Good days, bad days.
That's to be expected battling colon cancer.
But for Lumby's Alan Hale, and his wife, Liz, the good days for the man who shares the name of the Hollywood actor who portrayed The Skipper on TV's Gilligan's Island far outnumber the bad.
Merry Christmas from the Hales, who are spending the holidays in the European country of Turkey (Turkiye), where Alan has been undergoing treatment for his cancer since the first week of October.
The Hales are the owners/operators of Camo Country Weddings and Events near Lumby's Trinity Valley. Al was first diagnosed in Canada with colon cancer in 2023. The couple were told in Canada on Sept. 26, 2024, that Alan had six-to-eight months to live.
It was three days later that Liz had a scheduled meeting with a prospective bride and she ended up sharing Alan's cancer story. The bride and her family, through their own familial cancer journey, told Liz to research medical care in Turkey.
During her research, Liz found information about the Acibadem Health Point in Istanbul, started talking with a medical consultant and the clinic's medical director, both of whom discussed a plethora of oncology treatment options available on plans customized for each patient.
On Oct. 5, the Hales were winging their way overseas, and have been there ever since.
Here's where the Merry gets put in Christmas for the Hales.
The tumour marker counts from Al's blood tests are showing drastic results in shrinking.
"When we first arrived at Acibadem hospital, both of Al's tumour markers were 31.9," said Liz in an email to The Morning Star. "After receiving the fourth treatment of chemotherapy, and a targeted therapy with a smart drug, both of his tumour markers have now dropped to less than three (2.6) which is within the normal range."
The tumour markers, Liz explained, are called CEA and CA 19-9 which are commonly used to monitor colon and liver cancer. The clinic's medical director, Dr. Daniel, told the Hales that tumour markers are substances produced by cancer cells or by the body in response to cancer. These markers can be found in blood and other body fluid.
Blood tests measuring tumour markers, said Liz, are used for cancer screening, diagnosing the type of cancer, and monitoring treatment effectiveness. They also detect any cancer recurrence.
"Al and I, as well as the team of medical professionals, are very hopeful," said Liz.
Al's fifth chemotherapy treatment is schedule for Boxing Day, so the Hales will not be home for Christmas. Who can blame the couple for not wanting to chance things while Al is undergoing treatment?
"As much as we miss our family, home, pets and friends we know we can celebrate with them all once Al is well enough to come home," said Liz. "We speak to them daily which is wonderful."
The Hales have become friends with the medical professionals at Acibadem. Their new friends, said Liz, "have been amazing, show us around the most beautiful areas and offer to help us with anything." This, she said, "has really helped to keep a very healthy mindset and brings us a lot of joy."
Just because they won't be back in the village for Christmas doesn't mean the festive spirit has left the Hales.
They live in an apartment in an Istanbul suburb called Maslak, and the Hales have gotten familiar with the area.
"People are very helpful to us," she said. "It is decorated everywhere with Christmas decorations and lights. It's a very beautiful time here in Istanbul."
If the Hales could send a mass Christmas card wish back home it would read something like this, wrote Liz:
"We are very grateful for all the support we have received from family and friends as well as strangers, reaching out to us daily from all over the world. Our wonderful community of Lumby has especially been so wonderful offering their help with anything as well as words of encouragement to both of us.
"We are very grateful."
