Steven James Cargo, 1983-2013

Nearly a year has passed since we started this blog and I would like to provide an update. I am sad to share the news that our generous, selfless, humourous and wonderful Steven, passed away October 4, 2013.

For anyone using this blog for research purposes and contemplating a similar type of surgery I would like to share about one of the worst-case scenarios:

Steven never fully recovered from the extensive surgery he underwent. I really feel like we traded quality for quantity and often wished he never had the surgery. However, when I discussed this with Steven he had another point of view. He felt the surgery was his best chance and he was happy he took it. He didn’t want to wonder or have his family wonder if we could have done something more.

In hindsight, I am glad he had the surgery. It gives us the peace of mind in knowing we did everything we possibly could to fight this disease. It also allowed Steven to watch James take his first step, say "da-da", wave goodbye and eat chocolate cake on his 1^st Birthday.

Thank you again to everyone who provided us with such incredible support. It was a long, hard fight and we couldn’t have done it without you.

I want to find value from this experience, so if anyone has questions about our journey or wants more information please do not hesitate to contact me tracycargo@gmail.com

I do not want to mourn Steven, I want to celebrate him. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that nothing is permanent, cherish every moment of your life.

Our Love to All.

Tracy & James

Overdue Update

Sorry that I have not updated the blog in such a long time.  I am still fighting with complications from the surgery.  After returning home from Calgary in February, pain in my hip and groin progressively got worse.  I spent three weeks in the Port Alberni hospital in April/May fighting a severe infection and abscess in my lower abdominal / pelvic area. This is the same place as before in Calgary. They did more CT scans which showed something in my hip area.  A biopsy on my hip bone showed some cancer cells. The pain in my hip continued to get worse. Mum and Dad came over at a drop of a hat and continued to stay with us since.

When returning home, we were connected with a palliative care doctor and home care nurses who check in twice a week. The doctor is great, very easy to get in contact with. The focus with the palliative doctor is to get the pain under control, so that doing normal everyday things is manageable.

The pain continued to get worse even with working with the palliative doctor modifying medications. I checked into the palliative care unit in Nanaimo hospital on June 20^th and stayed about a week. The idea was to try some different options for pain control, especially nerve pain. The pal unit is well suited for this, however the doctors thought that there was a ways to go on the current medications. The pain was more manageable at the end of my stay.

We met with a radiation oncologist in Victoria via teleconference. She thought that a radiation treatment on my hip could alleviate some pain. She reviewed my scans and reports with a group of oncologists and surgeons in Victoria. I had the treatment on July 3^rd, the treatment is only about 10 minutes and non-invasive. However the trip down to Victoria and back took a lot out of me. I was in bed most of the following day. It will take a few weeks before we’ll know if the treatment helped or not. A second treatment maybe an option, but we will wait a few weeks to see how I feel.

We had a really nice but quick visit with Elaine and Wayne, the couple who generously gave us their condo to stay in while we were in Calgary. They happened to be on the Island and stopped in for lunch. They are such wonderful generous people who ask for nothing in return, it is great to know that these types of people exist in our world. We are very lucky to have met them.

Early on July 6^th morning, I woke up with a very high temperature and knew something wasn’t quite right. I went to the Port Alberni hospital, turned out the infection in my abdomen / pelvis had returned. They kept me for 5 days to treat the infection with IV antibiotics.  I’m back home now ad feeling ok.

We are trying to stay positive and we appreciate every day we have and all the good memories we get to create with James. Speaking of which, James is doing well. He is crawling all over the place and climbing up on everything.

Thank you all for your continued support. This has been a crazy year but we are surviving and finding moments to thrive.

Steven & Tracy

Home Sweet Home

Thank you to everyone who has followed our blog. We are home! The journey was a lot longer and harder than we expected and in some ways it has only begun. But for now I am so grateful to be home. Steven says it doesn't feel real. James is already adjusting well and loving the toys we have at the house. Most importantly Tessa seems happy to be home.

THANK YOU to James and Denyse for taking such great care of our dog. And thanks to my dad for flying out to Calgary, driving us home and then loading our fridge with groceries last night :)

I don't know how to begin to thank Steven's parents. They are amazing and took care of all 3 of us in Calgary.

Lots of Love to All!!
Steven, Tracy, James and Tessa

OUT!!

It has been 67 days and Steven is finally free. My dad arrives tomorrow and we hope to start the drive home on Monday. That means we could be home on Tuesday!

Thanks for all of your support. We look forward to seeing everyone in person.


Love Tracy

We have the internet!!

It has been a LONG time since we have had internet at the condo. I am all for no cable but no internet?! That was a bit much for me :) 

And there is even better news... Steven is hopefully coming out on a night pass tonight and may get out of the hospital tomorrow or Saturday. That means my dad should come on Sunday and we should all be driving home on Monday.

Emphasis on the "shoulds" and "hopes" because one thing I've learned is how quickly the plan can change. For now this is really good news. I can't wait to get home. I really miss my dog!

Hope to see everyone soon.

Love Tracy

Progress? Release?

Hello again everyone, I have been out on day pass the last couple days. I have been feeling fairly well and it's been nice spending time at the condo with tracy, mum, dad, and of course James. He is starting to find his voice and seems to enjoy blowing raspberries. The Internet connection at the condo has been down for the last few days so tracy is unable to post. The Dr's seem optimistic about me getting out later this week, I'm a bit cautious just to make sure none of my issues will return once I am released. I am slowly trying to build up my strength again, it is surprising how little I can do.  We are all looking forward to getting home to a normal life again. dad and I might 'need' to have another look around Bass PRO shop. Thankyou once again to everyone for all the support, it has been a long tough road and throughout the journey it has been nice to know so many people are in our corner.

Steven.

Great Day Yesterday!

Steven came to the condo yesterday for his birthday and we all had a really good visit. I think it was the best day so far for all of us :)

Love Tracy