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This blog is about our journey with life while living with cancer. John was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in February 2014. And so we walk "Side by Side." The title of the blog has been a phrase that Joyce and I have used for the past several years. It has been our way to deal with the reality that most plans and most days don't happen the way we had pictured it in our mind. And it has been our way to learn to anticipate the unexpected.

Click here for details of the June 3rd Memorial Celebration.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Open House Retirement, 45th anniversary, and 1 year surviving Cancer

The open house on January 18th was beyond our expectations. We were celebrating our (delayed) 45th anniversary, our retirement and a year surviving cancer. We had over 100 people in attendance. We had asked people to bring donations to Partners in Hope.  We asked people to bring items that people can't get on food stamps.  So people brought paper towels, laundry detergent, toothpaste, toilet paper, baby wipes, diapers and more. There was enough to fill the back of a Subaru Forester (back seats down). Partners in Hope sent us a note that they  calculated $520 worth of products. In addition there was over $200 in cash donations.

As Joyce says, "we don't need more stuff, let's give it to those who need stuff."

We had a wonderful group of friends who stepped in and made everything go smoothly. It helped us relax and enjoy the event.

Here are some photos from the event.

John

Daughter Erin, John and Joyce. We dressed the part as sapphire is the gem for a 45th anniversary
Friends Rolfe and Mary (left front) from Madison, Wisconsin. Our first friends as a married couple and Erin's Godparents. With John, Joyce and Erin.

Nancy and Mike (Mike's mother, and John's mother were sisters)

Doug and Mona- Mike and Wendell's sister.(Mona's mother and John's mother were sisters)

John with Faye and James. James is Joyce's PCP


Randy and Debbie, friends for a long time.

Frank and Dee from Convoy, OH. We've know Dee since 1974.

David (Tabi's dad) Jeff and Tabi. Good friends and part of our support team.

L-R: Bonnie, daughter Debbie, and Gary. Bonnie is Joyce's older sister. Gary is Joyce's step-sister's husband.

Ken (dad) flanked by Kevin and David. Ken is Bonnie's husband

L-R: Erin with two of our neighbors, Jaden, and grandmother, Doris. .

Bob and Becky (John's sister). Bob's dad and John's dad are brothers.


Wendell (John's cousin on his mom's side) & Teresa
Erin and Brenda and bowling pin Nun. They performed together in "Nunsense" in 1993.

Erin sang Side by Side, Red Canvas Canoe, To Morrow and Rainbow Connection.




Erin,  Christa (Joyce's brother's daughter) and Richard signing
L-R: Erin, Tina, Nancy, Shelli,  Tabi. Todd and Jeff

 We will add some photos to the blog as time goes on.

If you have photos from the open house, email them to me or post them, please






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