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

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"

First Treatment Update

On Friday, we went in for a post-chemo evaluation. That morning, Mom had a battle with some nausea and pain, so when she came in on Friday morning, the nurses hooked her up to an IV to get her re-hydrated and back to feeling good. After only a few hours, she was back to normal. It's amazing what those doctors can do!

The results from the blood work came back, and her white blood cell count is pretty low. (She is at .9, and we were told normal is 3.) That means she will have to avoid public places, grocery shopping, working outside, and cleaning (the cleaning part wasn't so bad.). The doctors also said she can't kiss Dad until her count is back up. Mom said that is the worst side effect of all.

We also got some good news at the appointment. The results of her bone scan came back completely negative! Also, the tumor swelling is already down! So far, it appears that the chemo is doing its job. She will still have to go in weekly to get blood work done so the doctors can monitor the progress, but we are in very high spirits! She continues to inspire us with her bravery and positive outlook; she is truly the most amazing person we know!

Please keep the prayers coming! We feel them, and thank you for continuing with us on this journey. Mom's next chemo treatment is on Thursday, April 10 at 9:30 am. Before this appointment, we hope she will only have to go in for blood work and a consultation with her surgeon. However, we will continue to keep you all updated. Thank you!