Have a Fun Filled Memorial Day Weekend

Happy Memorial Day Weekend,

We started off this week by pulling off a surprise 88th birthday party for Ralph.  Our daughter
Sue came up with the idea and did the arranging.  We made calls and it came together nicely
with friends and family sharing the special event with us.  Sixteen of us enjoyed a meal at
Quack's Diner in Madison, NY.   Several of the guests also attended his 80th Birthday Party
when he was younger!

On the way home, I glanced back to check on him in the van.  All I could see was birthday
balloons.  He was completely submerged in the balllons and sound asleep.  And I didn't
even think to have Paul take a photo.  I'm slipping!

After a hectic week of Dr. visits and 2 more units of blood yesterday for Ralph, I'm very happy
to just stay quietly at home and get in a good nap this afternoon.  Finding the sink buried
in dishes was the first order of the day.  And I started a good book as well.
A perfect Memorial Weekend for this year.

I'm learning more than I wanted to learn about cancer and the caregiver role.  I can't imagine
trying to deal with all that is involved without a medical background.  A nurse told me yesterday
they have to 'learn fast and be assertive'. 

As of 2 weeks ago,  my husband's prostate test (PSA) was  up to 117.  We are still in limbo to start the
new hormone pill.  Very expensive, so has to be processed through insurance companies, the
pharmacal company, help from the cancer center social worker, etc.  I received a call saying the
copay was $2000.  Shock time!  So, coordination and help is hopefully going to get it all
implemented, sooner rather than later as the other med obviously hasn't been working for
sometime now.

Since he has so much bone involvement, he can't make enough red blood cells on his own. 
Hence, the 3rd round of blood transfusions so far.  The first in Oct., then 6 weeks ago, and again yesterday. 
We have that done at Fox Hospital in Oneonta.  Their ambulatory department staff have been
super each time.  They are extremely patient with him.  He comes in very weak and needing lots of assistance.  They have been wonderful to me also.

Two units of blood takes approximately 5 hours to transfuse.  He slept most of that time, all the
way home, and all evening.  What a difference this morning.  He was more alert, had some pink
in his cheeks and praise be, was abit more hungry.  He hasn't been taking in enough nourishment to
maintain his body needs.  

Because his protein level was low,  he was retaining even more fluid than usual, so we've been
dealing with that also.  That doesn't help his congestive heart failure issue.  They hit him with
20 mg of IV lasix times 3 along with the blood.  One can appreciate the fine balance our bodies
try to maintain to keep us in good health.

Thank you for thoughts and prayers.

Springtime Update

Hello to my followers,

I hope you are all having a wonderful spring.  I'm quite happy to have the weather warming slowly as
I like the cooler weather.  Having my window open for sleep again is so nice.  And I can hear the
mighty chorus of peepers from the nearby swamp and ponds.

We made it through this frigid winter in this old 1880s house with the high heating bills along with the
rest of you.  Another reason to be thankful for spring and warmer weather.

After the radiation, my husband had a 4 month break from the pain from the bone cancer.  Not
completely painfree, but very much less and actually had periods without pain.  He was
able to walk without assistance which was nice.  However, that has been wearing off.  He was to
have another radiation round after another bone scan.  The results were similar to the Sept 2013 one
with slightly more concentrated areas.

In the meantime, he was getting weaker.  His blood count was down and 2 more units of blood were
given.  That didn't help as much to bring up his appetite and strength as the first blood given in Oct.
He is back to needing help with every step either with a walker or someone to assist.

The PSA (prostate test) got down to a low of 25.9 which made everyone happy.  Unfortunately, it
didn't remain there.  It started climbing.  Up to 37, then 60, and on up to 94.7.  The present
hormone therapy isn't working, so another one is to be tried.  Plan B in the regime!

That is pretty much where we are at.  Thank you for saying a prayer and wishing him luck.

Share your family all you can and do fun things.  God forbid, but all too soon you may not be able to do either one. 

I wish you a wonderful summer.  Donna

Ralph and Donna Davenport--Wedding Photo 1975

Our Wedding Photo in 1975--How Time Flies

Wishing you Happy Holidays!

First, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy and Healthy New Year.

In case you have noticed no new posts for awhile, I'm taking a break.  With the extra trips and care
giving duties since my husband was diagnosed with prostate and extensive bone cancer,  I've been
concentrating my time and energy with him.

We first visited the Cancer Center in Oneonta, NY in early October.  At that time, he was quite weak.
He was unable to even take a step without assistance.  I assisted him out of the van right into a wheelchair.
I'm happy to say when we went for his appointment and checkup yesterday, he got out of the van
on his own and walked inside with his cane while I parked.  We still use a wheelchair inside as he
still can't walk very far and that place is a former mall and huge.

For those interested, I will high point information about his illness and treatment regime:

With an elevated PSA (prostate lab test) for some 15 years,  prostate cancer was suspected.  Two
different biopsies were done, but both came back negative.  They apparently missed a hot spot.
He is now 87 and due to his age, nothing further was done since prostate cancer is slow growing
in older men.

 Unfortunately,  the prostate cancer had also been silently spreading to his bones--ALOT
of bones which includes almost every bone except his arms and legs, except for the upper part of
one femur.  The skull is involved also.

The first sign of the bone cancer was low back pain two days after the
TURP (Transurethral Resection of the Prostate) which he opted for to get rid of the catheter that was required  for 3 months after the enlarged prostate caused him to go into kidney failure when it blocked
off urine flow.

For the prostate cancer, hormone therapy via pills was started right away "To put out the fire", as his Urologist put it.  He is on daily hormone pills and a long lasting hormone shot every 3 months.

He was also started on osteoporosis shots to help strengthen the bones.  I'm sure you may have seen that advertisement by the actress with the saying about "Break a leg"!  That shot he gets once a month along with a checkup.

The third part of his treatment was a one-time liquid radiation infusion which goes to all the bones.  The
main reason for this is to reduce the bone pain and to help prolong his life.  This did work like magic and within a few days he had less pain.  In fact, much of the day, he now has no pain.  Before, he hardly was
ever without pain.  Thank you for magic.  He can have that infusion every 3 months as needed if he
tolerates it.  Right now, we are watching a low platelet count that may or may not be from that.
That involves weekly blood tests for now to follow that. 

The PSA came down to 30 from 72 and hopefully will continue to lower.  He has been told he could live
several years since prostate cancer at his age is slow growing.  Now to keep his other health problems
in check and his body in balance.


PS He died June 13, 2014.  Bones are needed to make blood and frequent blood transfusions became part of the regime.  After one very low blood count episode, he got pneumonia, then fluid imbalance and his heart couldn't tolerate that overload.  He loved dancing, so I hope he is dancing and having a good time in heaven.  We were married nearly 39 years.  We enjoyed dancing with The Broken Squares in Norwich for many years.  All of our children and several children also danced with us.

Ekland, Marina Anne Nov. 6-8, 2003 New Lisbon NY Obituary

Marina A. Eklund
NEW LISBON — Marina Anne Eklund, 2 days old, died Saturday, Nov. 8, 2003, at Albany Medical Center.
She is the infant daughter of Robert and Lisa Eklund. She is survived by her three sisters, Gina, Katiemarie and Gabrielle Eklund. She is also survived by her maternal grandparents, Glenn and Mona Waffle of Morris; her paternal grandparents, Robert and Helen Eklund of New Berlin; her parents, Robert and Lisa Eklund of New Lisbon; as well as many loving aunts, uncles and cousins.
There will be no calling hours and memorial services will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, pray for your children.
Arrangements are by the Johnston Funeral Home of Morris.

Published in The Daily Star on Nov. 11, 2003.

Finnigan, Eleanor (Henrich) 1932-2003 Gilbertsville NY Obituary

Eleanor Finnigan
GILBERTSVILLE — Eleanor Henrich Finnigan, 70, of Gilbertsville, died Saturday, Sept. 27, 2003, at her home in Gilbertsville.
She was born on Nov. 28, 1932, in Chicago, Ill., daughter of the late Karl and Augusta (Feld) Henrich.
She married John Finnigan in New York City, on Sept. 13, 1958. Mrs. Finnigan came to Gilbertsville in 1959 with her husband.
She was employed for many years at the former Gilbertsville Central School. She was a member of the Holy Cross Church of Morris, and a member of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel of Osprey, Fla.
She is survived by her husband, John Finnigan, of Gilbertsville; a son, John M. Finnigan and his wife, Jomary, and their children, Joseph, Patrick and Sara of Maitland, Fla., a daughter, Monica Finnigan Buchholz and her husband, Ted, and their children, Ana, Ben, Max, Louise, Karl and Teddy Buchholz of Charlottesville, Va. and a son, Thomas B. Finnigan of Gilbertsville. She is also survived by her brother, Tom Henrich and his wife, Paula, and their children, Kristin, Paul and Michelle of Cincinnati, Ohio.
There will be no calling hours.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Holy Cross Church in Morris, at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2003, with the Rev. John Burns officiating. Committal services and burial will follow at the Brookside Cemetery in Gilbertsville.
Friends are invited back to the Finnigan home after the burial service for refreshments.
In lieu of flowers, friends are asked to make donations to the Holy Cross Church, Morris, NY 13808, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Osprey, FL 34229 or the Gilbertsville Emergency Squad, Gilbertsville, NY 13776.
Funeral arrangements are by the Johnston Funeral Home of Morris.

Published in The Daily Star on Sept. 29, 2003.

Find A Grave Memorial for Eleanor Henrich Finnigan 1932-2003

Harris, Ada Y. 1915-2003 Morris NY Obituary

Ada Y. Harris
MORRIS — Ada, born Adah Yvonne, passed away on Oct. 20, 2002, at the Harding Nursing Home in Waterville, where she was staying for rehabilitation. Since it seemed that her problem was only a broken ankle that was stubborn in mending, the abrupt onset of breathing problems, and her death several days later, took everyone, including Ada, by surprise.
A general public announcement of her death was withheld by her trustees for a protracted time in order to protect the antique shop/home premises, containing her lifetime's work, left uninhabited and vulnerable.
Ada was born Jan. 18, 1915, youngest child of William Henry Harris and Winifred Yates Harris of Morris.
She graduated from Morris High School, and then, in 1937, from Oneonta Normal School, teaching school just briefly. In 1938 she opened her first antique shop, Brookside Antiques of Morris. Her career in antiques was interrupted for only a couple of years, during World War II, when she labored at the Bendix defense plant in Sidney.
In 1948, after the death of her beloved mother, Winifred, she sold Brookside and moved to a farm outside of West Winfield, where she opened another antique shop, dedicated to "country antiques in the rough." There she remained until just a month before her death, removed from her family, leading a semi-reclusive life.
Ada did, however, remain in spirited lifelong correspondence with certain friends and cousins, while cultivating good new friends among her neighbors, business clientele, and fellow antique dealers.
And she became one of the best-known antique dealers and experts in New York state, while also being known as a "real character" with decidedly eccentric ways. It seems that everyone, among neighbors, clientele and fellow dealers, has a favorite "Ada story."
She was a night person, working into the wee hours then sleeping late. She vociferously resented anyone who rang her bell before noon, and, even during permitted hours, you didn't get in her front door unless she liked the looks of you or you talked the talk that was on her wavelength. And very few people were ever admitted to her inner-sanctums, where she kept the stuff that meant the most to her. In many ways, to most people, Ada was a woman of mystery. The quote under Ada's picture in her high school yearbook is "I just want to be left alone." Basically she arranged her life to achieve that aim. Yet she also managed to reach out to many who will never forget her, who will always miss her salt-and-peppery self.
Ada was proud of her Yates family heritage, and preservation of that family history was one of her chief concerns. Her great-grandfather was Dr. William Yates, baronet, born in 1767 to the manor of Sapperton, Burton-on-Trent, England — cousin to Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel and to the philanthropist John Howard. Having been on the staff of ancient St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London, and a colleague of Dr. Jenner's, the originator of the smallpox vaccine, Dr. Yates, of a philanthropic bent himself, was the first to bring the smallpox vaccine to America, to Philadelphia in 1799. It is possible that it was Dr. Yates who personally administered the vaccine to ex-President John Adams, who did receive a vaccination on one of his trips through Philadelphia.
Whilst in Philadelphia, Dr. Yates struck up a friendship with Judge Cooper, founder of Cooperstown and father of James Fenimore Cooper. Dr. Yates accompanied Cooper up the Susquehanna with an eye to purchasing property. In Morris, then called Butternuts, Dr. Yates became captivated by a tall, lovely blonde, the daughter of prominent settlers, Ichabod B. Palmer and his wife, Mary Wakelee, lately of Brookfield, Conn.
Dr. Yates and Hannah Palmer were married and, in 1801, he took his bride back to England where she was presented to King George III's queen, Charlotte. During the bridal couple's year in England, the doctor devolved the manor of Sapperton and his baronetcy in favor of his younger brother Harry, settled his financial affairs and, in 1802, returned to Butternuts, there to live the life of a gentleman farmer and doctor to all who needed help, with no fees charged — becoming the patriarch of a large, exceptionally well-educated family.
In late February of 1857, when summoned to attend a patient on a remote farm, the still vigorous Dr. Yates, just short of his 90th birthday, rode out into sub-zero weather. On his return home he found that one of his feet was frozen. He remarked to Hannah that most likely gangrene would set in and kill him. It did.
Ada was a farm girl, and throughout her life she practiced that farm heritage, sometimes raising farm animals, always growing, canning, preserving and drying much of her own food. But she also inherited a profound respect for, and concern for, history — of her family but also of colonial and 19th Century New York country society in general. She dedicated her life to studying, collecting and preserving colonial and rural 19th Century artifacts: art work, household utensils, agricultural and architectural items — excited always with the history behind any object, rather than by its condition.
A special study was that of antique wallpaper, and one wallpaper company specializing in reproductions honored her when they reproduced an ancient wallpaper that she had rescued from oblivion. They named their reproduction the "Ada Harris." Ada was always eager to teach any, who were willing to sit and listen as she imparted her knowledge of New York State rural history.
With her death we lost one of our most knowledgeable experts in that regard. How sad that we only, just now, begin to realize that fact. But the world of antiques and history can be thankful that Ada cared enough to recognize the importance of "everyday" items, to collect them and to preserve them — thousands upon thousands of items which would simply have been tossed, and so lost — but which now are being treasured by those with the smarts to appreciate their historical and societal importance.
Aside from her passion for history — family and societal — and for antiques and gardens, Ada was passionate in regard to issues of environment and conservation. She prided herself that her household produced only one small bag of trash a month. All else was in some way reused. Ada even dried and reused paper towels.
Then, very importantly, there were her animals. For close to 60 years Ada's closest friends and companions, those beings in whom she was able to place absolute trust and affection, were not people — for, beginning in childhood, people, sometimes those closest to her, traumatized, wounded, confused, or alienated her, and she was hesitant to trust and to love. It was to the dogs and cats who shared her home that she was able to give unqualified trust and affection, and receive trust and affection in return. On their behalf she developed an active interest in ending the abuse of, and promoting the humane treatment of, all animals.
Those few of us in whom she did finally place her trust — trusting us to see that her wishes are carried out, that certain collections are passed on and preserved as a heritage for all, and that her hard-earned funds go to furthering the work and passions of her lifetime — are aware of the honor done to us. We will not fail her.
Ada desired that all that she had worked for would go to organizations which she carefully researched and selected, which organizations would preserve her goods and use them to inform, instruct and educate the public, while using her funds for the furtherance of those causes to which she was passionately devoted.
Those desiring to make contributions in her memory may consider any of these, her four beneficiaries. The New York State Historical Association (Cooperstown), the New England Historical and Genealogical Society (Boston), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NYC), or Spring Farm CARES Animal Sanctuary (Clinton).
Ada was predeceased by her "Papa," William, who died after an auto accident in 1923, by her mother, Winifred, and her siblings, Collis Paschal Harris, Erie Corinne Colvin, Avis Lorraine Paden and Winston Harris.
She is survived by nieces, Rosalie Smith and Winifred Talbot; nephews, William and Winston Harris, by numerous cousins; by caring friends who sorely miss the irreplaceable Ada and who wish that she was still around to teach us and to entertain us; and by her cherished dog.
As per Ada's wishes, her ashes will be interred in the grave of her beloved mother, Winifred Yates Harris, whose grave is in the Yates plot at Hillington Cemetery, Morris. The service for the extraordinary Ada will be at that graveside at 1 p.m. on Nov. 8, 2003, overseen by Johnston Funeral Home of Morris, and conducted by Father Witt of Zion Episcopal Church of Morris, a church which Dr. William Yates and his family were instrumental in organizing and building. At 3:30 p.m., Ada's friends and neighbors are invited to her home, 9869 Route 20, 2 miles West of West Winfield, 1/2 mile east of Bridgewater, corner Route 20 and East Street, for a party to celebrate the life of Ada and to trade fond memories of our gal.

Published in The Daily Star on Nov. 4, 2003.

Find A Grave Memorial for Ada Yvonne Harris 1915-2003