Happy Thanksgiving!
I am so happy that mom is feeling good today and we get to spend time with some of our family this Thanksgiving. Mom is on day four of her white blood cell booster shots and her swelling in her legs and feet have gone down a lot. She is moving around much better! We watched A Star is Born yesterday, that is her favorite movie.
I wanted to share my thoughts on the visits to the cancer center. I am so amazed by the STRONG individuals that are battling and fighting cancer. I have teared up every single day beacuse it has brought such perspecitve to me. It is hard to explain, but everyone is so SWEET, KIND, NICE, and FUNNY! It is such a positive place to be, and the personalities are great. Each time I have been there the waiting room starts having a great conversation, everyone in the circle. They all truly enjoy conversing with each other and being around each other. I am not sure if it is always like it, but I LOVE it. Even in the parking lot, people are so kind and nice. Everyone always lets other cars go first. This NEVER happens in Southern California.
I have learned so much from being around these amazing individuals and especially my mom. To not know the road ahead but fight so well and take every day and hour as it comes. To me that is being STRONG! I am so proud of my mom as she is fighting and having fun while fighting. I hope that she continues to respond to her treatment and can be as positive and as happy as she is right now. This will be a journey, but I KNOW mom can follow her yellow brick road to remission (she is from Kansas).
Since it is Thanksgiving I thought I would share a few things I am so thankful for today (in no particular order):
- Mom and Dad
-Jeff (boyfriend)
-Family- mine and Jeff's
-My wonderful friends that have been absolutely amazing these past few weeks!
- Oncologists
-Medical Research
- Dad's stuffing (I am ready for that right now)
- Mom's amazing co-workers and the individuals that she has worked for years that have reached out to her, me and this blog
- Music - in particular songs like "I'm Alive", "Good Girls", "Somebody's Hero"
- My wonderful friends from work (for cooking and providing support and love)
- The person that created colors for specific types of cancer, I LOVE LIME GREEN NOW!
- Being able to run the Turkey Trot this morning
- For the PMPS
- For laughter
- Cancer nurses (best spirits in the world- at least from whom I have met)
- Animals that I think can bring so much healing
- For my mother's perseverance and strength
Thank you again for all of your continuous love and support. Happy Thanksgiving!
Kerry (Bear)
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Weekend Home and First Day of Shots
Happy Monday!!! Mom and I just got home from a visit at the Cancer Center this morning.
Mom came home on Friday and has enjoyed being at home, she said she LOVES her bed. She also was very happy when her Cheifs beat my dad and my Steelers yesterday. I think she was a little worried though because her two caregivers are HUGE Steelers fans.
Buffy (the dog) was so happy to see mom and has been a cling on all weekend. I posted a picture of them below.
Today mom started her series of seven shots to boost her white blood cell count. We visited the infusion center for the first time and this is where mom will recieve her chemo treatments as well. It was a packed house in the center and waiting room. I teared up as I gazed in to a room with many strong cancer patients.
In the waiting room we met Becky, a 6 year cancer patient. She was so cute and sweet, and of course, mom was friends in the first five minutes. I bet mom will be making lots of friends and brightening many peoples days at the Cancer Infusion Center in the next few months.
We will keep you posted and look forward to THanksgiving on Thursday.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Day after Chemo treatment #1
Hello folks!
Happy Thursday! Mom gets to leave the hospital tomorrow. (WOOHOO). She received chemo treatment starting Wednesday night through an IV and it ended last night (Thursday) around 9pm. She felt a bit funny and was not sure how she was supposed to feel. Last night she slept great.
She looks great today and her coloring has definitely gotten better.
She will receive chemo every three weeks for six rounds. She will do this outpatient through an IV. I have a feeling we are now going to be great friends with the Cancer Center nurses. We will miss the 5th Floor North Nurses.
Monday she starts a 7 day shot treatment to help her white blood cell count. Monday- Wednesday we will take her to the Cancer Center and Thursday-Sunday she will get to visit the 5th floor north again.
My godmother Cyndi, my best friend Cassie and I began a chemo cap-athon, we are knitting and crocheting her caps. I was the first to finish one and I toke a picture of mom with it on, it is below.
I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all of the love, support and prayers. Each day mom had TONS of visitors (some days 24). Right now, we all want mom to heal and we are unsure of the road ahead, we do know she will need to rest as much as possible. I will keep you all posted of when good times to visit and call are.
Thank you all again! Love, Kerry (Bear)
Happy Thursday! Mom gets to leave the hospital tomorrow. (WOOHOO). She received chemo treatment starting Wednesday night through an IV and it ended last night (Thursday) around 9pm. She felt a bit funny and was not sure how she was supposed to feel. Last night she slept great.
She looks great today and her coloring has definitely gotten better.
She will receive chemo every three weeks for six rounds. She will do this outpatient through an IV. I have a feeling we are now going to be great friends with the Cancer Center nurses. We will miss the 5th Floor North Nurses.
Monday she starts a 7 day shot treatment to help her white blood cell count. Monday- Wednesday we will take her to the Cancer Center and Thursday-Sunday she will get to visit the 5th floor north again.
My godmother Cyndi, my best friend Cassie and I began a chemo cap-athon, we are knitting and crocheting her caps. I was the first to finish one and I toke a picture of mom with it on, it is below.
I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all of the love, support and prayers. Each day mom had TONS of visitors (some days 24). Right now, we all want mom to heal and we are unsure of the road ahead, we do know she will need to rest as much as possible. I will keep you all posted of when good times to visit and call are.
Thank you all again! Love, Kerry (Bear)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Welcome to the Update Blog on Judy (mom)
Hello all!
I wanted to start this blog for mom so that we could update you on her progress and her treatments. She was officially diagnosed yesterday with stage four diffuse large b-cell lymphoma. She started her chemo last night and did not get much rest. She will hopefully be able to go home on Friday. She had such beautiful flower arraignments and plants that she had to remove from her room because of the chemo. I have gorgeous flowers on my desk at work and at home now!
This past week has been quite the roller-coaster, but if you know my mom her spirits were still fantastic!!!!! My uncle and aunt from Kansas came to visit on Friday. Whenever we hang out with our Kansas relatives, Aunt Janet always throws some kind of party and we have party favors. So Aunt Kathy and Uncle Ron took care of the party favors and Sunday night we had a BIG family party in her hospital room. I think that the doctors and nurses had no idea what type of family had invaded the fifth floor. Mom was on steroids last week so she continuously made steroid jokes and how she was going to take over Manny Ramirez's job for the Dodgers. Uncle Ron bought her a "Big Show" steroid man. Everyone had glow in the dark necklaces and bracelets for the party. Mom got to wear a tiara beacuse she was princess. We have some cute pictures from our party that I will post when I get them.
The next day mom's oncologist visited her and he laughed at all of mom's party favors. It was pretty funny. Aunt Kathy came up with a great idea to have a board that people could sign when they came to visit her. That has been very nice and will be great to take home for mom to have some reminders of all of the individuals that love her. I gave mom a bear since I am her bear. Aunt Kathy gave her a fluffy bear and her friend Diane brought her a fluffy dog.
Uncle Pat came to visit on Monday and is leaving today. He and I both agree that hospital food really isn't that bad. It was great to have him around and he enjoyed watching mom boss Cyndi and Uncle Ron around yesterday.
Buffy (mom and dad's dog, formally my dog) is missing mom and is going to be so excited to see her on Friday.
This week has been surreal, crazy, insane, emotional, fun (I know, crazy), but the best part has been my wonderful mothers attitude. She is, as Jessben said, "Still Judy." She has kept her funny spirit and enjoyed her McDreamy Doctors and EMT drivers. She even had to cast on knitting for me and Cassie one day.
Thank you for all of your love, support and prayers!!!
Kerry
I wanted to start this blog for mom so that we could update you on her progress and her treatments. She was officially diagnosed yesterday with stage four diffuse large b-cell lymphoma. She started her chemo last night and did not get much rest. She will hopefully be able to go home on Friday. She had such beautiful flower arraignments and plants that she had to remove from her room because of the chemo. I have gorgeous flowers on my desk at work and at home now!
This past week has been quite the roller-coaster, but if you know my mom her spirits were still fantastic!!!!! My uncle and aunt from Kansas came to visit on Friday. Whenever we hang out with our Kansas relatives, Aunt Janet always throws some kind of party and we have party favors. So Aunt Kathy and Uncle Ron took care of the party favors and Sunday night we had a BIG family party in her hospital room. I think that the doctors and nurses had no idea what type of family had invaded the fifth floor. Mom was on steroids last week so she continuously made steroid jokes and how she was going to take over Manny Ramirez's job for the Dodgers. Uncle Ron bought her a "Big Show" steroid man. Everyone had glow in the dark necklaces and bracelets for the party. Mom got to wear a tiara beacuse she was princess. We have some cute pictures from our party that I will post when I get them.
The next day mom's oncologist visited her and he laughed at all of mom's party favors. It was pretty funny. Aunt Kathy came up with a great idea to have a board that people could sign when they came to visit her. That has been very nice and will be great to take home for mom to have some reminders of all of the individuals that love her. I gave mom a bear since I am her bear. Aunt Kathy gave her a fluffy bear and her friend Diane brought her a fluffy dog.
Uncle Pat came to visit on Monday and is leaving today. He and I both agree that hospital food really isn't that bad. It was great to have him around and he enjoyed watching mom boss Cyndi and Uncle Ron around yesterday.
Buffy (mom and dad's dog, formally my dog) is missing mom and is going to be so excited to see her on Friday.
This week has been surreal, crazy, insane, emotional, fun (I know, crazy), but the best part has been my wonderful mothers attitude. She is, as Jessben said, "Still Judy." She has kept her funny spirit and enjoyed her McDreamy Doctors and EMT drivers. She even had to cast on knitting for me and Cassie one day.
Thank you for all of your love, support and prayers!!!
Kerry
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)