how quickly things change

I'd almost forgotten that I have a blog. With everything going on over the last two months, I've barely engaged in online updates on Facebook, much less on Chele's Tales. I'll blame most of my silence on a steady flow of work deliverables that's all but taken over my time. But at the same time, there's actually been a lot going on in our personal lives as well.

Memorial Day - Remembering Marty
We'd planned to be in Kentucky reuniting with my mother's side of the family over the holiday weekend. It's nearly been 20 years since I've seen my mom's family -- most of them living in southeastern Kentucky. My brother had found a few of our cousins on Facebook, and voila, we were back in touch. They had started a family reunion last year, and so the plan was for my parents, brothers & sisters to convene in Kentucky and join them.

Just days before we were set to fly to Cincinnati, we got word that Rick's half brother had passed away suddenly. And so without questioning, we cancelled our trip to Kentucky and re-booked our tickets to Minnesota.

In addition to dealing with the tragic circumstances surrounding Marty's death, the sense of loss was greater for my husband. Marty was born two years before Rick, following the untimely death of Marty's father in an automobile accident. Rick's mother was unmarried at the time and decided it was best to give Marty up for adoption. Rick was born two years later.

It wasn't until Marty turned 18 and sought out his biological family that Rick learned he had a brother. Strangely they grew up just an hour apart, and throughout their 20's they hung out on occasion. As they entered their 30's life seem to take them in separate directions. Marty was still partying and Rick was working on his career. It wasn't until last November that Rick decided it was time to track Marty down and rebuild their relationship.

Rick got a hold of Marty's adoptive parents and got Marty's phone number. Days later they were on the phone, catching up on each others lives and bonding over their common love of motorcycles. Raised as an only child, Rick was so excited to be in touch with his half brother again, even inviting him out to visit us.

What we didn't know was how much Marty was suffering from depression, alcoholism and drug abuse....until we got the unexpected call from Marty's ex-wife. We made it to the wake and the funeral, and we were immediately embraced by Marty's adoptive family. We valued the time we got to spent with Rick's family and getting to spend time with the family that raised Marty.

If there could ever be a silver lining in the wake of tragedy, it's that Rick has made a connection with Marty's family and they have embraced him as their own. We will make sure to keep in touch with them -- Marty had such a wonderful, loving family. We all wish that he could have seen it for himself.

Dupuytren's Disease
We thought that the carpal tunnel surgery on both of Rick's hands earlier this year would final close the door on all pain and frustration that Rick has endured with his hands. Being a therapist, a musician, a golfer and having his Harley, his hands are core to everything that he loves to do.

As he started his recovery from surgery, he started to notice that his palms were forming nodules around the tendons. During a post-op appointment, his hand surgeon informed Rick that this was not a symptom of the recovery process, but rather a manifestation of Dupuytren's Disease, also known as Viking's disease.

The doctor then "washed his hands" of Rick's care and said there's nothing more he could do to help. Of course this just opened up so many questions. What's the long-term prognosis? Can anything be done to treat it? Does he have to give up all of the things he loves to preserve his hands?

Strangely enough, over the last two months, Rick has been meeting people who also suffer from this condition, which gives him hope that he'll be able to manage through the potentially hand crippling disease.

"Dupuytren's contracture is a hand deformity that usually develops slowly, over decades, and affects the connective tissue under the skin of your palm. Knots of the tissue form under the skin -- eventually forming a thick cord that can pull one or more of your fingers into a bent position. Once this occurs, the fingers affected by Dupuytren's Contracture cannot be straightened completely, which can complicate everyday activities such as placing your hands in your pockets, putting on gloves, or shaking hands. Dupuytren's mostly affects the ring and pinky fingers, and occurs most often in older men of Northern European descent." -- MayoClinic.com

We found a doctor at the UW who specializes in needle aponeurotomy -- essentially a minimally invasive technique where the cords are weakened through the manipulation of a needle. Rick has a consultation in a few weeks, not to investigate more surgery, but to just get a better understanding of how best to manage the condition. We're also hearing a bit about collagenase, which is a recently FDA approved treatment that injects enzyme collagenase into the cords to dissolve them.

Clearly there is still a lot to learn, and all in all, Rick is handling this in stride. The summer feels like it's already slipping by, even though it's barely begun. We plan to spend most of our weekends at the cabin, peppered with out-of-town guests over the summer months.

We brought back some fishing poles back from Minnesota, so it might just be time to find another new hobby for the summer.