We have finished 4 sessions of chemo!
Just thought I would do another update of how mom's last round of chemo went last week. She visited with the doctor prior to starting chemo on Monday and he was AMAZED at how well she is responding to treatment and also how good she looks! Looking at her, you would never be able to tell that she is going through all that she is! She continues to have chemo every three weeks- so she gets two weeks off and the third week she is in for her session. The doctor is so impressed that he is talking about doing radiation treatments as soon as she completes her chemo!
It continues to amaze all of us how she continues to fight every day without any complaining and with a smile on her face. She continues to give her whole heart in everything she does and continues to put others before her first always. I am so proud to have the mother that I have- she is a pillar of strength and and inspiration to all who face trials in their lives.
As you continue you with your next week or so, please think of mom, pray for her and lift her up to the Lord. Everyone that knows her would be completely lost with out her if something were to happen.

Mom:
Tonight, I lift you up in prayer and ask that God continue to be with you and give you the strength and courage you need to continue fighting the way you do. I thank God for giving you as my mother and teaching me so many things. I hope I can one day live up to the woman you are! I ask that God heal your body, take away any pain and fears that you might have and give you comfort. I ask this in his name, Amen.....     I love you mom! 

Time to catch everyone up!

WOW- how time flies when you have a baby! I apologize for neglecting the blog.... I'll go ahead and recap the past several weeks! My last post was after mom's second week of being diagnosed. Since then, mom has undergone two more sessions of treatments (6 treatments total) and has three more sessions to, with two week breaks in between each session. She was scheduled for an MRI of her brain in mid March, however shortly before the test was to be performed, the doctor was informed that mom has a TENS unit or pain stimulator in her lower back and could have actually be killed if the MRI was performed. A PET scan of moms brain was the next option and has been completed! By the grace of God, the cancer has not moved to moms brain (that tends to be the next place it will go as well as the bones). Mom has been such a trooper and fighter throughout this and the doctor is amazed at how well she is responding to treatment! He seems optimistic about the future months and is planning radiation on mom's lung when the the chemo is treated! For those that don't know- MOM QUIT SMOKING! Hooray for her! It's been a struggle and she still has her cravings but once again, she is providing to us all that she is a fighter! Her blood counts continue to remain stable each week and she has been able to remain illness-free (thank God) over the past few weeks which helps her blood cell count remain in good range!
Last week, mom was able to receive a visit from her nephew Zach Hamer and his wife Sarah and their adorable little boy Wesley. Sue had promised Zach that for their honeymoon, he could choose anywhere to go and she would take care of the air fare. Zach and Sarah and chose to come to Utah to visit with mom- something that touched mom (and all of us really) beyond what words can describe. While out here, Zach decided to shave his head in honor of my mom- it made us all cry... however mom has accepted losing her hair quite positively and always continues to see the bright side of things! Let's all continue to pray for mom as she continues to endure her treatments in the upcoming weeks and that she remain healthy and that her blood counts remain stable! Mom- you are a fighter and a true inspiration to everyone you meet! We love you more than words or actions could every express. You are the light of my world! I love you!

I'll post some pictures of the last few weeks once I remember how to upload pictures from my iPhoto and onto the blog!

Week 2 in Review! It was a GOOD week!

We couldn't have asked for a better week for week 2 into mom's treatment! Mom had the week off from chemo to allow her white blood cells to build back up ensuring that her immune system can handle another round of treatment. She had a follow up visit this morning (Monday, Feb 13th) and her cell count remains good! Now we just need to make sure that she stays healthy so we can keep her treatments on schedule! She won't go back in for chemo treatments until the 26th of February. She will typically have 2 weeks off between treatments, but due to the holiday next week and insurance (how political can you get?), the doctor decided to hold off and give her one more week to get her body ready for another round of chemo! She did get a touch of the flu like symptoms with vomiting but we are hoping that it is related to the immune booster shot that she received last week and not the chemo itself!

Mom has her glow back! You can see it in her eyes when she smiles! It makes me so happy to see that she still has her fighting spirit! She is such an inspiration to us all!  I hope that she continues to have the faith that she does and continues to fight without hesitation! She admits that it's scary- so please everyone, keep her in your thoughts and prayers as she continues this next battle...

We had a GREAT visit with Jeremy and Michelle this weekend! They came in and spent the weekend at home! We celebrated Jeremy's birthday with a late birthday dinner and had a great time- mom and dad gave him a stock certificate for the Green Bay Packers so he (along with mom and dad) are now Shareholder for the Packers! I am so jealous! It's unfortunate that Jeremy and Michelle's visit had to be so short, but they have jobs and lives that they need to get back too. Hopefully we will be able to have them up for another visit soon!

Shopping for a wig!

                                                                   Simply Beautiful!

                                                       He looks like a young Ken doll!

                                                                      Chase having fun!

                                           Woot, woot! What a stud!

 
So this morning, Melissa, Mom, Ty and I decided to venture out into the world of wigs to see what moms options might be when she starts to lose her hair due to the chemotherapy. We ended up at a shop where the woman helping us was so nice and helped mom pick styles similar to how she wears her hair now! We decided to buy two wigs and have mom start wearing them now so as her hair begins to thin and fall out, she will already have been wearing wigs and it can be more of a private process for her. The wigs look wonderful and mom walked out of the store wearing one! Ty gave his seal of approval when Nana looked at him and asked him what he thought and he gave her the biggest smile! As awkward or sad of a situation this could have been, it was actually very therapeutic and mom had a smile on her face the entire time! She couldn't have looked more beautiful today and had her "happy glow" back to her! After coming home and receiving rave reviews from everyone at home, the boys decided that they wanted to try on moms wigs. It was nice that we were all able to get a laugh and share this experience with mom! We were blessed to have a day today that was filled with smiles and laughter! With or without hair, my mom will ALWAYS be beautiful, but at least we found her a few wigs that help her feel the way we see her (beautiful) during her chemo treatments! Love you momma!

Week 1 in review

So, we have completed mom's first week of chemotherapy to treat her lung cancer. She completed chemo treatments on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday- each day, one of us would make sure that we were there to take her to her treatment and sit by her side throughout. She handled her first round of treatment well however she continues to be tired. On Thursday she received an immune booster shot. The shot is injected into the fatty cells and produce excess white blood cells in the bones. This can cause bone pain, which she is experiencing in her neck and some flu like symptoms which she is now starting to experience. Hopefully she won't have these symptoms too long because she seems to be drained a bit from them! She has the next two weeks off from chemotherapy and will resume chemotherapy on Feb 20th. Our goal is to keep her active and involved on her off weeks! She always seems to do better when she is keeping herself active and involved! Ty and I continue to spend a lot of time at Nana's.... He lights up like a star when he see's his Nana and brings such a sparkle to her eyes! Even though Chris has moved out, he continues to come by the house each night (I think he misses the family and wants to spend time with mom).... They watch Jeopardy and America's Funniest Home Videos every night! My dad has been such a pillar of strength to the entire family! And we would be lost without Melissa- who seems to have filled every role possible and without, I would be lost! It's hard having Jeremy in California during times likes these as we know he needs our love, comfort, hugs and care too. Despite it all, it seems we all have been each others rocks when we need to be over the past few weeks. Mom continues to have a smile on her face and says that although she is scared (which breaks your heart as a daughter hearing) she is NOT giving up! She goes to her chemotherapy appointments with a smile on her face and manage to even make the staff smile! Let us pray that the next two weeks allow mom some time to rest and heal before having to go through her next round of treatment! I'll keep everyone posted on how she continues to do! Please continue to pray for mom and our family! Much Love!

So True...

I think we all need this right now!

Just what the doctor ordered!

This smile is just what I needed to make me forget even if for a minute, what is going on around me! Ty is definitely a blessing to our family!

Ty and Nana

Tyler just adores his Nana.... He smiles, giggles and wiggles whenever he see's her face or hears or voice.... She is definitely one of his most favorite people in the world! 

Mom's pre-oncology appointment picture with dad! Come on mom! We LOVE you!

Ready to kick cancers ass!

Update as of today, January 30th

We finally were able to speak with Mary’s oncologist this afternoon.  Following the PET scan he ordered both an echo-cardiogram and a bronchoscope to look at her lungs.  She has been diagnosed with ‘small cell lung cancer’.  This is a rapid growing cancer that, per her doctor, responds well to chemotherapy.  Today was her first treatment and she will have three treatments (Mon- Wed) every three weeks.  While this is not what we wanted to hear, Mary has assured us that she has her gloves on and will fight this with the help of the Lord.  We were fortunate to have a number of friends from our church here to pray for the family and especially for Mary.  Jim and Kathy are still here and can relay their own thoughts as to how things are here.

We know that only through the healing hands of the Lord, Mary will overcome a new hurdle.