As many of you might have seen, our family participated in a Relay for Life walk in Le Roy. We had 70 people show up to support our team throughout the night. We raised over $6,000 dollars and some of us even lasted all 12 hours! It was an inspirational event that I will never forget and am honored to have been a part of. Thank you to our donors, our team members, and to all of our supporters. Our participation in this event will help fund cancer research and give support to others who are fighting alongside of Mom. Your support and kindness help give us HOPE each and everyday when it is much needed. I put together a video collage of pictures and videos from the Relay. You can find it online at this link. Sit back and enjoy (It is 16 minutes long)! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjWAW8YVzPw[...]

Mom's colleagues at Victor Early Childhood school sent us this video today. They are the most thoughtful and caring group of people that helped lift our spirits today! Thank you VECS, you're the best! Please watch this inspiring video from the link below![...]

Mom has had an eventful few weeks.  After finding out that her left lung had collapsed she was informed that this made her ineligible for the Clinical Trial that we all thought would be the next step in her treatment.  Clinical Trials require measurable tumors and the lung collapse prohibits that measure.[...]

 We learned today that mom’s cancer continues to grow.  She will have a biopsy on Tuesday, and make plans with her oncologist for a new course of treatment.  There is a clinical trial at Wilmot that is a possibility. She had a procedure to remove fluid from her lungs and it has already made her more comfortable. She is anxious to get outside and plant annuals and vegetables this weekend!  Her gardens bring her so much joy![...]

Breathing a sigh of relief tonight… the echo cardiogram showed that mom’s heart is not affected.[...]

The news that we received today was not what we had hoped and prayed for.  There is a part of the tumor in the lungs that is now growing; unfortunately it is near the heart.  Tomorrow morning mom will have an Echocardiogram to check to see if the cancer is invading the lining of the heart.  The present plan is to continue on Tarceva (targeted drug therapy) as it is containing most of the cancer. Now after all of that bad news, the good news is that she still feels great.  She is able to enjoy life! After some tears today, she has decided that she can choose to be miserable or happy.  I am sure you know that she is going to be happy!   We will keep you posted on the results of the Echocardiogram.  We are so blessed by the extent of our caring, faithful network of support. We all thank you from the bottom of our hearts.[...]

We are overjoyed by the good news we received today.  The MRI showed that radiation did its job. Mom’s blood work also looks good which means that her body is tolerating the Tarceva.  Her symptoms are minimal at this point.  A little cough, a little tired out, but more than a little grateful for all of her blessings!  Your kind words, cards, texts, and messages mean the world to her. Thank you so much! [...]

I know that it has been awhile since my last post. I haven't been great about updating all of you, but to be honest it's because I don't have much to share. Mom continues to be the sunshine in all of our days as she goes on living her life to the fullest. She is enjoying being home with our baby Tucker and doing house work, reading and organizing. Tucker continues to keep her on her toes as he steals ANYTHING and EVERYTHING he can get his mouth on. This includes, but is not limited to; money, credit cards, checks, all shoes and boots, tissues, tv remotes, stuffed animals, pens, etc. Like I said...EVERYTHING. He makes quite a game of it too. He forced you to chase him around the house until you finally corner him. By this time he has swallowed whatever it is you were trying to get from him. He sure is naughty but also such a lover and he snuggles Mom to pieces each and everyday.[...]

I met with my oncologist on Thursday.  Joe, Beth, and Randy accompanied me.  I am so blessed to have their support at every turn during this scary, devastating illness.  We all cried tears of relief at the news that the medication that I am on is working to shrink the tumor in my lungs. I have been feeling well and able to enjoy life with very few side effects.  The horrible cough and frequent breathlessness that I had when I was first diagnosed are now gone.  In short, all of your prayers, support, and the positive energy that has been sent my way are working.  The outpouring of support from my family, friends, school, and community overwhelm me.  I am so blessed to be wrapped in your caring arms.  People approach illness in many ways. Some feel that it is a private journey.  I am so glad that I have shared this journey with all of you as I know that your prayers are working.  I had shared with a friend how crippling anxiety can be when there are so many unknowns.  She then asked her parish to pray specifically for relief of that anxiety and during the next week I slowly began to feel whole again emotionally.  When I am feeling frightened I wrap myself in one of my lovely prayer shawls and thank God for all of my blessing and my fears are wiped away.  I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support and send my love and hugs and wishes for a very Merry Christmas!  [...]

Today I took Mom to the hospital to get blood work done. She has another appointment tomorrow to meet with the doctor about how her body is reacting to the treatments thus far. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we get good news![...]