Nothing but remarkable!

Hi everyone!  It has been a while. Phil is doing outstanding. Would you expect anything less than remarkable from him? I am still in daily awe over him with his positive attitude and continuous will and strength to fight brain cancer.We have vowed to live every day to its fullest. No regrets! My hero.

Update:  Saw Dr. Reddy today. Don't cut your hair Dr. Reddy! This doctor has beautiful long, wavy and shiny hair. Phil told him he grows it out to just piss off his cancer patients.Weight is 178. B/P is 101/65.  The next MRI is in 4 weeks.

Round 4 of chemo started yesterday. Chemo is taken orally for 5 days on and then off for 23. Phil has 8 more rounds of this. He has it dialed in now to take the chemo pills late at night on an empty stomach to reduce the nausea feeling. He only gets a bit queezy the first night of chemo. He says it feels like a hangover. So how does Phil cure a hangover? He goes out for a 10k run. Don't we all?

Phil continues his strict daily regimen of cannabis oil (thank you Jason and Laura), essential oils, ketogenic diet, budwig concoction, weighing food and exercise. All this along with chemo and radiation is curing Phil. Also, nothing but good energy and positive attitude allowed.

Daily Intake:
2500 calories (4k on exercise day)
30 grams of carbs
90 grams of protein
fat is 80% of total calories.

Coffee recipe - 600 calories
Cup of decaf coffee
3 tbs of coconut oil
4 tbs of heavy whipping cream

New favorite breakfast outing is Nido Cafe at Vickery Village. Few subtle hints from dad to remove the mohawk.

4th of July to remember
Phil and I rode the GA 400 bike ride (brutal, hot, hilly, no training, so why not?) My father thought it would be clever to get all of his 8 children together by having a stroke. He has since recovered very nicely. My car died returning from the hospital on 75, so I am the proud owner of a brand new car. Fireworks at Ponce Market and Wills Park were beautiful!  Best of all - I got a new job!! Territory is southern Florida. No, we are not selling the house. Many options - will search for a condo in Florida next week. Who knows, but we are more than excited. I am back with my favorite peeps Julie, Gus and Big George! I am so thankful.

Phil has finally accepted the fact that he is retired.  He thanks me daily for the extensive Honey-Do list.  What a nice surprise to learn our chandelier was not brown. It was 17 years of dust. Even John thought we purchased a new one. So bright and shiny now.  Our neighbors are thrilled that we are now giving the yard some attention.

Phil uploads his runs on his FB.  After his Saturday runs with friends, he will come home for a 12 mile recovery bike ride with me. He has been cutting trees down even covered in poison ivy all over. He NEVER stops and has never once complained - ever!  Amazing.

Sister Laura and nephew Henry from Colorado at Wills Park

You too can pay $130 to have six brushes rolled up in your hair at Aria Salon. "This is how to smooth your 80's hair Mrs. Breakwell" - lol! It really is my favorite salon - they even massage you. She suggested a free makeover also - hmmm-how do I take that?  She had a field day and so did I.

Life is good - we are thankful every single day for all of the support and continued love from all of you. Make it count. 

Phil keeps going and going and going........

It has been over a month since an update. As you know, the last MRI was a huge success with 50% reduction after 90 days and here is a picture for you. The picture on the left shows two nasty tumors. The one on the right shows the tumors have significantly decreased. No doubt, it will all be gone on the next MRI.

Phil is at 175 lbs and blood pressure is superb at  113/77. Many have noticed or commented that Phil looks thinner. Well, here is an inside look on why:

1. He continues his running schedule with Morris, Gary and Brian. He ran a 1/2 marathon distance in May. Weather is getting a bit hot for him so he started cycling also. Typical Brit, prefers overcast and 65.

2. Easy cycling days for him would be 40 miles on the Greenway with David Cohen. The tougher cycling days he is out with Tom Howard and John Anderson riding 3 Gap. To put that in perspective, he was only walking Saw Tooth with Jimmy after recovery a few months ago. Many days he runs in the morning and bikes in the afternoon.

3. Continues with the Ketogenic Diet, Budwig Diet, Cannabis Oil, and Chemo. Yes, he still measures every single morsel.

4. Since he is retired, I now have a Honey-Do List. Phil has painted the living room and now on to the music room this week. He has rearranged all of the furniture. Looks like a new house.

5. He fixed the Harley.

6. No stress.

7. Viewing hours of soccer on TV surely helps. Supporting Hereford with bobble hat-compliments of Adam Darroll from England - thank you!

I returned to work full time back in May - I love my coffee delivery every morning as I get ready. We are back to concerts, movies and restaurants. We do google the menu first to see what he can eat. No, I do not follow his diet. Oh, I should. I tried it for about an hour. That was long enough. I support him in other ways.

We celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary in June. There is no point in putting our lives on pause for anything. We are back to living a normal life. Phil is looking at new motorbikes and I threw myself into work, like always.  Anything can happen, any time, to any of us. So, Live It! Plus, Phil is in the best shape he has ever been in and feels great. Thank you for the continued support, visits, thoughts, emails, texts, and prayers. One more thing, we have come across 3 other locals that were diagnosed with GBM several YEARS ago. All of them have their own routine and have continued LIVING.  Life is good! I have said numerous times but will say it again, Phil is a true inspiration and not only my hero, but a hero to many others. His hair is slowly growing back.

Back at Espresso's for Sunday breakfast

Ken Mallet in London - nice!!!!

50% off! - The Overachiever Strikes Again

Update:  We saw Dr. Reddy today (chemo doctor) to review the MRI results.  BP was 123/71. Weight is 185.

Dr. Reddy (pic is 2 months old when Phil had hair)

10:30 am - The nurse took his vitals and then left the room. Phil then starts his timer. He does this every single visit to see how long we wait for the doctor. The nurse seemed extra friendly today and I said to Phil that she must know something.  She is aware of the good news we were about to hear. I could feel it. Phil loves my eternal optimism and laughed it off.

10:38 am - The very calm and cool Dr. Reddy walks in and nonchalantly said he has good news and that the tumor has decreased by half.   I said WHAT?  HALF?  Do you mean 50%?  Yes. I jumped up, Phil and I high-fived each other while I was loudly saying, "I knew it!  I knew it!" Here comes the smile from Dr. Reddy and he stated, "this is one of the best responses I have seen". He said to continue doing what he has been and he will have another MRI in 2 months. He increased the dosage of chemo pills but less frequent. Only 5 days on chemo each month. Phil and the doctor then discussed the diet, exercise, alternative options, etc...Many people can not follow such a strict diet like Phil by weighing out every morsel and getting the correct ratios of proteins, fats and carbs.Thank goodness Phil is such a rule follower, strict, disciplined and anal about everything in life - it has paid off. I will stop rolling my eyes now when I see him weighing almonds and then at dinner last night he was wondering if the jumbo shrimp were too big for him to eat. It could of been an ounce over his daily allotment.

Cliff notes from detailed report:
"The mass has significantly reduced in size"
1. The tumor decreased from 4.1 cm x 4.7 cm to 2.2 cm x 2.6 cm.
2. No new or remote sites of abnormal contrast enhancement is seen.
3. No hydrocephalus (fluid) seen.
4. Decreased perfusion (meaning the tumor is starving - thanks to the Ketogenic diet).  Phil has been in Ketosis and that is a contributing factor to the tumor decreasing.

We had to wait over an hour before telling anyone the news because we wanted sister Julie to be the first to know (besides Phil's mother in England). We had to wait for her conference call at work to finish. Really? Julie has been a HUGE help guiding Phil through the diet with research, knowledge, daily texts, blood checks and Fat Bomb deliveries. We are well aware and thankful for the combination of cannabis oil (Jason and Laura Brooks), chemo, radiation, diet, exercise, prayer and the love and support from all of you have contributed to Phil's on going recovery.

We have come a LONG way in a short time!

I write this tonight still shaking my head at utter amazement and the determination that Phil has. I am in disbelief at times thinking just less than 3 months ago we were given a grim prognosis and we started "preparing". After a few days of doom and gloom, we pretty much said screw it, lets beat this. We hit it full speed with research and surrounded ourselves with positive influences and got rid of anything toxic in our life that would be a hindrance.

We believe the traditional treatment along with a combination of diet, exercise, snake oils, prayer, and support from all of you have contributed to Phil's progress!

Update: Phil graduated from daily chemo and radiation with NO side effects (hair loss only). We met with Dr. Reddy this week and he is happy with the progress that Phil is making.  BP was 119/71. Weight is steady at 188.6. The next MRI is set for May 10th. Chemo will increase to 300 mg once per month instead of a daily dosage. I have bets that Napoleon has shrunk, Phil will be happy if it is the same size and even Dr. Reddy mentioned it could of shrunk. The doctor is getting more positive each time we see him! Victory!  

Margaret Breakwell and Nurse Carol - both jewels!  Graduation certificate.

Dr. Simon

Last day of radiation wearing this!!

Did I mention Phil never stopped running during radiation?  He actually had to go and win his age group at the Lionheart 5k over the weekend.  His time was 22:36.  He said he could of run faster! What? Plus, he was the recipient of the Heart & Sole Award presented by Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle for being such an inspiration!

Village Park Pacers running team! Dad at 82 years old even finished.
L to R:  Carl, David, Jennifer, Scott, Phil, John, Carrie, Leigh-Ann, Carla and Julie

John and I also ran

Dr. Bellknap (performed Phil's biopsy) was very happy to see Phil at the race

Oh, it gets better....Phil has challenged (chemo) Dr. Reddy who is also a runner to have him along with (radiation) Dr. Simon who is also a weight lifter and (biopsy guy) Dr. Bellknap to all run a 5k together! What a fabulous PR opportunity for the doctors, hospital and the entire medical/cancer industry to see Phil with his doctors crossing the finish line together. (yes, I am in marketing). Plus the internal excitement I would have with the "I told you so".

Phil's mother and cousins Mike, Wendy and Livvy came over from England. They booked their trip a while back thinking they were coming to see Phil in bed super sick. They are shaking their heads with me also. We had a great time, great laughs and I am a crepe and pancake professional now. I would say I made over 100 of them with chocolate sauce. Phil could only watch! Not on the keto diet.  

We introduced them to the Easter Bunny, dying eggs and an egg hunt. They were losing it that the eggs are not actually hidden and the kids did not have to work for it.  Hello??

Wendy, Livvy and Mike - so. many. eggs.

I had to explain to Margaret several times that the Easter Bunny hides the eggs. No one could wrap their head around this bunny thing.  They understand Easter not the "creepy bunny".

Fun day at Vickery Village

Who knew you had to pay A LOT to decorate mugs? John broke mine within a few days.

Who can forget the hat!

April 3rd - Local Cowboy Leads Doctor to Drink

Update:  Phil has had 19 of his 30 radiation treatments. BP today was 119/77.  Incredible. Weight is stable at 188. Phil stated he has never felt better and he had a great run this morning at a 7:58/mile pace for 4 miles. He clocked 16 running miles last week and this is when fatigue is suppose to set in. Phil recalls only one day of fatigue and he over did it that day with a run, out in the sun and a night out with the guys.  His vision is better than before he was diagnosed. Is it the Cannabis? Weight Loss? Budwig? Frankincense? Keto? Running?  We will take it regardless.  Appetite is still great and the only challenge with that is figuring out the amount of daily calories, with the protein and carb restrictions of the Keto diet.  Sister Julie still has to approve all food and continues to deliver Fat Bombs.

The only side effect Phil is experiencing is hair loss. So, we now have a "Hat of the Week". He is getting very creative with shopping for new hats every week. Stay tuned. The staff was in absolute stitches when Phil walked in attempting a southern accent wearing his hat.

We brought Dr. Simon a bottle of wine for various reasons - ha!  It was National Doctors Day last Thursday and he really deserves more than wine dealing with us.  We love him!

 Only Phil would have his classic pose on the radiation table with the staff.

We may even convince Bob to wear a hat!

 A great ride to the North Georgia mountains with Paul, Dominic and Mike

Excellent ride in the North Georgia mountains with Mike.  Got 250 twisty miles for the day and ~400 for the weekend.  Felt great - really invigorated.  This shot is of our rustic breakfast location (naturally they had nothing I could eat and surprisingly my well nourished associate only had a single biscuit!) - Phil

Ron Bell and Phil today.

Ron Bell and Phil 25 years ago at GEC Avionics.  Also, this is when we started dating - :)

March 26th - Is this what you call FATIGUE?

Update:  Phil has completed 13 of his 30 radiation treatments.  Dr. Simon is impressed with his current physical activity and the regimen of oils, food and medication intake which Phil has down to the exact minute. I was proud to show him our chart which Phil initials after everything he takes. This doctor gets it. He is a weightlifter and told Phil to do what works for HIM. This is his journey. BP was 129/77 (best one yet) and his weight is 194. Fatigue has not set in yet however, a clump of his hair came out today.  He has a ton - so that is OK.  His right side mobility is pretty much cured, feels more alert and focused and his wit will never falter.  He jokes with the nurses and even gives them his wrong birth date to see if they are on their game. His standard answer to all the staff that asks him how he is doing is, "pretty shitty, how about you?". Everyone cracks up - yes, he says this EVERY single day to them at radiation.  Love it!  Side note:  I want to give everyone cannabis oil in the waiting room - make it legal!!

Entertainment:  Running is entertainment for Phil.  This is his mental therapy.  He ran 3 days this week with each run consisting of 4 miles. He said he was lolly gagging at running 8 1/2 minute miles.

Running was not enough stimulation this week, so he took the CBR out with Randy Bossi to the mountains on Friday. This is spiritual to Phil and always has been.  He loves the solitude, peace, twisty roads and nature. No doctors, no meds, no chemo, no radiation, no oils.....just alone in his thoughts. Why not?

Phil can not be exposed to the sun at all while taking chemo pills.  So, he bought this hat. Enough said.  His next guided trail tour starts in 10 minutes.....:) It is adorable.  However, he fit right in wearing it to Dixie Speedway for the bike races on Saturday night.  He is pictured here with 3 Mikes, Paul, John Michael and Matthew.  First night out in a long time!

Now on to food. Yes, this is one meal for one person.  Raw veggies, tuna and a ton of turmeric and other spices.  Through out the day, Phil will snack on about 10 fat bombs, 5 tablespoons of coconut oil and the Budwig mixture which is cottage cheese, flax oil and flax seed.  It looks like oatmeal, taste like #$^@.  

Andrew Gardner is here sporting his Team Phil band at the Cheltenham Festival in the UK. Phil and Andrew have been buddies since they were 5 years old.  Go Andrew! Hope you won some money.

And who can top cousins Patty and Bill sporting a Team Phil Mickey hat from Disney Land. Thank you for the support! Go Phil.  He is a huge inspiration and will beat Napoleon, the little f#$%$ that was beat by a scrappy Brit. 

March 19th - Huge improvement so Phil wrote the blog this week!

Update:  We saw Dr. Simon (we LOVE him) on Friday.  Weight is at 194 and BP is 135/80.

Phils cognition has improved so much that he wrote the blog this week. 

This week ushered in the first full week of chemo and radiation.  The chemo treatment is administred in pill form. This includes two rather large capsules which given my poor pill swallowing technique has mercifully proven to be fairly easy to choke down.  The timing of the pill consumption on radiation days is closely defined by the protocol of one hour prior to radiation, while the allowable food consumption window relative to pill intake which is two-three hours before and one hour after must be adhered to. Consequently even with a 1:00 pm daily radiation schedule, the majority of the morning becomes an exercise in clock watching, which is naturally accentuated for a rabid by-the book rule follower such as myself. The treatment itself has so far been uneventful, which has been somewhat of a relief. However, some of the effects are typically cumulative, so it is probably a little early to declare victory at a quarter of the way through.

Doctor wise, I had my regular Friday visit with Dr. Simon.  We spend most of the time discussing things other than my treatment.  I mentioned that a certain percentage of my right side motor skills seemed to have improved along with my handwriting and cognitive abilities.  He seemed happy that this was the case and put it down to a combination of treatment and my own attempts at rehabiliting those areas.  However, I think Carla and I both detected a mild sense of surprise when I told him I have not experienced any side effects so far.  Hopefully, the fairly strict Ketogenic diet that I am adhering to is having a beneficial effect.  At a bare minimum, I would hope that my current combination of diet, light exercise, meditation, incredible support from family and friends, prayer and adequate rest would provide a better than average chance of minimizing any issues.

Apart from the realities of the treatment schedule, it was a busy week with visitors.  Carla's brother Jimmy and his wife Stacy arrived, having driven all the way from Dallas, Texas with their adorable children Jackson and Sydney.  We spent an enjoyable few days with them even celebrating Syd's 13th birthday with a cook out at Tim and Leigh-Ann's.  Jimmy and Mike were nice enough to drag me out on a regular walking schedule which culminated in a couple of successful assaults on Sawtooth Mountain.  The day they headed back to Texas, Lee and Kelley arrived from Colorado.  This couple is Megans stepmom and dad.  (Megan is our sons GF).  Intending to relocate from Denver and stay with us until settled, John and Megan arrived in Atlanta the same day I was initially diagnosed.  Their cross country exodus was unexpectedly influenced by being thrown into this mess.  The both of them have been invaluable in dealing with the practicaltities of coming to grips with my 'new normal'.   As a thank you, Carla arranged to have Lee and Kelley fly in for a surprise visit.

On St. Patricks Day, everyone except me went to Avalon to enjoy the festivities. Later that evening, I rode with Big John and met up with everyone at Firebirds for a wonderful dinner.  This is the restaurant that Megan works at.

My spirits are up and there is a positive vibe in the Breakwell household.  Hopefully next week will prove to be as enjoyable as this one has been.

Carla and I want to give a special shout out to Jennifer Valiquett for the prayer blanket that was hand made from her church.  Jennifer is a co-worker and holding down the fort at Village Park until Carla returns to work. She is incredible!  Our neighbor Sue Jones is aware of the amount of visitors recently and graciously made an excellent dinner tonight for everyone!  This gave Carla a deserved break from cooking.  Thank you Sue!  It has been so heartwarming to see so many people sporting the Team Phil bracelets from California, Minnesota, Florida, England, and so many other places!  Thank you!!

March 10th - A Week of Ups and....

Update:  Phil started chemo and radiation this week.  He feels good and continues to have an enormous appetite.  We enjoy our walks and daily trips to the store for fresh produce and/or medications. Oh, plus our daily radiation trips at 1:00.  Radiation treatment is literally only 10 minutes. It takes us longer to find a parking space. Weight was 190 and BP was 135/82.

So here are the daily medications plus we have snake oils we have added in with the mix. Reading all the side effects from the meds, chemo and radiation can make your head spin. Cancer sure is a profitable business!  Don't even get me started on that.

I had to go in to make sure they were doing it right - ha

Superman after first treatment

Here is Julie checking Phils glucose one evening and making sure he is in ketosis. Which he is - yeah!  I panicked after comparing his blood results and noticed his glucose spiked 10 points in two weeks.  

Our Director of 2 Wheels, Paul Gibson has been busy this week.  I think he sold 4 or 5 bikes. I had to put my foot down on selling the Harley and the 900 for personal and sentimental reasons. Yes, I cried when the KTM left. I sent the new owner a note asking him to have great adventures and make everlasting memories on his new bike like Phil did. No tears were shed over the Ducati leaving!  However, Phil assured me that he has his eye on a new Harley for our future trips.  Plus who needs a dozen bikes, right?  This is part of our attempt at downsizing.  Ugh!

Passionate KTM lover Roger drove down from New York to pick up his new bike

John got a new job with State Farm this week. He is so excited. We are proud of him. Marmaduke is showing his support with his bedazzled Team Phil bracelet.

A childhood friend of mine from Florida had his Sunday School class sign a card for Phil.  I have not seen Tom in over 15 years.  Thank you Tom Bennett!!  We are so humbled by the daily messages from people praying for Phil and thinking of us.  It is unreal and we are more than thankful!

This card today helped after a NON-compassionate nurse returned my call after 1 simple question I had. She then accused me of harming Phil because he was not eating sugar or carbs; only fish and vegetables and saturated fats.  She stated that sugar and nutrition have nothing to do with cancer or his recovery.  Nor did the oils or anything holistic. Regardless, have some compassion, you are working with cancer patients and their families. Gets better, the doctor looked at me this week and said that I was grasping for everything and anything.  What? Who wouldn't? Unreal. I am happy for the meditation tapes - which I will go listen to one now. Phil asked me to let it go. I will. We are strong!! Phil is amazing beyond words.

Really, at the end of the day - this is what matters and makes me smile.  Another great adventure we had last summer walking the El Camino!