Alan "Bigs" Sweeton

[Poppy]

Wow, it has been a while, sorry folks. Where the heck did July go?



After 20 Radiation treatments and 26 chemo treatments Alan is pretty much doing the same except he is now losing hair at the radiation fields and his skin is drying out there as well. On Monday the radiation nurse gave him some special goo to put on over the Aveeno lotion that is supposed to lock it in while he sleeps. His appetite has lessened some, but is still normal. Last night we went to the local China Buffet for dinner after picking up Alan's new glasses and he mentioned that some of his favorites tasted a little "off". This is another, hopefully temporary, side-effect of the radiation that they had mentioned could happen.



This past Friday Alan saw the neuro-opthamologist at JFK and he said that although the left eye is still non light-sensing he thought the right eye was "subjectively" better. I guess that means not enough improvement to measure at the level its at. Either way, we still hope and pray for significant improvement. On Monday we had appointments with a low-vision doctor and low-vision therapist. Yesterday we picked up a pair of glasses that will not only protect Alan's eyes from things like tree branches he doesn't see, but will hopefully allow him to focus better with the sight he does have in his right eye. On Tuesday an occupational therapist from the Commission for the Blind visited the house and worked with Alan on things like using the microwave and washing machine, folding currency a certain way to distinguish the denominations, etc. We are waiting on an appointment from the mobility therapist.



After the appt on Friday Ginny, Alan, and Amber drove up to Leicester, Mass. (I drove up on Thursday with Joe and Glenn) for the Professional Disc Golf Association National Tour Vibram Open at Maple Hill. Alan and I sponsored Hole 18 and had been planning on working this event for nearly a year. It turns out that our old friends Jim and Debbie Bellina who used to live down the street and we went through Webelos and Boy Scouts together with now live only a few miles from Maple Hill in Worcester, Mass. (Pronounced Wooster)



Ginny, Alan and Amber had a great time spending time with Jim and Debbie on Saturday and then Jim and Debbie also visited Maple Hill to see some top-notch Disc Golf.



Bob and Kyle Enman drove down from Maine to visit and work the event with us. They stayed with Mike Connell about 30 minutes away and Mike came over on Sunday to visit too. Bob and I spotted Hole 18 all weekend. On Friday afternoon one of the tourney staff, Barry, spent some time giving Alan the play-by-play of the action on the green - thanks Barry, Alan appreciated it! We missed Barry on Sunday because he was volunteering for cycling event in Worcester. (BTW - For some very interesting reading about the first internationally recognized black athlete, google "Major Thompson" - thanks for cluing us in Barry!)



Alan may not have been able to spot Hole 18 due to his eyesight, but he was able to contribute on Saturday by answering the phone from the "live scorers" out on the course and relaying them to Lisa who typed them into the web interface. This allowed disc golfers from all over the world to keep track of the action in near "real time."



It turned into a family affair when on Sunday Amber took over the live scoring and single-handedly entered the scores for seven lead-groups across three divisions - way to go Amber!



Alan was able to visit with disc golf friends from across the country and accept donations of signed discs from some of the top pros to be used as fundraisers for Alan's Army.



Ginny kept us all happy making sure we had food, etc.



Besides seeing some great disc golf and spending the weekend working with Bob, one of my personal highlights was meeting Kevin Donahue, the CEO and Chairman of Quabaug Corp. which is better known around the globe for it's Vibram brand of outdoor soles. Vibram has been a staple of my out-of-door activities for many decades. If you don't own a good pair of boots with that yellow logo on the bottom, you don't own a good pair of boots. It is very exciting that an outdoor company like Vibram sponsored a National Tour event - what a leap ahead for our sport! Thanks Kevin! Any disc golfers reading this should keep an eye out for a Vibram sole specially designed for disc golfers. And don't forget the new limited edition Vibram Putter and Mini - get them both at primediscs.com before they are all gone!



Our host, the tournament director and dear friend, Steve Dodge and his extended family (including everyone's favorite - grandma!) and all the staff quite simply run the greatest tournament around if you want great disc golf plus the true feeling of a giant happy family reunion.



Ginny and Amber had originally planned to leave early on Sunday to get on the road home, but Amber was having so much fun doing live scoring and Ginny was enjoying the atmosphere so much that they ended up staying all the way through the awards ceremony. Before leaving, and again the next day, Ginny actually said "We are going to have to plan to do this every year" Wow! If that's not a testament, I don't know what is!



Many, many thanks to Joe, Glenn, Jim, Debbie, Bob, Kyle, McThumber, Misty, Karen, Tom, Grandma!, Lisa, Jason, Barry, Scooter, Cuz, BOB, Scot, Jim, Dean, Mitch, Tank, Lesli, Steve, Maureen, Scott, Avery, Val, Jay, Des, Burl, Dave (aka Phil), Charlie, Nick, Nate, Kelly, Kevin (Mr. Vibram!), Markus, Matt, Craig, Naved, Dr, Doug, Bard, Sjur, Marielle, Scott, Charlie, Daniel, Davis, Brian the Comics Man, and everyone else I didn’t list, and last but most certainly not least, dear friend and TD extraordinaire, Steve Dodge – you all gave us a weekend to remember! The Sweetons may have missed their Maine and Jersey Shore vacations this summer, but our long weekend in Central Massachusetts with our loving Disc Golf Family was just the respite we needed.



God Bless,



Andrew





BTW – Don’t forget the Alan’s Army Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction being held on August 7th from 4-9PM at the Montgomery Evangelical Free Church in Belle Mead NJ. See alansarmy.org for details



ALSO – On Labor Day Sept 1st – the Alan’s Army Disc Golf Tournament, Dinner, and Silent Auction to be held at Pleasant Hill Disc Golf Course in Scarborough, Maine. See mainediscgolf.com for details









Andrew F. Sweeton
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

A quick update in-between conference calls.



We saw the medical oncologist in Philly on Monday. He is pleased with Alan’s progress and said his blood labs look great.



As of this morning, Alan is 2/3 of the way (22 of 33) through his radiation treatments – the radiation oncologist is also very happy with his progress.



As of this morning, Alan and Andrew are on Day 2 of our get-up-early-and-take-a-walk-in-the-morning program. Alan has been doing a lot of sitting around since early May so we need to get him up and moving and build-up some stamina. His goal is to attend the United States Disc Golf Championships in Rock Hill, SC on October 1-4 and caddy for buddy Kyle Enman. Today it was about a 45 minute walk. Each day we will go a little further and in a week or so we’ll carry a pack as well. As long as I stay 2-6 paces ahead of Alan he can see the motion of me moving and follow me. We have enough housing developments with side walks around that we can be fairly safe. The trees that overhang the sidewalks are the most dangerous item and I’m constantly gauging if they are to low and if I need to tell Alan to stay right or left (he can feel the grass on each side of the sidewalk) or to duck. So far he’s only run me over a few times when I’ve stopped to look at something and forgotten to tell him that I’ve stopped.



We are two days away from the Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction at Montgomery Evangelical Free Church on Thursday from 4-9pm. For directions to the church, go to www.mefc.org and click on the ‘Directions” link on the left-hand side.



Thank you all for your support.



God Bless,



Andrew





Prayer Requests:



Please pray for our friend Caleb’s girlfriend who was struck by a pickup truck at Yellowstone National Park.

Please pray for our friend Bob who has already lost the sight in his left eye, and is very concerned about the prognosis for his right eye.











Andrew F. Sweeton
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Although Alan still feels pretty good and continues to have no problems with nausea, he is feeling more tired and we’ve noticed that his appetite is dropping off a little bit too.



For weeks now we have been humbled by the efforts that people have been making to raise money to help Alan. Everyday a note arrives from a family member, friend, disc-golfer, past co-worker, current co-worker, etc. all in support of Alan. Some notes simply say “You don’t know me, but I’d like to help . . .” Simply astounding. Many friends have been selling 10, 20, 30 wristbands and then coming back for more.



A great crew of people got together and put on a benefit dinner and silent auction for Alan on Thursday night. It was really a wonderful evening filled with love and compassion that poured out into everything that went on. It was amazing to see so many friends from so many different paths of our lives. Not only current family and friends, co-workers, church family, disc golf family, etc., but old friends from previous churches, previous workplaces, Boy Scouts, the Montgomery Township School system - Alan’s classmates (2001) AND Ginny and my classmates (1978 for me, Ginny would prefer I didn’t say what year for her so I won’t - but it was the year before me) and teachers both that worked with Ginny’s mom, Bernice and those that taught us. Alan’s Kindergarten teacher was there, Ginny’s First Grade teacher was there. At one point I looked up and noticed that most of the weight team from the Montgomery High School track team was sitting at a table - from Alan’s era mind you – although we were both Captains of the team – in my era I almost WAS the weight team. (And yes Jim – we most definitely will have a weight team reunion and once again instill fear into the hearts of the folks running the China Buffet.) Township dignitaries were there – the Mayor and Deputy Mayor (also Ginny’s boss,) who donated a home-cooked meal for eight to the auction, and many of the township’s farming and political movers and shakers from across the years (Ginny’s father Maitland was mayor back in the 70’s too.)



It was a magical night of renewing friendships and reminiscing about what Alan calls “back in the day” -- I just wish Alan could have seen it all. He said it sure SOUNDED like a huge crowd. I’ve attached some photos from the dinner and auction items.



We can’t possibly individually thank everyone who made the evening possible and contributed to raise nearly $20,000 for Alan’s expenses, but I do need to mention some key people. Gina Albright had the idea originally and brought it to Shelley Mathisen at Montgomery Evangelical Free Church and these two Brigadier Generals in Alan’s Army then ran with it.



Shelley worked tirelessly on the dinner arrangements from permission from the church to volunteers to food donations to entertainment. Shelley’s Colonels were Cliff and Debbie Banks who did their usual fantastic job of producing a great meal and they and a brigade of helpers (Thank you all!) served nearly 400 people spaghetti, meatballs, sauce, salad, bread, beverages and dessert. Many, many thanks to everyone who donated the foodstuffs and to those who came out and ate them. We were all entertained by the Pizza Guys who were hysterical, The Adoration ladies who sang beautifully (that’s my wife the lovely Mrs. Sweeton up there with them), and the amazing Debbie Arnesen, accompanied by Mark Hahn on the piano, who makes a violin simply soar into your heart, she plays so beautifully. Thank you all.



Gina slaved over the Silent Auction arranging for an astounding array of items to be auctioned off. Gina’s Colonels were her boyfriend Josh and her cousin Mike who helped her sort, label, and auction off over 70 items that were donated – many thanks - what a wonderful job you did! The items ranged from vacations in Maine and the Jersey Shore, to airplane, glider, and stockcar rides, to theatre tickets and home theater systems, to handmade toy chests, wood bowls, baskets, quilts, pillows and decorations; to baskets and boxes full of all kinds of goodies, to gift cards for spas, gasoline, food, movies, local stores, etc. Many, many thanks to everyone who contributed all of these wonderful items and to those who bid on them.



I need to mention a special detachment of Alan’s Army – The Bake Sale Brigade. This special unit was headed up by friend and co-worker Nancy Raymond and her two daughters Emily and Sami (my god-daughter) Homan. They and a cadre of family and friends baked a huge number of goodies and then ran a bake sale during the evening. Many dinner attendees filled their stomachs with a great dinner at the church and then bought wonderful bake sale yummies to take home (not all of them actually got home.) The girls also sold Alan’s Army wristbands alongside the baked goods and in total raised an astonishing $800+ with their efforts. Many thanks!



And while we are on the subject of special detachments, I need to mention my best friend since fourth grade, and Alan’s god-father - Dan Homan. Not only is Dan the Chaplain of Alan’s Army with his constant spiritual support, he is the sexton at MEFC as well, and I fully suspect that besides a bunch of setup duties, he had his hands full of cleanup, garbage, and tables to be cleaned and stowed after the dinner. As always Dan - thanks for being there for us and Alan.



Many, many thanks to all and God Bless,



Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Leaving now for Philly to visit the bigwig oncologist, but this has been typed up for nearly a week and needed photos added, sorry about the delay.



This morning was radiation treatment #31 of 33 so we are getting close!



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------



So, after the fantastic benefit dinner on Thursday evening, what could be next?



Well, since I'm sitting in a Radiation Oncology waiting room, I'll tell you!



On Friday afternoon we were invited to Montgomery Park where the Recreation Department was holding the final day of Rec'n'crew Summer Camp. All three camps (Grades 1/2; Grades 3/4; and Grades 5/6), which are usually at three different sites, come together on this final day for a big party with an ice cream truck, races, games, etc. It seems that the Rec Dept had heard about Alan and decided to run fundraisers for him as a competition in each camp. The kids did a variety of fundraisers from collecting change, to a Bike-a-thon and Dance-a-thon. Alan's cousin Morgan was in the 5/6 grade group and kept us informed on the progress over a few weeks time.



When we got to the park we met with Lindsay Fischer who coordinated the fundraiser effort. She got the word out that Alan was there and the kids swarmed around to meet him and ask questions. The kids presented Alan with giant checks representing what each group had raised as well as some giant get well cards they had made. Some of the kids were a bit intimidated by Alan's size so we found a bench in the shade where he could sit down and get closer to their level and the kids had a chance to talk to him. He met one cute little girl who had raised $250 herself and a pair of twin boys who had raised $400. In all, the kids raised over $4,100 for Alan - unbelievable. Many thanks to all the camp staff and the children for their amazing efforts! I took some pictures and have attached them.



Wow!



So now, two quick stories about how people felt led to help Alan:



A old friend came up to me at the benefit dinner on Thursday night. He and I had served as Assistant Scout Masters together for many years and our sons remain very good friends, keeping in touch to this day. This is one of those guys you simply look forward to spending time with, a real salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. He handed me an envelope for Alan and upon opening that envelope later that night, I found a note that said that as God had blessed him in his business, he and his wife felt led to share their blessings with someone who needed help. Accompanying the note was a check for $5,000. So, do parents such as this pass those virtues of thankfulness and generosity along to their progeny? You bet they do - we later opened a card that their son had placed in the collection box at the dinner and he gave Alan an additional $500! What a wonderful blessing, thanks!



Fast-Forward to Friday evening when Ginny and I were preparing a deposit slip to put the Rec Dept. money into Alan's medical account. Alan reached into his pocket and pulled out three quarters and said, "Include this in the deposit please." We said, "OK, where did 75 cents come from?" Alan said, "Today when I was sitting on the bench at the park, one of the kids came up to me and said he wanted me to have his ice cream money." OK, are you crying? I am. How wonderful - that kid is going places.



When I was contemplating an order on-line for wristbands as a fundraiser for Alan, “Alan’s Army” was a no-brainer, but I wasn’t sure what to put on the back-side. I typed in “Armed and Awesome!” but wasn’t sure I liked it and planned to re-visit it. Well, I got busy on something else and eventually submitted the order as it was. I later realized that I hadn’t sat down to re-think the words and was a little disappointed in myself for not doing so. But as it turns out, I couldn’t have possibly put something better. Alan’s Army is indeed armed – armed with prayer, armed with positive energy, armed with generosity, armed with compassion, armed with love. And being armed with all these things, the Army is most definitively AWESOME!



Thanks to you all and God Bless,



Andrew

www.alansarmy.org













Andrew F. Sweeton
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Wednesday August 20th, 2008 - Alan's 33rd and FINAL Radiation treatment is completed!

It is also Ginny's birthday - I'm not allowed to tell you her age, but she is 98 percent of the way to half a century - of course she looks half of that!

We are celebrating both events by actually taking a mini-vacation. We are headed down to the Jersey shore later today (I have a couple of hours of work to do before we can go) through Sunday. Unfortunately Amber has Band Camp this week so Ginny will run back home and get her Friday afternoon. Alan and I will drive up to New Brunswick on Saturday morning for the 36th Annual Jersey Jam Disc Golf Tournament run by BOB, Kit, and the rest of the Jersey Devils. I plan to actually play and Alan will tag along for probably the first round and then kick back and relax during the second round. Hopefully the weather will hold on - this morning was an awesome 57 degrees with clear skies - a perfect summer morning!

OK, we are on the way home with Alan's Radiation Diploma and his mask (molded plastic mask that kept his head in the exact same position for each treatment) as a keepsake.

I'll send an update about Monday's trip to the Oncologist from the Beach.

Thanks all and God Bless!

Andrew
www.alansarmy.org
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

My most sincere apologies to everyone.

Once Alan's daily treatment regimen finished everything else in my life came crashing in and I've been busy beyond belief with cool stuff like 2009 IT budgets (I really mean cool, there's nothing like a good spreadsheet.) The trip to the shore was nice, but I saw the ocean for about 10 minutes and spent most of my time on the laptop.

This will be a short note too, sorry.

Alan is doing fine. We are in Philly at the oncologist setting up his next round of chemo which will be the week of Sept. 22nd.

Tomorrow we go to Newark to see the eye surgeon and the low-vision doctor.

The mobility specialist from the NJ Commission for the Blind is in theory showing up at the house on Friday, but since it's been three months since first contacting the commission, I'm not holding my breath. The occupational therapist has been to the house twice now, so I'm not sure why the disparity in responsiveness.

We just found out that we need to come back to Philly early Friday morning for Alan's MRI because they messed up the appointment for today.

Sigh

Hopefully I can give you all a thorough update on things like the hot-shot oncologist visit and the fundraiser in Maine next week while on an 8 hour flight to Germany for business.

Anyway, I hope everyone is well, thanks for your continued prayers and God bless.

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Whoops sorry - Alan and I are helping Stephen move and it occurred to me that I had not sent this.

OK, we are somewhere over the Atlantic ocean about 5 hours into the 8pm Monday flight to Germany. There's no room to get a laptop out so I can't get any work done, but there's always room for the Blackberry, so I can get a long overdue update out to you all. The seating is so cramped and causing me such pain I simply can't sit anymore so I'm standing in the back of the plane typing this.

We saw the hot-shot oncologist in Philly a number of weeks back. She is the real expert as she is not a general oncologist but only works on brain tumors. She didn't have a new trial or protocol available for Alan, but she said that this wasn't such a bad thing. She has been involved in dozens of these trials and to date the only one that showed positive results was Temodar which is the drug they have Alan on. So it would seem that even if a trial did come available, we ought to stick with the Temodar. She asked that we get Alan's checkup MRIs in the HUP system in order that she could seem them if necessary. Apparently nasty looking things on a scan might simply be dead cancer cells that would eventually be absorbed by the body, but her expertise may be required to recognize it.

<OK - now I'm actually half way BACK across the Atlantic Ocean - sorry for the delay - busy, busy.

We saw the regular oncologist two Mondays ago in Philly. Alan will start his next round of chemo on the 22nd. The Temodar is being bumped up from 200 mg to 385 mg. He will take it for five days then have 28 days off before the next 5 days start. He will be on it in increasing dosages depending on what his blood tests show.

The next day we were off to the eye doctors in Newark. The neuro-opthamologist was pleased with Alan's eyes. The low-vision doctor did a bunch of testing and Alan's eyesight has improved slightly. With magnifying lenses he was able to make out letters to a 20/300 level. It's not a lot of improvement, but its improvement nevertheless - praise God!

Many thanks to everyone for their continued prayers!

God Bless,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Dear friends,

Well this has been a long time coming, but life has been very frantic and the best laid plans are often disrupted very easily - more on that after I bring you up to speed on what you really care about - Alan.

Alan is doing well. On the fourth night of his chemo regimen the week of September 22nd at the new 385 milligram dosage he had a splitting headache and was up all night throwing up. The next night however he was just fine as he had been the first three nights. We had started the anti-nausea drug on the Sunday before the M-F chemo regimen and continued the same dosage all the way through, so who knows, maybe it was something he ate that Thursday. We visited the radiation-oncologist for a check-up and he was very pleased with Alan's progress, lack of serious side-effects (the hair will grow back) and decided he didn't need to see Alan again until December. We are slated to see the medical oncologist this Tuesday in Philly and will learn if the dosage will change for Alan's next 5-day chemo regimen which is scheduled to start Monday the 27th. Hopefully we will finally hear if the MRI showed anything at all as well.

Alan has been practicing with his cane and on Thursday a lady from the NJ Commission for the Blind will take him into Princeton and work with him on crossing streets etc. Extra prayers for Alan, the trainer, and Ginny's and my sanity that day will be appreciated. Its bad enough that beautiful Amber turned 17 this past week and is now driving alone. If my gray hair quotient hadn't reached 100 percent years ago it would be peaking right about now.

Thankfully Alan's week of chemo went well enough that we could leave for our week in Rock Hill, SC for the United States Disc Golf Championships. Kyle Enman came down from Maine on Friday and the three of us plus BOB Graham were slated to leave early Sunday morning for Rock Hill. Unfortunately, when Kyle and I picked up food for dinner on Saturday night we came out of Bruno's Chicken Holiday (Best Ribs on the Planet BTW and I've eaten ribs all over the country!) and the F250's brake pedal went to the floor. So then ensued the discovery process for a mechanic open on Sunday which in NJ turns out to be Pep Boys, and only Pep Boys. So after 4+ hours at Pep Boys it was determined that the brake line running from the front to the back of the truck had a split in it and a special shaped brake line from Ford would be required from a dealer on Monday. So the plan to take the big truck with the four us sharing driving (Oh, I guess only three of us actually driving) was scrapped and we ended up with the Jeep and the F-150 making the trip. So it wasn't nearly as fun as with all of us together, gas costs were higher, and me getting to do an update for y'all while someone else drove went out the window. H'mm 7 days in South Carolina and I'm also typing y'all, not just saying it. (Like my mom, I pick up on accents quickly when immersed.)

On the way down through Baltimore Alan and I waved out the sunroof as we left a message for Gina wishing her the best of luck on her first day at her new Physical Therapy job on Monday.

The time in Rock Hill was great, the tournament was fantastic, the competition fierce, and we were surrounded by disc golf friends. I had my usual wonderful time spotting the tricky green on hole 9 and got to see some stellar, and not so stellar, disc golf.

Alan had a lot of practice with his cane going in and out of the Inn at Winthrop. Joe Mela, Rex Hay, and Glenn Patterson all stayed there as well. As always it was great to see Rex's son Ian who attends Winthrop. Kit Bassett drove down on Friday, was great help on Hole 9 and thankfully was available to drive a very sick Big Dog home as he slept - thanks Kit!

On Thursday, Alan spent part of the day with school buddy Holly Arnesen who drove up from Greenville.

We got to see some dear old friends - Stan McDaniel, Jim Myers, Dean Pfeiffer, Mitch and Marsha Sonderfan, the Schwebergers, Yeti, Tank, Julianna, Chris Sprague, Avery and Val, Dave Hendrickson, Chris and Bear, Geoff Bennett, Nate Doss, and so many others and an unexpected treat - John Duesler!

We also made some new friends, Dean's son Justin, the ever helpful Mike Ellis, a true gentleman named John McCray, and many others.

As always at the USDGC it was especially great to see our dear friends from Innova who have been so supportive of Alan's Army - Harold, Jonathan, Paul, Rich, the whole crew and especially our prayer partner - dear Ol' Sam Covington - what a great fine godly gentleman he is.

As always we, for a third year in a row, didn't get to see our favorite custom stamp man - Zeb. Somehow he always ends up an elusive willow-the-wisp at the USDGC - maybe next year Zeb!

Anyway it was a fantastic trip as always, thanks to everyone that was a part of it!

Unfortunately the back-side of the trip saw me get real sick. I'm currently halfway through a regimen of three different antibiotics for upper and lower respiratory infections and an eye infection. I'll be back to work Monday, but probably only feeling about 70 percent.

So anyway, thanks for listening, sorry for the delay.

Please Note a special prayer concern:

Please pass the word to all to pray for our sister-in-law Renee who is now struggling with her own diagnosis and treatment for Breast Cancer. We love you Renee, trust in God for He loves you too.

God Bless you all,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

OK dear friends, we saw the medical-oncologist today.

The MRI that was done back in September looks perfect. No tumor, no problems.

Alan's bloodwork done today at their office is perfect, no bad counts, no problems.

They weren't at all concerned about the single night of headache and throwing up on day 4 during chemo set #2 a few weeks back. Since day 5 went fine they figure it was a quick bug or something Alan ate.

The chemo regimen/schedule has now changed, we think probably due to the specialist's recommendation. Alan will now have five days of chemo within every 28 days, not between every 28 days. So 5 days of chemo, 23 days off, 5 days of chemo, 23 days off, etc. So his next regimen will start Monday the 20th, not the 27th. And here he thought he'd have his birthday "off" on the 24th. Oh well, hey - he's having a birthday, right? Thank you dear Lord.

So, we need to do blood work next Monday morning the 20th prior to him starting chemo set #3 that night. We'll visit our friends at Princeton Radiology that morning and they'll send the results down to Dr. Stadden in Philly. If his blood counts are still good, then he will have 5 days of an increased dosage of the Temodar - 440 mg each night. If for some reason they don't look so good, he'll do 400 mg instead.

If his blood counts still look good 4 weeks later on the 17th of November, then he'll likely get a dosage of 500 mg for chemo set #4 starting that night.

A few folks have sent notes asking about specifics on Alan's eyesight. It is definitely improving slowly. Tonight at dinner he remarked on being able to make out the shapes of the different plates or dishes in front of him. Contrast is good, white plates or bowls on a dark placemat helps. He does not see colors, just contrasts. He can make out motion: If I walk about 5 or 6 feet in front of him he can follow me, but there needs to be no obstacles and again, contrast of my shirt against the background helps a lot. When people stand in front of him he can see their outline. No detail though, he still needs a recognizable voice to know who it is. With the right size font and contrast, he can make out letters or numbers. When we were standing by the Revolution Disc Golf tent talking with Dave at the USDGC, Alan could make out the large white 6-8" letters of the marquee on the black tent. If he really concentrates he can make out the larger numerals on the corners of the newer US paper currency. So, praise God that his sight is improving, albeit slowly. Your continued prayers are very much appreciated!

A Note to all our Disc Golf friends: This Saturday Oct. 18 the Friends of Sedgley Woods are running a fundraiser doubles tourney at Fairmount Park in Philly. Proceeds are being split between the family of Lefty and Alan's Army fund. Come on out and enjoy the fun. Becky Sonnheim is Alan's partner (talk about Beauty and the Beast!) and they are challenging all comers! Bring a partner or pick one up there - but come on out for a good cause and fun! Registration from 9:00am, Tee off at 10:00am.

And then drive up I-95 a bit and enjoy Moonlight Madness at Tyler State Park! Glow round starts at about 6-6:30 and then we go to Slack's Hoagie Shack afterwards for good food, prizes, and of course, Halloween candy! Wear a costume and get a reduced tourney fee!

Many thanks to all.

God Bless,

Andrew

PS - Please remember Renee in your prayers, and also Sam Covington's sister who is going through chemo as well, thanks.
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

All,

I made a schedule error. Alan's mobility training with his cane in Princeton was not yesterday. It is scheduled for this coming Tuesday.

Please note the below communication from my sister-in-law Renee:

"Mass emailing is usually not my cup of tea but when you need to reach a large group of people, it will do. Surgery for my mastectomy is on for Nov 6. We have to be at the hospital at 7:30 AM. They will do a sentinel node biopsy at 9 and begin surgery at 10. The plastic surgeon will take over after the surgeon is done. The whole surgery will be between 5-6 hours. I will be in the hospital for 2 nights. After about 5-6 weeks, I will start chemo.
Thanks for all your prayers! They do truly work!
Love Renee'"

I would very much appreciate it if everyone could get this email out to all the churches and prayer groups worldwide who have been getting updates and praying for Alan. Please pray for Renee, her doctors, her husband Ritchie, and their sons Andrew and Roy, as they go through this difficult time.

As always, thanks for being part of the Army!

God Bless,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

A fast update:

Alan did not sleep well the first night of chemo. He said he didn't get to sleep until after 4 AM. Last night he did somewhat better. So far no nausea issues.

Yesterday was his "in town" mobility lesson with the instructor from the Commission for the Blind. For his first time out the instructor chose the intersection of Witherspoon and Nassau St. in Princeton. Local folks probably just gasped like I did when he told me. Alan said it was "fun" in a tone that meant it was anything but. Apparently at the end the instructor noted it was probably not the best choice and they would pick a calmer intersection for next Tuesday's lesson. Thanks for your prayers on this one, he did come home in one piece.

BTW - for local folks: Many thanks to the good people at Beyond the Fringe Hair Designs located at 1330 Route 206 in the Village Shopper. They are holding a "Cut-a-thon" this coming Sunday 10/26 from 10:00am - 6:00pm. Manicures and Pedicures require an appointment, appointments for haircuts are recommended, but not necessary. Call 609-921-6572 for an appointment. All profits will go to the Alan's Army fund.

Thanks all and God Bless,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Greetings all!

I'm happy to report that Alan has now finished chemo set #3 without incident other than on Monday night where he said he didn't sleep very well.

It is Saturday afternoon and we are at the church right now for our "directory" photo. We've had the photos taken, now we are waiting for the sales pitch. Anyone who has done this before knows that the photo for the Church directory is free, but then they confront you with a dazzling array of photo packages which you need to purchase for your friends and family. Some of these packages are roughly the same cost as buying a new washing machine.

Last time we actually got one of those big oval pictures that looks like an oil painting. Not sure who wanted it, but it was probably me as I'm a sucker for this stuff.

Alan's birthday went OK yesterday. The guys at work took him out to Conte's for a birthday pizza lunch. Prior to that in the morning he made the rounds in Princeton to say hi to everyone. Ginny made his favorite for dinner - meat pie. We went over to the football stadium at about 7:45 to watch Amber play in the halftime show but forgot it was spirit week so all the homecoming King and Queen stuff preceded the band actually taking the field. While standing in the cold on the tarmac at the end of the field somewhere in the middle of the roster of potential home-coming kings, Alan leaned towards me and in his deadpan style said "Greatest Birthday Ever" - we must have laughed for 5 minutes.

(All kidding aside about arcane high school rituals, we heard the name of a daughter of old church friends and were happy to hear she won homecoming queen - yay Mallory!)

__________

<Sorry folks. Ginny's phone rang and it was Amber who had left 5 minutes earlier for the school for a band competition. I heard "hydroplane" and "hit a tree" and took off like a shot.> Thank God that Amber was perfectly fine, just shaken up.

After stopping at the red light at the end of Griggstown-BelleMead Rd. she pulled out to head South on 206, fishtailed, and somehow ended up 90 degrees to the road with the front of the truck off the road and the rear tires still on the road. If it had all been grass or field right there the truck would have been fine but unfortunately there was a 10 inch cedar which pushed the bumper into the tire, and shifted the front quarter-panel enough to prevent the driver side door from opening more than an inch or two. So the truck was flat-bedded away.

Amber wanted to continue her itinerary of the band competition and then the homecoming dance, so after we finished with the police (who were very nice) I drove her to school and then returned to the church to get Ginny and Alan.
_____________

OK, back to the update, its now Sunday evening. Last night Aunt Dari stopped in for dinner and b-day gifts for Amber and Alan. We had a nice time but she missed Amber who didn't get home from the dance until after 11pm.

Today was the cut-a-thon fundraiser for Alan. I stopped in at "Beyond the Fringe" this morning, said hello to the owners and stylists and took some pictures. They were all wearing camo Alan's Army T-shirts and I gave them all wristbands to wear as well. What a great bunch of folks! Ginny, Alan, and Amber went to visit in the afternoon. The courier news had done an article in yesterday's paper and apparently a towing firm in Somerville called the salon and said they would help if they didn't reach their goal of raising $5,000. Amazing!

Speaking of amazing, I still owe you all a write-up on a bunch of disc golf events that have done fund-raisers for Alan. Ranging from a fantastic Labor Day weekend tourney and dinner and auction with our friends in Maine to a recent doubles-tourney in Philly.

A lot of busy days lately, but I'll be returning to Germany for meetings in a few weeks (much to our family's chagrin as I'll be away for my 49th birthday and more importantly, our 27th wedding anniversary, and even more important the day before which is Renees operation) so I'll have time on the long plane rides to catch you all up. I also have a few months of photos to upload and I will pick some out to include.

In the meantime your continued prayers are appreciated for both Alan and Renee.

Also your prayers for compassion and doing-the-right-thing on the part of the insurance company which has now stopped paying all claims and again has Alan's case "under review" and is making noise yet again about it being a "pre-condition." "Under review" right now are all 33 radiation treatments at $3600 each and the last few months of doctor visits.

God Bless,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

All - a prayer concern:

Our dear friend from down south, Stan McDaniel, reports that his wife Diane had a stroke last Monday. The stroke was relatively minor and she should have a full recovery but the doctors are concerned about a possible underlying condition that caused it. Diane will be undergoing testing to look for this possible underlying condition and is actually having a spinal tap as I write this.

Please keep Diane, her doctors, and the entire McDaniel family in your prayers.

Many thanks,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Hi all!

Last week Alan had his blood pressure checked sans-Hydrochlorothiazide. It was "perfect" so he now has one less daily pill to take.

Today we saw the neurosurgeon in Philly, who removed the tumor and installed the shunt way back when, for a check-up. All is well, he wants another MRI at the end of November, and then we can go to a 3 month schedule. We can also start weaning Alan off the Cymbalta and if he feels OK we can drop it entirely which would be a second daily pill to get rid of.

Alan also asked the doctor about alcohol consumption as he's been wanting the occasional Guiness. The doctor said that in moderation it was fine and probably actually good for him and a beer a day would probably make him feel just as good as the Cymbalta.

Tonight there is a disc golf club meeting that I will miss (I'll be at Philly airport waiting to fly to Germany) and I suspect there will be lots of friends vying to buy Alan his first Black and Tan in 8 plus months. (Remember folks, just one.)

That's the news; and as always thanks for your prayers and support!

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Dear friends,

Greetings from Frankfurt, Germany! It is about 10 AM here and I have flown in from Nuremberg and am awaiting my flight home to Philadelphia. I have unexpectedly received a Happy Birthday present and been upgraded to First Class! This will make the 9+ hours of flight more enjoyable, but will undoubtedly spoil me for future trips.

I am very happy to report that Renee's operation on Thursday has gone well. Please continue to keep her, Ritchie, Andrew, and Roy in your prayers.

Just a quick note about the Alan's Army updates and a new feature on the alansarmy.org website.

Alan's Army Email Updates:

Did you receive this update directly via email from me? If so, great! If not, would you like to? If this reached you through a prayer chain or someone forwarding it, would you like to get your own copy sent directly to you? If so, please drop me a note in reply and we will add you to the direct email. If you'd like to send me a note about who you are, where you are from, your congregation name, how you get the updates, etc. that would be interesting to and I'll happily read that info to Alan.


New feature on alansarmy.org website:

For several months now an idea has been brewing in the back of my mind. As you know, on occasion I receive a prayer request and have included it within the updates to Alan's Army. This is good because I know that the updates are reaching many prayerful people. I've had people tell me that the updates are going to church congregations and prayer chains not only locally, but across the US and in Europe, South America, and Africa. Since I believe in the power of prayer, I got to thinking about all those prayer warriors out there, the power of their numbers, and how we could use that power to help others besides Alan. I'm sure that many people who read the updates about Alan have prayer concerns of their own. I also recognize that there are many folks on the Alan's Army list who wouldn't want to receive lots of updates concerning prayer requests for people all over the world. Some folks simply want to know how Alan is doing and would consider a flood of prayer emails to be spam. So I thought, why not use the website? We could have a separate page on Alan's Army just for prayer requests. By its nature it is an opt-in, if people don't want to read that page, they don't have to. The broadcasted email Alan's Army updates would continue to be about Alan.

So I spoke with my wonderful wife Ginny about it (Happy 27th Anniversary dear!) and also with our wonderful Alan's Army Webmaster Larry Squitieri. Ginny would love to moderate a page for prayer requests and Larry now has the website set up so you can click on a "Prayer Request" link and type in your info. Ginny will then check the requests and add them to the prayer page.

Its a work in progress, so we shall see how it goes.

Please go to www.alansarmy.org and check-out the prayer page and link. Please also get this info out to anyone you think would be interested in either adding a prayer request or being a prayer warrior in Alan's Army.

As always, thank you for your time, your love, and your prayers for Alan.

May God bless you and yours,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Greetings dear friends,

I have been remiss in updating you however life has been very full. I am once again at Frankfurt airport with a longish layover so I am taking this opportunity to write. I have had some trouble with my Blackberry since yesterday but hopefully it will limp along enough to get this written. Snow and Ice delays with de-icing procedures have cost about an hour and half of time this morning in Nuremberg and many people on my flight have missed their connecting flights but luckily my flight will not board for another two hours.

Alan's last set of chemo 3+ weeks ago did not go so well. He has reached the upper limit of 500 mg of the Temodar. On Monday night he was up all night sick. On Tuesday we got a better anti-nausea drug and he was OK Tue - Thur evenings. On Friday night he was sick again and he was sick all weekend as well. It is not clear if the illness was due to the chemo or if he may have had a stomach bug.

This coming Monday is the next set of chemo, again at 500 mg, so we shall see how it goes.

Back on November 18th we saw the eye doctors again in Newark. Alan's sight has shown some slight improvement again, and although it is too slight to make much difference in what he can do, it is a continued improvement and we continue to hope and pray for some meaningful restoration of his sight.

We have heard from the NJ Commission for the Blind and once Alan's chemo is concluded in February he will be eligible to enter into an occupational program where they will assess his abilities and work with him on computer programs to work around his blindness.

In the meantime Alan is filling his time with Books on tape and an occasional mobility training session using his cane.

Unfortunately my business trip cut short a planned weekend with our friends the Enmans in Maine, but we did get to spend last Saturday there with them and Alan and I played a round of doubles on the beautiful Pleasant Hill course in Scarborough. There was no snow this year so it was an easy round for Alan to get around and he really enjoyed the round and although he could not see much, we used his throws quite a number of times and on one hole his drive off the tee was so awesome the disc golfers on adjoining holes cheered and applauded. Although a short weekend with only one day in Maine with a day of driving on either side, it was a wonderful time regardless.

We look forward to the Ice Bowl Tournament on January 3, when hopefully our friends will be able to come down and spend time with us in NJ and Pennsylvania.

All our best to you all and God Bless,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Hello dear friends,

My apologies once again for the long wait on information on Alan. I hope everyone had a great holiday season.

I am writing to you once again from the Frankfurt airport on my way home from Nuremberg, where I was very pleased to see a workmate, Helmrich, who has been fighting cancer himself with some very rough chemotherapy treatments, looking well. Please keep Helmrich in your prayers along with Alan and Renee, who is also doing well after her surgery and has happily found she will not need to do chemo treatments.

During the week of 15 December, Alan had his fourth of six chemo regimens and was once again sick during the weekend after the chemo.

During the past week, starting 12 January, Alan had his fifth set of chemo and an increased dosage of the anti-nausea drug which seemed to prevent him from throwing up all weekend, but he still didn't feel so good on Sunday.

We went to Philly on 29 December and had an MRI and the report on it is positive with no evidence of new or leftover tumor. On the Monday morning prior to each chemo set, Alan has had bloodwork at the oncologist in Philly and on each occasion it has come back "perfect."

His appetite remains stable and he is maintaining weight at a trimmer 275 pounds from his original 305 when this all started.

Over the new year Alan reported a notable change in his sight where although still not much detail, he does see silhouettes at a further distance than before. We thank God for the improvement and pray that it continues.

Alan had a very good Christmas and New Year's break as many old friends from High School, College, and Youth Group were able to stop by for visits.

9 February will be the start of Alan's final set of chemo.

Once again, thanks for your continued prayers, and we are wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.

God Bless,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Hello Dear Friends!

I am once again writing to you from the Frankfurt airport, this time on my way to Nuremberg, as opposed to on the way home. I have a six-hour wait for my next flight, so it would seem a good time to finally write again.

Alan's final chemo week was mid-February and it went very well with no nausea. He is now done!!

Many, many thanks to the good neighbors at Schering-Plough who donated the $100,000+ dollars worth of chemo that Alan was treated with over the past 8 months. What an absolute blessing!

Last week Alan had a basic checkup and lab work done at his regular family doctor to satisfy paperwork for the NJ Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Once the lab work comes back and the paperwork is submitted he will be scheduled for a two-week day-program "assessment" at their facilities in New Brunswick. Luckily this is near Ginny's work so daily transport won't be too much of an issue.

We have not yet been fully briefed on what to expect from the assessment, but one potential outcome is a sixteen-week "live-in" program that teaches all aspects of living with his disability.

We are very much looking forward to an assessment of computer hardware and software to allow Alan to once again communicate via email which will be such a blessing for him!

In the meantime, Alan continues to spend much of his time listening to music and audio books. Many thanks to everyone who has passed along audio books they have read for Alan to enjoy.

Now that the weather is improving temperature-wise, Alan has also "hired" his cousin Kyle from next door to help him spend half an hour each afternoon putting into the disc golf basket out back. Kyle rattles the chains for Alan to hear where the basket is and then retrieves Alan's discs for him.

Other News:

I should pass along that Renee is doing very well and looked like a million bucks when we saw her on Sunday. Stan's wife Diane is also doing well, although frustrated by the doctor's less than comprehensive information concerning her mini-stroke. Ol'Sam reports that his sister was having a very rough time with her heavy-duty chemo treatments but a special vitamin regimen she found from Canada has made all the difference in the world for her. Thank you all for your continued prayers for these folks and we praise God for His continued blessings on them.

We also ask for your prayers for those that grieve the passing of a loved one. The King family said goodbye to Josh and Caleb's grandfather (Mary Louise's father) on 29 January. Joe Venanzi (my wonderful assistant) lost his mother on 11 March, and my Great-Aunt Dot Stanton passed on 14 March. Please keep the King, Venanzi, and Stanton/Sweeton families in your prayers as they grieve the loss of their loved ones.

And as always, we thank you for your continued support and prayers for Alan.

God Bless,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Well, today was Cinco de Mayo - the fifth of May. A day for latin revelry. And like St. Patty's day, a day that offers to folks of all ethnic backgrounds a reason to embrace things outside their own ethnicity with a great excuse for a good party. Hello . . . tacos and cervesa!

Well, this Cinco de Mayo of 2009 brings something else to the Sweeton family. Today is the first anniversary of that fateful doctor visit and MRI that lead us all down an extraordinary journey with Alan for the past 12 months.

I look back and my first thoughts are anger and sorrow. I'm angry about all we had to endure the past 12 months - terrifying days; sleepless nights; inconsiderate health"care" professionals; drive here, drive there, drive every-damn-where; and the mind-numbing medical, insurance, and social services bureaucracies. I'm angry about all that we missed like disc golf tournaments, parties, and family vacations. I'm angry that my son can't see. I'm angry that there is no guarantee that the cancer won't come back again.

Past the anger is something much worse - sorrow. My sorrow is mostly not for this past year, but for the future. I grieve over things missed and to be missed. I grieve over experiences for Alan that have lost, or will lose, dimension. Going to a movie, but not really seeing it. I selfishly grieve for shared experiences that will now likely never happen. I grieve for opportunities, both the expected and the unknown, now lost. I grieve over simple things like Alan not being able to enjoy a game of catch tossing a frisbee back and forth.

But, regardless of the anger and the sorrow I feel, I also feel positive emotions too. I am thankful and I am joyful.

I'm thankful for our faith. I don't know how folks without faith go through something like this without the absolute deepest of despair. I am joyful knowing that God indeed doesn't give us more than we can handle when we can lean on him.

I'm thankful for the outpouring of love and support from family, friends, and complete strangers.
I am joyful in my understanding of the goodness in the people around us.

I'm thankful for workplaces, workmates, and bosses who let us do what we had to do to get Alan through this. I am joyful in the better appreciation I have for those with whom we work not just as fellow travelers in the rat race, but as caring individuals.

I'm thankful for the sense of family and community we felt at every turn. I am joyful that they stand ready and will be there in the future if needed.

I'm thankful for the healthcare professionals, from the lowest paid orderly to the highest paid doctor, who aren't just collecting a paycheck, but are lovingly putting the "care" into healthcare. I am joyful that they outnumbered the ones just collecting a paycheck.

I am thankful that Alan attended the monthly Bucks County Disc Golf Alliance meeting with me tonight and had a good time with great friends. I am joyful that he will do so again.

I am thankful that as I type this sitting in bed, my son is here a year later, lying in his bed in the next room, enjoying listening to a book on tape. I am joyful that he will learn more ways for technology to help him live a fuller life.

I am thankful that on the 30th of this month, Alan will play in the Great Eastern Amateur Cup. I am Joyful that although he will do so with a much higher score than he once would have had, he will enjoy it nevertheless, and many dear friends will be cheering him every stroke along the way.

I am thankful that we will be able to again enjoy our family vacation in Maine this summer after missing it last year. I am joyful that we won't take it for granted and will therefore enjoy it all the more.

I am thankful that after a year of medical strife and an unusual amount of business travel for me, our family is stronger than ever. I am joyful that regardless of the future, I know we will remain that way.

I am thankful that my daughter Amber can still get straight A's despite all the lack of attention in her direction for the past year. I am joyful in seeing the fine young woman she is becoming.

I am thankful that my loving wife Ginny leans on me for and giving support, even if I'm crying my own eyes out during a tough spell. I'm joyful that she still calls me her rock regardless.

And most of all, I am thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who died for my sins so that I may have eternal life. I am thankful that Ginny, Alan, and Amber know Him as Lord of their lives too. I am Joyful that one day, regardless of when we each leave this earth, we will all be reunited in Heaven, and in our heavenly perfection Alan will again have sight, and we will again enjoy the simple pleasure of tossing a Frisbee to one another.

Thank you each and every one for your love and support this past year. I am ever so thankful for you helping me to endure the anger and sorrow with my catharsis in writing to you. Know that your support has brought us all great joy.

God Bless,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Wow! What a weekend! It turned out so much different than what I was expecting. I figured I'd attend the dinner for an event that Amber was participating in on Friday night, get up early on Saturday to help run a big disc golf tournament at Tyler State Park, and then simply crash on Sunday. Boy, did I not have a clue.

Amber was participating in the American Cancer Society's "Relay For Life", an event where teams of walkers walk all through the night to raise funds for cancer research. The event also focuses on cancer survivors, so the entire family had been invited to a survivor's dinner and "survivor's lap" prior to the start of the fund-raising laps. Our dear friend, and workmate of mine, Nancy Raymond, was Amber's team captain and her daughters (our nieces for all intensive purposes) Emily and Sami were also part of the team.

The dinner was at 5pm Friday night, so I left work early, pulled into the driveway and as I was sitting in the jeep mentally checklisting (hmm, is that a verb?) what I needed to prepare for Saturday's
tournament, a van pulled into the driveway. At first I thought someone was picking up Amber, but then I realized I recognized the vehicle and it was in the wrong state. It turns out our dear friends Bob, Kyle, and Josh had arranged with Tournament Director John Birkrem to register for the tournament under fake names; had made sleeping and dinner arrangements through Amber with the entire Sweeton/Curtis/Van Nostrand/Van Liew clan, and had driven down from Maine as a surprise for Alan and I. What a fantastic start to the weekend!

With them, Bob brought a big cooler of seaweed with 20 Maine lobsters nestled within it for a big family dinner, but since we had the Relay for Life event, we would have to put that on hold until Sunday, so we took the beer out of the barn fridge and filled it with seaweed and sea "bugs."

While the boys from Maine headed off to buy supplies at Wal-mart, we headed off to Montgomery High School for the Relay for Life event. And what a great, well organized event it was! We showed up and Alan was given a survivor's medal to wear and a nice gift bag of goodies donated by local businesses. Everyone received a purple "Relay for Life" T-shirt to wear, and we had a nice lasagna dinner while listening to a touching survivor story. We then braved a passing rain shower and went out to the track for the walk. We heard a speech from the mayor, then a very nice motivational speech from a young women, aptly named Hope, who was diagnosed with cancer six years ago while in Montgomery Middle School and is now attending college. Then all the survivors, along with their families and caregivers, made a "survivor's lap." It was very emotional, but only a taste of emotions yet to come during this extraordinary weekend.

Nancy had her team all setup with a big tent for snoozing between walking shifts and plenty of "fuel" (mostly Twizzlers - as the girls, and Nancy, all have an extreme affinity for them) to get them through the night. After spending some time with friends and neighbors in the festive atmosphere, Ginny, Alan, and I left for home with tears of pride in our eyes leaving Amber with her team to walk through the night to raise money for this important, and now personal, cause.

Saturday was the Great Eastern Amateur Cup, the second largest tournament our club runs annually. This is a 90 player, Amateur-only, Professional Disc Golf Association B-Tier event. We were all extra excited about this year's event as Alan was going to play, and hopefully finish all 36 holes. Saturday dawned bright and early with beautiful weather as I drove Alan out of the sack so we could stop in and check on Amber at the track before driving to the park. Nancy and the girls were tired but happy and still moving - way to go Team! As of this writing I have not heard any final numbers on how far the team walked, but I know Amber raised over $200 and the team raised over $2000. More emotion and tears from a proud Dad at Amber's accomplishment as he drove off with Alan towards Tyler State Park in Newtown PA.

Saturday was a beautiful day for a disc golf tournament. Our dear friend Bob Graham, a professional disc golfer and the NJ State PDGA Representative, acted as Alan's caddy and guide. Bob helped Alan navigate the course, set him up at the tees, described the obstacles in his flight path, and waved a white towel so he could tell where the baskets were when putting out. Alan shot a 98 the first round and an 87 the second round. Alan's last hole of the day was the dreaded hole 27, arguably the toughest hole in the layout as players had been taking 8s, 9s, and 10s on it all day, and even some 14s and 15s were recorded. With 75+ disc golfers and fans cheering him into the finish, Alan sank an awesome 20 foot putt to score a six! I was crying like a baby and I wasn't the only one, as the spectators cheered for Alan and his accomplishment. Thanks to BCDGA treasurer Marc Brooks, you can see Alan playing the last hole. Go to our club website at www.bcdga.com and click on the videos link. Videos 17, 19, 20, 23, and 26 show Alan's first 5 shots on hole 27 and video #29 shows him making the putt. It is very interesting to watch how Bob Graham was able to use a walking stick and visual queues that Alan could make out to help Alan to understand the types of throws he needed to make. The producer of disc golf monthly, Kevin McGorry, who had just finished his own round in the tourney, can be seen in Marc's clips also filming Bob and Alan and we look forward to seeing that video as well.

In the top division, Advanced Amateur, Josh Connell shot the hot score of 57 in the first round along with another of Alan's good friends, BCDGA club member Erick Simonds and also two others. Josh also had the hot score in the second round with a 54 to win by strokes over Erick who shot a very nice 56 to take second place. After accepting his trophy and prizes, Josh stated that he had met his goal for the day which was to win in honor of Alan and then presented his trophy to Alan. Tournament Director John Birkrem also gave a very emotional speech as he presented Alan with a special "Role Model" trophy. The applause was tremendous as emotions ran high and lots more tears flowed. What an amazing day! John had run a great tournament, and after the players left and the faithful packed all the gear away, we sat under the pavilion and talked - no one wanted to leave the day behind.

The next day we needed to worry about taking care of the 20 bugs in the barn fridge. As founder of the feast, Bob invited John Birkrem, John McGinley and family, and Bob Graham and Kit Basset to join the family clan for dinner. Earlier in the afternoon, Alan, Amber, Bob, Kyle, Josh, and I went to see the new Star Trek movie. It was fantastic even for a non-trekkie like me. That evening we had surf and turf - Bob's lobsters, John McGinley's London Broils, Ginny's salads, and the Nancy Curtis' cakes made quite a spread. We all pigged out and then played Dodgebee (a new game from Innova that is played similar to dodge ball, but with a soft cloth/foam flying disc) on the lawn until it was too dark to see. We then retired to the back patio to tell good, and bad, jokes and talk movies well into the night.

It was a fantastic weekend of great disc golf, great food, great fun, and great friends, all crowned by the great individual achievements made by Josh, Amber, and Alan during the course of the weekend.

At 7 am Monday morning we said goodbye to Bob, Kyle, and Josh as they took off to drive home. It wasn't as hard as some of our past partings because we knew that only four days later on Friday morning, fourteen BCDGA members would be driving up to Maine to see all our Northern friends again for the Dragan Disc Golf Championship at Dragan Field in Auburn, Maine. I'm sure it will be a second weekend we will all recall with fond memories for years to come.

Here's hoping you all find time this summer to find the same joy in the best of times with the best of family and friends.

God Bless,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[jason rubito]

no lie, i literally started crying from this video. All the work that has been put in by Alan, his family, his friends to see him complete a full event is the what this sport and spirit is all about. I havent known alan and andrew long but they have surely touched a place in my heart.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mabmarc/2009GEAmCupVIDEOS?feat=embedwebsite#5342390518358440386 for those looking for his putt. So glad to see alan registered for the ddgc, and playing more and more events.
_________________

http://gdstour.com/
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[Poppy]

And that's the reason we were there.........We Love You Sweeton Family
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Another great weekend!

Quick update, too busy with work for more. I'm actually at the park selling discs while typing for work. The laptop needs a charge in the truck so I figured I owed an update on Alan on the Blackberry.

On Friday, June 5th, we drove to Auburn, Maine for a weekend with our dear friends the Enmans and crew. A total of fifteen Bucks County Disc Golf Alliance members took the trip Down North to support our sister course/tournament. Saturday was the main event - The Dragan Disc Golf Championships - and Alan played all 36 holes. BOB Graham, was playing in the Pro division so Bob Enman, Gordy Adell, and Dave Townsend provided guide/caddy help for Alan while I attended to Tournament Director duties. The big winner for our group was Steve Agocs who won the Grandmaster Pro division, but everyone was a winner because all had a blast. Lots of folks camped on-site so we sat around and talked late into the night. Sunday was the second year of doubles match-play BCDGA vs Maine and once again Maine was victorious winning this year by a score of 5-4. A number of us went out that evening and saw UP, the new pixar movie, it was hysterical! We had a fantastic weekend, it was great seeing Alan play again, and we thank Bob, Nan, Kyle, Josh, and Gordy for their hospitality at Dragan Field.

On the way home, Alan, Stephen, BOB, and I stopped in Leicester, Ma. to visit our friends on Marshall Street - Jason Southwick at Pyramids and Steve Dodge and his family at Maple Hill - it was great catching up with them.

On the non-disc golf front, the Tuesday before the trip, Alan had a day-long assessment at the NJ Commission for the Blind in New Brunswick and he starts a two-week Mon-Fri training with them tomorrow. Luckily it is close to Ginny's work so she can easily drop him off and pick him up each day. They will work with Alan on mobility, life, and technology skills. We are hopeful that the technology sessions will identify a good solution for Alan to allow him to get back on email and communicating directly with everyone. The hardware and software for the visually impaired can be extremely expensive so any help from the commission to target our purchases to what will work best will be great.

We are also blessed to have our old Boy Scout Troop reach out to help Alan. The troop had their annual strawberry festival fundraiser last weekend and the boys made an extra effort to raise funds for Alan for computer equipment. Imagine our shock and surprise when they told us they had raised $8,500.00! What a blessing! We are so thankful to Frank Mcveigh and the boys for their efforts.

I'll write again with news about Alan's training sessions.

God Bless,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

<Sorry, its now Friday morning and I just found the below on my BB unsent from my typing yesterday afternoon. Alan's bloodwork was all fine, MRI results are due on Monday or Tuesday next week>


A Quickie:

I'm parked on a street in middle of Philly, just dropped Alan and Ginny off at the MRI place on Spruce St. After that we go over to the oncologist's for a checkup.

Alan's two week assessment with the NJ Commission for the Blind went pretty well. His case worker comes to the house on Tuesday morning to give us the results and next steps.

A piece of text-to-speech software called JAWS worked very well for Alan while there, so thanks to the hard work and generosity of Boy Scout Troop 46 we ordered that software as well as a laptop from Dell. Figuring Alan would be more likely to bump it off a table or spill something on it, and wanting it to last a long time from a productivity perspective, I speced-out and ordered a top-of-the-line and fully armored laptop (Dell E6400 XFR.) It wasn't at all cheap, but my friends at Dell were very kind and got Alan a great price which reduced the hefty price tag by $2K. It is heavy and looks like it belongs on a battlefield (it's actually ballistic armor) but it should hold up to any "accidents" that may occur.

Both the Software and Laptop have arrived and I just need to find time to install everything. Hopefully before long you will all be able to receive an update directly from Alan himself.

We were in Maine at Bear Spring Camps from July 4-18 and despite some lousy weather, it was great to be back there. The wildlife was abundant and we got some great photos of Ducks, Loons, Osprey, Great Blue Herons, and Bald Eagles. When I get some time I will give some photos to Larry to put up on the website. While there we played a little Disc Golf and spent time with our friends the Enmans.

<OK, now at doctors with MRI in-hand and we are waiting for the oncologist and bloodwork results.>

Amber arrived in Birmingham, England yesterday morning to start a 10-day missions trip with 10 other teens from church. After three such trips with Alan to Mexico back in the late 90's, it is odd to now be a parent saying good-bye to Amber as she goes off on her own missions trip.

Please pray for safe travels for Amber and the group and that their efforts would be successful and bear fruit.

Another update forthcoming once we have recommendations from the NJ Commission for the Blind.

God Bless,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Greetings once again from an airport overseas - this time Charles De Gaulle in Paris (the land of edible snails and Bordeaux) en route to Nuremberg (the land of beer and chocolate.) As usual, my apologies that I have not written sooner. I had hoped that this message would have come from Alan himself but the new text-to-speech software has a very steep learning curve and it may be some time yet before he can work in email. Unfortunately my work is currently beyond insanely busy and recent free time was entirely consumed by preparations for our club's big Pro/Am Disc Golf tournament last weekend.

Alan’s MRI I mentioned last time did come back completely clear – no reoccurrence! Let’s hope that remains the same report for a long, long, time.

The other report we were waiting on finally came back from the NJ Commission for the Blind (weeks later as they didn’t show up for the original appointment) and it was rather non-informative. Basically they said that Alan is a bright guy who did well in his two week assessment and would probably get quite a bit out of their 16 week live-in program. Like I said, not-so-informative. So Alan is thinking about entering that program sometime in October after we get back from the United States Disc Golf Championships in Rock Hill, SC in early October. It will be very strange for us to have him be gone M-F each week for that long. He did enjoy his sessions at the commission during his two-week stint and one follow-on is that he is currently having a Braille lesson at home about once a week.

In other news, Ginny turned 50 last month and I now have my annual 2.5 month period of calling her the old lady until my own birthday comes around and I join her. Generally she looks about 10+ years younger than her age and I look 10+ years older, so who am I kidding? We got her a new car (well it’s a year old, but new to us) for her birthday and Amber will now drive the Taurus Sedan instead of Alan’s pickup truck which she really wasn’t in to. We have now faced the fact that Alan won’t be driving again so his pickup is up for sale.

Our long-time friend Casey Santye passed away in August after her fight with ALS. We ask that you pray for her husband Chip and their kids Erin, Tim, and Lauren. Also health prayers for Ginny’s dad Mait who will be having shoulder surgery in November and my friend Leonard who will be having back surgery in October.

OK, back to Alan and his new skills - I ordered a Braille label-maker (like the old squeeze-the-handle Dymo label embosser for you people who are old enough to have any idea what I’m talking about) and it will open up a whole new level of living for him when we can label things for him like books-on-tape, CDs, gear shifts, cereal boxes, soup cans, cats, juice cartons, etc. etc. OK, just kidding on the gear shifts, but we could shave the top of the cat’s heads and apply the label . . . well OK, maybe not the cats either. But between Alan’s needs, and Amber’s and my tendencies to be a bit OCD - we’re probably going to need a whole lot of tape for that labeler.

So, Alan is well and slowly learning new skills.

BTW - today is Dan Homan (Alan and Amber's godfather - Uncle Ho's) birthday so a shout out to him - Arrggh me matey! Happy Birthday ya old scalywag landlubber! (It's also "Speak like a Pirate" day today.)

Enough for now, although it is only 10AM here, my body thinks it is 4AM, and I've been traveling for 13.5 hours, so I'm going to explore the terminal and hopefully find myself some garlic-smothered garden critters and a nice glass of that Bordeaux. Gee, I wonder if they'll serve me if I order speaking like a pirate.

Until next time, thanks for your time and thoughts and prayers - God bless.

Bonjour!

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

Hi all,

Yesterday was Alan's 26th birthday and we praise God that he is here to celebrate it!

A shared birthday present for everyone in the family (Amber turned 18 on the 7th) was tickets to see Jeff Dunham the ventriloquist in Trenton on Friday night. We had dinner with friends beforehand and the show was great, a bit crude in parts, but hysterical nevertheless.

Friday was a busy day as it was also Alan's quarterly MRI and checkup with the oncologist in Philly. The doctor seemed to think all is well and we should have the MRI results back by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Tomorrow Alan takes a big step and starts the 16 week program at the NJ Commission for the Blind in New Brunswick. Its a live-in program so he will be there from Monday morning through Friday evening each week coming home only on the weekends. Please pray for Alan and the staff that the time is well spent, he learns a lot, reaches new heights of self-sufficiency, and has new doors opened for him.

Thanks and God Bless,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[jason rubito]

http://blip.tv/file/2947822
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[Poppy]

Hi all!

Alan is now nearing the halfway mark on his "boarding school" experience. Things are going well and he is learning many things from Braille to cooking to riding buses and trains. Last night they went to the movies (oddly enough to see "Blind Side") and to experience a visually impaired system that provides spoken commentary on what is happening visually on the screen. One of the provided classes is a college prep course and since Alan already has his degree, that time is now being used for him to do further work on his Braille lessons so he should be in great shape on that by time he graduates from the program. Alan has now met and worked with a diverse group of students from those barely out of High School (18 is the minimum age for this program) to those who have lost or are losing their sight in their 40s, 50s and over, due to accident or various diseases like diabetes, MS, or eye disorders. Alan has been voted in as Vice President of his class and has weekly meetings with classmates and staff to discuss discipline, class outings, graduation ceremonies, etc. He is also having technology classes and once he gets to cleaning out 1.5 years of junk in his Liberty University email box he will be able to communicate with everyone himself.

The ultimate goal of the program is to find employment for the students and provide resources to them and their employers to allow the students to be productive and lessen the burden on the taxpayer through social services.

On the medical front Alan's latest MRI was again clear and the oncologist was happy with his general state of health.

In other news, I have shoulder surgery tomorrow morning to repair a torn rotator cuff. It is arthroscopic surgery and if all goes well I will be home later in the day. Your prayers are much appreciated.

As always, thank you all for your kind support and prayers and the Sweetons wish all of you a joyous and restful holiday season. Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!

God Bless,

Andrew
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

[Poppy]

All,



The below link will take you to the Professional Disc Golf Association website where they have posted a video story about Alan created by our friend, fellow BCDGA club member, and creator of the Disc Golf Monthly TV show, Kevin McGorry. Much thanks to Kevin for his labor of love, and also a thanks to Carl “Cubby” Cubbedge for the great narration.



http://www.pdga.com/videos/alan-sweeton-story



Thanks,



Andrew



BTW – Shoulder operation went OK, typing one-handed is not so OK.
_________________
2010 Schedule
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.