Marshall's Cancer Updates

Reverse chronology entries — newest first October 24, 2014 Thursday Oak Park, Illinois The Apartment Sorry, I intended to update daily, but that hasn't worked out. I'm not dead yet. I am settling in at home in Oak Park over a long week. It’s been a huge adjustment and I’ve had a lot of help. Hospice sent me home by ambulance and Corrine’s sisters Cate and Chris were waiting having set up the hospital bed and supporting equipment. I've had a crew of friends come by to offer me solace and support and encouragement. My bed is in the living room and can be turned to face the windows so that I can face the Chicago skyline or my guests or another way that faces the television.  The Hospice folks provided a Hoyer Deluxe Electric Patient Lift  and high back wheelchair and all the pads and gloves and other paraphernalia, plus various drugs and other medical supplies.  Today, Corrine transferred me into the wheelchair so that we could bring in a hair stylist to cut my hair. A Certi...

Contact Methods: Telephone is probably the least reliable method of contact, but if you leave a message, I appreciate it. For now, I’m a bit too short of breath (SOB) to respond as I’d like. I do occasionally/often respond, though, even if by text. FaceBook Postings are set to global audience, so you might just lurk along with that one to keep up (or not), or like/care/laugh/anger emoji in support or post comments, memories, or messages of support. I even like shared dream memories. Lucid dreaming recounting are fun, and I promise not to ridicule you in front of others. For all messages, I may respond right away or a few days later or it may slip through the cracks. Please forgive. By the way, I’m still pretty much doing fine with disease progression, just can’t move around much because of the rib/back/neurological pain for now. Hope to be feeling better soon with all that. Messages, visits, and help are always appreciated. The rooftop is lovely. For nice interactive connections, DM me...

(10/05/2024) Hospice care has officially commenced, but still in very early stages. I won't need oxygen for a while now, but have tanks at the bedside on the ready. It's a beautiful Saturday morning with Pops and Corrine. Sunny and mild fall weather in Oak Park, IL looking out at the Chicago skyline. *10/08/2024 CORRECTION*: I had written that "Palliative care has officially commenced" on Saturday (10/5/2024) but meant to write "hospice care has officially commenced". There's not a significant difference between the two in the early stages -- you sign on a dotted line for hospice so that nurses and aids come to the apartment and set up at-home services for pain management and other forms of comfort care and they are on a loose schedule to show up once or twice a week to check in and provide tools for comfort. Different patients need different levels of support. They get paid through hospice services for all of this and care is routed through hospice rath...