tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91460372832798734072024-02-07T21:41:07.488-08:00Big Don "This Blog's for You"The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-74979905033121755342011-08-08T10:51:00.000-07:002011-08-08T10:51:38.953-07:00The Worst Year Ever??Sitting in my house about to enjoy a grilled steak and a St. Louis Cardinal game on TV on an otherwise ordinary Southern California night. Not very exciting but exactly where I was one year ago when I got the call that Big Don was sick, I mean really sick not just poop sick and whining about it, but really you should go to the hospital sick. The days and weeks to come provided quite a few kicks to the groin, but I will always remember exactly what was going on when mom called that night. I guess you always remember details like that when you experience something big, good or bad it seems like time stands still forever a snapshot in your life. <br />
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I have thought a lot about that night and the last 12 months lately. Big Don is doing great, one in a million they told him at the surgeons office at his follow up, a description less than surprising to me and most everyone that knows Big Don than the surgeons and staff we had to peel off from hugging Big Don. He is recovering each day able to eat more and sleep less. His stomach still makes funny noises but so does mine and just about every Dulle stomach out there. I'm not sure how we will ever thank Dr. Selby and his team, what a gift Big Don has been given, I suppose the best way is for Big Don to keep getting better and living life, a specialty of his. He will go back to Arizona this week and to the Mayo clinic to meet with the oncologist and decide how to proceed wiht more chemo and treatment. We don't know exactly what to expect, but he will almost certainly have to do some chemo even though they still think they got all of the tumor during surgery. Unfortunately this disease is not one that quits easily and we know cancer will always be a part of Big Don and all of our lives. This is something that he will have to get checked and rechecked for years to come. But you see I said years and damn that sounds good. <br />
On that night one year ago you couldn't help but search the internet to find out things about pancreatic cancer. The numbers were disheartening to say the least, and quite frankly 'years' was not a term that was used very much. I even had some notes in the margin of my medical books from back in school that said in capital letters "DONT GET THIS ONE" next to the section on pancreatic cancer. It became so depressing that we all had to stop looking and get busy fighting. At that time we got some of the best advice we would get from a wonderful woman who herself is fighting and beating cancer. She said "Don't let Big Don become a statistic, (he is a living breathing, very much alive person)". So we didn't. Pancreas cancer has no blueprint. Even the doctors sometimes scratch their heads, so we just kept moving forward. I'm not sure we did everything right, or even most things right, but we know just how lucky we are to still be in the fight and we are happy because Big Don is still a living, breathing, very much alive person (whose stomach makes some really funny noises). There are so many memories from the last year and some I will leave out, but I guess this is our blueprint for year one.<br />
Get out of Montana, move into my future in-laws house, throw up a burger at in and out, chemo at the Mayo, more funny sounds from Big Don's stomach, pool parties at the Kirks, a heart attack by Senior Don and heart surgery in Arizona, pregame on the field at the Arizona Cardinals game, a fight and escort out of the Indian casino, Thanksgiving at Benihana, a new apartment in AZ to check out chicks, radiation at the Mayo, a half marathon for Kay, Mary, and Bobby with Big Don at the finish line, moving back to Montana and commuting to the Mayo for chemo, news of a new baby coming in the fall from Bob and Tess, a bachelor party funded by Big Don but not attended due to his bad behavior at the Indian casino, a wedding (awesome if I do say so myself and thankfully Big Don's stomach did not make any inappropriate funny noises), a meeting with a new surgeon, preparation for surgery including a four mile hike the weekend before followed by a trip to the waterslides, a 14 hour surgery, 22 days in the hospital, an incredibly strong wife, extremely proud kids and kid-in-laws, great friends and family, more than a few prayers, and one tough SOB in Big Don. <br />
I am not sure what the future will bring, I hazard even a guess. 12 months ago I expected a year full of tears and sadness, self pity and anger, long days and nights. I expected the worst year ever, but a funny thing happened on the way to our worst year ever, it turned out to be our very BEST. <br />
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-- The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-87972276412064079572011-07-17T21:05:00.000-07:002011-07-17T21:05:12.012-07:00On Second Thought it's an AIt's day 17 at USC and so far we have celebrated 4th of July, a few birthdays, the All-Star game, a 3 1/2 hour LA car chase that past by the hospital 3 times, a new grand baby for Grandma and Grandpa Whitey (#32 we think), and Carmageddon here on the LA freeways. None, however, has been as exciting for the Dulle's as the news Dr. Selby gave us yesterday, although we are very happy for Uncle Gerry and family and Uncle Big Don looks forward to watching him play football. <br />
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Big Don has never been a straight A student he as always gotten by with B's and C's and has done pretty well for himself. As they say B's get degrees, but for this surgery we were looking for an A, because we aren't sure if B's get rid of cancer. So we were a little nervous when Dr. Selby came out to talk to us after surgery and he said that he was concerned that he wasn't able to quite get all of the tumor off the main artery. He said there may be some cancer cells left and he only gave himself a B- grade for the surgery. He did say that there was a possibility that the cells weren't cancer so after we splashed some water on Bobby's face and thanked God for getting Big Don through 15 hours of surgery we started praying that the cells weren't cancer. And someone was listening because the pathology finally came back this week and all the samples off the artery were negative for cancer cells. The main tumor was of course adenocarcinoma but the margins were all clear for cancer. This means that there was no evidence for cancer left behind. It doesn't mean that Big Don is completely our of the woods. There is a possibility that there are some microscopic cancer cells and he most likely will still get chemo and may even need radiation, unfortunately cancer will always be part of Big Don's life. But this is great news, exactly what we were looking for with the surgery, and quite frankly exactly what we all expected from Big Don in this fight. <br />
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So the days are definitely dragging here at the hospital but each day is a step closer to breaking out of this joint. He is making some small farts for anyone that is wondering from the last post, and I know what your thinking, yes Mary said they definitely stink. Big Don is still doing work on the computer and the doctors think he is progressing each day. He even went outside on a walk this weekend. Hopefully he will get out sometime in the next week or so and he will continue to recover down here in Southern California for a while. It seems like Big Don found a way to up his grade because when Dr. Selby came in to explain things he changed from that B- to an A. An A that will hopefully allow for more 4th of July's, car chases, birthdays, and All-star games. And we aren't sure if there will be any more grandkids for Grandma and Grandpa Whitey but definitely great grandkids and one in particular that Big Don, I mean Grandpa Big Don is pretty excited to see this fall. (#1 we think)The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-75058907213198518472011-07-10T21:34:00.000-07:002011-07-10T21:34:58.035-07:00Pull my FingerA fart is pretty funny no matter who you are. Whether its your brother letting one rip at the dinner table, the guy in the stall next to you playing a tune, grandpa squeaking a few out on the way to the ball game, or the priest letting one slide during the homily, a well timed fart will have me rolling now and I hope for as long as I am on this earth. The same can be said for Big Don, but I never thought we would see the day that we were waiting on Big Don to work up a fart. As I have mentioned before the Dulle's generally don't have any problems with matters of flatulence or bowel movements, but then again he did just get opened up for 14 hours and as Dr. Selby says he had one of the biggest general surgery procedures you could ever imagine. So all things considered he is doing really well. Each day he is getting more and more tubes removed, walking further, and getting closer to a big glass of ice water. We are still waiting on the results of all of the final reports from surgery, they took a lot of samples so it takes a lot of time to compile all of the information, He will probably be in the hospital for the rest of the week but is moving much faster than anticipated, well anticipated by the doctors, I'm pretty sure all of us expected him to be breaking the door down to leave. <br />
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He of course has the support of my mom faithfully there each day, I wish I could think of more elegant words to describe her support but suffice it to say that she definitely heard when the priest said "in sickness and in health" 32 years ago when they got married. The rest of the family have definitely put in time with him as well and I'm pretty sure we are at least part owners of the parking garage and cafeteria over at USC. Big Don stays busy watching the Cardinals on his Ipad and keeping up with work emails. They sent out 5000 cases over the weekend up in the Flathead Valley so just because he isn't in town don't think he isn't keeping tabs on whose drinkng Budweiser up there. The rest of his time is spent I'm sure thinking about getting something to drink and busting out. He is getting everything through the IV now but today was allowed some ice and water and when he finally works up that fart he will be able to get more food. The support and prayers have carried him through and we can't thank everyone enough. We continue to need all of the support and if you have time throw in a prayer for that fart and we will keep pulling on his finger. And yes I plan on laughing when he finally does.The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-61566095093825761252011-06-30T23:17:00.000-07:002011-06-30T23:17:07.454-07:00Tumor OutBig Don is out of surgery and into the ICU. He made it through surgery well and was stable the whole time. He had a huge operation 14 hours and will take time to recover. The bulk of the tumor was removed. We have to wait for the labs and pathology to come back over the next week to determine if there is any microscopic disease, but the primary tumor is out. As we knew he will still need some chemo and possibly radiation but with the main tumor out our chances of beating it our much much greater. It seems as if the 18 hours today here at USC have zapped my sense of humor, but we are all in good spirits and waiting to see him in the ICU. Thank God for diet coke, ipads, sportscenter, Uncle Billy, and all of the wonderful people here at USC that have helped us through this difficult day, but mostly thank everyone for the constant support and prayers that we have gotten today and over the last year. I'm not sure who is more tired the Dulle's or Dr. Selby, but I'd be remise in not thanking him for taking care of Big Don. As I'm sure Big Don would say we have so much to be thankful for, so we continue to fight and be DULLESTRONG.The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-46258333301189781812011-06-28T22:05:00.000-07:002011-06-28T22:05:42.223-07:00AnxiousAccording to the online dictionary anxious has several definitions. Worried, tense, intensely desirous, and eager. For years we have been giving mom a hard time because she uses the word as a replacement for excited, and when she comes to visit us we don't want her to be anxious, we just want her to be excited. I guess all those years at Whitefish High School have paid off because she was using the alternative definition obviously, but we continue to give her a hard time anyway. So for the first time in a long time I think she, along with the rest of the Dulle clan are truly anxious. <br />
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Big Don has passed all of his tests, except for cleansing his bowels tomorrow, and I am quite confident in his ability to do that. I should say continue to do that as he got a head start tonight at the Claim Jumper. The new CT scan showed the doctors exactly what they wanted to see and his tumor markers are actually at a normal level of 28. For those of you that are math challenged that is 100 times better than August of last year when they were at 2800 when he was diagnosed. So he is a prime candidate for surgery. On Thursday June 30, Dr. Rick Selby and his team at USC will go after the tumor. They tell us that the surgery could last all day but they feel very confident in Big Don's ability to handle it, they did not mention mine or Bobby's ability to handle it so we will just have to let you know. <br />
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Throughout the whole year Big Don has had an overwhelming amount ot support and love and he will continue to need it as he goes through the next step. But there is no doubt that everyone's prayers and thoughts are helping and contributing to Big Don continuing to beat the odds. The tumor let us back in the game, a year ago we were getting our butts kicked and Thursday we finally get to fight back. <br />
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So the Dulle's are in Southern California on the next leg of the adventure. I wish I could say something profound happened tonight as we all ate together, but it was pretty much status quo, we made inappropriate fart and poop jokes, made fun of the waiters name, Fobby?, stared at the people around us, and we tried to make a scene as we left, so generally we had a great time. I'm not sure if thats the way we are supposed to handle something like this, but I am pretty damn proud that it is and would have it no other way. So maybe I'm not anxious I'm just gonna be excited for Big Don to kick some ass.<br />
<span class="illustration"></span>The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-30872602353864337802011-06-15T21:56:00.000-07:002011-06-15T21:56:11.412-07:00And a NintendoI was going to write a blog about how dorky a conversion van is, and how silly it is to have Budweiser logo plastered on the side, and how annoying it is to get in and drive across the country and waste your vacation in a van with the whole family, and how you really didn't need the built in radar detector because the thing tops out at 70. But I realized something as I was thinking about those vans, I freaking loved those things and why can't I find one on the internet to buy.<br />
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I mean fully plush carpet on the inside, swivel captain chairs, damn near a full bar in the center consol (all real wood as Bob can attest after he did a header into it one time on our way to Florida), a fold out bed in the back, TV/VCR, and a Nintendo. And the best part was that Big Don used to get a new one every year or so. So when it was time for a family vacation it wasn't upsetting that half our vacation had to be spent in the van, it was upsetting that half the vacation wasn't going to be in van. I have to be honest I can't tell you what our hotel room looked like at Disneyland, but I know every corner of the gray Michelob van (van #4) right down to the sliding screen windows in the way back that you could break and stick your hand out of to wave to the other cars. I'm not sure how mom felt about the vans because they weren't particularly easy on the eyes, but I would proudly ride shotgun any day of the week.<br />
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I suppose thats why the Dulle's have always driven everywhere, because half the fun is in the journey. Every family vacation was driving somewhere. No planes or trains or bus, just Big Don driving. I'm sure mom drove some, but mostly Big Don was driver and I was trying to figure out how to fit Bobby through that screen window in the back that I was talking about. We drove to soccer tournaments, drove on thanksgiving and Christmas, we drove to Montana, we drove to colleges, shout Big Don once just went to the dealership in Montana, bought me a car for college, and drove it straight to California. Pretty sure he told mom about the time he was going through Salt Lake. And each time the trip was over we piled back in and drove home. Never too sad because we knew there were more trips to come. So naturally Big Don, Kay, Mary, and Candy (the dog) are piled in the car for another trip. This time on their way down to Phoenix for a CT scan this week and if all goes well onto California for surgery. Needless to say this trip is probably a little stressful, well not as stressful as the one time we had to stop at the Burger King in the ghetto so mom could go to the bathroom, or the time that we were driving through the grand tetons in a blizzard with a 100 foot drop off the side, or the time we got rear ended by a moose in Canada, or the time I had to stop at the truck stop to take a shower because, well lets just say because I did. Never mind this trip isn't that stressful.<br />
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But perhaps more than ever the most important part of this trip will be going home, because when Big Don goes home hopefully it will be with a little less pancreas and a lot less tumor. My goal for the next few months is to get Big Don home no matter how tough it is. So Big Don I hope as you read this you are enjoying your drive and having some laughs remembering all the vans and maybe if you play your cards right we will see if we can't get a nintendo for the ride back.The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-77867710605480957312011-05-26T22:54:00.000-07:002011-05-26T22:54:34.983-07:00"I'd have taken the damn helicopter"At the risk of being philosophical I have a story to pass on to you all. I don't know who to credit for the story other than I heard it once on an episode of the West Wing. So I hope I can tell it as eloquently as Martin Sheen did.<br />
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A very religious, holy, faithful man (much like many of you who read this) was living in his home that he had been at for decades. Unfortunately the river not far from where he lived was flooding and his house and his life were in danger. So he prayed really hard, like he had never prayed before, to God. And when the police drove around with their bullhorns saying to evacuate he very calmly went outside and said "I will stay in my home because I believe in God and He will save me." Well of course things got worse and his house was only reachable by boat. Some rescue personnel came by and urged him to get on the boat before he was swept away by the water. Again, this time slightly less calm but as earnest as ever, he said "I am staying, I have been praying to God and He will save me;" The rescuers had a few choice words for him but moved on to help someone else. He continued to pray and the flood got worse. So bad he had to sit on his roof. Soon a coast guard helicopter came and lowered him a rope frantically trying to get him to safety. The man as steadfast as ever said "I am sure God will save me." And so the helicopter left. Well tragically the flood waters kept coming and the man drowned. Well certainly because he was so devout he went to heaven. When he got there he immediately confronted the man in charge and asked Him why he was left to die after all of the prayers he had made. God, quite exacerbated said "I sent you a bullhorn, a boat, and a damn helicopter you fool, what more do you want from me." <br />
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So Big Don and Kay came out to California last week to celebrate their 31st wedding anniversary and thanks to their three wonderful children enjoyed some time on the beach and listened to the waves when they slept (a Big Don favorite). The other reason for the trip was to see a surgeon at USC who specializes in complex tumors of the liver and pancreas. Dr. Rick Selby is a Mizzou Tiger alum and a well respected doctor. And in Big Don's eyes he is also a coast guard helicopter. <br />
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See I told my parents the story of the man who died in the flood and Big Don listened very intently and then in a way that only he could said to me "I'd have taken the damn helicopter." So it is not a surprise that after our two hour visit with Dr. Selby, where he very clearly drew pictures and showed us the CT scans of Big Don and said that Big Don was his 'dream patient', we had to hold dad back from getting on the operating table right then and there. I would be remiss by not telling you that the reason he was a dream patient is because he is otherwise healthy, young, a very fit, thin guy, but most importantly because his CT scan showed him exactly what he needed to see to make him a candidate (a statement we had to retell Big Don because as you can imagine he was so proud of the other things he completely missed the part about the CT scan). <br />
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But I think the story is so fitting because it really is who Big Don is. I for one would have been running right behind that police car no questions asked but not Big Don he is gonna ride it out a little bit, and if and when the time is right then he takes the helicopter. We won't ever know for sure if it is the absolute correct thing to do. The surgery will be long and risky and certainly there are no guarantees but dammit we have a chance. So as a family we have decided that June 30th is the right time. Big Don will finish up two more weeks of chemotherapy and then prep for surgery. <br />
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Like any big game we are all preparing in our own ways, and we again have to thank everyone for the unwavering support that has been given and that we continue to ask for. There are so many cliche statements I could make, and I am always a sucker for a good "win one for the gipper" speech but I will save you guys the time and just say Big Don is gonna give it a hell of a fight and I hope that the helicopter not only picks him up but also lands safe. <br />
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I will be updating the blog more frequently as we get closer, but again we appreciate every ones thoughts and prayers. The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-80619010227914879232011-04-25T23:28:00.000-07:002011-04-25T23:28:10.192-07:00Everything I Need to Know I Learned in KindergartenFirst and most important I learned how to have recess and have a good time. So that is probably why I haven't updated the blog in a while. The Dulle's have been very busy with weddings and parties so cancer and the blog have been on hold for recess. But as all great recesses do, this one has ended and it is time to get back to work, so please forgive my absence. In addition to recess I learned some other things.<br />
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One of my favorites was math and it came in handy again today at the Mayo Clinic where Big Don met with the oncologist. And as the kindergarten Donnie could tell you, 72 is way less than 2800, I think even the kindergarten version of my brother Bobby could have told you that, maybe. 72 is the latest tumor marker down from 2800 back in August when he was first diagnosed! Still room for improvement but pretty close to 50 which is normal. <br />
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I learned some art, so when he showed us the scans that indicate to him that the cancer does not look like it has spread, i did not have to cover any spots up with the finger painting I did in kindergarten.<br />
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I also learned some writing. Now this served me well when I got to college and had to write my first real paper about the Kennedy family. The topic was to write about why I thought the Kennedys were such a successful family. So I wrote a killer 7 page essay about how in every picture they looked happy and that happiness was the key to success, brilliant, right. Wrong, my teacher proceeded to rip the whole thing apart in front of the whole class. I think he may have even mentioned that it could have been written by a kindergarten student, I'm not sure I had buried myself in my sweatshirt under the desk at that point. He then gave me an A because at least I stayed on topic but it better improve. Still I would argue with him today that maybe the reason Big Don has been so successful so far with chemo and cancer is because he is always positive and happy. Being in Whitefish and working at Flathead Beverage makes him happy, spending time with his family and friends makes him happy, working the wedding reception like a politician, making sure to talk to every single person, makes him happy, hosting, in my humble opinion, the best rehearsal dinner ever makes him happy, driving his corvette and going out to dinner with his wife makes him happy. Living life makes him happy. So the side effects of chemo and cancer are no match for him, and if you need him next week he will be in Las Vegas, where he is really happy and so am I for that matter, for the Anheuser Busch convention. <br />
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So with this attitude he will continue the fight. The regimen calls for continued chemotherapy for as long as it keeps working with a graduation to some sort of maintenance type chemo for still many more months. The scans still do not indicate that the tumor is operable so we keep fighting. He is by no means out of the woods but I for one continue with hope and confidence that he will keep winning, again because of all of the thoughts and prayers and support of good friends and family. <br />
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Oh yea I learned one other thing in Kindergarten. Around that time one of my uncles, who has since beaten it and has 4 beautiful kids, was diagnosed with cancer. So it was then that I learned I HATE CANSER, and I still do.(sorry spelling wasn't until 1st grade, maybe I didn't quite learn everything)The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-91700117824107515222011-02-09T21:28:00.000-08:002011-02-09T21:28:31.144-08:00No Place Like HomeWe had toasted ravioli, family and friends, a constant supply of Budweiser, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Why would we ever want to leave? This was all that me, Bobby, and Mary could think and say when we packed our bags and left the midwest for our new home in Whitefish, MT. I'm pretty sure my mom had some other, less PG-13 words to say, but it's hard to hear great when you are eavesdropping from the upstairs balcony. Well at least we would have something to write our most traumatic moment college essays about as we made out way to the frozen tundra, although leaving grandma and grandpa Whitey's house hanging out the back of the Explorer crying may have been a little overboard. Nonetheless we were going because even the people in Montana needed Budweiser to drink. We all decided that we at least had each other, the five Dulle's, and we would figure it out.<br />
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Over the last 15 years a lot has changed. I've lost a significant amount of hair without even having cancer, my brother has been kicked out of more sporting events than he can count and a funny thing happened, it made him a grown up (mostly), Mary moved all the way to Arizona only to find out that she loves Montana, and mom and dad have traveled around the country chasing us kids with more laughs and good times than we could ever count. We made it through with each other so I think Big Don just decided he wanted us to come back this summer. It's a good thing all of the college essays were already done because as of August, we all have a new most traumatic event in our lives. So while we skipped the hanging out of the back of Explorer part, one thing did not change we had each other and we would figure it out.<br />
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So here we are 6 months post Cancer diagnosis and going strong. Big Don has finished his radiation and he is back onto chemotherapy. They will continue to monitor his tumor markers and take CAT scans to determine what the tumor is doing, and Big Don will keep busy living. Now most of us would think that this means traveling around the world or taking a cruise or sitting on a beach, but for Big Don it means going to work. So if your in the Flathead Valley and you think you may have seen the Bud man you would be right. Big Don, Kay, and Candy drove back to Whitefish last week and mom and dad will fly down to Phoenix three times a month for chemo and be where they want to be, home. I have not heard mom and dad so happy in the last six months as I have since they got to Montana, and this is despite the freezing temperatures and snow.<br />
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They are still looking for the toasted ravioli but they certainly have found their home, adding memories and friends. What I didn't know when we moved 15 years ago is that we had way more support and love than just the five of us and that's why we thrived in Montana. And it's exactly the same reason Big Don will thrive in this, most traumatic experience of his life moment, not because of the five Dulle's but because of the many of you who continue to help us figure it out.<br />
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The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-44543669612105924592011-01-16T20:45:00.000-08:002011-01-16T20:45:20.994-08:00And We're Done!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>First I have to apologize for my previous post, I did not make it clear that I, Donald the third, would not be running the half marathon. Rather mom and Mary and a last minute addition of Bob were the crazy people who chose to run 13 miles with no one chasing them. So I appreciate everyone who voiced there support for me and now I suppose next year I will have to join in. I have to say I am very proud of my family, as crazy as they may be, and dad I look forward to running with you next year (I guess). Below are some pictures and a post from my baby sister.<br />
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</div><div>The PF Changs Rock N' Roll Half Marathon is officially over and we can all three feel it in our bodies!! Bobby decided on Friday afternoon to do the run so mom, Bobby and I did the run today and crossed the finish line with Big Don and Tess waiting for us with a big smile! It was a tough day but the purple bracelets got us thru. We are all three struggling to walk right now though. Some pictures from our fun-filled Sunday morning are below. Thanks for all of the support and good wishes! Keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming - scan and blood work tomorrow. We are back on the DULLESTRONG bandwagon, Go Big Don!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Df3RULdiLYQlmp6PhwqJeb2liOEpICh5BLyDFHkh-xtGmshecPqDZVdFFobkHqf3L8-RMLDo6c3hNT2YJ03Z41OX53-OlTsZuRStjdeEhjdFXZCzDhJSg3a5Mf1mrLFbJjyF6G1aFXU/s1600/IMG_0165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Df3RULdiLYQlmp6PhwqJeb2liOEpICh5BLyDFHkh-xtGmshecPqDZVdFFobkHqf3L8-RMLDo6c3hNT2YJ03Z41OX53-OlTsZuRStjdeEhjdFXZCzDhJSg3a5Mf1mrLFbJjyF6G1aFXU/s320/IMG_0165.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div>The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-32660659917195728872011-01-13T18:54:00.000-08:002011-01-13T18:54:04.653-08:00This Run’s for You Big DonFrom Mare:<br />
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In August when dad was diagnosed with cancer, my world seemed like it was ending. I took a few days to be mad and upset with everything going on and then decided I couldn’t be upset forever. I looked at my dad and all of the pain he was in and had been in for the last couple of months and said to myself that I needed to do something to make him proud! Now I know that I make him proud every day but this time I was really going to do it<span style="font-family: Wingdings;"></span>. Watching dad go thru treatment after treatment and getting knocked down each and every day but getting up and continuing to fight, I decided I needed a little challenge on my hands. It was mid-September and I thought to myself, what could I do to challenge myself and give dad something to look forward to a few months from now? The idea came into my head to run the PF Changs half marathon in Phoenix in January!<br />
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</div><div class="ecxMsoNormal">At first I had the whole family on board but then things fell through and mom and I are the ones who are going to be crossing that finish line on Sunday morning. I will be the first to admit that I struggled through the training and when I had to run 12 miles a few weeks ago, the only thing that got me through was looking at the purple DULLESTRONG bracelet on my hand and doing it for dad! So on Sunday morning, while you are all still sleeping my mom and I will be sprinting our way to the finish to see Big Don standing there with a smile on his face saying how proud he is of ‘his girls.’</div><div class="ecxMsoNormal">We won’t be doing it fast but we will be doing it! Stay posted for pictures to come Sunday night and record times (ha ha!!) <span style="font-family: Wingdings;"></span></div><div class="ecxMsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="ecxMsoNormal">A post from the youngest Dulle. (in my defense I never signed up for the race, just cause Big Don got cancer doesn't mean I need to torture myself and not walk right for two weeks, sorry big guy)<br />
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</div>The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-65424240820243063822010-12-29T23:02:00.000-08:002010-12-29T23:02:40.269-08:00My Favorite ColorOf course there was only one blue cup it would have been way to easy to have a two, then Bobby and I wouldn't have anything to argue about that day at grandma and grandpas house. After all blue was my favorite color and certainly it was Bob's as well so mom had to intervene. I'll never forget she calmly came over and said to me, "Why is blue your favorite color? The Cardinals are red so red should be your favorite color." I immediately changed my favorite color to red, and well so did Bobby, but there was only one red cup. So dad put a little Busch beer in the blue cup and let me have a sip, so I would quit complaining and just eat my spaghetti. Well mom I have changed my favorite color again.<br />
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Every disease seems to have a color and a wristband now thanks to Lance Armstrong, shout I saw a wristband the other day for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, I'll let you guess the color. I've always had a fondness for bracelets, when I was in the 2nd grade I had enough snap and friendship bracelets to go up to my shoulder. But I have never been as attached to a bracelet until now. When we found out about the cancer we weren't just going to sit around, we bought the pancreas cancer website right out of purple bracelets. Uncle Jeff and my cousin Tony even made custom bracelets. All in my new favorite color, Purple.<br />
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When the bracelets came they said three words; Courage, Faith, Hope. Now the first two were easy. Big Don is a tough son of a gun, rumor has it that one time he played in a football game and got a concussion in the first quarter and woke up in the 4th, leading the team in tackles and after kicking two field goals, maybe not terribly smart but pretty courageous. If you need any more proof you can read some of the previous blogs and posts. Courage would be easy. And Faith well we have that covered. The good Catholic that he is, Big Don wears a gold cross on his chest that is too heavy for Mary to wear for more than 5 minutes, and I know people that haven't said a prayer since they were children sending them up everyday now. But Hope hasn't been quite as easy. As we know pancreas cancer doesn't always lend itself to hope, but the good people at Mayo clinic and a healthy dose of the two things mentioned above have helped us find Hope. <br />
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We still don't know what the outcome will be, and we still treasure everyday with Big Don, but he is doing well. He has started and now almost finished radiation (sorry the blog was off for Christmas). He has 5 more sessions left and is still getting the chemotherapy once a week. After he finishes he will get a couple weeks off and then another scan to see how things look. We all hold out hope that they would be able to remove the tumor at that time, but more likely they will continue chemo as his tumor markers continue to drop and at last count were 218, down from 2800 four months ago. He has weaned off all pain medications and is now just on Immodium, so he can borrow my stash if he needs too (refer to Bad Guts, blog #1). He enjoyed Christmas with mom and two out of three kids, some of us have in-laws and a job. And I'm pretty sure that mom and dad now know more about the bowl games and NFL football than any analyst over at ESPN.<br />
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So as the custom bracelets that we now wear read "I proudly wear purple for Big Don!". I continue to keep in mind the Courage, Faith, and Hope, and I remember why I can be hopeful by simply looking at the other side of my bracelet, because Big Don is "DulleStrong". So if your wondering what to give me for my birthday next month, I'd love someone to take that damn tumor out, but if you can't do that I could sure use a couple Purple cups, Bob needs one too.The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-26405903252837540172010-12-02T11:49:00.000-08:002010-12-02T11:49:48.289-08:00Happy Day DadIt is a great place for bachelor parties, birthdays, new years eve, and long weekends, heck it is even a good place for a random tuesday night if you go to college three hours away; I'm not sure if its the place to spend Christmas with your family. Sure enough Las Vegas was the choice for the Dulle family a few years ago, we had a great time, and its the place where one of my favorite Big Don stories took place. <br />
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For those of you who don't know Big Don's birthday is today, December 2, and with his new physique he may well spend most of it in his birthday suit. I thought it would be nice to share some stories about Big Don on the comments below. So if you ever hesitate to comment now is the time, consider it a birthday present for Big Don, something to read while he lounges in his birthday suit. I'll go first.<br />
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Mine isn't the time he went out and carried Bob off the soccer field while the game was going on because he had gotten fouled one too many times by the oversized 5th grader on the other team, or the time he drove across the country to deliver me the new hyundai elantra because the other car we bought had broken down, or the many times he moved Mary around Missoula (all second and third floor apartments), or the time he had cancer and insisted on buying mom a new computer for her birthday the day after chemo. <br />
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It took place in Vegas over Christmas break a few years ago. We had been there for a few days and I think it was Christmas eve. We had some Buds and played cards and like most vegas trips we were losing money. We decided to go to bed and of course the five of us had adjoined rooms with a bed for Bob and I in one room and Mom, Dad, and Mare in the other room. Well Bob was not ready to stop partying and was of course convinced that he would get his money back. Problem is he had no money. So he went over to the adjoining room stepped around Mary on the foldout bed (sorry Mare) and woke mom and dad up. Dad wears shorts, and I mean short shorts, to bed and a Budweiser shirt that may have been too small. Bob of course woke mom and dad up and made all of us laugh, as is often the case. He talked mom into giving him the money that Grandma and Grandpa Whitey had sent him for Christmas, with the caveat that he could not gamble it. She put me in charge of not allowing him out of the room. Well if you read in an earlier post about my job to watch dad at the casino, I am not always great at my jobs and soon Bob was gone. I had to go after him and no one was very happy. For a guy with too many beers Bob was slippery and I couldn't find him. I finally went across the strip to another casino to find him barely hanging on to the edge of a blackjack table but betting $20 dollars a hand, we have all been there He was out of grandpa's money and had used his atm card to get some more and almost out ot it. I let him finish it off and grabbed him before the bouncers did. It must have been 3 am so all sorts of shady characters were out on Las Vegas Blvd. Bob wanted to talk to them all and I wanted to get some sleep, so I am dragging him out. He is pointing all the people out to me, bums, street cleaners, drunks, when he says "hey theres dad". I told him he was nuts but he insisted and sure enough I couldn't believe it but there, in his short shorts, was Big Don coming up the strip. He had left shortly after me searching for Bob and then me. He was not too pleased with either of us I don't think and proceeded to drag us both across Las Vegas Blvd. not at a cross walk or light but right down the middle over the median and straight to the hotel door. Now by the time we got back to the front door of the hotel Bob had dad laughing his butt off, as is usually the case, and we avoided big trouble. I don't think the maintenance people at Mandalay Bay knew what to think with the short shorts proud as could be with his two sons staring in at the tiger cage belly laughing. That was the time me and Bob spent Christmas on Las Vegas Blvd. with our dad. <br />
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If you would like to write something I know Big Don will love to read it, please try to keep it PG-13 my mom gets mad at me for bad language and I've already failed a few jobs. <br />
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Happy Day Dad cheers to many more.The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-16064468115266682612010-11-30T22:27:00.000-08:002010-11-30T22:27:56.695-08:00Turkey, Mash Potatoes, and Chicken Fried Rice?If you ever go to Benihana's restaurant pay the extra 2 dollars and get the chicken fried rice with your meal, you will thank me later. Of course the Dulle's already know that and that's why our thanksgiving celebration was at Benihanas and it was chicken fried rice across the board. After a hectic day of travel and multiple turkey dinners on Thursday we all spent the day and night on Friday together and had a great time. It seems odd with the terrible year 2010 has been that we could be thankful, but I think I speak for all of us when I say that was the overwhelming feeling we all had last week. I could go on and on about all that we are thankful for (most of the things are in the pictures that I've posted) but I think the biggest thing I am thankful for is time.<br />
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The reality is that none of us know how much time we have left, how many days or weeks or years we will get to see our loved ones. It often seems like it will be infinite, that is certainly how I viewed it, until of course this year changed us. But for the better I believe. Every car ride, trip to the casino, or walk with the dog is special. Every football or basketball game we watch is more exciting, every board game has more laughs. Every phone call, or email, or blog comment means more, and the chicken fried rice has never tasted better. Big Don will continue to fight for more time.<br />
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The next step in the fight is radiation. Because he is doing well with the chemo the doctors have decided to start a targeted radiation treatment along with chemotherapy over the next five weeks. He will go 5 days a week for the radiation and once a week for chemo. The team will re-evaluate him after that to determine what the next step will be. Our biggest hope is that someday this would be operable and they could remove the tumor, but they have given us hope that Big Don could continue to gain time even without surgery. We are all aware of how tough Big Don and Kay are, so the next challenge seems more than manageable. <br />
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As for now we really are trying to appreciate each day we have. We continue to rack up phone bills, frequent flyer miles and odometers and love every second of it, well almost I don't like the turbulence. I would be lying if I said that we don't have hard days, the fact is that this sucks. Big Don however, is busy living, and we don't have time to sit around and pout, we have way too much to be thankful for.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopWymMs3U9e-YWSNlfhvHiLJh9PsNpcnrY9OatnPXX_xIr9KfKiV0dixrHvJjxuOL3gAKwdeVs8d4rTvAG5P5HfThcpX_Vf_E7VP2kJyP7wsF_18e23JGVRTltXAclOZecE8oLGAZ8DQ/s1600/149018_594227112176_23502912_34094149_882925_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopWymMs3U9e-YWSNlfhvHiLJh9PsNpcnrY9OatnPXX_xIr9KfKiV0dixrHvJjxuOL3gAKwdeVs8d4rTvAG5P5HfThcpX_Vf_E7VP2kJyP7wsF_18e23JGVRTltXAclOZecE8oLGAZ8DQ/s320/149018_594227112176_23502912_34094149_882925_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-34014281385244702602010-11-16T11:30:00.000-08:002010-11-16T11:30:53.336-08:00No Rice Krispy Treats, Just Orange SlicesWell we thought we were getting close to the end of the game with our visit today, but it turns out it is really only halftime. Big Don had his CAT scan last week and we reviewed the results today. The tumor has not spread or grown at all. It hasn't shrunk yet but the tumor markers remain low so it seems if we have at least staggered the dang thing. The plan now is to continue with treatment and this is actually a very special blog as we are reporting live from chemo. Big Don is wearing his lucky shirt, a smile, and his continued good attitude. He again wants to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and good wishes they help more than we could ever tell.<br />
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It was explained to us today that we would continue to watch the tumor markers, his weight, and health, and have a repeat CAT scan after three more months of chemo. At that time we will have a better idea of if the tumor is any closer to being ready to be removed. So Tuesdays will continue to be chemo days and Wednesday-Monday will be girl watching days from the balcony. We are all looking forward to celebrating the holidays together and certainly have a lot to be thankful for. <br />
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Three months ago we were getting our butts kicked. With all of the love and prayers we made it to halftime going strong. Big Don has enjoyed his orange slices and is back in the game ready to give it hell. So we may only be at halftime but we are still in the game, and the other team is in trouble... we are gaining momentum.The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-91239523522066159312010-11-10T22:44:00.000-08:002010-11-10T22:44:48.896-08:00To Big DonAll along I have written the blog to tell about the story and the journey that Big Don has had. Well tonight I want to write a blog just to Big Don.<br />
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I want to tell him how good he looks bald and how much his new physique makes my chunky butt mad. I want tell him how proud we all are of him and how much in awe we are of him for fighting this, because the easy thing would be to give up. I want to tell him I'm still pissed off for when that guy called him a bad name at the casino and how the coolest thing was not that he wanted to fight the guy but that he was at the damn casino at all two days after chemo. I want to tell him thanks for worrying about what to get mom for her birthday and teaching me how to be a good husband and dad. I want to tell him I'm jealous that he gets to sleep in when I wake up for work early and that I think its awesome that he would give anything to be the one getting up early to deliver beer. I want to tell him how good it felt to be at work this week and know that he was up in Whitefish at work too. I want to tell him I look forward to things getting back to normal and many more celebrations. Mostly I want to tell him sorry that this happened to him and thanks for not feeling sorry for yourself. I appreciate having a dad that is my friend first. I got your back brother and I love you.The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-37581311831843865952010-10-22T22:55:00.000-07:002010-10-22T22:55:59.791-07:00I was told there would be no mathMost of the time Big Don wants more when it comes to numbers. More trucks at the warehouse, more dollars in the bank, more weeks of vacation with his family, and mostly more cases of Bud onto the trucks and into the stores. He has become very adept at addition and multiplication, so good he almost forgot how to subtract and divide, until this pesky cancer came along. Now less is better.<br />
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Less complications, less fatigue, less nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, LESS CANCER. Well this week brought us another less that we can partially celebrate. The tumor marker that we have been watching has fallen again and that is some subtraction that even Big Don will do. It started out at 2800, was at 1300 after three weeks of chemo, and is now at 600 after six weeks of chemo. We of course will temper our enthusiasm, we haven't even gotten to the seventh inning stretch yet, but good news deserves a reward, so Big Don's reward was Candy Cane. <br />
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Of course Candy is our family dog, they bought her for me six months before I left for college, nice gift I guess. Ten years later she has become mom and dad's dog. He likes to give Candy a hard time but we all know that Big Don is too sensitive to do anything but love that old dog. Thanks to some high temperatures in Phoenix, a mean landlord in Missoula, and too long of a run from Montana to Arizona Candy has been staying with some great friends up in Whitefish. But this week she came with Mary to Phoenix to stay with mom and dad. You can be sure she will stand guard and join right along in the fight with Big Don, after all she is a Dulle. <br />
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Despite some boredom Big Don really is doing good. They moved into a condo near the campus of ASU, they say they wanted to let the Kirk's have their house back, but I'm pretty sure it is so dad can look at the coeds over at the college. I do know that I'll be visiting more often. There certainly is not enough thanks to their previous landlords. We all say we would do anything for the people we love, but I'm not so sure everyone would welcome some guy losing all his body hair and spending most of his time in the bathroom into their guest house, so thank you so much to the Kirk family. Big Don is still medium sized as he is the same weight he was when he started chemo and that is a big plus. He will have two more sessions of chemo followed by a CAT scan to evaluate the tumor. Again it will be anxious moments but at least we have the ASU girls now. <br />
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As the boredom and dog days set in I can tell you without question that the only way that Big Don is getting through this is from the daily emails, phone calls, blog comments, and love he is getting from all around the country filled with his friends and family. In medicine I unfortunately see a lot of people that get sick and don't have anyone to turn to. Big Don is a lucky guy, sure he has cancer, but how many of us truly get to see how many people care about us and have our backs. So as we subtract all of the cancer, Big Don is sitting on the balcony smiling, but still adding up cases of Bud. So once again we have one for him (man if this tumor marker keeps going down I'm gonna become an alcoholic).The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-29217643270243105342010-10-11T23:44:00.000-07:002010-10-11T23:44:06.747-07:00StrengthIt can be measured in many ways, how much weight you can bench press, how many miles you can run, or how big your bicep is. Well I don't really need any of that to tell you about the strongest person I know.<br />
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They say behind every successful man is great woman. In this case she is behind him, beside him, in front of him pushing, pulling, proding him along on what has become his most difficult journey, and hopefully his greatest success. My mom truly is the greatest. Since the moment Big Don was diagnosed she has given everything she has to helping him beat it. This is nothing new for mom, she has been dealing with our problems forever. Like many moms she is the first person we call when we are happy, sad, angry, excited, anxious, or just need to talk. It seems like she always has an answer. But the strength comes when she doesn't have the answer, as was the case on August 2nd. She still put on a smile, talking to everyone who came in the hospital, and sleeping, not in the hospital room with Big Don, but in the hospital bed so he could rest comfortably. She showered at the gym next door so she wasn't gone too long and answered every phone call even if it was her oldest son calling for the 32nd time that hour. She sits with him now at chemo talking about Flathead Beverage and the score of the baseball game. She counts his calories for him, and watches him to make sure he is sleeping soundly. She knows as much about pain pills, and indigestion pills, and sleeping pills as any MD I know. And as any of her friends back in Whitefish could tell you (even if they can't read the blog at school) she does it with a smile. <br />
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She does it because he is her person.<br />
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I have already learned so much from this process, but one thing I already knew is that when Big Don beats this thing, the biggest reason will be because of the strength he gets from a 5 foot 3, 52 year old woman who is proudly standing next to him. I can't wait for that day. <br />
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I love you mom and I hope to be as strong as you someday.The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-84976440466989084462010-10-03T22:14:00.000-07:002010-10-03T22:14:42.405-07:00No the Football Cardinals<span id="goog_486203539"><span id="goog_2049471240"></span><span id="goog_2049471241"></span></span><span id="goog_486203540"></span><span id="goog_921004630"></span><span id="goog_921004631"></span><span id="goog_1106556904"></span><span id="goog_1106556905"></span><span id="goog_2029592353"></span><span id="goog_2029592354"></span><span id="goog_1570750785"></span><span id="goog_1570750786">As you will see below we have officially changed our allegiance back to the football Cardinals. Sunday was a perfect way to culminate the weekend, no fights, no heart attacks, no chemo, no cancer just a great time. Through the kindness of the Kirk family and the Bidwell family, we took Big Don to the game. We got a parking spot closer than Larry Fitzgerald, and Big Don was allowed on the field before the game, met the president of the team and even some cheerleaders. He caught up with an old friend (Bob's old soccer coach is an NFL official) and had the biggest smile you could imagine. It was a great day, unless you root for the raiders. </span><br />
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Over the last couple months we have learned that you must embrace everyday and enjoy every moment. Thanks to a wonderful group of friends and family Big Don has been able to do that and hopefully some of the smiles you see reflect how thankful and happy he is for all of the love and support No need for a thousand words with these pictures just two Thank You.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8wL3Ymu5Mmci0HrsDMbRdTbbgSCYMQ1P9IC9a9CsP_M_iSOCYZwo3EENXNiCGnDxrnjVgfSlx8e8hjKPohyphenhyphen4JBYOCF8qFwJ3X52SE2KU_IfMPTXcuzIHOJVrs9CLasaWrD37NzWM66WR/s1600/AZ_Raider_Game_026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8wL3Ymu5Mmci0HrsDMbRdTbbgSCYMQ1P9IC9a9CsP_M_iSOCYZwo3EENXNiCGnDxrnjVgfSlx8e8hjKPohyphenhyphen4JBYOCF8qFwJ3X52SE2KU_IfMPTXcuzIHOJVrs9CLasaWrD37NzWM66WR/s320/AZ_Raider_Game_026.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-10003276820328008762010-10-03T21:45:00.000-07:002010-10-03T21:47:57.636-07:00Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better"Thats my crazy family!!" The only words my grandpa said after the excitement that he missed on Friday night at the casino. I think he was just being politically correct in front of my mom, because, as most of us who know Big Big Don, aka Senior, could tell you, he probably wanted to say "Its a good damn thing I wasn't there cause I would knocked Daryl over the head with a beer bottle." You see you don't have eight kids, 24 grandkids, and a great grandkid without knowing how to stick up for someones smart mouth once in a while, and goodness knows there are more than a few smart mouths running in the Dulle family. Well it is a good thing he went to bed early on Friday night because it turned out he would have a little fight of his own coming up. <br />
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Without Senior there would be no Big Don, and so this post is dedicated to Senior who came out to see his oldest son, offer support and love, and just decided he wasn't quite done with his visit as early as was planned. <br />
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Saturday evening we decided to stay in and BBQ with friends and family rather than go out and risk getting into another verbal altercation. After dinner grandpa went in and sat on the couch to watch some football with a big smile on his face and a belly full of ribs. I mean he had a great day out with Big Don riding in the convertible not a hair on either of there heads to blow in the wind and plenty of laughs about anything and everything. Then his heart decided to act funny, and his internal defibrillator shocked him (basically when you watch ER and they say CLEAR and shock someone thats what happened to grandpa during the Arizona State Oregon State football game,). And its a good thing it did because it turned out to save his life. We took him to the hospital and after some tests, a few more shocks (4 total) and a few attempts by him to escape to the airplane and head back to St. Louis, the doctors decided the only thing to do was to perform a five way bypass on him. So on Monday the good people at Scottsdale Memorial North cracked his chest and saved his life. He is now resting comfortably and its planned for him to go to a rehab facility this Monday, modern medicine is awesome. Senior is doing well and is as onry as ever, he really is probably one of the toughest of all the loudmouth Dulles, so we are confident he will come out of this fine and go home in about a month. Personally I think he just wanted to give Big Don something else to think about as chemo can start to get pretty boring. So on Tuesday as grandpa was getting the tubes taken out of his throat and chest and dad was getting pumped full of chemo, the strongest and by far healthiest Don Dulle, the third, was busy working (hey somebody has too) and thinking about his two predecessors. I mean what do we have to worry about cancer and a heart attack and they are still going strong, maybe I should hide under my bed for a couple weeks.<br />
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We all love you Senior no matter how cranky you get and we all have your back just like you have ours, we might be crazy but we are family.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cSid-2mDiV87ZabGeTjXpes7A1xeB2nT7mVkGAwh2-e642od2v1ydv3-PZEEVFmZgTmAN6f3fkc-eVs1LoXS8wpY_mYChQByOghq7cFrvEmWMyejFSoey8fx-VHn1Q37PtKLNLIKkL7k/s1600/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cSid-2mDiV87ZabGeTjXpes7A1xeB2nT7mVkGAwh2-e642od2v1ydv3-PZEEVFmZgTmAN6f3fkc-eVs1LoXS8wpY_mYChQByOghq7cFrvEmWMyejFSoey8fx-VHn1Q37PtKLNLIKkL7k/s1600/Picture1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Don and Senior</td></tr>
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</div>The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-81597295927370912572010-09-30T22:05:00.000-07:002010-09-30T22:05:32.271-07:00Always Double Down on 11I'm sure for every cancer patient the disease takes form in different ways. It may be a character on TV that they hate, a college class they failed, a hard day at work, or a rival team that they despise. Regardless I can only assume it is something that is genuinely disliked, but a hurdle they have to get over. Well for Big Don cancer showed up last weekend in the form of a middle aged, slightly overweight, loud-mouthed, know-it-all, throwing money around at the Indian casino like he was in the VIP room at Bellagio. And perhaps Big Don took the last blog a little bit too literally.<br />
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Now let me back up a second. Last weekend in Phoenix was by far the most exciting weekend we have had in years, regardless of cancer. Too much action in fact for just one blog so I better stick to Friday. The idea was to go to Phoenix, catch the Arizona Cardinals game, share some laughs and good times. The usual suspects were in town plus my dad's brother Joe and my dad's dad Big Big Don aka Senior. If you would have been at dinner with us you would never have guessed how the night would play out. Big Don struggled a bit with finishing his meal, which is a big deal these days, and looked like he may need to go to bed before the ten o'clock Sportscenter. When we got back home Senior went to bed and Bob headed home as is the usual sequence. As we were saying our goodnights Big Don decided he wanted to go to the casino. You have to understand that Big Don loves the casino, I'm not sure why, he usually sits at the blackjack table head in hands pulling his hair out over whether or not to hit, but he has cancer and well we do what he wants. So seven of us piled into the car and headed to the casino. Mom stayed home and gave me strict instruction to watch out for dad, easy enough I thought. We got to the casino, sat down at the ten dollar table, and off we went. Big Don with me next to him, more to borrow his money than for me to watch out for him. Immediately upon sitting down the aforementioned gentlemen, lets call him Daryl, starts running his mouth about Big Don's bald head and telling everyone how to play. Innocent enough but he got some liquid courage and couldn't stop with his comments. So we leave right, no way the table is hot. Uncle Joe is up, Lindsey is up, I'm up, even Big Don is up. Well finally after about an hour I'm thinking we should head home, bed time for Big Don and his tumor. "Nope I'm good" he says, again the whole cancer thing, its like a golden ticket, so we stay. Next hand Big Don gets an eleven, dealer has 10 showing so he just hits, no double down. Of course he gets a ten, but a wins a win, until Daryl opens his fat trap. He proceeded to call Big Don a name that does not bare repeating, suffice it to say that it was not the most flattering way to describe a private body part. Before I can even look over Big Don jumps up from the seat and says "You don't call me a bleep you bleeping bleep bleep (a lot of bleeps). Well Daryl thinks its on and shouts back which pushed the rest of the group over the edge and a shouting match ensued. At one point Daryl says he is going to kick Big Dons butt, to which Big Don says there would be about ten guys on you so fast you wouldn't know what hit you. All I can think is he probably is underestimating that, based on all of the love we have received the last few months I think he might have had 1000 guys on him so fast he wouldn't have known what to do. Finally security shows up and long story longer we get escorted out, but not before we cash out and take the casino for about $1000 dollars all together. The smile on Big Don's face as we got escorted out was priceless. Walking out with his entourage and the security guards, cancer was the last thing on his mind. Awesome. <br />
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So thank you Daryl, I'm sorry Mom, and Casino Arizona I will see you next year when you lift our ban.<br />
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That was only Friday.The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-48518679206701573372010-09-21T20:16:00.000-07:002010-09-21T20:16:23.327-07:00Its About TimeBig Don has taken punch after punch with cancer, for a while it seemed like each doctor coming in was trying to out do the previous with bad news. Well Big Don finally threw one back today. He pulled himself together and got a shot in. It wasn't a knockout blow but at least we got some good news finally. After three rounds of chemo he had a week off last week and went in today for bloodwork and a general check before his next treatment. The news was as good as we could have hoped for.<br />
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His weight is stable and his white cells, which are responsible for fighting infection, are up from where they have been. He also had a test for a tumor marker, this is a substance that the body makes in response to the tumor. While it isn't a great screening test it can be helpful in determining if the cancer is responding at all to the treatment. Big Don's tumor marker was down today from where it had been when he first arrived in Phoenix, it is still very elevated but does give us some hope that the tumor may be responding in some way. Now we aren't breaking out the champagne but we certainly can be happy and thankful for this small victory. Well most of us can, what this means for Big Don is that he continues to get the same high dose chemo and high dose side effects for the next three rounds, but at least he fits into the corvette better now and doesn't have to worry about his hair in the wind (it should arrive in Phoenix this week just in time for the cooler weather). So we enjoy a Bud for this good news tonight and the fact that we are still in the game, and we go back to work. There is a lot of fight left but at least now we know Big Don can punch.The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-60791528451746559722010-09-16T11:37:00.000-07:002010-09-16T11:37:00.648-07:00The Show Must Go OnThe funny thing about cancer is that the challenge is not in dying from it the challenge is in living with it. There is no dealing with it and moving on, there is just dealing with it. Big Don and all of us are finding that out the last few weeks. Mom and Dad are on the front lines, but everyone who reads this blog has and will continue to be affected by this in some way, big or small. <br />
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Now Big Don isn't the most eloquent speaker, but if you ask for advice you just open your ears and listen and somewhere in there he gives you gold. I know this from many years of practice and because it was less painful to start listening than to get the bare bottom spanking. So when I talked to Big Don tonight I just listened and sure enough, Gold. This damn disease hits you in so many ways and now for mom and dad its boredom. This week was an off week of chemo and of course we won't have any answers for the next few months so it is hurry up and wait. I expressed some of my general frustration about this with Big Don and how this can creep into your everyday thoughts and actions. His answer simple; don't feel sorry for yourself just control what you can control.<br />
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We cannot control what the tumor is doing, we cannot control how often we do chemo or how quickly we get results. We cannot control him losing his hair, or the fact that everything he eats tastes like cardboard. We cannot control the white cell count or the red cell count or the Cincinnati Reds magic number count. But we can control taking care of our friends, our family, and our responsibilities. We can wake up each day with a positive attitude and protect the ones we love.<br />
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Last night in the middle of the night Big Don shot out of bed and ran out into the living room because he heard a noise. He is 180 pounds, bald, and filled with cancer and chemo and he was going to fight an intruder in his underpants with his bare hands. Just taking care of his business and the ones he loves. Cancer has a hell of a fight and I got a hell of a Dad.The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-65721025247599942212010-09-10T16:05:00.000-07:002010-09-10T16:07:08.845-07:00Stand Up 2 Cancer-and KICK ITS BUTT!!Cancer is a terrible, sad disease but it is always something that happens to someone else, that is until August 2nd for the Dulle family. It became real and the fight started. I remember seeing shows on TV or fundraising drives and thinking how nice it is that we continue to research and raise money, but what have we found?<br />
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Well Big Don is seeing first hand how important fund raising dollars are and continue to be; as the research and the fight against cancer is ongoing in our family and in many others. We do not know how this story will play out with Big Don, but I know we have hope and that is what keeps us getting up each day. That is what keeps Big Don's spirits up as he loses his hair, and that is how we know he will be one of the success stories. The hope is there due to the research and efforts of fund raising and telethons. So I will be watching tonight and Ill cry when Neil Diamond sings his song, but I can tell you that they are making a difference and next year when it comes on again I'll be toasting Big Don #12,000,001 of the cancer survivors. So now I know cancer is real but I also know its got a real fight on its hands with Big Don. Stand up 2 cancer and KICK ITS BUTT.<br />
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The show is on at 8ET on all the networks so switch over from the Cards game a little and check it out.<br />
http://su2c.standup2cancer.orgThe Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9146037283279873407.post-87608680957179172852010-09-06T12:58:00.001-07:002010-09-06T12:58:47.942-07:00Back to Business this Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5u2PfeM6NWh4nznp63cEAvjAp_m2I5EMyXWnEsmk_XxuINnkk4QUzo-fmPoaupkufnQkrwRcUYYSRAv7-uh25v_wYM4iQTRwMD4dC_TCZtv6vLIGx4wKKzrKxyS6G4u_JtJqAK2VsHXu/s1600/DSC09516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5u2PfeM6NWh4nznp63cEAvjAp_m2I5EMyXWnEsmk_XxuINnkk4QUzo-fmPoaupkufnQkrwRcUYYSRAv7-uh25v_wYM4iQTRwMD4dC_TCZtv6vLIGx4wKKzrKxyS6G4u_JtJqAK2VsHXu/s320/DSC09516.JPG" /></a></div>The Dulle'shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00538120814820678068noreply@blogger.com1