Christmas

I have been looking forward to Christmas for some time. I had an assignment at girl's camp this year to speak for an hour on enduring to the end. The theme for camp was The Olympic Spirit-Light the Fire Within. So, I structured my talk around the Olympics and told them my life story, using hurdles as an analogy of going through hard times. It felt good to look back at my life and how it unfolded and to be able to see the many ways in which I was blessed and protected.

A  friend told me that I needed to write it down for the benefit of my children. So I secretly began making a book, writing down my story, using the same structure that I did for my talk at camp, and adding pictures. Knowing that I was also going to give this book to all of my siblings as well as my children I couldn't wait for Christmas when they would all be able to see it.

I had a wonderful Christmas and everyone was home...except Ian. We got to Skype with him and he looked good and it was fun to see him.
We went ice skating, made cookies, went Christmas caroling, went to see A Christmas Carol, the play,  Le Miserables, the botanical garden lights, played games, ate till we were stuffed, went shopping together. Corey brought his girlfriend home for Christmas and we enjoyed getting to know her. It was all very nice.  Everyone loved the book. It is now available to purchase on blurb.com for all my friends and family who may want a copy. You can see a preview of just a few pages by clicking on the blurb badge at the side of this blog.

One day before Christmas,  I wasn't feeling well at all. It was most definitely cancer related and I felt horrible. I have been feeling so good, for several months, it was easy to forget at times what is going on. Having that day was a reality check and made me even more thankful that I feel so good. I can handle being sick if I don't feel sick.

They're calling my numbers stable. They are now at 305. Next month is my  CT scan. I will also be getting my first PET scan. I have been having pain in my tailbone for months and it's not getting better so they decided to run a PET scan. We'll see how that goes.

Very soon we say good-bye to 2012, a year that will forever be etched in my brain. I am happy to begin a new year but remain grateful for the blessings of love and friendship that have poured over me and my family this past year.

Thanksgiving

My last blood draw showed my numbers at 296 which is again, a very gentle increase. I am grateful for that and for the fact that I still feel good.

I feel this would be an especially appropriate time to give thanks for all my blessings. Though I cannot begin to number them, I would like to express my gratitude for some of them.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to spend this past Thanksgiving with most of my family. Most everyone was there and those that weren't were missed.

I am grateful for my siblings who have expressed their love for me through words and actions and who I know I can count on for anything. I am grateful for their spouses and all of my nieces and nephews who I wish I knew better.

I am grateful for the efforts of those who are mending fences. I am grateful for forgiveness and repentance and the opportunity we have to let go of the past and be free to feel joy and begin anew.

I am grateful for a caring husband and that I don't have to do this alone. I am grateful for wonderful children who I am proud of and who fill me with joy.

I am deeply grateful to be surrounded by friends who I know I can count on and who continually lift me and support me, challenge me, and comfort me.

I am grateful for far away friends and their love and support and the memories we share.

I am grateful for the challenges I've faced which have caused me to learn and to grow. They truly have been a gift.

I am grateful for my house and the fulfillment I receive in making it a home. I am grateful for my husband's job and for his support which has allowed me to stay at home to raise our children.

I am grateful for doctors and nurses and research which allows me to feel so good under these circumstances and which allow me the time to plan and to prepare.

I am grateful for my knowledge of where I have come from and why I am here and where I am going after this life.

Although I still feel fear at times, I am grateful to be able to feel peace in a world that is falling apart.
I am grateful to know that a loving Heavenly Father watches over us and wants to bless us.

I rejoice in my blessings and want nothing more than to please my Father in heaven who has blessed me so abundantly.

CT Scan

Monday was my latest CT Scan. It showed that most of my tumors have remained the same but a couple of the tumors in my lungs have grown just a little bit and my numbers have gone up a little. They are 269. Also my thyroid is low so I am now taking medication for my thyroid.  My doctor said overall he is happy with the scan. Considering where I was in the beginning, this is still a good place to be, and believe me, I agree. I still feel good. Sometimes I get really tired but hopefully the new meds will help with that.
I've tried several times to respond to your comments and for some reason I can't, but I want all of you to know that I read and appreciate each of your comments. I am thankful to have the support of amazing and wonderful friends in my life.

Burst of Energy!

Okay, so I know I haven't kept up with the blog and I'm hoping that no one is getting worried. My last visit to SCCA showed my numbers at 199. They are not moving much...just kind of hovering around 200.

Those who are around me know that I feel great! I have had this burst of energy and I feel like my old self. I have been busy, busy, busy taking advantage of every minute that I feel good. I thought I would share some of the things that I have been doing in the past few weeks.

I love making quilts but when it comes to quilting by machine I get a little intimidated. So I have accumulated a bunch of quilt tops over the years and I decided that I need to get them all quilted. I went and got backing material and batting and prepared them all for quilting. Here are pictures of ones I have completed in the last several weeks...and there are more to come!

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I got side tracked when Eddie decided to get new furniture. When the furniture came I started redecorating and it snowballed and I ended up moving the piano to the front room. I always wanted it in there but the reason I didn't have it in there is because we had two very large leather chairs that ate up the whole room and there was no room left for the piano. So we sold the chairs and moved the piano in but it still didn't look right. So I removed one of the built-in book shelves, patched up the wall, painted and then decided that piano looked worn and beat up so I painted that too! :)

 The wall behind the piano had another book shelf like the one you see. Now it is gone! I like it! I should have done that years ago.

So there you go. Now you know what I have been up to.

Aches and Pains

One thing they ask every time I go in for my appointment is "Are you in any pain?" Even though I didn't think it was cancer related I let them know this time that yes, I am in pain in a few different places. They did some x-rays and the results came in today. The good news is, it is not cancer related. The not so good news is, it is arthritis. Boy, does that make me feel old-just because I have it and also the way it makes me feel.
Also, for the first time since starting chemo my numbers have gone up instead of down. They are at 213. It's still a far cry from where I started and could just be a little hiccup. We'll see.  I have one more round of chemo in three weeks before I have another CT scan at the end of October.

Prayers for peace

Today as I was getting my chemo, I couldn't help but overhear the patient next to me as she was talking to the nurse. She was sounding a little frantic because her numbers had been going down and were starting to go up. My numbers are down again... they're at 171. I am very aware of my blessings. I wish I could bring comfort and peace to the woman on the other side of the curtain...

An experience worth sharing

My oldest brother is 57 years old. He had a colonoscopy 7 years ago and wasn't due for another one for 3 more years. When his wife went in to see her doctor she scheduled a colonoscopy for herself. She mentioned my situation and the doctor became alarmed. He told my brother to schedule a colonoscopy right away.
He had his colonoscopy and called to tell me that they found 4 polyps. 3 came back negative and 1 came back pre-cancerous! I am so happy they found it before it became a problem.
Because now there is a family history and a personal history for him he needs to go in every three years.

There was really no way for me to catch mine early since screening for it doesn't start until your 50.
They estimated that my cancer has been growing for about 8 years. Starting at about age 36. I had NO symptoms until this past year and even they were pretty vague.

If my experience can make others aware and help to prevent cancer in someone else I am truly happy. It brings me great joy to know that it has helped my own brother.

CT Scan Results

Monday was my mom's first CT Scan that I did not go to. I was bummed and it seemed like I heard about 50 cancer commercials at work. She is sick with a cold and not feeling too well, but it did not effect anything and the appointment went on as usual.

Great news!! Her cancer markers are down, way down, to 209! Remember, that's all the way from 16,000!

The tumors are shrinking a little bit, not anything significant, but they are at least still responding to the treatments and a little smaller is better than nothing. She is still on the pill version of chemo which has been more convenient to do. And so far so good since the last dosage adjustment. She has felt more herself these days, which is amazing!!!

She is now enjoying a week with one of her brothers, and his family. Wish I was there!

Coming Up

My mom is currently at a girls camp, for our church, as a guest speaker. She was feeling well enough to go! I can not believe the progress she has been making since January, it has been incredible to witness.

In July I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina and it has been hard being so far away from her. I have been home since the beginning of it all and not being able to see the day to day has been...an adjustment. It is comforting to know she is feeling good!

I would still prefer to be closer to her.

Her next big appointment is another CT Scan on August 6th,

three days from now.

Let's pray those tumors have shrunk lots more!

I am still in shock how widespread the cancer is. It is hard to believe. But as along as she is still responding to treatment, it is good news and things are continuing to look up...right?

Still Coming Down!

Yes, they reduced my dosage. Let's hope this does it. Although I enjoyed adding a few extra days to my week "off" it is important to keep going and kill those tumors.
More good news...my cancer markers are now down to 254! Yay! I am feeling really good. Like my old self.
I need to get some excercise though. I started going to the Y for water aerobics. I'm in the advanced class. Don't get all excited and think I'm such a trooper, they're all advanced... in age. ;)
I may be starting out slow but it does feel good to work those muscles and I fully intend to work up to more and more. I would LOVE to be able to run again.

Prayer. When life gets too hard to stand...kneel.

Chemo stopped due to hand/foot syndrome

10 days into round two of my chemo pill and I have the hand/foot syndrome again. They have already reduced my dose due to this side effect. Now they have me stopping all further chemo for this round and I have a week off next week. I guess they will reevaluate when I go back in to them. Maybe they will reduce my dose again. I feel so good other than my painful feet.
I am currently enjoying a visit from my brother and his family. Unfortunately, my feet started hurting the day they arrived so we can't go do much of anything because I need to stay off of my feet. Sorry, guys.
But I'm glad I can enjoy the blessing of family and feeling good.

Feeling Good

I've had people ask me to update the blog more often. I'll try to be more regular with my enteries.
I'm happy to let you know that I feel good. I am quilting again and working on various small projects. I still have not developed the ability to pace myself so I tend to wear myself out quickly but I do feel good other than getting really tired rather quickly. My cancer marker continues to drop, it is now at 560.
The first round of oral chemotherapy was interesting. At first I could not keep my balance which is not even a side effect of this pill. I experienced a mild case of the hand foot syndrome and so my dose has been adjusted beginning with this round which began yesterday.
I am looking forward to going with the young women in our ward this week on their high adventure. We will be white water rafting! So excited!

Fever

Around the beginning of the month mom started a fever. It also came with a cough (more than usual). After days of this going on, we could not ignore it and ended up in the ER on the 6th. It was about six hours of tests, waiting, waiting, and waiting to find no answer for the fever. The reason we delayed going in was because fevers happen frequently and the answer is never found. Mom researched and discovered colon cancer is one of three cancers that come with unexplained fevers. Still, its good to be sure, so we go in and endure the idle hours at the hospital. One upside...warm blankets! We ended up getting home around 130am. There's no place like home, especially your own bed.

Results from the 2nd CT Scan

I just got back home from an all day adventure at SCCA. First we did the CT scan and then had 3 hours to kill before meeting with the Doctor to get the results. We went to the mall and had brunch...I love brunch. :)
Then we browsed through some stores and had fun window shopping...wishing money was no object.

The results of the CT scan showed that all tumors are smaller and nothing new has cropped up. Good news!
My cancer marker is now 877! Again, that's down from 16,000 and just last month 1400!
So chemotherapy is working! The Doc gave me a couple of choices. I could continue on chemo as we have been doing or I could go on the chemo pill. The downside of going on the pill is that he doesn't know what dosage will be right for me so we need to start and then tweak it til we get it right. But I chose the pill anyway. Once it's tweaked just right it sounds easier. I still have to go in every three weeks for some kind of infusion...sorry I can't remember what but it's just a small part. And every 2 months I go in for another CT scan.

With all the love and prayers being sent in our behalf it's no wonder the cancer is running scared. I do not feel alone in this battle. I can feel so many warriors standing behind me and beside me in support.
Thank you to all of you for your love, support and prayers. I am glad to have the love of family and friends through all of this.
Ultimately it is not what the doctors say and it is not what we want for ourselves but it is in God's hands and I put my trust in Him.

"Cancer Markers dropping like a stone"

"Cancer Markers dropping like a stone" These are the words of my physicians assistant.
The latest numbers have me down to 1400! And I'm on my second round of chemo since then. So they are possibly even lower than that by now. As a reminder Cancer Markers are found in the blood and tells them how much cancer is in me. My origanl number was 16,000.
I started my 8th round of chemo yesterday and will finish it on Wed. It's always a little nerve racking waiting to see which side effects will effect me this time and how severe will they be. I hope it's a good week. I have Corey home for a visit and I would like to feel good enough to run around and have fun with him and the rest of the family. Here's hoping for a good week. Then I have a CT scan next Wed and one last round of chemo after that! Yay!

Mother's day blessings

So, I figured I had better put an update on the blog. I have been handling the Chemo pretty well until this last one. This week was a little tough. There is a side effect that affects the hands and feet. I've had it a couple of times before but never as bad as this week. My feet hurt so bad it was very hard to walk. I'm supposed to put lotion on them to keep them from cracking and peeling. As soft as I could I would apply the lotion but it was still painful. It's a burning pain and very tender to the touch. Even today I went to church and my feet were still a little tender in my shoes. It's never lasted this long before. This along with other side effects has made this week a little tough.
I am still grateful for all the little things that come into my life to make it easy to keep going. This mother's day was the best. I spoke to all of my children including my missionary. It was wonderful! I loved listening as they talked and laughed with each other. My kids really do love each other! :))) I love watching them develop into capable, confident adults and enjoy each other's company. This makes me very happy.
Thank you to my family for the best Mother's Day ever!

Pains

On Tuesday the 17th...
(which also happens to be my wedding anniversary)
Mom was having pains in her shoulder and side.
She laid down and had trouble breathing.
By this time Garrett and I were in Seattle celebrating
and had no idea what Mom was going through.
My dad checked in with her.
After calling the nurses and checking with the doctors,
they told her to go to the emergency room.
My dad drove her.
Everything turned out to be alright.
No blood clots, infection or anything they were worried about.
The doctor there said it is probably just
pains from a dying tumor.

When we got home from Seattle,
Jason updated us on where our parents were and
how Mom had been feeling all day.
They did not come home until around 1:00am.
This, to me, was a little taste of what it will be like
to be living far away.
I won't know right away how Mom is,
I won't be able to help her.
I will feel helpless.
How awful.
Even though everything turned out to be more than ok,
I couldn't help but think about "what ifs" and "whens."
Like, what if Mom needs help when I'm in Charlotte.

I'm so glad it was pains from a dying tumor.
and not a new one.

More Than Half Way

This is at Mom's first chemo treatment after her half way mark.

View from the waiting room.

View down from the waiting room.

Walking, outside of SCCA

Dad and I went with her this time and this was our view from her room. 

Everything went well that day.

She had another blood draw yesterday,

(like she does every Friday before a chemo treatment)

and is going in on Monday for another treatment.

Only a few more treatments left.

Results

We just finished meeting with the doctor here at SCCA. He went over the results of the CT scan. We have two months of chemo down and two more to go. Her tumors have shrunk an average of about a third of the size, or less, of the original. The large tumors in her liver have only lost only about 2-4mm, which is not nearly as significant as we had hoped. They are still fairly large, but they are at least responding! The doctor was pleased with the results. He also said surgery is not likely after the treatments. It would not help because of how wide spread the cancer is. After two more months of chemo she will switch to a pill form that is more a targeted therapy than a chemotherapy, that will cut off the blood supply to all of the tumors. The pill would still help shrink the tumors. It's looking like the tumors will never completely dissapear, but there is always hope! It is good news that the cancer is responding to the treatments. Just because the tumors did not shrink in half does not mean there isn't hope for there to be more progress. Only time will tell and we pray continually we will pull through this.
Her cancer counters went from 16,000 to 3,600.
We are currently in the waiting room for her next chemotherapy....

Time for a CT Scan

Mom's sister came to visit for a week!

Her trip was pushed back because of the surprise trip to Hawaii.

She was really helpful around here.

She even made us goodies like cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls!

I am still kicking myself for not getting a picture of the two of them together.

Here's an update on Mom's health....

For the past week she has been feeling sick.

She caught pink eye.

She has had a sore throat that is so painful its hard to eat and even drink,

and her temperature has been climbing, nearing the ER visit number, the dreaded 101
She has also been coughing more lately.

A little hair has been falling out, but just thinning. No bald spots or big chunks or anything like that. Just thinning. It started while she was in Hawaii.

She went to the doctors yesterday and they gave her 2 prescriptions. Only one has been helpful with the pain. They didn't know for sure at first what was going on. A good friend of ours also had a mom go through chemo and thought it may be Thrush. Mom's tongue is also really white/grey. She doesn't have any sores in her mouth, which is what the doctors keep asking her. Her pain is really deep in her throat. Today the doctors confirmed she has a sinus infection.

She is just feeling yucky, which is not fun to watch. She had been feeling good for a while so the thought of cancer was practically out of my mind. Until now.

Today I took her in for a blood draw and the big,

long awaited CT scan.

The blood draw was through her port so I had to wear a mask when they poked her. It was soon over and then afterwards she had to drink a bottle of liquid that preps her for the scan over the span of an hour. We sat by the window in the waiting room enjoying the view of the water. (I just love Seattle!) We laughed and talked and hooray-ed at each milestone of the drink being gone with increments of time. There was a man that sat across from us and as he sat he said, "Wanna trade?!" He had TWO bottles of what looked like lemonade, but he went on to talk about how nasty the stuff was. My mom's was similar to tap water. Just goes to show you there is always someone worse off.
They called her in for the CT scan, which was about 3 minutes. Then I could sit with her for the 20 minutes they kept an eye on her in case of any reactions to the liquid she may have. They gave her a treat and a warm blanket. I was cold too so...

No reactions 20 minutes later and we were free to go!

(We won't have the results until Monday)

We stayed and ate lunch at their cafeteria since we were both starved.

YUM!

She fell right asleep when we got home.

I'm so happy I spent the day with her. Just the two of us.

She makes me laugh,

what will I do when we move 3,000 miles away??

Hopefully she gets plenty of rest and feels better soon

so we don't have to go to the ER Easter weekend

and so she can get chemo on Monday.

Lots of prayers!

*After calling the nurse since her temp has gone up near 102,

because of the sinus infection awareness they said we are ok to take care of her at home.

Hopefully things look up and don't get worse.

Round 4

I'm sitting here in the middle of my 4th chemo with my chemo fanny pack around my waist.
The side effects that happen every time in the beginning are going on. Cold sensitivity-I can't drink or touch anything cold for several days. Facial pain when I bite into something-it lasts only a few seconds but is not very pleasant. I'm starting to have vision problems. I don't know if it's strictly the chemo or my RP or a combination of both. I'll have to see if my eye specialist will talk to my oncologist to see if there is anything that can be done. Sometimes when I rub my eyes or sometimes randomly my vision will narrow to a tunnel vision view with everything blackened but a small narrowed view of what I'm looking at. It only lasts a few moments.

But the good news is  my cancer marker has dropped to now 4000 from the original 16000 which means I am responding to treatments! I think that is an amazing drop after only 3 treatments. I am feeling better, stonger, and more in the mood to start back into some small projects. This is good. I am thankful.

Hawaii and other updates...

This past round of Chemo brought with it some random side effects. One was that my feet started to really hurt in the middle of the night. The next day they were all red and it hurt to walk. I wasn't sure what it was but after talking to the nurse she said it was related to the Chemo and that they might have to ajust the treatment next time.

Eddie and I were surprised last week with a trip to Hawaii!!! A collection was made and several people from Eddie's work donated money to get us to Hawaii, including plane tickets, a place to stay and all expenses! What a sweet and generous gift! We had a great time. It was nice to see the sun, and just get away. Thank you to everyone who made that possible.

We continue to see blessings in our lives and consider our friends and family to be among the biggest. The love and concern that is expressed by so many touches my heart-even from strangers that I've never met.

Ian shared  our story with his ward and they are concerned about me. I have recieved cards and notes from members of his ward expressing their concern for me and letting me know they are praying for me. While I appreciate the prayers in my behalf  it is so nice to know that Ian, being away from home, is also being loved and supported by such caring people.

Monday is my 4th Chemo and halfway mark. On April 6th I go in for CT scan to see how I am responding to treatments. If it goes well, the plan is to have 4 more treatments.

Family Visits and Cancer Updates

Mom's brothers took turns to come see her.

She has 6 brothers and 1 sister.

5 out of 6 brothers came and

her sister is coming at the end of this month

Uncle Lee with Mom

Uncle Dan with Mom

Us with Uncle Dale, Uncle Tom, Aunt Angela and Uncle John

Cancer Updates

Mom had her third treatment this week and everything went well! She is feeling good. It amazing me how with all of the chemicals they are pumping in her, she can feel the way she does.

I expected so much worse (and it can be).

We are all feeling the strength of your prayers.

It really makes a difference! In more ways than you think.

_______

From Mom's blood work there are numbers called cancer
counters that represent how much cancer is in her.

She started off with 16,000 and was down to 11,000.
The doctor called today to say it is now down to 6,000!

To give some perspective...normal is 5. Not 500 not 5,000 just 5.

It seems to be working but we have a long way to go.

April 6th is a CT Scan that will tell more of the progress of the

treatments and will determine future treatments.

Feeling Good

Mom's second round of chemo went a lot better than the first. She still had an ER trip though. This time it was because of chest pain. Cancer patients can develop blood clots easier so with the chest pain we were told to go in and have it checked out.

Thankfully, everything turned out just fine.

Mom was able to keep food down and had good energy. (She still gets tired a lot, but she found herself doing more things this time) She did not feel nauseous at all either! It was a really good week...especially compared to her first week on chemo.
Her first week she was very sick and nauseous and just all around uncomfortable. She had fevers which could lead to infection so we would go to the ER to have that checked out. She always turned out to be ok. Just long nights at the hospital. She could not keep anything down and had to get rehydrated through an IV. Not easy at all, but she leveled out and made it through.

Thank you for all of your prayers! We are definitely feeling them.

Donation Fund

Good friends of ours started a donation fund for my mom.

We have friends and family all over the country and

it is so wonderful to see how much you all love her.

We have been asked often what others can do to help,

this is just another way.

I want you to know that any way you feel is best to help,
is welcomed and appreciated.

Just know this is an option.

If you are interested you can go to any Key Bank and

ask to donate to The Dawna Golden Donation Fund.

Thank you for continuing to send love and support our way.

It has been a little over a month since we found out about the cancer,

but it still feels like yesterday to us.

Round Two

We are at SCCA as mom gets her second dose of chemotherapy.
She is doing great! And she got one of her favorites...grape juice.
We were able to be moved to a bigger room with a bed. She also got to meet with a nutritionist, which was helpful.
Its a good girls day too!

Feeling Grateful

I'm sorry for leaving all of you hanging. I'm doing fine. It was a little bit of a rough week but feeling close to normal now.
I continue to be overwhelmed by the thoughtful acts of service performed by friends and family and even strangers. I definately do not feel like I'm in this alone. Thank you to everyone who has brought in a meal, come to clean my house, dropped off surprise goodies, sent notes of love and encouragement, and continues to pray for me and my family. I feel so loved.

"Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted - a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul."
- Rabbi Harold Kushner"

Valentines

Thank you for the thoughtful Valentine gifts Mom received today. It is her second day of chemo and she is feeling a lot worse than yesterday. They were much appreciated pick me ups! She spent most of the day in bed. We are so grateful for wonderful friends who have been so supportive and loving through all this.
Happy Valentines Day!

ER

On Friday night we went to the emergency room again. Mom hadn't been feeling good. She had a headache and fever. She also felt nauseous. We were worried her port had gotten infected since it had gotten a little wet earlier. Her blood pressure was the highest its been. 181/101. The doctor we called said to get her blood drawn to see if it was an infection so we decided to go yo the emergency room in Monroe. After a really long wait they were able to help her. Things went back to normal and there was thankfully no infection.

Mom starts chemo today 8am! Glad to get it started...we will soon see how she reacts to it.

Special thanks to the girls who came over yesterday to bring her a chemo basket! So sweet and thoughtful.

Port

Mom went in on Thursday morning to have her port surgically inserted. She was hungry afterwards and when she came home she went right to sleep. I can't believe she has a port in her. She says she feels like a Cyborg!

Prognosis

Monday we went in to our first oncology visit.

Almost to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

Beautiful view from the waiting room

The first thing we were told is that they cannot "cure" stage 4 colon cancer, but they can extend my life expectancy with chemotherapy. They said that on average with treatment I could expect to live two years. Of course we have read about those who have survived this and I believe that if it's the Lord's will, I can too.


I go in on Thursday to have a "port" put in which provides a simple and relatively painless (I hope) method to administer chemotherapy drugs.


Monday I begin chemotherapy. I will be there a large part of the day to get chemo and then go home with a pump that will continue to give me chemo over the next couple of days. Then a nurse will come "unhook" me, take her pump and I will continue this process every other Monday for a couple of months. Then I will have a CT scan to see how I am responding.
The good news is the doctor doesn't think I will lose my hair! I guess I didn't need to get this haircut afterall but it sure is a LOT easier to do! Of course I wonder how sure he can be that I won't lose hair so I'm prepared for either way.

This whole thing has happened so fast. I can not believe I am sitting here talking about the things I'm talking about. But there is one thing I want all of you to know...I trust my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ. If I have to go through this, there is a  reason. And I know I am being watched over and blessed as well as my family. I am so grateful to all of you for your outpouring of love and concern for me and my family.

Girls Day

The day before we found out Mom has cancer, she got her hair done.

After thinking about it, and the effects of chemo, she thought

it would be nice to enjoy a short cut for a while!

Ken, her hairdresser and a family friend,
was nice enough to re-cut it for her.

We made it a girls day. I was really glad she was feeling up for it.

Mom tends to feel better in the morning and

get more tired or sick as the day goes on.
She has good days and bad days so we're lucky it was a good day.

First, we went to Kohls to buy her some cute comfy clothes,
which we totally scored!

Then we headed over to the salon.

Before...

After...

The nerves are kicking in...

Looking cuter!!

After the wonderful haircut...Thanks Ken!!...
We headed to subway for lunch.

 It was so beautiful outside and nice and warm too!
This was our view.

It was such a great day. I will never forget it.

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That night, after getting used to the short cut,

we thought it could be even shorter. gasp!

Ken was kind enough to squeeze her in this morning.

And Voila! Cute as can be. I think it looks SO good on her.