From a small house in British Columbia, where three people are sleeping and two of them are snoring loudly, a big hello to all my friends, neighbors, and fans!

Thankyou all so very much for your support and encouragement. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to get in here and update you, but I just finished reading your comments, and I gotta say, I'm honestly touched by what you've all had to say.

I was able to get help beginning the day following the last post here, and now, nurses are coming three times a day to help me with Gram.  The lift/transfer process became a whole lot easier when I found her transfer belt, and having moved her bed closer to the wall has made moving Gram much easier on both me and the assisting nurse. Shari (the bad girl) wasn't using the transfer belt - I didn't even know she had one, in fact - and it had fallen behind the couch. I found it while I was cleaning the living room...

Shari finally came home yesterday, after several failed attempts to get the second surgery done. She kept running a fever, and the doctor couldn't figure out why. He tried several different medications and a few different antibiotic combos to try to get the fever down, but in the end, he decided to just send Shari home and give her some rest time. She goes back in for the second surgery on the 29th (nine days from now...), at which time the remaining lesion - which is cancerous - will be removed. Shari does have bladder cancer, and several options are being considered in the event that the lesion can't be removed...

I want to give you a more thorough update, and I want to thank all of you for your suggestions and support, but I know you'll understand that I can't do that just yet.  I have to get through today and tomorrow (I fly home on Saturday), and by the end of the day, I just don't have any strength or energy left for anything. When I get home, though - and after I've had at least a day or two to rest and get my strength back - I'll be coming by to visit all of you. Okay? 

It's a good thing I've done this kind of work before, even though it was many years ago. The knowledge and training I received has really come in handy, these past couple of weeks. Yes, I had a problem with Gram in the beginning, but it's all worked out.  I had to remind myself that Shari has been doing this for eight years, and as Gram's body has lost its mobility, Shari's body has adjusted accordingly; I, however, haven't done this work for many years, so my body wasn't ready for what I needed it to do.

Anyway, I have to get to work, but I wanted to take a few minutes to at least say hi and give you a bit of an update, and to thank all of you for taking the time to drop by, offer suggestions, and share support and encouragement.  Seeing your comments here, this morning, is helping me get through these last couple of days; knowing people care about what you're going through really does make the challenges seem less overwhelming, eh? 

Okay, I really have to run, now.  Take care, everyone, thanks again for coming to visit, see you Sunday, and have a great day and a great weekend!