The Brands: Arrowhead Provincial Park

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Arrowhead Provincial Park

We just came back from a family holiday to Arrowhead Provincial Park. We had never been to this park, but it came recommended by friends (Thanks, Deb!) and we thought we'd give it a try. We had a fabulous time and can't wait to go back!

A highlight of our trip were being able to use our canoe. This is the canoe that I learned to paddle in, and that my siblings and I used to tip, submerge, play teeter-totter in the water generally just mess around with in/under the water. It was rewarding to enjoy time with our kids in the canoe. Many memories for me, and many new ones in the making. Thankfully, our kids seem to have picked up a love for canoeing too. Aleah calls the canoe "my canoeing."

A favourite thing to do in Arrowhead Park was a canoe trip down the Little East River to Stubbs Water Fall. It took about an hour paddling slowly down the river, scraping bottom here and there and dodging many felled and submerged trees. People passing by reported seeing beaver, but with 3 noisy children and 1 very interested dog, we didn't see much wildlife beyond damsel flies and water striders!

It was refreshing to be in the Canadian Shield again. The kids are old enough to do some climbing on rocks and they appreciate the enormous-ness (enormousity?) of the rock formations. They had a lot of fun scrambling up and down and figuring out what they could climb themselves and what they needed help with. I had a lot of fun doing that too.

We all loved bobbing in the lake. We love our puddle-jumpers (swim floaty things)! The water at Arrowhead is a coppery colour because of the tannins in decomposing material there, which made us feel a little like we were swimming in tea, but in the heat, that didn't matter!

We got good use out of our camping trailer this trip. The kids really enjoy helping to set it up. They take their job of winding down the stabilizer jacks very seriously. We had two campsites on this trip, because we couldn't find a site that would be continuously available. We booked one site for the week, and a different site for the weekend. Initially I wasn't so happy to have to move, but in the end it was fun to have two sites--almost like two different camping trips. The kids said that both sites were their favourite.

It was refreshing to have time away together as a family. We did a lot each day, between hiking, biking, exporing, swimming, and canoeing. Relaxing in a different way--good for the soul. We can't wait until we can go again.

3 comments:

Aunt Linda said...: Wow, Jess it is amazing how your family's life has changed from one year to the next. Like the saying goes...you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans. I am so grateful that you and your family are starting to feel and act like a family should, instead of a family "dealing with cancer", looking past doctor's diagnosis. Luv ya gal; August 5, 2011 at 11:54 PM
Leida Dykstra said...: Our family has many wonderful memories of Arrowhead Provincial Park!!! The rocks, the trails, the falls, watching turtles by the dock while fishing, hearing the loons...
The first time Gerald and I went we had one child. The second time we went with two children. The third time we went we had three children. The fourth time, yes you guessed it, we went with four children.
Needless to say, we have never camped there again!!!; August 13, 2011 at 4:37 PM
Jacquie said...: Jess, Tim and kids,
Just getting back from a couple of weeks away and catching up on blogs. So glad that your time at Arrowhead was special - even having to switch sites. Great perspective to see it as two camping experiences. Blessings as summer winds down and other routines re-establish. We'll continue to enjoy your blog updates and pray for continued health and healing for Caleb. It was a pleasure to connect with you briefly and see your sweet kids in person.
-Jacquie and Kevin; August 14, 2011 at 2:04 PM

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What is ALL?

Caleb has ALL, a form of leukemia. From what I understand (here's the dummy's guide to leukemia), leukemia means that something has gone wrong in blood cell production.

Blood is made up of 3 main parts, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The red blood cells do things like carry oxygen and nutrients through your body. The white blood cells fight infections and keep you healthy. The platelets glue it all together. (I did say this was the dummy's guide, remember.) Bone marrow is where these cells are made and released into the blood stream.

In Caleb's leukemia, his bone marrow is producing the 3 kinds of cells, but some of the white blood cells are being made wrong. These white blood cells are not maturing, they don't perform any function, and they aren't dying off. They take up space, and made it so that Caleb's red blood cells, functioning white cells, and platelets were having a hard time doing their jobs, and the production of the blasts was taking over. This is why before we were admitted to the hospital, Caleb was tired and pale. His blood just wasn't able to do what it should do.

Chemo treatments are designed to kill back the blasts. The only way to do this has a lot of extra damage (collateral damage) as well, which we see in side effects like hair loss and need for blood transfusions. Because chemo also knocks back regular blood cells, Caleb needs blood and platelet transfusions to replace what is being lost through treatment. White blood cells cannot be transfused, which is why he has nothing to fight off infections. We can't replace those ones. When the drugs are less intense and his body can gradually go back to doing what it should be doing, white blood cell production should return. We will have to be careful for a long time, though.

Hair loss occurs because cells that are replaced often in our body, like hair, can't keep up production. The cells die off faster than they are replaced. Other fast growing/often replaced cells are in our mouths and our nails. These are all affected.

I hope my dummy's guide to leukemia makes sense. It's the way I currently understand things. People in the health care profession may cringe at my descriptions, but hopefully it's accurate enough to explain what Caleb's going through. Maybe it will help you explain it to your kids. For now, we just say we're blasting blasts.

We are the Brands

We are three kids, two parents, and one dog. And too many fish. We love our city, time in the outdoors, playing soccer, camping, and making music. Our faith is central to our lives.

On June 23, pieces of what had previously been a concerning question about our son Caleb's health came together in a diagnosis of leukemia. It all happened rather quickly, after bringing him to the ER at McMaster hospital on Monday, June 21. We're absorbing this news, and trying to learn how to cope with leukemia and a young family. Our hearts are torn, but we feel the love of many.

This blog is intended to share with our loved ones and their loved ones what is happening for Caleb and the rest of us. I must say that it is possibly as much information-giving as it is therapeutic writing. Thank you for taking the time to share with us our experience. We find strength in numbers, and in shared experiences.