57 Year-Old Outdoorsman and Man-of-the-Earth Seeks Treatments in Seattle and Through a Strict Diet. Kingston, WA

Bob and Dar Lyne Cashman live on a 10 acre hillside estate overlooking the Puget Sound with a clear view of the serrated Olympic Forest peaks. Their home is at the end of a gravel road, on a hill, surrounded by trees and native plants. Their yard is full of life featuring apple and plum orchards, vegetable gardens, a horse stable, a barn, and Dar Lyne's commercial plant nursery.

Bob is a 57-year old, 6' 6" gentle giant not easily intimidated with a wry sense of humor. He doesn't pull any punches and likes straight talk. A retired heat treater, drywaller and former race car driver he spends the majority of his time helping Dar Lyne with her nursery.

Bob and Dar Lyne have a strong marriage. They love word games and enjoy playful nagging. They custom designed their kitchen, bed room, living room and master bath. Their home is very impressive, decorative, and functional.

Bob has always been an active man. He was a regular softball player who frequently hit the long ball. At 6'6", Bob knocked more than a few home runs. When he was 16 years old, he was a part of a group that climbed to the top of Mt. Ranier in Seattle in a then-record time of five hours.

Bob and Dar Lyne are the true definition of a "team." They love living off the land and working with their hands.

When Bob retired, he and Dar Lyne purchased land in Sequim, Washington. It was their plan to build a home on the land and eventually move there. They were doing most of the labor themselves, clearing trees and brush, digging, putting in utilities and the septic system.

In between, they were also running Dar Lyne's nursery, traveling to places in Washington and Oregon, purchasing plants, loading them in their truck and trailer and bringing them back home. Their days were full and fun!

This summer, their lives changed and their plans were halted.

In the early part of May, Bob began having an unusual bout of shortness of breath.

When the shortness of breath became too severe to ignore, Bob met with his family physician who took several chest films which revealed a right-sided pleural effusion.

Bob then met with doctors at the Kitsap Chest Consultants in Bremerton, Washington. On May 19, a thoracentesis was performed and 500 ccs of red, cloudy fluid was removed. The fluid was analyzed by pathologists at the Diagnostic Specialties Laboratory in Bremerton. The results returned a diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma.

On approximately May 30, Bob was rushed to the emergency room in Bremerton, unable to breathe. Additional chest films were taken which showed the fluid had returned. The emergency room doctors wanted to perform a second thoracentesis, but Bob wanted the procedure to be done at the Swedish Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington.

On approximately June 1, Bob had 680 ccs of fluid removed at Swedish Cancer Center. He met with Dr. Eric Vallieres, a surgical oncologist with the Swedish Cancer Center. Dr. Vallieres recommended Bob undergo four treatments of Alimta with Cisplatin, after which he would undergo a diagnostic evaluation to determine if he was eligible for an extra-pleural pneumonectomy (EPP).

On June 10, Bob underwent a third thoracentesis followed by a talc pleurodesis at the Swedish Cancer Center.

On June 21, Bob had his first treatment. He suffered horrible side-effects. He was extremely nauseous and unable to eat for almost eight days. His second treatment was July 12 and his oncologist had replaced the Cisplatin with Carboplatin. He completed four treatments. Bob described the treatments as if "somebody was trying to kill you. You'd get extremely sick. You can't eat. You can't drink. You can't do anything, really."

In September, Bob underwent a CAT scan to determine if he qualified for the EPP. Unfortunately, the cancer had invaded his lymph nodes. He and Dar Lyne were very disappointed but refused to give up. With Dar Lyne's guidance, Bob began a special diet. He ate his big meal of the day at noon and limited his protein intake after that meal. All his food was organic and he began juicing.

Bob during his racing days

Today, Bob is more concerned about Dar Lyne than himself. His plan was to build the new home together and enjoy retirement together...forever. They can no longer plan too far in the future. Bob has not been able to mow, prune and landscape as before, forcing Dar Lyne to hire out for help, and basically work sun up to sun down on maintaining their estate. According to Bob, "we're really kind of up in the air about what to do next. I don't know what we're going to do at this point."

*** POSTED ???? 2005 ***