I can't believe that it's been 2 years since he has passed away. There still isn't a day that I don't think about Chuck and the wonderful 20+ years that we spent together.
I am moving on with my 'new' life with my wonderful new/old friends (especially my new sweetie.. Rob) and fun adventures. I've grown so much in the past year putting important things like love, friends, family and fun first. Thanks EVERYONE for the love, generosity and support that you have shown to me over the last 2 years.
Please celebrate Chuck's life with me today by remembering all of the wonderful times that you shared with him.
I miss you and I will always love you.
Akiko
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
To my Best Friend.... I love you and miss you dearly !
It's hard to believe it's been a year. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about Chuck and the wonderful and special times shared with him since we met in June of 1983. He was my best friend and I feel so blessed that we were able to have a beautiful ~20 year marriage.
I want to thank EVERYONE that has been there for supporting me over the past year ... this includes our families, my new & old friends from Vermont and our friends from our lives in Pennsylvania, Drexel and Maryland. This difficult time has shown me how many people in our lives love and really care about me. The love, the generosity, and being there for me when I have needed it has helped me start to move on and begin a new life. I love you all and THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.
Please join me .... in remembering all the wonderful times that you had with Chuck.
I miss you Chuck and you will always be the love of my life.
Love,
Akiko
I want to thank EVERYONE that has been there for supporting me over the past year ... this includes our families, my new & old friends from Vermont and our friends from our lives in Pennsylvania, Drexel and Maryland. This difficult time has shown me how many people in our lives love and really care about me. The love, the generosity, and being there for me when I have needed it has helped me start to move on and begin a new life. I love you all and THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.
Please join me .... in remembering all the wonderful times that you had with Chuck.
I miss you Chuck and you will always be the love of my life.
Love,
Akiko
Friday, March 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Thanks to All of Our Wonderful Family & Friends
Thanks everyone for attending & helping out on all of the Celebration activities both in Philly and in Vermont. Words can't describe how much I appreciate the love and support from our family, friends & co-workers for Chuck and I. It was great seeing everyone that Chuck's life has touched. There were a lot of fantastic memories shared during the Celebrations. It was good seeing people planning more get togethers. There is even talk of reviving the annual canoe trip ! It was great seeing people having fun retelling their stories about good times with Chuck. I'm glad that we could put the 'fun' back in funeral. ;-)
This journey has been a long one. I have learned a lot about life and the wonderful people that surround me.
I am taking a 3 week vacation to French Polynesia (Tahiti, Boorea, Moorea, ...) and then visit my brother in Atlanta to hopefully see the Masters (April 9th). I am leaving today, March 13th. I'm not bringing a laptop but will check my yahoo account at times. I am on leave from work until ~April 28th.
For those that are interested, I have added all the scanned pictures (1962 - 2001) in 2 web albums:
http://picasaweb.google.com/chucknakiko/ChuckScannedAll
http://picasaweb.google.com/chucknakiko/ChuckScannedAllPart2
I have also updated the blog with:
1. Philly Celebration pictures
2. Vermont visitation and Celebration pictures
3. Chuck's life: Philly Slideshow
If you haven't already added to the blog please do. I will post this email to the blog and then you can leave a comment by clicking on '# comments' on the 'Posted by' section.
Love,
Akiko
This journey has been a long one. I have learned a lot about life and the wonderful people that surround me.
I am taking a 3 week vacation to French Polynesia (Tahiti, Boorea, Moorea, ...) and then visit my brother in Atlanta to hopefully see the Masters (April 9th). I am leaving today, March 13th. I'm not bringing a laptop but will check my yahoo account at times. I am on leave from work until ~April 28th.
For those that are interested, I have added all the scanned pictures (1962 - 2001) in 2 web albums:
http://picasaweb.google.com/chucknakiko/ChuckScannedAll
http://picasaweb.google.com/chucknakiko/ChuckScannedAllPart2
I have also updated the blog with:
1. Philly Celebration pictures
2. Vermont visitation and Celebration pictures
3. Chuck's life: Philly Slideshow
If you haven't already added to the blog please do. I will post this email to the blog and then you can leave a comment by clicking on '# comments' on the 'Posted by' section.
Love,
Akiko
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Interview with Chuck in Thailand
I am a novice blogger so I hope this comes out OK and I apologize if it doesn't. This video was taken on a three week trip with Chuck, Akiko, Eric, Kathy and Kevin over New Years in 2002/2003. It was definitely one of the best trips I have been on. We visited the ruins at Ankor Wat in Cambodia and traveled through Thailand. The last leg of the trip was a six day sailing trip out of Phuket.
The first "interview" was taken on the catamaran while we sailed back to Phuket and then ultimately headed back to the States. The wind was pretty strong so I wasn't sure how would be heard over the wind. So, we did a second "interview" at the hotel as we waited for our ride to the airport. I uploaded both.
Some of the best trips I have ever been on where with Chuck and Akiko. I will sorely miss Chuck.
Karen
Monday, February 25, 2008
I remember the first time I met Chuck and Akiko. I had just lost my job and my friend JJ talked me into going to a Halloween party. "Trust me. You'll have a good time. There will be a lot of fun people there." As usual, he was right. Standing in Steve and Nora's basement a truly impressive sight walked down the stairs: a man and a woman dressed as Boris and Natasha. She was Boris. He was Natasha. I laughed so hard I spat beer out my nose. Needless to say I spent the rest of the evening trying to get to know Chuck and Keek because I knew they just had to be my friends. Well they took pity on my sorry ass, and it has been my pleasure to know them ever since.
I have so many memories: camping trips in Virginia, layover cocktails at O'Hare, bad golf outings (me not them) that saved me from a boring day with my boyfriend's dull friends and bonfires by the sugar shack set ablaze by something called "Icy Hot" (much better for incendiary purposes than for actual consumption). My favorite was also the last time I saw him. It was July 4th weekend, sitting on Chuck and Keek's porch, drinking champagne, eating gyoza and watching the sun set over the mountains - Chuck, as usual, with a dazzling grin, an infectious giggle and a few snarky comments whispered under his breath.
Seeing Chuck and Keek together is to know what true love is. It is a love that most of us can only dream of. I am truly blessed to have known Chuck. You rock my friend and you will be in my heart forever.
"Not THOSE Nerds"
Back in the spring of 1996, just after our good friends Dan and Tiki were married in Miami, Chuck and Aikiko took a little trip down to Key West with us. We rented a convertible (just like every other tourist in the Keys) and drove down on a Sunday afternoon. (We had to stop at least three times to put up and/or take down the convertible top due to sporatic rain showers...)
Keek and Chuck hooked us up with a sweet condo just off a tropical pool paradise. (They were the original travel pros...even before travelocity.com) Among the hotel amenities were fresh avacados (growing outside our door), a poolside tiki hut with free happy hour drinks, and a big, fat joint sitting on the privacy wall. A good time was in the making...
We made the usual stops...Sloppy Joes, Ernest Hemingway's house, Mallory Dock (where we ran into some other friends from DC - small world). We snorkeled (in 10 foot swells) off a huge catamaran and regretted drinking WAY TOO MUCH the day(s) before.
Just when we were feeling relaxed and part of "the scene", we wandered into a Duval Street bar that had a decent crowd. We made our way up to the bar, got a couple of drinks, and looked around. There was a group of college-aged coeds standing nearby and they took one look at us (hip, successful, double-income thirty-somethings) and in an extremely loud voice said..."Look at those NERDS. Lets get outta here."
Needless to say, it became the motto for the rest of the trip and for the next 12 years.
Thanks for the great memories. We're honored to be considered "NERDS" along with you!
Keek and Chuck hooked us up with a sweet condo just off a tropical pool paradise. (They were the original travel pros...even before travelocity.com) Among the hotel amenities were fresh avacados (growing outside our door), a poolside tiki hut with free happy hour drinks, and a big, fat joint sitting on the privacy wall. A good time was in the making...
We made the usual stops...Sloppy Joes, Ernest Hemingway's house, Mallory Dock (where we ran into some other friends from DC - small world). We snorkeled (in 10 foot swells) off a huge catamaran and regretted drinking WAY TOO MUCH the day(s) before.
Just when we were feeling relaxed and part of "the scene", we wandered into a Duval Street bar that had a decent crowd. We made our way up to the bar, got a couple of drinks, and looked around. There was a group of college-aged coeds standing nearby and they took one look at us (hip, successful, double-income thirty-somethings) and in an extremely loud voice said..."Look at those NERDS. Lets get outta here."
Needless to say, it became the motto for the rest of the trip and for the next 12 years.
Thanks for the great memories. We're honored to be considered "NERDS" along with you!
ChuckB will be missed
I met Chuck & Akiko during their years in Maryland, at work. Besides work, we shared softball, canoing in the NJ Pine barrens, Baltimore's Lithuanian festival, many parties, their wedding. Life.
I worked with Akiko, and knew Chuck as 'Akiko's guy'. They were energetic, busy people, determined to squeeze as much as possible from every day. I wasn't as energetic, beset then with my own health problems, and Akiko was superbly compassionate & direct - she offered sympathy for my limits, but didn't shortchange her needs. Chuck, 'Akiko's guy', was a thoughtful listener with a great sense of humor. I thought they were a great couple, and with many others, I enjoyed their wedding the summer of 1988.
I admire that Chuck changed his career to something he loved; he stands in contrast to many of us who stay in less-than-great jobs. It takes courage & work to shift gears, and I will remember Chuck when I think about career changes.
The advent of Chuck's illness didn't stop Akiko & Chuck's determination to live life fully. I was impressed at their travel and joy of discovering new places & meeting new friends. They didn't hide from the difficulty of Chuck's cancer diagnosis ... they gathered information, asked for support and dealt with it. Very healthy attitudes - and very rare. I think about their communication and love, particularly in adversity: in dealing with Chuck's illness ... so important in a good marriage. As a soon-to-be-married person, I think they are a good example.
I will always think of Chuck with a smile; not as much his handsome looks as his sense of humor, his thoughtfulness, sense of fun and energy. A counselor years ago told me the best way to prepare for dying was to live life fully, to avoid looking back with regrets. Chuck did that in his 45 years.
With love & prayers,
Mary Peters
I worked with Akiko, and knew Chuck as 'Akiko's guy'. They were energetic, busy people, determined to squeeze as much as possible from every day. I wasn't as energetic, beset then with my own health problems, and Akiko was superbly compassionate & direct - she offered sympathy for my limits, but didn't shortchange her needs. Chuck, 'Akiko's guy', was a thoughtful listener with a great sense of humor. I thought they were a great couple, and with many others, I enjoyed their wedding the summer of 1988.
I admire that Chuck changed his career to something he loved; he stands in contrast to many of us who stay in less-than-great jobs. It takes courage & work to shift gears, and I will remember Chuck when I think about career changes.
The advent of Chuck's illness didn't stop Akiko & Chuck's determination to live life fully. I was impressed at their travel and joy of discovering new places & meeting new friends. They didn't hide from the difficulty of Chuck's cancer diagnosis ... they gathered information, asked for support and dealt with it. Very healthy attitudes - and very rare. I think about their communication and love, particularly in adversity: in dealing with Chuck's illness ... so important in a good marriage. As a soon-to-be-married person, I think they are a good example.
I will always think of Chuck with a smile; not as much his handsome looks as his sense of humor, his thoughtfulness, sense of fun and energy. A counselor years ago told me the best way to prepare for dying was to live life fully, to avoid looking back with regrets. Chuck did that in his 45 years.
With love & prayers,
Mary Peters
The Good Man
I feel as though I am telling others what they will know even better than myself as I regret to say I only spent a few days with Chuck and Akiko on a few special occaisions. But I am certain that everyone who knew him also knew it took very little time to appreciate what a good man Chuck was. All the time spent with him was surprisingly meaningful if only because I felt as if I had known him for a long time. Lots of kidding around, some serious talks, games, skiing, beers, pool.... exactly the stuff you do with your best friend. And unlike many people he listened and spoke with his heart and wore it on his sleeve. Funny, sensitive, smart, and caring. It came naturally to him, being a friend, being a good man, being the kind of guy you wanted as a friend in your life. The loss of him far too soon in life to everyone that ever knew him leaves a unique hole not to be filled but should serve to remind us of how a fine man lived and breathed and was such a positive influence in our own lives, not the least of which being how bravely he faced his illness along with his wonderful wife Akiko. God rest his soul and may he find the love and friendship he gave here also returned to him again and more so, wherever he may be.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
February 20, 2008 - Charles Aydelotte Balchiunas 2/18/08
To all of our dear friends and family,
On February 18th at 3:35 PM, Chuck passed away peacefully with his close family and friends with him at his home in Hinesburg. Shortly after he passed, the sun broke through the clouds illuminated the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain ... a glorious gift from Chuck. As the sun began to finally set through the clouds in the distance, rays of light illuminated Chuck's face with a soft warm glow. We all felt peace with him.
Visiting hours will be Friday, Feb. 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Boucher and Pritchard Funeral Home, 85 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington.
A "Celebration of Chuck's Life" will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday Feb. 23 in the Hinesburg Community School, Rte. 116 in Hinesburg. Reception to follow.
There will be an additional Celebration in the Philadelphia Area on Saturday March 1, 2008. Stay tuned for details.
Please visit our blog and please add your memories and photos of Chuck.http://chuckbalchiunas.blogspot.com/
*On Blog Postings and Comments:
You are welcome to add comments to this BLOG by going under the "Thoughts & Memories of Chuck" and clicking "Post a Comment".
If you would like to start a blog and post your own message, pictures, etc.... please send me (abalchiu@us.ibm.com) and I will add you to the access list.
Love,
Akiko
Obituary in the Burlington Free Press:
CHARLES A. BALCHIUNAS
HINESBURG, VERMONT
Chuck Balchiunas, 46, died peacefully with his family at his side in his home in Hinesburg on Monday, Feb. 19, 2008. He was born in Upper Darby, Pa. on Jan. 25, 1962 the son of Alfonse and Emma (Bennett) Balchiunas.
Chuck grew up in Springfield, PA and graduated from Springfield HS in 1980. He graduated from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA in 1987 where he received a BS & MS in Mechanical Engineering. At Drexel he met his wife, Akiko. They were married on July 9, 1988 in Ivyland, PA. He spent the next 8 years in Pasadena, MD where he worked as an engineer. He & his wife moved to Vermont in 1995 where he worked as an engineer at IBM. He then had the opportunity to fulfill his dream in teaching and graduated from Trinity College in Burlington VT in 2000 with a BA in Secondary Mathemathics Education. He then was employed as a 7-8 grade math teacher and para-educator at Hinesburg Community School.
Fishing, boating, golfing, snowboarding, and vacationing all over the world (Alaska, Hawaii, SE Asia, Europe and more) were his passions. Last year, he fulfilled the dream of owning a house on a lake. He thoroughly enjoyed fishing & boating at the North Hero, VT lakehouse this past summer.
He is survived by his wife & best friend of over 20 years, Akiko; brother David Balchiunas & wife April, their son & Chuck's god son Justin of Aston, PA; sister Carol & husband Bob Roten of Quarryville, PA; sister Susan Foulk and her children Jason Sikes, Bethany Sikes, Aliah Mei Foulk & Liligrace Foulk of Quarryville, PA & Henderson, NC; his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Masako & Shoji Fukumoto of Warminster, PA; his brother-in-law Mas Fukumoto of Atlanta, GA; cousin Arthur Shannon & wife Sandra of Honey Brook, PA, and countless number of friends who's lives he has touched. He was pre-deceased by his parents.
Visiting hours will be Friday, Feb. 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Boucher and Pritchard Funeral Home, 85 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington.
A "Celebration of Chuck's Life" will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday Feb. 23 in the Hinesburg Community School, Rte. 116 in Hinesburg. Reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Chuck’s memory may be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Vermont or the Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden County.
Arrangements are by Boucher and Pritchard Funeral Directors.
On February 18th at 3:35 PM, Chuck passed away peacefully with his close family and friends with him at his home in Hinesburg. Shortly after he passed, the sun broke through the clouds illuminated the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain ... a glorious gift from Chuck. As the sun began to finally set through the clouds in the distance, rays of light illuminated Chuck's face with a soft warm glow. We all felt peace with him.
Visiting hours will be Friday, Feb. 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Boucher and Pritchard Funeral Home, 85 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington.
A "Celebration of Chuck's Life" will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday Feb. 23 in the Hinesburg Community School, Rte. 116 in Hinesburg. Reception to follow.
There will be an additional Celebration in the Philadelphia Area on Saturday March 1, 2008. Stay tuned for details.
Please visit our blog and please add your memories and photos of Chuck.http://chuckbalchiunas.blogspot.com/
*On Blog Postings and Comments:
You are welcome to add comments to this BLOG by going under the "Thoughts & Memories of Chuck" and clicking "Post a Comment".
If you would like to start a blog and post your own message, pictures, etc.... please send me (abalchiu@us.ibm.com) and I will add you to the access list.
Love,
Akiko
Obituary in the Burlington Free Press:
CHARLES A. BALCHIUNAS
HINESBURG, VERMONT
Chuck Balchiunas, 46, died peacefully with his family at his side in his home in Hinesburg on Monday, Feb. 19, 2008. He was born in Upper Darby, Pa. on Jan. 25, 1962 the son of Alfonse and Emma (Bennett) Balchiunas.
Chuck grew up in Springfield, PA and graduated from Springfield HS in 1980. He graduated from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA in 1987 where he received a BS & MS in Mechanical Engineering. At Drexel he met his wife, Akiko. They were married on July 9, 1988 in Ivyland, PA. He spent the next 8 years in Pasadena, MD where he worked as an engineer. He & his wife moved to Vermont in 1995 where he worked as an engineer at IBM. He then had the opportunity to fulfill his dream in teaching and graduated from Trinity College in Burlington VT in 2000 with a BA in Secondary Mathemathics Education. He then was employed as a 7-8 grade math teacher and para-educator at Hinesburg Community School.
Fishing, boating, golfing, snowboarding, and vacationing all over the world (Alaska, Hawaii, SE Asia, Europe and more) were his passions. Last year, he fulfilled the dream of owning a house on a lake. He thoroughly enjoyed fishing & boating at the North Hero, VT lakehouse this past summer.
He is survived by his wife & best friend of over 20 years, Akiko; brother David Balchiunas & wife April, their son & Chuck's god son Justin of Aston, PA; sister Carol & husband Bob Roten of Quarryville, PA; sister Susan Foulk and her children Jason Sikes, Bethany Sikes, Aliah Mei Foulk & Liligrace Foulk of Quarryville, PA & Henderson, NC; his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Masako & Shoji Fukumoto of Warminster, PA; his brother-in-law Mas Fukumoto of Atlanta, GA; cousin Arthur Shannon & wife Sandra of Honey Brook, PA, and countless number of friends who's lives he has touched. He was pre-deceased by his parents.
Visiting hours will be Friday, Feb. 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Boucher and Pritchard Funeral Home, 85 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington.
A "Celebration of Chuck's Life" will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday Feb. 23 in the Hinesburg Community School, Rte. 116 in Hinesburg. Reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Chuck’s memory may be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Vermont or the Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden County.
Arrangements are by Boucher and Pritchard Funeral Directors.
February 16, 2008 - Chuck Update - Party & other pictures
Everyone,
Thanks everyone for the gifts, emails, cards, phone calls, support and letters that everyone has sent to Chuck for his birthday and to get well soon. Over the last few weeks it has really lifted his spirits seeing all of his friends & family from all over the country wishing him well.
I wish that I had better news. Since the party, Chuck has been declining since the cancer is spreading rapidly. We have accepted the fact that we can not stop the cancer and the goal now is to make him comfortable. He is currently on a morphine pump and other meds to help with his comfort. He is no longer eating nor drinking anything since it just makes him ill. Currently we have a hospice nurse that comes to the house. He sleeps most of the time.
So, if you would like to see him, please visit soon as possible (... the next few days ). He looks very different now since he lost a lot of weight and is now sporting the goatee that he could never grow before. We would like for all to remember him as the handsome, tall, fun person that he is instead of what he looks like now. If you can't make it, you can call him at 802-XXX-XXXX. He can hear you but he may not be able to respond.
I am gathering pictures for a computer slide show of Chuck's wonderful life. If have photos, can you scan photos and then email them to me, that will be great.
I have attached a link to our pictures on google web alarm. Pictures of the last few weeks (including the birthday party) are on the link. http://picasaweb.google.com/chucknakiko/108ChuckSPartiesVisitors The last few weeks have been wonderful as you can see from the pictures. Here is a synopsis of the last few weeks:
The birthday party on Jan 19th was wonderful. We had over 80 people show up. It was max capacity at the house. I'm glad about the bonfire outside. I thank the people who did not show up since they were sick. Chuck totally enjoyed the day. He thought that he would be overwhelmed with the crowds but was not. Thanks everyone for the gifts, cards and food that you all brought. I want thank Mary Lorrain the owner of Quizno's in Winooski in sending up the sub tray. It was great seeing our friends from our life in Maryland who now live all over the country. Dan & Tiki from CA, Steve & Nora Meyer & Suzanne Herman from MD, Joe & Harriet Meyer from PA, and John Joseph (JJ) from Ohio. We also loved seeing all the staff (and former staff) from Hinesburg Central School. Also Dan Sauerwald that brought up the Video games setups for the party. Now I am addicted to Guitar Hero ! My family (Mom, Dad and Mas) were all here as well. I'm glad that all enjoyed mom's awesome cooking. Chuck's sister Sue and her daughters (Bethany, Aliah-Mei, Liligrace) also came from PA and NC. Bill Selby who was our best man also made the trip from PA.
The Hinesburg Record's January edition has a "Happy Birthday Chuck" page from the students from school. This really touched our hearts and made us realize what a wonderful caring community that we live in. Please pick one up if you can!
The following weekend, Doug Howe from Portland, Oregon and Chuck's cousin Art Shannon from PA came to visit. The weekend after, Chuck's Drexel buddies (Kathy McHugh, Mark Williamson, Pat Henry, John Hunter, Joe McDonnell & Kevin Delaney) and Jan & Larry Gaudaen from Washington DC came up to visit.
The week after Chuck's brother Dave and sister Carol came for the week. It was really nice to have Carol the hospice nurse here. During the weekend, Chuck's cousin Kathy Fiegel and Art Shannon also came to visit.
For Valentine's day, a few of the staff from HCS came up and gave the Valentine's cards and carnations from the students. It was wonderful and the flowers brightened up our home. Thanks!
This weekend we have Chuck's brother Dave and wife April, our maid of honor Lisa Dennison & husband Mike, childhood friend Phil Nelson, my high school friend Karen Douglass & friend Zoltan Tarek are up visiting.
It's been wonderful with all of the well wishers and seeing old friends. There are countless numbers of people here in Vermont that have been extremely helpful and supportive. Thanks to all them ! A few special acknowledgements are: Debbie Decell, Barb Spaulding from HCS, the Bertrands, Brian & Rachel Thibault (UPS deliveries), Eric Schulz, my golf buddies (Lauri Brown, Bev Knight and Shirley Polworth ), my volleyball / scrabble friends (Joann, Ed, Mary Lynne, Rose, Jan, Genie) and the countless others ! I apologize to those that I didn't mention in this email but all of your support & help has been priceless.
We believe that the time is short now so I wanted to share with you all what you've meant to Chuck & I through this difficult time. Love, Akiko & Chuck
Thanks everyone for the gifts, emails, cards, phone calls, support and letters that everyone has sent to Chuck for his birthday and to get well soon. Over the last few weeks it has really lifted his spirits seeing all of his friends & family from all over the country wishing him well.
I wish that I had better news. Since the party, Chuck has been declining since the cancer is spreading rapidly. We have accepted the fact that we can not stop the cancer and the goal now is to make him comfortable. He is currently on a morphine pump and other meds to help with his comfort. He is no longer eating nor drinking anything since it just makes him ill. Currently we have a hospice nurse that comes to the house. He sleeps most of the time.
So, if you would like to see him, please visit soon as possible (... the next few days ). He looks very different now since he lost a lot of weight and is now sporting the goatee that he could never grow before. We would like for all to remember him as the handsome, tall, fun person that he is instead of what he looks like now. If you can't make it, you can call him at 802-XXX-XXXX. He can hear you but he may not be able to respond.
I am gathering pictures for a computer slide show of Chuck's wonderful life. If have photos, can you scan photos and then email them to me, that will be great.
I have attached a link to our pictures on google web alarm. Pictures of the last few weeks (including the birthday party) are on the link. http://picasaweb.google.com/chucknakiko/108ChuckSPartiesVisitors The last few weeks have been wonderful as you can see from the pictures. Here is a synopsis of the last few weeks:
The birthday party on Jan 19th was wonderful. We had over 80 people show up. It was max capacity at the house. I'm glad about the bonfire outside. I thank the people who did not show up since they were sick. Chuck totally enjoyed the day. He thought that he would be overwhelmed with the crowds but was not. Thanks everyone for the gifts, cards and food that you all brought. I want thank Mary Lorrain the owner of Quizno's in Winooski in sending up the sub tray. It was great seeing our friends from our life in Maryland who now live all over the country. Dan & Tiki from CA, Steve & Nora Meyer & Suzanne Herman from MD, Joe & Harriet Meyer from PA, and John Joseph (JJ) from Ohio. We also loved seeing all the staff (and former staff) from Hinesburg Central School. Also Dan Sauerwald that brought up the Video games setups for the party. Now I am addicted to Guitar Hero ! My family (Mom, Dad and Mas) were all here as well. I'm glad that all enjoyed mom's awesome cooking. Chuck's sister Sue and her daughters (Bethany, Aliah-Mei, Liligrace) also came from PA and NC. Bill Selby who was our best man also made the trip from PA.
The Hinesburg Record's January edition has a "Happy Birthday Chuck" page from the students from school. This really touched our hearts and made us realize what a wonderful caring community that we live in. Please pick one up if you can!
The following weekend, Doug Howe from Portland, Oregon and Chuck's cousin Art Shannon from PA came to visit. The weekend after, Chuck's Drexel buddies (Kathy McHugh, Mark Williamson, Pat Henry, John Hunter, Joe McDonnell & Kevin Delaney) and Jan & Larry Gaudaen from Washington DC came up to visit.
The week after Chuck's brother Dave and sister Carol came for the week. It was really nice to have Carol the hospice nurse here. During the weekend, Chuck's cousin Kathy Fiegel and Art Shannon also came to visit.
For Valentine's day, a few of the staff from HCS came up and gave the Valentine's cards and carnations from the students. It was wonderful and the flowers brightened up our home. Thanks!
This weekend we have Chuck's brother Dave and wife April, our maid of honor Lisa Dennison & husband Mike, childhood friend Phil Nelson, my high school friend Karen Douglass & friend Zoltan Tarek are up visiting.
It's been wonderful with all of the well wishers and seeing old friends. There are countless numbers of people here in Vermont that have been extremely helpful and supportive. Thanks to all them ! A few special acknowledgements are: Debbie Decell, Barb Spaulding from HCS, the Bertrands, Brian & Rachel Thibault (UPS deliveries), Eric Schulz, my golf buddies (Lauri Brown, Bev Knight and Shirley Polworth ), my volleyball / scrabble friends (Joann, Ed, Mary Lynne, Rose, Jan, Genie) and the countless others ! I apologize to those that I didn't mention in this email but all of your support & help has been priceless.
We believe that the time is short now so I wanted to share with you all what you've meant to Chuck & I through this difficult time. Love, Akiko & Chuck
January 19, 2008 - A message to my brother
When I reflect on our friendship for the past 20+ years, I recall many great times.
Early on you taught me to drive a manual transmission in exchange for painting your guest bedroom. I also learned that you need to put the interior shower curtain inside the tub. I never realized you would exact your revenge until you overflowed my toilet 20 years later. You also made an earlier impression with the family with your first Fukumoto family Christmas picture with those bleach white socks. You never made the that fashion faux pas again.
I also appreciated that you and Akiko visited me in my various locations. Who could forget the signature burnt BBQ at the Smokestack in Kansas City, and cheering for the Eagles in a sea of red at Arrowhead Stadium. Another memorable moment was listening to the sounds of tire snow chains in our Lake Tahoe motel outdoor hot tub. The trip to San Jose was capped off with my friend’s girl friend telling us to get the hell out when we arrived for a New Year’s Eve party in San Francisco. My fondest memory during your first Atlanta trip was watching you load up your golf bag with my shag bag balls, and then proceeding to use all them at Bradshaw Farms. During your second visit, we were able to see an awesome Falcons versus Steelers game in the Georgia Dome luxury boxes.
We also had some great snowboard trips together. Highlights were poaching out of bounds powder runs at Brighton multiple times, and having to walk back to the resort. On the same trip, we rode the smoothest groomed run at Snowbasin on a warm sunny morning. Another great time was our trip to Alaska and catching countless monster sized Alaskan salmon, having Rosa explain how to drink beers Mexican style, and sleeping in the Wal-Mart parking lot after the Home Depot refuse us.
We also had great Fukumoto family vacations. Who can forget yelling at the fisherman on our Iron Man like mountain bike ride “What lake is this?” and hearing “Lake Caledonia”? I could not believe mom picked you as the better driver during our Alberta trip. Another memorable moment was getting “monkeyed up” on Cuban cigars in Paris. Recently, we learned to master the legendary Hawaiian surf. But not all memories have to be adrenalin rushes. I will always remember chill-in on the deck in our rental condo on the Big Island, and watching the sun set to some cool tunes on the iPod.
Vermont visits were always good times. I can’t count the number of rounds we played at the gimmicky Cedar Knoll. We had some great riding days, especially the power day at Smugglers Notch, and learning to do 180s and board grabs at Stowe. Recently it has been enjoyable watching you battle the squirrels to protect your bird feeders.
I know I have forgotten many other memorable times because we have had so many, but what underlies all these great moments is your friendship and being my brother. I enjoyed our many talks about things brothers talk about whether it was riding up a long ski lift, walking down the fairway, or riding shotgun in your Ford pick-up truck. I admire the way you enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Whether it was completing a home repair, relaxing with a good wheat beer in a proper glass, or fishing for the prized catch, your content look of satisfaction put all at ease. Your focus on enjoying life enabled you and Akiko to move to Vermont to live where you wanted to live, and do what you wanted to do. You are Akiko’s perfect partner, and I appreciate all the happiness you have given her. You have made our family better and enriched all our lives.
Love,
Mas
Early on you taught me to drive a manual transmission in exchange for painting your guest bedroom. I also learned that you need to put the interior shower curtain inside the tub. I never realized you would exact your revenge until you overflowed my toilet 20 years later. You also made an earlier impression with the family with your first Fukumoto family Christmas picture with those bleach white socks. You never made the that fashion faux pas again.
I also appreciated that you and Akiko visited me in my various locations. Who could forget the signature burnt BBQ at the Smokestack in Kansas City, and cheering for the Eagles in a sea of red at Arrowhead Stadium. Another memorable moment was listening to the sounds of tire snow chains in our Lake Tahoe motel outdoor hot tub. The trip to San Jose was capped off with my friend’s girl friend telling us to get the hell out when we arrived for a New Year’s Eve party in San Francisco. My fondest memory during your first Atlanta trip was watching you load up your golf bag with my shag bag balls, and then proceeding to use all them at Bradshaw Farms. During your second visit, we were able to see an awesome Falcons versus Steelers game in the Georgia Dome luxury boxes.
We also had some great snowboard trips together. Highlights were poaching out of bounds powder runs at Brighton multiple times, and having to walk back to the resort. On the same trip, we rode the smoothest groomed run at Snowbasin on a warm sunny morning. Another great time was our trip to Alaska and catching countless monster sized Alaskan salmon, having Rosa explain how to drink beers Mexican style, and sleeping in the Wal-Mart parking lot after the Home Depot refuse us.
We also had great Fukumoto family vacations. Who can forget yelling at the fisherman on our Iron Man like mountain bike ride “What lake is this?” and hearing “Lake Caledonia”? I could not believe mom picked you as the better driver during our Alberta trip. Another memorable moment was getting “monkeyed up” on Cuban cigars in Paris. Recently, we learned to master the legendary Hawaiian surf. But not all memories have to be adrenalin rushes. I will always remember chill-in on the deck in our rental condo on the Big Island, and watching the sun set to some cool tunes on the iPod.
Vermont visits were always good times. I can’t count the number of rounds we played at the gimmicky Cedar Knoll. We had some great riding days, especially the power day at Smugglers Notch, and learning to do 180s and board grabs at Stowe. Recently it has been enjoyable watching you battle the squirrels to protect your bird feeders.
I know I have forgotten many other memorable times because we have had so many, but what underlies all these great moments is your friendship and being my brother. I enjoyed our many talks about things brothers talk about whether it was riding up a long ski lift, walking down the fairway, or riding shotgun in your Ford pick-up truck. I admire the way you enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Whether it was completing a home repair, relaxing with a good wheat beer in a proper glass, or fishing for the prized catch, your content look of satisfaction put all at ease. Your focus on enjoying life enabled you and Akiko to move to Vermont to live where you wanted to live, and do what you wanted to do. You are Akiko’s perfect partner, and I appreciate all the happiness you have given her. You have made our family better and enriched all our lives.
Love,
Mas
January 17, 2008 - Chuck Update and Directions to the Birthday Party
Hello,
First of all thanks for all of the wonderful emails and phone calls from everyone. We are trying to respond to them all. We are amazed at all of the support and the positive messages that everyone is sending our way.
We can't believe all of the free time that our friends and relatives are willing to give up to for us.. All of this brings tears to our eyes and makes us realize that we are blessed with such wonderful friends and family who care so much about us.We also can't believe all of the people from all over the US that want to visit and come to the birthday party. We have encouraged most of them into coming during the following weeks so that we can spend more time with them. It'll be great to see you all. Currently the weekends of Feb 10th & 17th and anytime after Mar 5th are available for visitors. Between Feb 20th and Mar 5th, we are planning to a take a vacation.
This past weekend we had Chuck's family (brother Dave, wife April, godson Justin, sister Carol & hubby Bob) and our maid of honor Lisa Dennison stay and visit. It really lifted Chuck's spirits. I'm sure that the visitors this weekend and the birthday party will do the same.
Here is more info about the party:
Chuck's Birthday Party / Open House
If you are sick, we are asking you to respect Chuck's condition and not attend the party. I will be sending out pictures.
When: Saturday Jan 19th from noon to 8pm.
Where: Balchiunas manor in Hinesburg
What to bring: Food/Beverage to share Please bring lawn chairs if you would like to enjoy an outdoor fire in our fire pit. You can bring small burnables as well.We have 22 acres of land if you would like to hike / snowshoe / cross country ski
Parking: There are 3 houses on Butternut Lane. We are the last house (beige w/ green roof). (1/2 mile away)If parking is full at our house please drop off your items then please park at either at the other 2 homes. Also, if you can not make it up the driveway, you may park at XXXX Rd. (Thibaults)Please call the house at 802-XXX-XXXX and someone will come and get you.
See you then, Chuck & Akiko
First of all thanks for all of the wonderful emails and phone calls from everyone. We are trying to respond to them all. We are amazed at all of the support and the positive messages that everyone is sending our way.
We can't believe all of the free time that our friends and relatives are willing to give up to for us.. All of this brings tears to our eyes and makes us realize that we are blessed with such wonderful friends and family who care so much about us.We also can't believe all of the people from all over the US that want to visit and come to the birthday party. We have encouraged most of them into coming during the following weeks so that we can spend more time with them. It'll be great to see you all. Currently the weekends of Feb 10th & 17th and anytime after Mar 5th are available for visitors. Between Feb 20th and Mar 5th, we are planning to a take a vacation.
This past weekend we had Chuck's family (brother Dave, wife April, godson Justin, sister Carol & hubby Bob) and our maid of honor Lisa Dennison stay and visit. It really lifted Chuck's spirits. I'm sure that the visitors this weekend and the birthday party will do the same.
Here is more info about the party:
Chuck's Birthday Party / Open House
If you are sick, we are asking you to respect Chuck's condition and not attend the party. I will be sending out pictures.
When: Saturday Jan 19th from noon to 8pm.
Where: Balchiunas manor in Hinesburg
What to bring: Food/Beverage to share Please bring lawn chairs if you would like to enjoy an outdoor fire in our fire pit. You can bring small burnables as well.We have 22 acres of land if you would like to hike / snowshoe / cross country ski
Parking: There are 3 houses on Butternut Lane. We are the last house (beige w/ green roof). (1/2 mile away)If parking is full at our house please drop off your items then please park at either at the other 2 homes. Also, if you can not make it up the driveway, you may park at XXXX Rd. (Thibaults)Please call the house at 802-XXX-XXXX and someone will come and get you.
See you then, Chuck & Akiko
January 11, 2008 - Chuck Update & Birthday Party invite for Sat, Jan 19th
Hi Everyone,
I just wanted everyone to know that Chuck is not doing very well. The holidays were very rough on Chuck as we learned that the cancer has now spread to his stomach as a bleeding ulcerated mass. In the last few weeks, he has been in the emergency room twice and was hospitalized for 4 days this past week. He just came home on Tuesday but is still not eating much due to the blood in his stomach making him nauseous. He also has been going under radiation treatment over the last 5 days to help the stomach cancer but the effects will not be known for about a week - 10 days. He has lost a lot of weight.
At the final radiation treatment (Wed) the doctor told us that my Chuck's condition is no longer curable and we should start preparing for the worst. The timeframe depends on the effectivity of his recent radiation treatments and also if he can start gaining more weight. We are thinking positive so that he can enjoy another summer at the lakehouse.
He has been feeling worse ever since we came back from Hawaii. He brought back from lava rocks from the Mauna Lani golf course. The Hawaiian legends say that the volcano goddess Pele will bring bad luck to those remove these rocks from the island..... so I mailed them back about a week ago for better luck. Anything that may help! ;-)
Please send your positive thoughts our way. If you'd like, you can call but if we don't call back, please understand since he may not be up for talking.
Many of our local Vermont friends (especially the faculty at HCS) has expressed an interest having a birthday party for Chuck (birthday is Jan 25th)..... so we are having an Open house/Birthday party at our Hinesburg house from noon to 8pm next Saturday Jan 19th. If you'd like, please bring a food/beverage item to share with the rest of the guests. I am encouraging car pooling since the recent thaw has created havoc on our driveway. Also if next Saturday's weather isn't nice, I encourage 4WD vehicles only due to our driveway. (People who have been here know what I mean ! ) Please email me if you need directions to the house.
Over the next 2 weeks we are having family and close friends from out of town visiting.
Thanks for all the support & help that everyone has offered and given over the last few weeks. It's so wonderful to have great group of friends that really care about us and willing to do just about anything for us. We feel extremely fortunate and blessed.
Chuck really enjoyed the well wishes from the students & faculty from HCS that he recieved yesterday from Barb Spauling & Jen Bradford's visit. I have attached the photos below.
Anyway, I will try and keep everyone posted.
Please continue to send positive thoughts our way. Also please feel free to distribute this email to those I have forgotten to add. I'm also afraid that due to the huge distribution list, that it'll be marked as spam in some mailboxes. If you can send me an email letting us know that you recieved this, it'll help to contact the others.
Thanks so much for your support.
Love,
Chuck & Akiko
I just wanted everyone to know that Chuck is not doing very well. The holidays were very rough on Chuck as we learned that the cancer has now spread to his stomach as a bleeding ulcerated mass. In the last few weeks, he has been in the emergency room twice and was hospitalized for 4 days this past week. He just came home on Tuesday but is still not eating much due to the blood in his stomach making him nauseous. He also has been going under radiation treatment over the last 5 days to help the stomach cancer but the effects will not be known for about a week - 10 days. He has lost a lot of weight.
At the final radiation treatment (Wed) the doctor told us that my Chuck's condition is no longer curable and we should start preparing for the worst. The timeframe depends on the effectivity of his recent radiation treatments and also if he can start gaining more weight. We are thinking positive so that he can enjoy another summer at the lakehouse.
He has been feeling worse ever since we came back from Hawaii. He brought back from lava rocks from the Mauna Lani golf course. The Hawaiian legends say that the volcano goddess Pele will bring bad luck to those remove these rocks from the island..... so I mailed them back about a week ago for better luck. Anything that may help! ;-)
Please send your positive thoughts our way. If you'd like, you can call but if we don't call back, please understand since he may not be up for talking.
Many of our local Vermont friends (especially the faculty at HCS) has expressed an interest having a birthday party for Chuck (birthday is Jan 25th)..... so we are having an Open house/Birthday party at our Hinesburg house from noon to 8pm next Saturday Jan 19th. If you'd like, please bring a food/beverage item to share with the rest of the guests. I am encouraging car pooling since the recent thaw has created havoc on our driveway. Also if next Saturday's weather isn't nice, I encourage 4WD vehicles only due to our driveway. (People who have been here know what I mean ! ) Please email me if you need directions to the house.
Over the next 2 weeks we are having family and close friends from out of town visiting.
Thanks for all the support & help that everyone has offered and given over the last few weeks. It's so wonderful to have great group of friends that really care about us and willing to do just about anything for us. We feel extremely fortunate and blessed.
Chuck really enjoyed the well wishes from the students & faculty from HCS that he recieved yesterday from Barb Spauling & Jen Bradford's visit. I have attached the photos below.
Anyway, I will try and keep everyone posted.Please continue to send positive thoughts our way. Also please feel free to distribute this email to those I have forgotten to add. I'm also afraid that due to the huge distribution list, that it'll be marked as spam in some mailboxes. If you can send me an email letting us know that you recieved this, it'll help to contact the others.
Thanks so much for your support.
Love,
Chuck & Akiko
December 4, 2007 - Seasons Greetings from Chuck and Akiko
Seasons Greetings!
Chuck is feeling fine. He is continuing to undergo chemotherapy treatments to control his liver tumors. Despite the treatments over the past year, his spirits are high. This summer, he really enjoyed our new lakehouse in North Hero, VT and all of our guests.
Last month we went to Hawaii for my cousin's wedding. It was a family reunion with my cousin's family attending from Japan as well as my immediate family. We really enjoyed golfing, snorkeling, sightseeng, and surfing. (fyi: Yes, we were both successful in riding the waves on a surfboard ! (Sorry no pictures) )
Today we got about 10" of snow. It's the first big snow of the year! It sure makes us miss the Hawaiian weather.
Have a wonderful holiday,
Akiko & Chuck
Here are some pictures from Hawaii and our new Lakehouse. If you would like any copies, please email me.
Akiko & Chuck's Hawaii Pictures
http://picasaweb.google.com/chucknakiko/1007HawaiiChuckAkiko
Lakehouse Pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/chucknakiko/0707SummerLakehousePictures
Chuck is feeling fine. He is continuing to undergo chemotherapy treatments to control his liver tumors. Despite the treatments over the past year, his spirits are high. This summer, he really enjoyed our new lakehouse in North Hero, VT and all of our guests.
Last month we went to Hawaii for my cousin's wedding. It was a family reunion with my cousin's family attending from Japan as well as my immediate family. We really enjoyed golfing, snorkeling, sightseeng, and surfing. (fyi: Yes, we were both successful in riding the waves on a surfboard ! (Sorry no pictures) )
Today we got about 10" of snow. It's the first big snow of the year! It sure makes us miss the Hawaiian weather.
Have a wonderful holiday,
Akiko & Chuck
Here are some pictures from Hawaii and our new Lakehouse. If you would like any copies, please email me.
Akiko & Chuck's Hawaii Pictures
http://picasaweb.google.com/chucknakiko/1007HawaiiChuckAkiko
Lakehouse Pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com/chucknakiko/0707SummerLakehousePictures
July 14, 2006 - Chuck Update - GOOD NEWS !
Hi everyone,
I wanted to give a quick update on Chuck.
As most of you know, Chuck was undergoing chemo for tumors in his liver since last August. He stopped taking chemo at the end of April since it was really making him sick. Chuck wanted to have the summer & our vacation chemo free so that he could enjoy them. He had another CAT scan then and it showed the tumors had shrunk even more since the February CAT scan.
In June we went to Ireland for his cousin Art's wedding. He was the best man. It was a blast. Since we've been to Ireland before, we decided to go to Spain for a week. We stayed in Granada & Ronda. That was a great time too! What a beautiful and fun part of Europe! We really got into the World Cup over there. We were routing for Spain but they didn't go very far in the elimination round.
After we got back, Chuck had another CAT scan on July 10th. On Wednesday we got the results and we found that the CAT scan showed NO CANCER!!! Needless to say, we are overjoyed !!! We have another CAT scan scheduled for early October so until then Dr Thomas told us to enjoy the rest of the summer.
I'll be posting our European trip pictures on the web shortly. I'll send an email out when it's ready.
This is the best news to date and thanks for everyone's positive thoughts & energy that was sent our way.
Akiko & Chuck
I wanted to give a quick update on Chuck.
As most of you know, Chuck was undergoing chemo for tumors in his liver since last August. He stopped taking chemo at the end of April since it was really making him sick. Chuck wanted to have the summer & our vacation chemo free so that he could enjoy them. He had another CAT scan then and it showed the tumors had shrunk even more since the February CAT scan.
In June we went to Ireland for his cousin Art's wedding. He was the best man. It was a blast. Since we've been to Ireland before, we decided to go to Spain for a week. We stayed in Granada & Ronda. That was a great time too! What a beautiful and fun part of Europe! We really got into the World Cup over there. We were routing for Spain but they didn't go very far in the elimination round.
After we got back, Chuck had another CAT scan on July 10th. On Wednesday we got the results and we found that the CAT scan showed NO CANCER!!! Needless to say, we are overjoyed !!! We have another CAT scan scheduled for early October so until then Dr Thomas told us to enjoy the rest of the summer.
I'll be posting our European trip pictures on the web shortly. I'll send an email out when it's ready.
This is the best news to date and thanks for everyone's positive thoughts & energy that was sent our way.
Akiko & Chuck
January 9, 2006 - Chuck Update and Happy New Year 2006!
Happy New Year everyone !
Everything is going great! I apologize for the long delay betweenupdates... it's been a very tough year for the both of us. The last timethat I wrote an update was back in April of last year so it's been a while.Thanks to everyone that have written and called to see how we were doing.
Let me get you up to date....
Last June, we found out that the cancer has spread to Chuck's liver. Theonly option was to get more chemo. We decided at that point to go toAlaska for 3 weeks before he started chemo. It was an awesome trip. Wetook a cruise w/ Lisa & Mike Dennision and then rented an RV for 10 days w/my brother Mas and Chuck's fishing buddyTim Hayes. The best thing aboutthe vacation was that we were able to forget all about the cancer and had ablast salmon fishing, golfing, and spending time with good friends.
In late August, Chuck started chemo. The treatments were once a week(Wednesdays). There were a total of 8 treatments... 2 weeks on, 1 weekoff. At the same time chemo started, Chuck also started teaching. Thisyear he is teaching 2 math classes a day. He is so excited that he had hisown classes his year. The treatments were on Wednesday so that the dayswith the worst reaction to the chemo were over the weekend.
In November, Chuck had a CAT-scan after the course of chemo treatments.It was the best news that we've had since this nightmare had started. Histumors in his liver had shrunk by 1/2!! This is especially good newssince chemo only works on 1/2 of the people and the reaction that Chuck hadto the chemo was in the top 10 percentile. It must be all of thatpositive energy that everyone have been sending our way. Since the chemohad worked, Chuck is now 1/2 way done the 2nd course of treatments. Theywill continue the treatments until they have no more effect on shrinkingthe tumor or if the tumors disappear altogether.
The chemo has caused Chuck to lose most of his beautiful hair. The hairthat is left are the gray ones. He has an awesome sense of humor aboutit.... over Christmas, he called himself 'the Bumble' (the abominable snowmonster from Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer) In fact this year we got ahuge 13' Christmas tree and Chuck, as the Bumble, put the ornament on topof the tree. Chuck's sister Carol overnighted a Bumble to him forChristmas. We needed a friend for Yukon Cornelius, who we already had.The Christmas tree was the biggest that we've ever had. We bought it froma guy here in our hometown of Hinesburg. He chain sawed it down and thendelivered it to the house. The whole thing was only $15 but we gave hima $20 and told him to keep the change.
The holidays were fun. We had my family came to Vermont for Christmas andthen the Dennisons came up for New Years to go skiing. As usual, theholidays were filled with fun and way too much great food!
So now that it's the new year, our next trip is to go to Arizona inFebruary to play golf & go to the Grand Canyon. Overall Chuck feelspretty good. The weekend after the chemo treatments are the roughest.He is teaching and hasn't missed many days of work. He continues to playpoker with the guys every Thursday night and went fishing w/ Tim lastweekend. Hopefully he'll be riding on the slopes soon.
There are a few pictures on our Huge Christmas Tree and the Bumble:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8Eatmzho0cuSg
To view our Alaska Pictures click here:http://chucknakiko.shutterfly.com/action/
The Password for both is: vermont
Enjoy and keep the positive energy coming our way!
Akiko & Chuck
Everything is going great! I apologize for the long delay betweenupdates... it's been a very tough year for the both of us. The last timethat I wrote an update was back in April of last year so it's been a while.Thanks to everyone that have written and called to see how we were doing.
Let me get you up to date....
Last June, we found out that the cancer has spread to Chuck's liver. Theonly option was to get more chemo. We decided at that point to go toAlaska for 3 weeks before he started chemo. It was an awesome trip. Wetook a cruise w/ Lisa & Mike Dennision and then rented an RV for 10 days w/my brother Mas and Chuck's fishing buddyTim Hayes. The best thing aboutthe vacation was that we were able to forget all about the cancer and had ablast salmon fishing, golfing, and spending time with good friends.
In late August, Chuck started chemo. The treatments were once a week(Wednesdays). There were a total of 8 treatments... 2 weeks on, 1 weekoff. At the same time chemo started, Chuck also started teaching. Thisyear he is teaching 2 math classes a day. He is so excited that he had hisown classes his year. The treatments were on Wednesday so that the dayswith the worst reaction to the chemo were over the weekend.
In November, Chuck had a CAT-scan after the course of chemo treatments.It was the best news that we've had since this nightmare had started. Histumors in his liver had shrunk by 1/2!! This is especially good newssince chemo only works on 1/2 of the people and the reaction that Chuck hadto the chemo was in the top 10 percentile. It must be all of thatpositive energy that everyone have been sending our way. Since the chemohad worked, Chuck is now 1/2 way done the 2nd course of treatments. Theywill continue the treatments until they have no more effect on shrinkingthe tumor or if the tumors disappear altogether.
The chemo has caused Chuck to lose most of his beautiful hair. The hairthat is left are the gray ones. He has an awesome sense of humor aboutit.... over Christmas, he called himself 'the Bumble' (the abominable snowmonster from Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer) In fact this year we got ahuge 13' Christmas tree and Chuck, as the Bumble, put the ornament on topof the tree. Chuck's sister Carol overnighted a Bumble to him forChristmas. We needed a friend for Yukon Cornelius, who we already had.The Christmas tree was the biggest that we've ever had. We bought it froma guy here in our hometown of Hinesburg. He chain sawed it down and thendelivered it to the house. The whole thing was only $15 but we gave hima $20 and told him to keep the change.
The holidays were fun. We had my family came to Vermont for Christmas andthen the Dennisons came up for New Years to go skiing. As usual, theholidays were filled with fun and way too much great food!
So now that it's the new year, our next trip is to go to Arizona inFebruary to play golf & go to the Grand Canyon. Overall Chuck feelspretty good. The weekend after the chemo treatments are the roughest.He is teaching and hasn't missed many days of work. He continues to playpoker with the guys every Thursday night and went fishing w/ Tim lastweekend. Hopefully he'll be riding on the slopes soon.
There are a few pictures on our Huge Christmas Tree and the Bumble:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8Eatmzho0cuSg
To view our Alaska Pictures click here:http://chucknakiko.shutterfly.com/action/
The Password for both is: vermont
Enjoy and keep the positive energy coming our way!
Akiko & Chuck
August 29, 2005 - Alaska Pictures from Chuck & Akiko
Hi everyone,
Here are pictures from our trip to Alaska. It was awesome! The shutterfly password is: vermont.
Enjoy.
Akiko
http://chucknakiko.shutterfly.com/
Here are pictures from our trip to Alaska. It was awesome! The shutterfly password is: vermont.
Enjoy.
Akiko
http://chucknakiko.shutterfly.com/
April 12, 2005 - Finally Another Chuck Update - He's doing awesome!
Hi Everyone!
I know that it's been a long time since I've sent out an update. As thesaying goes, no news is good news.... in this case, it's great news !
Thanks for all of the phone calls and emails asking about how he was doing.It really means a lot to us.
Let me get everyone caught up. It wasn't the easiest of roads to get towhere we are now but spring is here & all is well. Our lives are almostback to the way it was prior to the diagnosis back in October of 2004.(seems like ages ago!!)
February:
As I said in my previous update, Chuck was released from the hospital theday before the Super Bowl (Feb 5th). At this time he had lost about 25pounds due to stress of the trip to Jamaica and not being able to eatanything for a week after the surgery. Gaining weight was a challengesince the surgery included the removal of part of his stomach. For the 1stfew weeks, he ate about 6 small meals a day. He couldn't gain any weightsince his stomach filled up so quickly. He was always hungry. Also atthis time, he had to get used to sleeping at a 30 degree incline. Hedidn't sleep well for the 1st week that he was home. This was until we gotthe adjustable split king bed (like a Craftmatic) delivered on Feb 12th.That night he had his 1st good nights sleep in weeks.
The next few weeks were tough. Chuck was pretty much homebound andcouldn't do much. He couldn't drive nor was he supposed to lift more than5 pounds. It sure kept me busy! The weather wasn't the greatest since itwas dark and dreary and snowing almost every day. To make matters worse,we were to return to NYC for a followup appointment at Sloan Kettering onFeb 22nd but I contracted a stomach virus the morning we were to leave. Wepostponed the appointment to the following week. I thought that myillness was due to food poisoning but it was a stomach virus since Chuckgot it 2 days later. Oh no!! I felt so bad that Chuck caught the virusfrom me. The virus was tough on Chuck as he ended up losing weight andgetting down to 158 lbs. (lost 30 pounds total!). He was so frustratedand unhappy since he kept losing weight. Fortunately this was the lowpoint in his weight & spirits.
March:
On March 3rd we flew to NYC for the day for the checkup at Sloan Kettering& have dinner w/ Jan Weiss. At this time, he was at still at 159 lbs butthe doctor said that the he was healing from his surgery quite well andencourage him to get daily exercise to help him gain weight. It soundscounter-intuitive but exercise does allow the body to use the food moreefficiently. So when we got home, Chuck started to take a daily walksdown the driveway and down to the corner of the main road. (For those thathaven't been to our house, that 2 miles round trip!.... our driveway is1mile round trip) When the weather was bad, he would walk up and down thesteps in the house.
On March 11, we met with our local oncologist Dr. Thomas to find out whatwas next. He scheduled Chuck for another cat-scan on 3/18 to establish anew base line. As long as the cat scan showed no signs of cancer, he saidthat Chuck didn't need any additional treatments such as chemotherapy. Atthis point Chuck was still at 161 pounds and he was still frustrated and wewere both really down in the dumps.
On March 14, we met with a nutrionist through a free program offeredthrough the local hospital called the Cancer Patient Support Network. Hewas still at 161 pounds. She looked at what he was eating (Chuck keeps adaily log) and recommended that he get 110g of protein a day to help gainweight and to eat as much natural of foods as we could. 110g of protein aday is a lot of protein. An egg has only 7g! So we ended up gettingsome whey protein powder to add to shakes, ice cream and breakfast. Thatseemed to help a lot since 1 week later he gained another 2 lbs ! (now 163lbs) Prior to seeing the nutrionist, we already started eatinghealthier. We really reduced the amount of trans-fats, processed foods,refined white flour and refined white sugar that we ate. We started buyingorganic foods and more fresh fruits and vegetables. This of course isexpensive. It tripled the $$ that we spent at the grocery store. We didthis because you are what you eat and most studies say that the best way toavoid cancer from coming back is to through diet. I figured the extra $$for groceries are worth it .
On March 23 we got the CAT results back from Dr Thomas. They didn't seeany cancerous cells so it confirmed that Chuck was cancer free! He saidthat we didn't have to do anything until June when he needs another CATscan. The best news was that Chuck gained another 2 pounds (165lbs). Hewas feeling much better and his positive attitude was coming back. Theweather also was getting warmer and the ice on the rivers and lakes werestarting to melt.... Chuck was getting really psyched about fishing again.
In the meantime on March 20th, Chuck went snowboarding for a 1/2 day atBolton Valley. He felt great ! There was only one little wipe out gettingoff of the lift on the 1st run. We took it easy and did mostly groomedblues/greens. It was awesome to see him out there again.
During the last week of March, he also returned to his weekly Thursdaynight poker w/ the guys, got a little fishing in and went snowboardingagain at Stowe.
April:
Now it's April and life is almost back to where is was before thediagnosis. He is currently at 169 lbs. (+11 lbs since his lowest!)
On April 4th, Chuck returned 1/2 days to work. He figured that he's takeit easy. All went well except the 1st few days did tire him out a little.The week went so well that this week, Chuck went back full time.
Our friends Jane & Matt Cicchinelli & family came to visit us for theweekend. It was great seeing them after 7 or so years. It's the 1st timethat we've had overnight visitors since the surgery. Chuck really enjoyedthem too.
This past Friday, the golf course that we've been members for the last 5years, Cedar Knoll, opened. Chuck came with me to hit some golf balls onthe driving range. We only purchased a membership for me back in March.After hitting a few balls and then playing a hole or 2, Chuck was ready tojoin as well. On Sunday, we got Chuck a membership and he played 9 holes.He would have played on Saturday but decided to go fishing w/ Tim instead.It was the 1st day of trout season so he couldn't resist.
Next Week:
Tommorrow are going on a cruise out of Galveston Texas for 7 days with ourfriends Joe & Tracy Schaeffer who live in Texas. At Drexel, Joe wasresponsible for getting Chuck & I to go on our 1st date. We are reallylooking forward to it. The ship goes to Progreso, Mexico (Yucatan),Cozumel and Belize. Everyone except for Chuck has never been on a cruisebefore so it will be an adventure. Chuck said that he wanted to gosomewhere on vacation where he would have constant access to food. Hedidn't want to lose weight on this vacation like he did in Jamaica. Acruise fit the bill perfectly!! Anyway, we leave on Sunday April 17th andreturn on Sunday April 25th. We looking forward to exploring Mexico,visiting our friend Carl Fritz in Playa Del Carmen, and snorkeling inBelize. We haven't seen Carl in a few years. He and Judy built our housein Vermont 9 years ago and now he's a scuba videographer in Playa.
If you want to contact us during this time, please email us atchucknakiko@yahoo.com. They have internet access on the cruise ship.
That's all for now.... I'll have another update after the cruise.
Bon Voyage!!!
I know that it's been a long time since I've sent out an update. As thesaying goes, no news is good news.... in this case, it's great news !
Thanks for all of the phone calls and emails asking about how he was doing.It really means a lot to us.
Let me get everyone caught up. It wasn't the easiest of roads to get towhere we are now but spring is here & all is well. Our lives are almostback to the way it was prior to the diagnosis back in October of 2004.(seems like ages ago!!)
February:
As I said in my previous update, Chuck was released from the hospital theday before the Super Bowl (Feb 5th). At this time he had lost about 25pounds due to stress of the trip to Jamaica and not being able to eatanything for a week after the surgery. Gaining weight was a challengesince the surgery included the removal of part of his stomach. For the 1stfew weeks, he ate about 6 small meals a day. He couldn't gain any weightsince his stomach filled up so quickly. He was always hungry. Also atthis time, he had to get used to sleeping at a 30 degree incline. Hedidn't sleep well for the 1st week that he was home. This was until we gotthe adjustable split king bed (like a Craftmatic) delivered on Feb 12th.That night he had his 1st good nights sleep in weeks.
The next few weeks were tough. Chuck was pretty much homebound andcouldn't do much. He couldn't drive nor was he supposed to lift more than5 pounds. It sure kept me busy! The weather wasn't the greatest since itwas dark and dreary and snowing almost every day. To make matters worse,we were to return to NYC for a followup appointment at Sloan Kettering onFeb 22nd but I contracted a stomach virus the morning we were to leave. Wepostponed the appointment to the following week. I thought that myillness was due to food poisoning but it was a stomach virus since Chuckgot it 2 days later. Oh no!! I felt so bad that Chuck caught the virusfrom me. The virus was tough on Chuck as he ended up losing weight andgetting down to 158 lbs. (lost 30 pounds total!). He was so frustratedand unhappy since he kept losing weight. Fortunately this was the lowpoint in his weight & spirits.
March:
On March 3rd we flew to NYC for the day for the checkup at Sloan Kettering& have dinner w/ Jan Weiss. At this time, he was at still at 159 lbs butthe doctor said that the he was healing from his surgery quite well andencourage him to get daily exercise to help him gain weight. It soundscounter-intuitive but exercise does allow the body to use the food moreefficiently. So when we got home, Chuck started to take a daily walksdown the driveway and down to the corner of the main road. (For those thathaven't been to our house, that 2 miles round trip!.... our driveway is1mile round trip) When the weather was bad, he would walk up and down thesteps in the house.
On March 11, we met with our local oncologist Dr. Thomas to find out whatwas next. He scheduled Chuck for another cat-scan on 3/18 to establish anew base line. As long as the cat scan showed no signs of cancer, he saidthat Chuck didn't need any additional treatments such as chemotherapy. Atthis point Chuck was still at 161 pounds and he was still frustrated and wewere both really down in the dumps.
On March 14, we met with a nutrionist through a free program offeredthrough the local hospital called the Cancer Patient Support Network. Hewas still at 161 pounds. She looked at what he was eating (Chuck keeps adaily log) and recommended that he get 110g of protein a day to help gainweight and to eat as much natural of foods as we could. 110g of protein aday is a lot of protein. An egg has only 7g! So we ended up gettingsome whey protein powder to add to shakes, ice cream and breakfast. Thatseemed to help a lot since 1 week later he gained another 2 lbs ! (now 163lbs) Prior to seeing the nutrionist, we already started eatinghealthier. We really reduced the amount of trans-fats, processed foods,refined white flour and refined white sugar that we ate. We started buyingorganic foods and more fresh fruits and vegetables. This of course isexpensive. It tripled the $$ that we spent at the grocery store. We didthis because you are what you eat and most studies say that the best way toavoid cancer from coming back is to through diet. I figured the extra $$for groceries are worth it .
On March 23 we got the CAT results back from Dr Thomas. They didn't seeany cancerous cells so it confirmed that Chuck was cancer free! He saidthat we didn't have to do anything until June when he needs another CATscan. The best news was that Chuck gained another 2 pounds (165lbs). Hewas feeling much better and his positive attitude was coming back. Theweather also was getting warmer and the ice on the rivers and lakes werestarting to melt.... Chuck was getting really psyched about fishing again.
In the meantime on March 20th, Chuck went snowboarding for a 1/2 day atBolton Valley. He felt great ! There was only one little wipe out gettingoff of the lift on the 1st run. We took it easy and did mostly groomedblues/greens. It was awesome to see him out there again.
During the last week of March, he also returned to his weekly Thursdaynight poker w/ the guys, got a little fishing in and went snowboardingagain at Stowe.
April:
Now it's April and life is almost back to where is was before thediagnosis. He is currently at 169 lbs. (+11 lbs since his lowest!)
On April 4th, Chuck returned 1/2 days to work. He figured that he's takeit easy. All went well except the 1st few days did tire him out a little.The week went so well that this week, Chuck went back full time.
Our friends Jane & Matt Cicchinelli & family came to visit us for theweekend. It was great seeing them after 7 or so years. It's the 1st timethat we've had overnight visitors since the surgery. Chuck really enjoyedthem too.
This past Friday, the golf course that we've been members for the last 5years, Cedar Knoll, opened. Chuck came with me to hit some golf balls onthe driving range. We only purchased a membership for me back in March.After hitting a few balls and then playing a hole or 2, Chuck was ready tojoin as well. On Sunday, we got Chuck a membership and he played 9 holes.He would have played on Saturday but decided to go fishing w/ Tim instead.It was the 1st day of trout season so he couldn't resist.
Next Week:
Tommorrow are going on a cruise out of Galveston Texas for 7 days with ourfriends Joe & Tracy Schaeffer who live in Texas. At Drexel, Joe wasresponsible for getting Chuck & I to go on our 1st date. We are reallylooking forward to it. The ship goes to Progreso, Mexico (Yucatan),Cozumel and Belize. Everyone except for Chuck has never been on a cruisebefore so it will be an adventure. Chuck said that he wanted to gosomewhere on vacation where he would have constant access to food. Hedidn't want to lose weight on this vacation like he did in Jamaica. Acruise fit the bill perfectly!! Anyway, we leave on Sunday April 17th andreturn on Sunday April 25th. We looking forward to exploring Mexico,visiting our friend Carl Fritz in Playa Del Carmen, and snorkeling inBelize. We haven't seen Carl in a few years. He and Judy built our housein Vermont 9 years ago and now he's a scuba videographer in Playa.
If you want to contact us during this time, please email us atchucknakiko@yahoo.com. They have internet access on the cruise ship.
That's all for now.... I'll have another update after the cruise.
Bon Voyage!!!
February 7, 2005 - Good to be back home in Vermont!
Hi everyone,
It's great to be back home in Vermont. We just got back this afternoon.
Chuck was discharged from the hospital on Saturday afternoon. He wasreally happy to get out. He is doing great. We were able to watch the Super Bowl from our friend's Jan house. We didn't like the outcome but at least they put up a great fight! It was a lot better than the last time they were in the Super Bowl. (I wasa senior in high school... yes that long ago) Oh well... next year.
We need to go back to NY city on Feb 22nd for a check up. For the next 4weeks (minimum) Chuck can't do any driving. Also no heavy lifting for thenext 6 weeks. Right now he is not supposed to lift more than 5 pounds. Itwas funny going through the airport today where I had to carry/roll all ofthe luggage. At least the curb to checkin wasn't too far.
I plan to go back to work tommorrow. Chuck will home bound for the next 4weeks so if you'd like to call him, please do at 802-482-XXXX.
Because of the surgery, there are a few adjust that we have to make. Hisstomach is much smaller. He has to eat 6 small meals a day instead of 3large ones. Right now he is really hungry but his stomach fills upquickly. Today on Jet Blue, he was full after an airplane bag of almonds.
He is also missing the valve between his stomach and esophagus. Because of this, he has to sleep at a 30 degree angle. I ordered a portable wedgefrom can you believe... the Skymall ..... but Chuck found it uncomfortable.(FYI: I always joked about .... who in the world would ever order anythingfrom the Skymall ??) We just ordered a new split king adjustable bed... like a Craftmatic. We are supposed to get it on Saturday.
Thanks everyone for your support.
Akiko & Chuck
It's great to be back home in Vermont. We just got back this afternoon.
Chuck was discharged from the hospital on Saturday afternoon. He wasreally happy to get out. He is doing great. We were able to watch the Super Bowl from our friend's Jan house. We didn't like the outcome but at least they put up a great fight! It was a lot better than the last time they were in the Super Bowl. (I wasa senior in high school... yes that long ago) Oh well... next year.
We need to go back to NY city on Feb 22nd for a check up. For the next 4weeks (minimum) Chuck can't do any driving. Also no heavy lifting for thenext 6 weeks. Right now he is not supposed to lift more than 5 pounds. Itwas funny going through the airport today where I had to carry/roll all ofthe luggage. At least the curb to checkin wasn't too far.
I plan to go back to work tommorrow. Chuck will home bound for the next 4weeks so if you'd like to call him, please do at 802-482-XXXX.
Because of the surgery, there are a few adjust that we have to make. Hisstomach is much smaller. He has to eat 6 small meals a day instead of 3large ones. Right now he is really hungry but his stomach fills upquickly. Today on Jet Blue, he was full after an airplane bag of almonds.
He is also missing the valve between his stomach and esophagus. Because of this, he has to sleep at a 30 degree angle. I ordered a portable wedgefrom can you believe... the Skymall ..... but Chuck found it uncomfortable.(FYI: I always joked about .... who in the world would ever order anythingfrom the Skymall ??) We just ordered a new split king adjustable bed... like a Craftmatic. We are supposed to get it on Saturday.
Thanks everyone for your support.
Akiko & Chuck
February 2, 2005 - Chuck Status 2/2 - Good News!
Hi all,
Chuck just got his tube out of his nose and is currently enjoying a CherryItalian Water Ice. He says that it's the best thing that he's ever tasted! This is the first time in the week since he has eaten.
He is up for phone calls: 212-639-4398 or his cell phone. He is also upfor any visitors.
The latest is that he may be released either Friday or Saturday.Hooray... we can watch the Super Bowl out of the hospital.
We will probably fly back to Vermont early next week. (Mon or Tues)
Thanks everyone for all of the support & positive energy. We know that itreally helped.
Akiko & Chuck
Chuck just got his tube out of his nose and is currently enjoying a CherryItalian Water Ice. He says that it's the best thing that he's ever tasted! This is the first time in the week since he has eaten.
He is up for phone calls: 212-639-4398 or his cell phone. He is also upfor any visitors.
The latest is that he may be released either Friday or Saturday.Hooray... we can watch the Super Bowl out of the hospital.
We will probably fly back to Vermont early next week. (Mon or Tues)
Thanks everyone for all of the support & positive energy. We know that itreally helped.
Akiko & Chuck
January 31, 2005 - Chuck Update 1/31/2005
Hi everyone!
Just a quick note. Chuck keeps improving with every day. Today he isable to walk without a walker and easily stand up.
If all goes well, on Wednesday he will be getting his feeding tube removedand can finally eat!
Until then, it is very painful for him to do a lot of talking.... as a result, visitors have been kept to family members. He can't talk on the phone.
Hopefully on Thursday he'll be up for more people to visit. I'll have tolet you know on Wednesday as to the visitation status.
We are hoping to get out of here by Sunday evening to watch the Super Bowloutside of the hospital. Shame to you Patriot fans that keep emailing us negative Eagle vibes!Remember you asked if there was anything that you could do to help ? ForChuck's sake, you can help and root for the Eagles. ;-0
Go Eagles Go!!!
Akiko & Chuck
Just a quick note. Chuck keeps improving with every day. Today he isable to walk without a walker and easily stand up.
If all goes well, on Wednesday he will be getting his feeding tube removedand can finally eat!
Until then, it is very painful for him to do a lot of talking.... as a result, visitors have been kept to family members. He can't talk on the phone.
Hopefully on Thursday he'll be up for more people to visit. I'll have tolet you know on Wednesday as to the visitation status.
We are hoping to get out of here by Sunday evening to watch the Super Bowloutside of the hospital. Shame to you Patriot fans that keep emailing us negative Eagle vibes!Remember you asked if there was anything that you could do to help ? ForChuck's sake, you can help and root for the Eagles. ;-0
Go Eagles Go!!!
Akiko & Chuck
January 27, 2005 - Chuck's hospital room number & address
Hi everyone,
Thanks again for all of the emails wishing Chuck to a speedy recovery!
Chuck is now in a hospital room with a beautiful view of the East River andthe Queensboro Bridge.
He is now awake but in a lot of pain. Nothing that a little morphinecan't fix. Today he's sitting up and he will be taking a walk shortly.
The mailing address is:
Chuck Balchiunas
Rm 1422A
Memorial Hospital
1275 York Avenue
New York, NY 10021
The phone number to the room is: 212-639-4398
The room has an internet connection. My IM account name is ride1t.(snowboarding!)
Incoming calls can be recieved from 7am to 10pm. There is no answering machine to the phone. If you want to leave a message, please call his cell phone number. If you don't have it, please email me. Please don't feel offended if we don't answer the phone. Right now he is extremely tired and still recovering. We know that you all are sending your best wishes to Chuck.
Chuck isn't ready for a lot of visitors this weekend yet except for immediate family. We will contact you when he is ready for more visitors.
He will be here for at least a week. 10-14 days is typical. We are hopingto be out of here to see the Eagles play in the Super Bowl !! If not.... hopefully the hospital will let us bring in adult beverages forthe game. ;-0 ! We have decorated the room w/ an Eagles 2004 NFC Championship Tee Shirt on the wall.
My brother, Mas, was able to score Super Bowl tickets. We are extremely jealous.
GO EAGLES!!!
Thanks for all of those positive thoughts coming our way!
Love, Akiko
Thanks again for all of the emails wishing Chuck to a speedy recovery!
Chuck is now in a hospital room with a beautiful view of the East River andthe Queensboro Bridge.
He is now awake but in a lot of pain. Nothing that a little morphinecan't fix. Today he's sitting up and he will be taking a walk shortly.
The mailing address is:
Chuck Balchiunas
Rm 1422A
Memorial Hospital
1275 York Avenue
New York, NY 10021
The phone number to the room is: 212-639-4398
The room has an internet connection. My IM account name is ride1t.(snowboarding!)
Incoming calls can be recieved from 7am to 10pm. There is no answering machine to the phone. If you want to leave a message, please call his cell phone number. If you don't have it, please email me. Please don't feel offended if we don't answer the phone. Right now he is extremely tired and still recovering. We know that you all are sending your best wishes to Chuck.
Chuck isn't ready for a lot of visitors this weekend yet except for immediate family. We will contact you when he is ready for more visitors.
He will be here for at least a week. 10-14 days is typical. We are hopingto be out of here to see the Eagles play in the Super Bowl !! If not.... hopefully the hospital will let us bring in adult beverages forthe game. ;-0 ! We have decorated the room w/ an Eagles 2004 NFC Championship Tee Shirt on the wall.
My brother, Mas, was able to score Super Bowl tickets. We are extremely jealous.
GO EAGLES!!!
Thanks for all of those positive thoughts coming our way!
Love, Akiko
January 26, 2005 - Chuck's Surgery Today
Hi everyone,
Thanks for all of the Happy Birthday emails and phone calls!
As you all know, Chuck's surgery was today. I just saw him in therecovery room. The nurses say he is doing fine. The xrays and his vitalslook great. I wasn't able to speak to him since he was under sedation.He won't be coming to for a few more hours.
We won't have a room number or a telephone number until tommorrow. He'llspend tonight in recovery and then get a hospital room in the AM.I'll send another email out tommorrow with this information.
In a nutshell, our trip to Jamaica was okay. Chuck didn't feel very wellthe entire time. Either he was nauseous or his esophagus was botheringhim. We did make the best of it. The highlights were the Cinnamon Hill GolfCourse, the David Leadbetter Golf Academy and YS Waterfalls. Of course it took us 2 days to get back due to the big snow storm.
I'll send more details and pictures in another email.
I thought that everyone would want a quick update!
Keep those positive thoughts coming our way.
Love
Akiko
Thanks for all of the Happy Birthday emails and phone calls!
As you all know, Chuck's surgery was today. I just saw him in therecovery room. The nurses say he is doing fine. The xrays and his vitalslook great. I wasn't able to speak to him since he was under sedation.He won't be coming to for a few more hours.
We won't have a room number or a telephone number until tommorrow. He'llspend tonight in recovery and then get a hospital room in the AM.I'll send another email out tommorrow with this information.
In a nutshell, our trip to Jamaica was okay. Chuck didn't feel very wellthe entire time. Either he was nauseous or his esophagus was botheringhim. We did make the best of it. The highlights were the Cinnamon Hill GolfCourse, the David Leadbetter Golf Academy and YS Waterfalls. Of course it took us 2 days to get back due to the big snow storm.
I'll send more details and pictures in another email.
I thought that everyone would want a quick update!
Keep those positive thoughts coming our way.
Love
Akiko
January 12, 2005 - Chuck's Birthday is January 25th
I just thought that everyone should know that Chuck's birthday is on Jan. 25th.
It will be the day before his surgery. We don't know how much he can eat that day since he'll be admitted early on the Jan 26th.
Now if off to NY then Jamaica. All email should be sent to chucknakiko@XXXX.com as this account will not be monitored until Jan. 24th.
Bye mon!
It will be the day before his surgery. We don't know how much he can eat that day since he'll be admitted early on the Jan 26th.
Now if off to NY then Jamaica. All email should be sent to chucknakiko@XXXX.com as this account will not be monitored until Jan. 24th.
Bye mon!
November 6, 2004 - Chuck
First of all ... I want to say thank you for all the wonderful positivesupport that everyone has given to us through emails, phone calls and in person. We've had contact from many ofyou that we haven't heard from in years.Some of you didn't even have kids the last time we spoke and now they arealmost teenagers! I forgot how manyfantastic and wonderful friends that we have both managed to make & keepover the years.It's wonderful to hear from everyone again. Chuck read all of your emailsand really enjoyed all of the stories thatwere included in them from our past lives ( high school, Drexel, variouscamping/canoeing trips, Maryland, and Vermont).Sorry that we haven't personally responded to all of them but your positivethoughts are really appreciated.
We REALLY appreciated that many of you used your medical connections tomake sure that we were able to seethe very best doctors for adenocarcinoma. You all showed how much you cared about Chuck when you did all thatcould to help when we were having problems seeing the doctors that wewanted. We were impressed !
Anyway, the update is....This past Monday, we were able to schedule appointmen! ts with the top surgeons that perform esophagus cancer surgery.
We decide to keep the ones at UofPenn and Sloan Kettering. As a result,this week we are going to Philadelphia and New York to meet them.
We are meeting with Dr Bains at Memorial SloanKettering and Dr. Larry Kaiser at the University of Penn.We are also seeing another Gastrointestinal oncologist Dr. Giantonio atPenn. We will be busy.
On the following Monday (11/15), Chuck will begin his radiation treatments.In fact he got this tatoos today. The tatoos are alignmentmarks so that the radiation can be aimed to area of his chest that needsit. He will have radiation Monday through Friday for 5 weeks.He will also have chemotherapy once a week for the same 5 weeks. (we thinkWednesdays)The radiation treatments are only about 10 minutes a day. The chemo takesa few hours. We will have all this done locally in the Burlington area.If you were wondering, he's not supposed to lose his hair.
After the treatments, Chuck will take a breather, get restaged and thenmore than likely have surgery. For this we will go to Sloan or Penn.This is because this is a complex surgery and it's best to go to thesurgeons with the most experience. (ie. Fletcher Allen performs 10 a year vs. Sloan that performs 100 a year)
Well that's in a nutshell.... Chuck feels great and we are keeping apositive attitude about this. We feel like this is just a 'mechanicalproblem'that we've got to get fixed. I guess that it's the engineer in us We are going to kick the 'beast's' ass!
Our next appointment isn't until Wednesday in Philly so we decide to go'south' to play some golf and forget about this for a few days.I got a really good package deal on Last Minute Deals. Keep in touch with us with phone calls & emails. I'll have another updatesoon. Also, keep sending the positive energy our way.
Love,
Akiko & Chuck!
November 1, 2004 - Chuck
Hello !
For many of you it's been a long time since you have heard from us. Unfortunately, I'm a barer of bad news.
Last week (10/22), Chuck was diagnosed with stage 3 adenocarcinoma -> (cancer of the esophagus). He feels absolutely fine and is very healthy.... we played golf today!
He had trouble swallowing dry foods starting in June. In late September he saw the family doctor. After a barium swallow! , they found blockage right above the stomach. After an endoscopy, CAT scan and ultrasound it was diagnosed as stage3 andenocarcinoma. (T3:N1:MX).
He starts chemo and radiation in a few weeks. We are currently trying to see doctors and surgeons for 2nd opinions. We are finding that to get immediate appointments with the top doctors in the top cancer hospitals depends on who you know! So if any of you have connections, let us know. We already have a few.
Since this a relatively rare cancer, he will have to have surgery at a top hospital (Sloan-Kettering/DanaFarber/Mass General/ Uof Penn/Mayo, etc)
We finished with the crying last weekend and now we need your support in keeping a positive attitude. We feel confident that we can beat this thing since Chuck is young and healthy. Most people who get this are over 55 years old.
Some of you on the email list already know. Sorry to everyone else that& gt; had to find out this way. In no way do I have a complete list of our friends. Over the years it's easy to lose touch and people change emails So if there is a someone that I forgot, please let me know. Also feel free to send this email on to them. It's easiest way to tell everyone.
We know that we have a really tough road ahead of us but I know in the end we'll beat the beast! (FYI: The 'beast' is the nickname for this disease)
Our home phone number is still the same: 802-XXX-XXXX. We finally did break down and buy cell phones. Let us know if you are on Verizon!
When you call, we encourage only positive thoughts and comments. Attitude is everything in beating this!
We hope to hear from you soon.
Love,
Akiko & Chuck
For many of you it's been a long time since you have heard from us. Unfortunately, I'm a barer of bad news.
Last week (10/22), Chuck was diagnosed with stage 3 adenocarcinoma -> (cancer of the esophagus). He feels absolutely fine and is very healthy.... we played golf today!
He had trouble swallowing dry foods starting in June. In late September he saw the family doctor. After a barium swallow! , they found blockage right above the stomach. After an endoscopy, CAT scan and ultrasound it was diagnosed as stage3 andenocarcinoma. (T3:N1:MX).
He starts chemo and radiation in a few weeks. We are currently trying to see doctors and surgeons for 2nd opinions. We are finding that to get immediate appointments with the top doctors in the top cancer hospitals depends on who you know! So if any of you have connections, let us know. We already have a few.
Since this a relatively rare cancer, he will have to have surgery at a top hospital (Sloan-Kettering/DanaFarber/Mass General/ Uof Penn/Mayo, etc)
We finished with the crying last weekend and now we need your support in keeping a positive attitude. We feel confident that we can beat this thing since Chuck is young and healthy. Most people who get this are over 55 years old.
Some of you on the email list already know. Sorry to everyone else that& gt; had to find out this way. In no way do I have a complete list of our friends. Over the years it's easy to lose touch and people change emails So if there is a someone that I forgot, please let me know. Also feel free to send this email on to them. It's easiest way to tell everyone.
We know that we have a really tough road ahead of us but I know in the end we'll beat the beast! (FYI: The 'beast' is the nickname for this disease)
Our home phone number is still the same: 802-XXX-XXXX. We finally did break down and buy cell phones. Let us know if you are on Verizon!
When you call, we encourage only positive thoughts and comments. Attitude is everything in beating this!
We hope to hear from you soon.
Love,
Akiko & Chuck
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
