South Dakota Bound!

Mom will leave on Friday for a road trip with her friend, Denise Celse, to visit family. We are excited that the doctor's have allowed Mom to go ahead with her three week trip, since the girls have had this planned for the last two years; however, we are still nervous for her safety and health. Please be praying these next three weeks that the trip will go smoothly and that Mom's health remains in good condition.
The new treatment with the herceptin seemed to work well. Mom did not experience any new side effects, although the fatigue continued. She pushed through a long weekend, filled with graduations and small trips, so she is doing her best to recover from that before heading out on Friday. Her white-cell count came back pretty low (1.9), so she had a booster shot yesterday and then will have another shot today. Our prayer is to get the count back up before Friday morning!
Once she returns from her trip, we will go ahead and have one more treatment, with the herceptin, before scheduling the surgery. Her next treatment is planned for Wednesday, June 18. Thanks for praying!
Love- The Kids

Happy Birthday, Mom!

It is appropriate that we got news worth celebrating yesterday at the oncologist appointment, since it is Mom's birthday today! The tumor has shrunk dramatically; so much so, that the oncologist had trouble even finding it during the exam! Her hope is that by the time the surgeon goes in to remove it, that cancer will be gone.

With Mom doing so well with her chemo treatments, Dr. Reyes recommended doing one more treatment before the surgery. This would push the surgery to July, and we would have one additional chemo treatment in June. After recovering from surgery, Mom will continue doing small doses of chemo and other maintenance treatments for the next year to get rid of the IBC. We still have a long way to go, but she's doing it! GO, MOM! This cancer obviously had no idea who it was messing it with!

Happy birthday, Mom! You have always been an inspiration to us, but never more so than in these last months. Your strength is outstanding, and although you say you're tired, it never seems to show. Your faithfulness is a true testimony to those close to you and those who watch from a distance. It's seems funny to be thankful for the blessings that came from this awful situation, but we can honestly say it has been our honor to go through this with you and witness your spirit. You manage to show God's love, endurance, and even joy through it all. We love you more than you'll know, and today we celebrate you!

All the kids

ps- Thanks for the hats, Patti!

Happy Mother's Day!

The whole family got together yesterday to celebrate Mom. Of course, this year seemed particularly significant, and we are so grateful that she is doing SO well! We got the chance to attend Joseph's church in Hollywood and hear him preach and sing. Mom said it was her best Mother's Day by far!

This past week, Mom felt good; although the fatigue is a constant struggle. She wants to do so much and anyone would be frustrated if they didn't have the energy to do it all. However, we are all thankful it is just tiredness that we have to deal with and not the pain or nausea we were dreading. This week, we will meet with the oncologist on Wednesday and hope to have an update on the surgery and progress. We are still on schedule to have the last of the four rounds of treatment on Tuesday, May 20. As always, thanks for your continued prayers and encouragement!

We love you,

The Kids

Another good chemo day!

We got Mom hooked up this morning at 9am, and after 5 hours of treatment, we are all done with another chemo session! Only one more to go in this round, and we have scheduled that final treatment for Tuesday, May 20. Mom switched from her normal Thursday appointment, so she can be well enough for the graduations that we will have later that weekend. (The doctor gave her the 'OK' to fly up to San Francisco on May 23, so she can attend Jeremiah's graduation from Berkeley!)
The next treatment will probably be the new blend, with a targeted chemo for the IBC. She is feeling well, and the only side-effects are the fatigue and the sore throat. She continues to inspire us and the other patients at the doctor's office. In fact, one of the nurses at treatment today asked if she can offer Mom's telephone number to another patient that is having a hard time dealing with her diagnosis. They all admire her positive attitude and bravery!
Thank you for the cards and faithful prayers. Your kindness and generosity continues to bless us all. (The beautiful quilt in the picture was done by our Aunt JoAnn to remind Mom that she has a lot of people pulling for her. Thanks, Aunt Jo!) We love you and will keep you up-to-date with the progress!
The Kids