First Little Speedbump

Everything has been going very well, and we are so grateful for Mom's good health and strength. She takes everything on so gracefully, while relying on God's faithfulness. Yesterday, Mom went in for a check up with her oncologist, Dr. Reyes. The doctor was pleased that Mom's blood cell count was high, in fact it was 8! More good news came when Dr. Reyes reported that the tumor in the breast has reduced to half the size!

The only bad news was that the IBC appears to be spreading. Apparently the type of chemo that Mom has been taking has been very effective for the tumor, but they will need to switch the chemo cocktail to directly attack the IBC. Mom will still do the same chemo that she has been doing at her next treatment. (Her next treatment is on May 1.) However, the final treatment before surgery will be this new kind of IBC focused chemo.

Mom is still on track to have surgery to remove the tumor in late June. After she recovers from the surgery, she will continue with this new chemo for the next year. The doctors are fantastic and will be monitoring her throughout the process to adjust as necessary. We will, of course, keep you updated. Thank you for praying!

We love you,

The Kids

Half way there!

We had treatment again today. Mom did great and is still feeling well! The nurses just love her and are taking such good care of her. We were told by the doctor that this round might be a little tougher than the last since her body has had time to adjust the chemo. However, they said she should be good at least through the weekend. We did get some good news; because her blood count was so high, she gets to eat salad and fresh fruit until Saturday. I know this sounds like a small thing, but I guess you never know how much you really want something until someone tells you that you can't have it. After they told her no fresh fruit and veggies, all she has been craving is a big salad!

Along with this small sacrifice are other larger ones, of course. Mom started to lose her hair last weekend, so it has been a little bit of an adjustment. We did find out that she looks very cute in hats and scarves! This also proved something that we have always known...it is not her hair that makes her beautiful.

We are continually grateful for all your prayers! Thank you all for the cards, comments, flowers, gifts (like the quilt in this picture), phone messages, texts, and e-mails. We can not begin to tell you how encouraging it is for us as her family and for our mom. She will go in for another booster injection tomorrow morning and then blood work next week. We will keep you posted.

We love you,
The Kids

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Message from Mom

Mom's white cell count is up...way up! As you recall, she was down to .9, and we were hoping for something closer to 3. Well, her blood results came back, and she is at 7.8! Can you even believe it?!? God is SO good! With such a high count, she finally got to break her "house arrest" and do some shopping and eat out. We hope this continues throughout the week, so she will keep feeling good before her treatment on Thursday. Thank you for your prayers! Mom had this to say...

"To those I love,
I am so grateful for all you are doing. So grateful! I feel positively "transported" through these days and nights. Your prayers have more than sustained me; I have felt them every step. I've had minimal nausea, minimal pain, but oh, so much joy......May the Lord return to you the blessing you are to me.
With love and thankfulness,
Barb"