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The past six weeks have flown by – hosting the 7th Annual Tour de Steamboat with 600+ bike riders, a two week speech program in Denver, family visits, Cheyenne Frontier Days, participating in the Ride 4 Yellow, getting GREAT news on the latest MRI, watching the world’s best road bikers compete in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, celebrating Brad ‘s 41st birthday on top of Rabbit Ears Pass, a beautiful San Diego wedding with some amazing girlfriends…and now it is hunting season.

The MRI took place on August 24th and reiterated the fact that the treatment effect and swelling had pretty much dissipated.  An MRI sometimes includes what is called a Profusion Scan that shows the blood flow around the tumor area.  A tumor needs a significant amount of blood to create the nasty rapidly reproducing cancer cells (evil do’ers)- so we were PSYCHED to see little to no blood flow in the area.  The tumor is looking smaller and as the doc said – this looks good…really good.  You can only imagine our smiles when we drove home to kick off Brad’s birthday celebration – which included the world’s best cyclists in our home town for a Colorado race!

Brad is feeling better and better.  The progress will never be fast enough for Brad, but he is moving in a great direction as constantly noted by his friends and family (thanks for all the great feedback…we can never hear enough of it!).  With the good news from the scan he is slowly working his way off the meds (key word is slowly).  His speech is coming along too thanks to the help of a very cool program in Denver.  In one of my neurotic hunts for help I called in some support from our favorite brain trauma PT, who linked us to a specialist in Atlanta, and ultimately to a clinic that was within 100 yards of the hospital we have been working with for over two years – the world is small and sometimes incredibly coincidental! 

The program was intense and needed Brad to stay in Denver for two weeks immediately following the Tour de Steamboat (he was definitely burning the candle at both ends in true Cusenbary fashion).  Brad worked for four hours a day one on one with Kim (speech pathologist) on a variety of exercises that removed his compensatory habits and provided him with the strategies to speak clearly and in full sentences.  It requires no shortage of patience on his part, but he is doing great (when he takes his time – feel free to remind him as he rushes into words at lightning speed when you see him).  Several of you have asked questions about how to help the conversation along, so here are some tips we got on how to best support him as the listener:

• Pause – give him time to think through and coordinate the small motor skills of the mouth to form his words
• Slow your pace
• Encourage complete sentences – NO one word answers
• Don’t finish his sentences

Brad knows EXACTLY what he wants to say…the challenge is getting it out (forming the words).  I am confident he will back to saying everything that crosses his mind again in no time – it is hard to believe we joked with the neurosurgeon just over two years ago that LB  prevented Brad’s ability to think before he speaks – now we are ready to get all those festive comments and banter back in action!

Moving onward, hunting season is in full swing.  Brad is at the ranch from Sunday – Thursday helping the guides and providing entertainment (I have to assume this part).  He is working on taking small hikes each day and regaining his strength (getting off the steroids will help expedite this!).  Every time he comes home from the ranch he is smiling and enthusiastic to be outside with best friends doing what he loves most.  Plus, he is getting back into the garage door business (in his free time)!

As the days get shorter we are maximizing every minute.  One of the docs said it would be helpful to slow our pace…I am leaving this to Brad – not sure he knows what it means but it is very fun to watch!

Hope you are all enjoying a great close to summer and start to fall…hope to see you soon!

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