I have been contacted over the past months regarding my website and the obvious lack of updating.  People have been asking about the horses and what they look like now and are they still here and still for sale, etc.  I am now - June 2011 - beginning to catch up on everything that was deferred in my life over the past 2+ years.

In May of 2008 I had a mild heart attack and ended up with stents in a couple of my cardiac arteries.  I am on medication and take semi-annual stress tests.

Then on Thanksgiving day of 2008 I took my wife to the emergency room after lower back pain she had been suffering from over the past several months became intolerable.  After a 5 day stay she was diagnosed with advanced multiple myeloma, a type of bone marrow and blood cancer.   She began treatments the same day she left the hospital and after several months of chemotherapy, radiation and a complete bone marrow transplant she finally came home in June of 2009 to continue her recovery.  On March 12, 2010 she had additional surgery to repair 4 crushed vertebrae in her spine.  I was and still am her primary caregiver.

August of 2009 and it was my turn.  I was diagnosed with stage IV-A oral squamous cell carcinoma.  I had a malignant lesion on the base of my tongue and the cancer had spread to several lymph nodes in my neck.  I began chemotherapy and 42 daily radiation treatments which finally ended on November 12 of 2009.

I am currently in remission, however my wife's disease has returned and she is once again going through treatment. She is too weak for another transplant and we are praying the chemo-therapy will be enough to stem the disease.

We take each day for the gift it is and we feel very blessed for the huge amount of prayers and support we have received from family and friends. We cannot say enough good things about all of our docs at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center,  Colorado ENT Associates,  Aurora Internal Medicine and the Rocky Mountain Spine Clinic.

Then there is our Angel, Abby M. a true gift from God, sent to us during our time of greatest need.  Thank you Abby.  Thank you and your sisters Emily and Priscilla for everything you have done to help us get through.  We simply could not have made it without you.  We love you all and miss you so much!!

Nineteen plus months out of radiation and I am still far from being my "old normal", having lost over 60lbs during my treatments. I have been told I should do my best to adjust to where I am, since it is probably my "new normal".  However, I am getting stronger and though I still have difficulty swallowing and my taste is pretty much gone, my new normal is quite tolerable. I will continue working to catching up on over two years of deferred maintenance on the ranch, my horses, my relationships and this website.

Thanks for your understanding... Paul