse. We were warned about hair falling out, but Roger is stubbornly holding on to pretty much the same amount (okay, so there was some creeping hairline issues going on prior to this) and the funny thing is, his baseball cap just keeps everyone guessing.

In other news, we can officially report that there is now an 8 year old residing in our house as we celebrated Hayden's birthday last weekend. Lots of noise, at least one meltdown, and it took the sum total of 3 grown men to grill the kids' hot dogs (Roger and his 2 brothers--Todd and Troy). And Brady's highlight was earning his first blue ribbon at the track meet last weekend so it's been a banner week at the Hogoboom house.

As for "Roger's Road Warriors", we are thrilled to report that our contingent has surpassed the 100 participants mark. Thanks to EVERYONE for your donations! Our team will be gathering in the Meadow Area of City Park (you should have received a map and info in the mail when you registered) which is west of the Museum and south of the Zoo.

Look for the small canopy tents with "Roger's Road Warriors" banner. The start and finish are located in this area and the program is scheduled to start at 8:30am and wrap up before 12 noon. For those with small kiddos, it is not necessary to walk the entire 5K, and you can do one, two, or the full 3 laps around the Park.

We have ordered our very own team t-shirts (thank you Jacquie Finholm) and these will be available late next week and at our tent the morning of the walk. The shirts are $7/each and we have both adult (M, L, XL) and children's (S, M, L) t-shirts with the "Roger's Road Warriors" logo (yes--it's sure to become a collector's item). These are white cotton, short-sleeved t-shirts. Please bring cash or a check so you can pay Jacquie directly. If you would like to pick them up before the walk, please send me an email and I'll forward it on to the appropriate distribution channels to make arrangements. We ordered quantities based off the Brain Tumor Foundation registration list for the walk so for anyone who has not yet registered, any additional quantities remaining/not claimed the day of the event will be first come, first served. If you have not yet registered, you'll probably want to arrive a bit earlier as walk-up registration opens at 7:30am. We are so excited to see you all soon!!

Dream...Imagine...Believe,
Heather

July 6, 2006

We have been stunned and amazed at the generosity and interest in the Brain Tumor Foundation 5K. What started out as a little something proactive for us to do as a family, has grown into much more than we ever imagined. Thank you so much for your donations to fund brain tumor research.

We are also thankful for the company of those who have signed up to walk in the event on July 22nd. Our count is at 50 and growing--and it's not to late to join us! We do need a final count this week so we can plan accordingly for some team t-shirts or hats, so please officially register on the www.braintumor.org site under "Roger's Road Warriors." This will also ensure that you'll be listed on our team roster and will get all your event goodies the day of the walk.

What have we been up to lately?  We went to the boys' first track meet of the summer, went to the Rockies game and fireworks at Coors Field on July 3rd, decorated bikes for the neighborhood parade on the Fourth, and have had many memorable meals and gatherings with family and friends....thank you all for keeping our schedule busy and our boys happy!

Peace and Love,
Heather and the hooligans
h2heather@msn.com

June 25, 2006

With summer officially underway, and two weeks of chemotherapy already checked off, we are starting to feeling like we have a better handle on Roger's treatment routine. Yes, it does require some serious organization. We've upgraded the family calendar--to the more substantial 20" x 24" size--and I've gotten over the guilty feeling of accepting so much help from family and friends.

And since we want to "do" something about this situation we are in, we just registered to participate in a fundraiser for the National Brain Tumor Foundation---an organization that we've become very familiar with during the past six weeks. The entire family is signed up to walk in the Angel Adventure 5K to raise money for brain tumor research. We would love to have anyone who is interested join our team, "Roger's Road Warriors," on Saturday, July 22nd in City Park in Denver. For those of you who are blessed with good knees, you can also run the 5K route (with 5 ACL replacements between us, Roger and I are lucky to be walking!). You can register to participate with our team of family and friends, you can help us fundraise, you can donate.....anything and everything helps! We would be honored to have you participate in any way you can. For more info, go to our fundraising page: http://firstgiving.com/rogerandheather

Thanks for all your gifts (friendship, prayer, time together, food, laughter, and kindness to us and our kiddos)
Love,
Heather

June 19, 2006

Hope all the dads out there had relaxing day yesterday. Hayden and Brady decided that what Roger wanted was a big, juicy steak....so we pulled out our favorite grilling book (Bobby Flay) and celebrated with a porterhouse (which to me, translates into "so far, so good" on the chemotherapy as Roger hasn't suffered from a lack of appetite). I personally think his iron stomach is a result of all those years of eating spicy green chile.

What else is new? Well the staples from surgery were removed last week and radiation is underway. Monday through Friday--now through the end of July--Roger has a standing appointment (it actually takes longer to get there than it does for the treatment--just 20 minutes). He is feeling pretty darn tired now that radiation is taking place, so daily siestas are a must to keep the energy level up throughout the day.

Thank you to our crazy friends in NY who overnighted us ice cream...... and to all the fabulous bakers out there who have satiated our sweet tooth with cookies......and for the heartfelt daily messages. And a big gracias to our neighbors in Harvest Lane for keeping our lawn up to standards!

Lots of Love & Thanks,
Heather and the boys

p.s.
Brady wanted everyone to know that he has "grown up" substantially since the black & white photo was taken so we are adding in some more recent photos. ;=)

June 14, 2006

Sorry it's been awhile since my last posting. As some of you already heard, we had a setback over the weekend and I just wasn't up to writing anything. Roger suffered a seizure on Saturday while we were all in Vail for the weekend. Fortunately we were with my sister Erin and her hubby Rich, and our new nephew Trey. I don't know how I could have functioned without them. Roger spent the night at the Vail Valley Medical Center and then was transferred down to Denver on Sunday in an ambulance. The EMTs did a fabulous job explaining everything to Hayden and Brady and helped mitigate any scary concerns they had.

Roger spent another 3 nights in the hospital while they increased the dosage of anti-seizure medicine and kept him under observation. His surgery itself was a huge trauma to the brain, and then you throw in chemo and all the other meds he's taking.....it's obviously a ton for one body to bear. At any rate, today was a positive day: we started radiation on schedule; and Roger was discharged home late this afternoon.

Love and thanks for EVERYTHING (especially in helping keep the fun in Hayden and Brady's summer),

Heather

June 9, 2006

We are officially moving into the next phase of this battle. Roger started his "at-home chemo cocktail" last night...and will be on a nightly regime of Temodar and Tarceva. Unfortunately, we don't get to shake or stir or chill anything -- just pills. But we're not complaining as it's much easier than having to do intravenous chemo. And radiation starts next week so we may be a bit slow with returning calls or emails until we get into a rhythm around here. Keep those great messages coming--it brightens our day and reminds us of all the good that is out there in the world.

Love and Peace,
Heather, Roger, Hayden & Brady

June 6, 2006

If it weren't for the rather large scar on Roger's head, I don’t think we'd be able to convince anyone that he had brain surgery less than a week ago (for those of you who know Roger solely from a professional setting, he is rather fond of baseball caps -- so it's extremely easy to slip into "incognito" mode these days). Other than feeling pretty tired (and who doesn't with kiddos around), we've been focused on the family stuff during the last couple of days. An outing to the pool to watch the boys swim, going to the first day of track practice with the boys on Monday, and squeezing in a movie to escape the heat.

Our next appointment is Wednesday with the radiation oncologist so hopefully we'll know a bit more about the coming weeks very, very soon.  A huge merci and muchas gracias to all for your kindness. And thanks to Jim Shorris (via Lewis Egan) for the latest quote.

Peace & Positive Thoughts,
Heather and the boys (all 3 of them....Roger, Hayden and Brady)

June 2, 2006

The BIG news today is that Roger is now home from the hospital!! Yes, believe it or not, the surgeons came by this morning and after checking his incision (all 30 staples) and recent lab work, they said he was good to go for recovery at home. He's still very, very tired, but tremendously happy.

So our objective now moves to healing the incision site, getting lots of rest, and preparing for the next phase of this battle--radiation and chemotherapy--which is scheduled to start in about 2 weeks.

I am printing out email messages for him from my account: h2heather@msn.com and he is very touched by all the great cards and "distractions" and gifts that you have sent our way. Thank you for keeping us smiling.

Love and Peace,
Heather

June 1, 2006

Roger's surgery took nearly 5 hours yesterday and we were able to see him for a bit late last night around 10pm. He was in good spirits but exhausted as he was active during a portion of the surgery. The surgeon performed what is called "cortical mapping"--a procedure where the patient is awake and has to read and respond to questions as the surgeon stimulates various areas. This allowed the surgical team to be extremely precise in getting as much of the tumor as possible and not any healthy tissue. Roger's surgeon also placed glial wafers in the cavity after the procedure.

These wafers release chemotherapy directly into the surgical area over the next several weeks and then dissolve. Roger is in the Neuro ICU unit at University Hospital for the time being and it sounds like if all proceeds as expected, he will be released sometime this weekend to come home.

Thank you for the flowers, the yummy cookies, the cards (especially the ones that make us laugh and/or smile), the special gifts and meals. And thank you for all the prayers and support!!

Love,
Heather

May 31st, 2006

Roger went into surgery today at 3:30 p.m. MST.  We will post an update early Thursday.

May 27th, 2006

Thank you for your outpouring of kind messages, cards and prayers. Your support is amazing!

Yes, we have a huge battle in front of us and we are only in the early stages. Roger was diagnosed last week with a Glioblastoma Multiforme -- which is an extremely aggressive type of brain tumor (I guess this shouldn't surprise us since Roger has always tackled the challenging stuff -- whether it's the double-black runs on the ski slopes or a case at the office).

After spending the past week meeting with neurosurgeons and oncologists, he is scheduled for surgery at University Hospital in Denver on Wednesday, May 31st to remove as much of the tumor as possible. The surgery is expected to take 4 hours and he will be recuperating in the hospital for about 4 or 5 days. After that he'll be recovering here at home for another 2 weeks before radiation and chemotherapy begin.

Thank you for staying positive and understanding our desire to keep our kids' focused on regular "kid stuff". We are so very thankful for the meals that are being provided and how this has allowed us to continue a regular dinner-time routine with the boys during the past week! As special requests or needs come up, Heather's sister -- Erin Wulforst -- will be in touch.

We will post updates to this site as things progress.

Love and Thanks,
Heather & Roger

P.S. If you're interested in more information, www.braintumor.org is a good place to start.