USA with the Montoya brothers

A beautiful little edit by Dave's girlfriend, Naomi. The edit includes a collection of photos put together while on her visit to the U.S.A earlier this year.
Nice work Naomi and Thankyou
Enjoy Amigos!

USA chill out times with the Montoya brothers from Naomi Edwards on Vimeo.

ACTION!

Just recently Dave had the chance catch up and spend some much needed quality time with family. The change in routine allowed for some necessary clearing of the mind before returning to more hyperthermia and low-dose radiation treatment at VCI.

Before continuing with treatment on return Dave underwent an MRI scan to check progress on the tumor. The image report revealed that the tumor is smaller than it was three months ago. This is a very important point in Dave's journey and is a reassurance that he's doing something right. And this to us is GREAT news. While this news is a huge cause to celebrate, to which we did so by going forth and feasting in vegan cuisine, he realizes that there is still a huge task ahead of him and there is still much work to be done by him and the amigos.

Dave is constantly working on bettering himself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually; all realms of being which we can say he supersedes in. At the moment he works on his drawings, artistic expression, and reading and writing to help overcome some brain fog side effects from the surgery and low-dose radiation. He is also determined on regaining his coordination and building strength to help with mobility and ultimately to be able to walk independently again. Part of our days involve day dreaming about simple passions like bmx and surfing. Dave continuously reminisces on days spent on the bmx with amigos, and looks forward to being a part of the action soon.

To sum things up, "resistance" is a word to describe the hard work being put in by Dave over the last couple of months; everyday is a struggle and he continuously strives for a better way of life. Help him with strength building and support him in any way you can...
... 'treat yourself, be happy, smile for yourself and for someone you love' ... is his message.

ThankYOU

Our gratitude goes out to those who contributed and especially to those who worked hard on the AmigosBikeDay project.

Thanks amigos for keeping the dream alive.

Check out an amigos perspective of bike day and just some good times at http://bikerjoe.blogspot.com/

And visuals on l.a adventures check out the amigos flickr account

DAVE BIKE DAY!!

Hello everyone!
It seems as though the Amigos have been very busy organising Bike Day. Check out the Amigos of Dave Bike Day Blog for updates and to get your hands on a TimeTable for the days events and of course your Registration forms.

Thanks amigos for your full commitment to the cause. And to everyone else involved/participating on Bike Day, Dave's says he's "ecstatic to see such a project come together with such enthusiasm, It's truly inspiring. I hope everyone is respectful of the FUNds and togetherness intended for the day"

And on behalf of the Montoya family I'd like to acknowledge everyone's contribution toward helping Dave by putting this day on, and while we can't be present, we hope the day runs smoother than vegan chocolate silk pudding.

THANK YOU

Should have an update on Dave's tumor and treatment progress up soon.

FIESTA!!

Fundraiser Party for DAVE!!!
Latino Style at the Park

Where: Burleigh Beach
“At the Hut” near the toilets & playground
Time: 12 noon til late

Please Join in if you can.

Check out the Facebook Event Page
Or contact Naomi Edwards
(naomiedwards09@hotmail.com) for details.

'How are you?'

How are you?

More than often we're asked 'How is Dave?' 'Is the treatment working?' 'Does David feel better?' 'Is his condition improving?' 'How is Dave doing?'...This segment is dedicated to informing loved ones and supporters alike about Dave's progressing physical and emotional state of being.

For starters it's difficult to evaluate progress over such a short period, even more so considering the circumstances. It's hard to tell whether treatment has been effective, mainly because of the location and the effects of his second operation; including effecting his co-ordination, balance, speech, and physical strength.

Considering what Dave has been through over the last six months, it's extremely difficult to reach a point for him to say he has improved. That is why we focus on the healing being internal first.

You know that analogy about the one step back two forward? I see that we play in that step back stage, all while remaining optimistic about those soon to come bigger steps forward. Dave takes small steps on a daily basis. He takes baby steps forward constantly, but of course not being deterred of that all grande leap. It's extremely tiring but just as rewarding...baby steps. It is definitely glorious to be rewarded with those few joyous moments...baby steps. An inexplicable smile, a laugh, inspired by that inner peace and internal healing, baby steps. So we take it slow with baby steps forward until he is able to physically take that leap forward.

So we evaluate progress on a day to day basis. Allowing progress means understanding causes for how he feels right now compared to how he felt before starting these treatments. For example, the side effects of low-dose radiation are tiredness, fatigue and brain fog- So we take things slow. For the most part he has an exceptional appetite, and is still as witty and humorous as ever.

We do what we can to feed and guide, and Dave must take care of the rest. Knowing that at the moment Dave is being helped to get rid of this tumor. And what he is feeling now are stages chosen for the healing process. In that respect there is a Dave mind-body factor which he has to decide how and will benefit him and the rest of us can only guide or accompany him on this, his journey. Sounds poetic but it's true. If he believes it will work, then like all miracle stories, it will work.

For Dave...

For Dave...

...traveling to the U.S for treatment was always spoken about, and finally knowing he was going was exciting but on the same token sad because of course I was going to miss him dearly. So I easily decided to make the journey across the Pacific to be with him for extra support and smiles.

Flying into the “milder” US winter has been nothing short of beautiful. Just like Ashley, I didn’t know what to expect and to walk into his arms in Tulsa made me tear with excitement. Seeing the physical change in Dave over the last couple of months has been inspiring. And while his day to day energy is there, he does get tired and exhausted. His second round of DMSO treatments were exhausting and now the low-dose radiotherapy treatments are even more so. Restless sleeps weren't helping either. However, as I look at him and into his eyes I still see the calm and loving Dave determined to get through this - and that makes me smile.

There are no words that describe the Montoya brother’s relationship. Being at the hip with them the last month has been amazing. Some highlights include sharing some amazing vegan food, and taste testing Dan's culinary creations. His administration, organising, coordinating, researching, comforting and smiling just blows me away. Oh my God! And they work so well together; at tackling this difficult part of their lives, it's just amazing! WOW! It actually brings a tear to my eye.

The energy needed to do this full time is not easy and I have honestly felt a little lost on what I should be doing. But I guess chilling, talking, laughing and being silly with Dave is maybe what I am here for.

From now I only have a few days left here and I can tell you tears have already started. It will be hard leaving, but knowing why Dave is here makes me smile and cool with this. Being apart from each other has and will be tough as we both feed so much energy off each other. Simply being here when times have been heavy has made them feel easier, so I am not sure what to expect when I leave.

On that note here is a quote by Edward Abbey which Dave has given me on numerous occasions, it has lifted me up and put me back on track:

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds”.

Dave, I am with you through this.

Naomi E.

Ma timila maya garchu

Just one of our memories together: hanging out on the corner by the clinic, observing the world go by. And being able to enjoy moments like this one was very special to Dave and myself. Thanks Naomi for sharing this with us and for contributing to the blog. Yesterday we saw a guy on a tandem bike with two dogs on the back seat in a basket.. classic.

-L.A Amiga-

After hanging out with our loving friend Ashley (pictured in the center background) during our L.A stay, and after a few 'deep and meaning-fulls' she agreed and offered to give a new perspective to this situation. Just giving a little more insight into what has been Dave's journey so far. Thankyou Ashley



As an “amiga of Dave” I’m taking it upon myself to update from the perspective of an outsider, the thought being that you could get a glimpse of the situation as you might see it if you were here with him. I’m incredibly fortunate to have spent the week with the Montoya brothers, as well as Dave’s girlfriend, Naomi.

When reading the blog updates for the past few months, I found myself wondering more about the day-to-day and the personal stuff. I get confused reading medical terms and still felt in the dark about the reality of things. I wasn’t sure if I was the only one who felt that way, so I talked to Dan about how I might help and this is what we came up with—unbeknownst to me as Dan’s original intent—to have friends of Dave’s updating, posting, encouraging and even expressing concerns or asking questions. Hence, “amigosofdave.”

We’re all concerned, as Dave’s friends and family, and for good reason. Here is this amazing man--funny, positive, kind—struggling through something I personally can’t fathom…nor did I imagine I’d ever have to fathom on such a personal level. I’ll be the first (second, third?) to assure you that Dave hasn’t lost those qualities that make him who he is. Naomi and I think he’s getting funnier every day (which he accredits to the radioactivity from his treatments). As one can expect, there are good days, but among those are bad ones…discouraging days and days where you just don’t want to get out of bed.

Before I made it to LA, I had thought the worst to be honest. I didn’t really have any idea what to expect Dave’s physical state to be. As easy as it is to be pleasantly surprised when you’re expecting the worst, I’ll firmly say that I would have been pleasantly surprised even if I had expected the best I could have imagined a week ago. Except for the struggles with walking, and a really bad-ass scar, you’d never see anything but a healthy and happy Dave.

I’m unfortunately not the most educated person about cancer of any form, or the treatments that one must go through, but the doctors in LA believe that Dave is on the path to a full recovery. It’s so good. The length of time is unknown, but irrelevant. Again, it’s so good.

Dave and Dan currently live in Culver City in an apartment that is sublet-ted to them by the clinic. They share the 3-bedroom place with two other couples who are patients as well. It’s an interesting dynamic, but is good for the time. It’s very close to the clinic and is spacious and welcoming enough for the boys to live their lives comfortably for a while. Of course they are influencing their housemates who watch them prepare their raw vegan meals and get to smell the aromas coming from Dan’s creations. Just the other night, as we sat in the kitchen, a housemate was pleased to announce that he was on his way to the store to buy fresh fruit and goji berries for smoothies…this coming from someone who seems addicted to microwave popcorn. Needless to say, the Montoyas are influencing Americans left and right and are quickly making friends with everyone around. They’re already on a first-name basis with the employees of the local coffee shop, the local vegan restaurant and everyone at the clinic. Their magnetism has not faltered.

Dave’s currently focused on walking and maintaining energy. It’s beautiful to see that he is not bound to his wheelchair and walks and climbs stairs as often as possible. His physical state is improving each day and he’s doing better than the doctors expected. The dreaded nausea from the current treatment seems to have passed Dave by for the most part and the symptoms only pause the day for a moment instead of dragging him down. It goes without saying that both Dave and Dan’s heads are in the right place and they’re determined to fight this together. They’re very lucky to have each other and it is fun to see them working together and supporting each other.

The boys do have some needs and bumps in the road, but with our positive thoughts and words things will be easier for the both of them. Continue to keep them in mind and heart and feel free to ask questions and express concerns you might have. It helps everyone if no one is in the dark about things. Dave’s cancer is a reality we can’t imagine, but a reality nonetheless. I feel so blessed to have spent such quality time with the Montoyas and plan to have as much more of it as I can in the following months. I’ll be in constant contact and close proximity to them, so if I can be of help to anyone I will do whatever I can.

I hope this helps someone at least. Your turn…..