2 Weeks Home
Mr. McGoo’s Homecoming - March 4, 2024
The joy of receiving Kelly back to home to Montana from Arizona on Monday, March 4th was beyond a relief and blessing!!! After 59 days away, we finally had Kelly home and were ready to celebrate!
The kiddos decorated with their Dollar Tree decor spread, complete with dinosaur masks, party hats, a welcome home sign with bees (because Daddy likes those and wants some one day), Dino footprint stinkers surrounding, balloons and more.
We celebrated with a Vegan meal spread wanted to have a full set of eats prepared for Kelly in a way that he wouldn’t feel lack or miss out on the goodness of the celebration dietary wise. More blogs to share about our dietary process and links for those that are interested.
It was a wonderful, but honestly, exhausting night. The McGoo Crew couldn’t be more thankful to have Daddy home!
What has life looked like since that day?
The last two weeks since Kelly’s arrival home have simultaneously been wonderful and difficult.
The best analogy I have to give, as an observer to Kelly’s experience, is to relate it to a person who has been on the mission field for several months or serving in a third-world country from a significant period of time. When folks leave their experience that is far different than the daily American culture and rhythm of life for an extended time frame and arrive back home, it’s overwhelming. Things feel off. Home feels off. Next steps seem uncertain. The surrounding culture of “home” and the environment that was once comfortable and the norm is now foreign, somewhat questioned, and even uncomfortable at times. This is what I saw in Kelly.
He was present and amazing with the kiddos, like the awesome father that he is, and the kiddos haven’t felt or seen the struggle of the transition home. But the rest of life . . . the food transition (meals were provided 6 out of 7 days a week while in Arizona), the continued treatment needs transition (getting set up and booked with the new lymphatic massage therapist, provider to continue with care, etc), the daily flow of life with the chaos of the kiddo schedules and needs . . . the shift from full time and solely focused health and wellness to the busyness of life with a wife and three kids doesn’t come with ease.
Thankfully there is a much grace.
We have been working hard to stay within the continued dietary goal of the Plant-Based lifestyle. Not only will this plant-based pursuit help the continued goal of healing Kelly’s kidneys, but will help to keep Kelly’s body in a state that can more appropriate fend off or not create chronically fermenting cells (cancer cells). Raw when possible, plant-based most frequently, juicing daily, staying away from processed foods, and grace when life makes it difficult to do it all - that’s the dietary plan of attack.
Much of the last two weeks has been highly focused on what it looks like to make and create plant-based meals for a family of five. We have new gadgets in the kitchen such as the dehydrator, food processor, upgraded size blender, and a plethora of new ingredients in the pantry. It’s been such a large change, Heather is documenting much about that journey on the stories of our Instagram account @travelingmcgoos. There have been several wins along the way, and some failures, but the goal is to keep trying and find what works best for the family at large.
Time Ending at the Clinic
Kelly’s last official full day at the clinic in Arizona, An Oasis of Healing was completed on Friday, March 1 after 8 full weeks of full-time treatment. We are ecstatic to be blessed with the gift of leaving the clinic TUMOR FREE! WOW! (11cm tumor in the mesentery gone!) We are also super thankful that Kelly’s departure from the clinic doesn’t mean we no longer have them as a resource and help. They will continue to be present and part of Kelly’s ongoing care, even as we transition to more local providers and therapies nearby. Praise God.
Before Kelly left Arizona the following Monday, he stopped by the clinic for a repeat lab draw, March 4. We are thankful to report that Kelly’s kidney function had increased since the previous week post low-dose chemo session. His GFR was 28 and Creatinine 2.71.
What do these numbers mean:
Kelly left MT with a 11cm non-hodgkins lymphoma tumor in his mesentery and a diagnosis of stage 4 kidney disease, starting his journey with the clinic in AZ with a GFR 23 and Creatinine 2.9.
We are hopeful this trend of kidney healing with continue now that the time with the low-dose chemotherapy has been completed. No more toxins being injected into Kelly’s body on a regular basis to fight a tumor.
Treatment Continues
Beyond the dietary aspects of life [hardcore carnivore transitioned to plant based], the plan of care for Kelly’s continued treatment involves follow up with a local provider for bi-monthly lab draws to monitor and potential IV infusions intermittently. This is a huge change. We’re used to seeing Kelly’s labs 2-3 times per week, so twice a month can feel uncomfortable being out of the loop. We have to trust the process, and rest in the way the Lord has created our body’s to heal while we support the body by giving it the nutrients it needs, the rest and stress reduction is requires, and utilize the tools we have learned from the clinic. The first appointment with that provider is next week.
Additionally, Kelly continues acupuncture once a month (still working to get that scheduled locally) and takes the daily oral supplements and medications provided at the clinic. These medications include antiparacitics, supplements for kidney support, melatonin, and things like cherry tart that promote healthy uric acid level in his body (history of gout). Kel has been taken off his allopurinol prescription while at the clinic and moved into baseline normal uric acid levels. We look forward to the day that his blood pressure no longer needs his blood pressure medications. We are confident as Kelly’s kidneys heal, the blood pressure assistance will resolve as well.
Lymphatic massage, which had been done 2-3 times weekly at the clinic will also continue 1-2 times per month. This is essential to help keep the drainage system of the body unclogged and moving, (our IMMUNE SYSTEM) especially of importance with Kelly’s history of lymphoma. In addition, Kelly continues the dry brushing process at home for these same reasons. Have you ever heard of dry brushing? If so, do you do it?
Movement (i.e. working out), grounding, sunning, appropriate bed times, stress reduction, laughing, deep breathing, etc . . . the therapy continues at home. We are thankful for the tools we have obtained in this process and look forward to sharing more about each piece so that others can purse them for your own health and wellness as well.
Thankful.
Thank you for your patience and kindness as we have worked to settle in as a family reunited throughout the last two weeks. It’s had its ups and downs, and curves, but we’re learning the way of our new path. I told Kelly the other day, we’ve been given an amazing RESET. We do not take that for granted. We are unwilling to push play on the video of life that we had playing before Kelly’s kidney and cancer diagnosis. It’s not going to be “business as usual”, that’s what got us to this space and stepping into this unforeseen journey. It would be crazy to just go back to the same life, the same habits, the same to dos. Instead, we want to step into this new beginning, fresh, and anew, asking the Lord how life for the McGoo Crew should look! This means we’re asking questions about our daily rhythms, work schedules, and plans. How should our hours and days be utilized?
We don’t have all the answers, but we’re doing our best to stay still at times and listen. The kids have been troopers as changes are made. We think having open and honest conversations with them about why something has changed, like our eating habits, or why we aren’t to spend time doing this versus that, allows for them to grow and better understanding too!
Thank you for being along in this journey with us! Your prayers and support has made all of this possible. We’re beyond honored and thankful!