Hi everyone!
What event do I start with? I guess chronological!
Ronnie's daddy, Wallace, turned 80 this year so we decided we would throw him a party. Nothing extravagant but all the kids, grandkids and great-grandkids were invited. Oweeda graciously offered her house for the party. It lasted from 3 pm - 5 pm and almost all came! Great turnout. Of course, Starla and family couldn't come since they are living in Pennsylvania now! It was good to get all together again- it's been too long. I think he enjoyed the day.
That evening-April 17- something way more exciting happened! Our 9 year old grandaughter, Grace, decided she needed to be baptized. She wanted it done that night and in our pool and she wanted her paw-paw to do it!!!! Wow! So , even though the water is a little chilly in April - Ronnie and Grace got in our pool at about 7:00 P.M. and she made the most important decision in her life. How many chill bumps could I possibly have? It was almost unreal for this to happen at my house to my grandaughter by my husband. Could life get any more special???
Time went on with days as usual - then something else very special happened. On June 7th - Starla, Aaron, Riley, Dakota, and Toby came to visit from Penn. They flew in and rented a vehicle so they could do some visiting with others and go out to Andrews to see Aaron's family. Aaron stayed 9 days then flew back so he could go to work. Starla and the boys stayed until July 5th. When they first arrived - Toby (who is 19 months old) wasn't sure who Ronnie and I were! But it didn't take long for him to warm up to us and it seemed like he had never been away. The 2 older boys slept in the trundle bed in the playroom and Toby and Starla slept in the office. We set up his pack n play and put a twin blow up mattress in there for Starla. Not ideal , but seemed to work okay. We said that Toby learned how to go to sleep best at night with Paw-Paw playing solitare on the computer right next to his bed! He would stand up and pat Paw-Paw on the shouldar every once in a while then he would finally lay down and go to sleep. How sweet!!!! The visit was great and the weather was hot so the boys usually swam in the morning - ate lunch-had rest time- then out to the pool again around 4:00. All went back to Pennsylvania and lot tanner than when they came! It was very busy while they were here but sure is quiet since they have gone! Miss them a lot!!!
While they were here I was able to attend my 40th high school reunion! Wow, can't believe it's been that long. Some of the people I recognized right off - some of them I looked at their nametag and still didn't put the face with the name! Most people told me that they recognized me and I hadn't changed that much! Anyhow, had a great, great time visiting and catching up but realized after I left that I didn't know much about any of them . Not enough time to really visit with everyone and ask the questions I wanted to ask. It did bring back great memories of the special people of my school years! Going to school in the same town all my life does create bonds that last forever! If you are one of my school buddies reading this - I really did love seeing you again and hope somehow we can keep in touch.!
One more bit of good news. Had my 3 month Ct scan done and the oncologist visit. So exciting - no sign of cancer!!!!! Yay!!! Next month it will have been 3 years since my surgery and the start of my chemo and radiation. I'll never forget that but I will also never forget feeling blessed by God. I don't go for another scan for 6 months. That's the longest I've gone since the diagnosis - so pray that I don't start fretting about month number 5!!!
I did go for a routine mamogram in April and 2 suspicious lumps were found that I had removed. Both were not malignant although one was the kind that needed to be removed because it could have turned into a malignancy! I believe in getting the routine scans that we need to have!!!
Well, summer is hot and we are leaving in a week to go camping at the lake for 2 weeks. Pray for a little coolness to come upon us and even a little rain would be fine!!!!
Thanks for keeping up with me and especially all the prayers! Love you all!!!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Where did all the time go?
Hello again to all my friends! I decided to update a little since 6 months have gone by since my last update.
I am still feeling good and healthy. Had a ct scan done the first part of December and no signs of that ugly cancer still! I am blessed! Dr. Redrow has put me on a 4 month checkup schedule now , so I go and get new ct scan sometime in March. He said after that we may start a 6 month schedule! My eyes got big but he said not to worry that I am doing great. There is still that little nagging in the back of my head about a little cancer cell just sitting around somewhere in my body waiting for the right opportunity! I must not fret! I did end up getting the flu even after having had my flu shot in October! Dakota tested positive for flu the last week of December(he also had had a flu shot in October!) so I must have caught it from him! Some kind of strain that the flu shot didn't prevent! I felt pretty bad for a couple of weeks!
A big thing has happened in my every day routine though! Starla and Aaron have moved to Pennsylvania! Do you know how far that is from Azle, Tx? 24 hour drive straight through! They pulled out of Azle on Friday morning, Jan. 21st with Aaron driving the rental truck with all their belongings in it and towing the Expedition behind it which was also loaded! Starla was following behind him in the pickup with 2 of the boys with her! One of the boys(most of the time it was Riley) rode in the truck with Aaron. The whole drive was done in below freezing temps! They went about 8 hours a day and stopped for the night. The third day they went until they were about 1 1/2 hours away from the house they had rented. They spent the night in a hotel and got up the next morning to finish the last leg of their journey and the big truck would not start! Tooooo cold! They had to get a tow truck to tow it to a warm building to let the diesel warm up enough to get it to start again. So by 3:00 that afternoon they finally got to finish the last leg of their journey - in 9 degree weather and snow! That's part of the adventure , right? Well, they have been there for 10 days or so and are trying to get settled in. Snow almost every day!
I made flight reservations to go up and help her get things in order and was supposed to fly out on the 1st but the cold icy weather hit us and I have postponed my flight until Sunday the 6th. Maybe the winter weather advisory will be over then! Can't wait to see them all! Ronnie isn't going this time - he may want to wait till we can drive there!
Amy and Brad are busy, busy as usual. Lily turned 6 on the 26th and was at some friends house that evening. She was having fun on the trampoline and somehow landed wrong and twisted her ankle. The next morning she couldn't put any weight on it - so I went with Amy to Cook's to have it x-rayed. Couldn't see for sure if it was fractured so they put her in a boot (that was too big for her skinny little leg!)and on crutches. So Thursday and Friday last week she got to spend with Mimi and Paw-Paw instead of having to get around on crutches at school! Yesterday , she went in for more x-rays and sure enough - she did fracture some bone in her ankle! So , into a walking boot that actually fits her for a few weeks! Poor Lily!
Brandon and Michelle are doing great and have taken a few days off to ski in Red River! Hope they are staying warm and having a fun, relaxing trip!
I still feel blessed by a wonderful God and hopefully the people that I come into contact with can see his glory through me!
I am still feeling good and healthy. Had a ct scan done the first part of December and no signs of that ugly cancer still! I am blessed! Dr. Redrow has put me on a 4 month checkup schedule now , so I go and get new ct scan sometime in March. He said after that we may start a 6 month schedule! My eyes got big but he said not to worry that I am doing great. There is still that little nagging in the back of my head about a little cancer cell just sitting around somewhere in my body waiting for the right opportunity! I must not fret! I did end up getting the flu even after having had my flu shot in October! Dakota tested positive for flu the last week of December(he also had had a flu shot in October!) so I must have caught it from him! Some kind of strain that the flu shot didn't prevent! I felt pretty bad for a couple of weeks!
A big thing has happened in my every day routine though! Starla and Aaron have moved to Pennsylvania! Do you know how far that is from Azle, Tx? 24 hour drive straight through! They pulled out of Azle on Friday morning, Jan. 21st with Aaron driving the rental truck with all their belongings in it and towing the Expedition behind it which was also loaded! Starla was following behind him in the pickup with 2 of the boys with her! One of the boys(most of the time it was Riley) rode in the truck with Aaron. The whole drive was done in below freezing temps! They went about 8 hours a day and stopped for the night. The third day they went until they were about 1 1/2 hours away from the house they had rented. They spent the night in a hotel and got up the next morning to finish the last leg of their journey and the big truck would not start! Tooooo cold! They had to get a tow truck to tow it to a warm building to let the diesel warm up enough to get it to start again. So by 3:00 that afternoon they finally got to finish the last leg of their journey - in 9 degree weather and snow! That's part of the adventure , right? Well, they have been there for 10 days or so and are trying to get settled in. Snow almost every day!
I made flight reservations to go up and help her get things in order and was supposed to fly out on the 1st but the cold icy weather hit us and I have postponed my flight until Sunday the 6th. Maybe the winter weather advisory will be over then! Can't wait to see them all! Ronnie isn't going this time - he may want to wait till we can drive there!
Amy and Brad are busy, busy as usual. Lily turned 6 on the 26th and was at some friends house that evening. She was having fun on the trampoline and somehow landed wrong and twisted her ankle. The next morning she couldn't put any weight on it - so I went with Amy to Cook's to have it x-rayed. Couldn't see for sure if it was fractured so they put her in a boot (that was too big for her skinny little leg!)and on crutches. So Thursday and Friday last week she got to spend with Mimi and Paw-Paw instead of having to get around on crutches at school! Yesterday , she went in for more x-rays and sure enough - she did fracture some bone in her ankle! So , into a walking boot that actually fits her for a few weeks! Poor Lily!
Brandon and Michelle are doing great and have taken a few days off to ski in Red River! Hope they are staying warm and having a fun, relaxing trip!
I still feel blessed by a wonderful God and hopefully the people that I come into contact with can see his glory through me!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
I AM A 2 YEAR CANCER SURVIVOR!!!!!!!!!!
Can you believe that it has been 2 years? I remember Aug.8th, 2008 very vividly in my mind(well parts of it anyhow) I remember my friends faces as they watched me being wheeled down the hallway to surgery. Ginger's eyes were big! Of course, I especially remember my kids and precious Ronnie walking beside my bed until they took me through those doors to surgery. I was anxious! It seemed like the next 6 months took about 3 years to take place! I thought I would never make it till January and chemo would be finished. But look at me now - 2 years have gone by! Wow!
I went to see Dr. Redrow , the oncologist, a couple of weeks ago and he said that the ct scan that was done about a month ago showed no new signs of cancer! What a relief. I was so anxious as I waited for him to come into the room. I guess he could tell because the first words he said to me after hello was "the scans all looked good". He said it was normal for me to be apprehensive and afraid that something was growing and I didn't know it. He said that maybe by this time next year I wouldn't be so anxious. I hope so!
I will go back and have another ct done the last part of Nov. and see him the first week of Dec. I think he has me on a 4 month schedule now.
We have had a lot of out of town time since May. We went with Jerry and Ginger to the hill country and stayed in a condo outside of Bandera. Kenneth and Gwen got to go with us for 4 days. We all wished they could have stayed longer. I did my first kayaking adventure down the river there! I wasn't so sure I would be okay but the fastness of the river was perfect! I only dumped over once but I said that I rolled in the 20 foot deep water for about 20 minutes!(It was actually only 4 feet and maybe 30 seconds!) I didn't have my life jacket on but after that happened I strapped that sucker on! Anyhow, it was so fun!
On the way home we decided to do the touristy tour of the LBJ Ranch. We really enjoyed it and especially like the working farm that the State Parks have at the site. It was very informative. If you haven't tried it, you might.
Then, we have been camping in our 5th wheel travel trailer that we bought from Ronnie's brother-Steve. We love it! It has a slide out on it which gives us so much more room than our old camper! We have been one weekend to Benbrook with the Foxes,Gearys,Rollmanns and Nortons. It is always fun to go with lots of people - never boring!
Then we went a couple of different weekends with Amy and Brad and their newly acquired trailer and Starla and Aaron with the camper they got last year. Brandon and Michelle usually drive out to wherever we are and join us for the day.
Then we have been gone the last 2 WEEKS at Ray Roberts camping with Donna and Steve,Amy and Brad and Starla and Aaron. Fun,fun, fun and a lot of sun,sun,sun! I came back a lot browner than when I went.
Gracie decided that she was going to learn to ride her bike without training wheels while we were camping! And she did! Way to go , Grace!
Lily became a better and faster bike rider but was not able to loose the training wheels yet! She is finally going to get to start Kindergarten in a few weeks. She has been waiting a long time to be 5 so she can go to real school instead of day care!
In case you haven't heard, Amy is the new principal of Eagle Heights Elementary!!!!Way to go,Amy! My mother would be so proud - that is the school that she worked at for 25 years! I used to take Amy there when she was little and eat lunch with Mother in the lunch room!
Starla is busy, busy taking care of her 3 boys. She has also lost a lot of weight doing Slim for Life.Way to be dedicated, Starla!
The grandkids are growing up! Toby is 9 months old and so cute! He, like the rest of them, loves Pawpaw sooooo much! He cut his first tooth yesterday. He'll be walking before we know it.
Dakota is almost 5. He has decided within the last week that he doesn't need his floaties on in the pool anymore! He does pretty good , but it scares me that he will get out in the middle and not be able to make it to the edge, but he is not worried one bit!
Riley will be 7 next week. He has been swimming like a fish for a couple of years. I am a little jealous! He'll be going into the 2nd grade this year.
I pray that this post finds everyone feeling as blessed as I do!
Never forget that God does know each and every one of us personally and loves us more than we can even imagine!
Blessings to you all!
I went to see Dr. Redrow , the oncologist, a couple of weeks ago and he said that the ct scan that was done about a month ago showed no new signs of cancer! What a relief. I was so anxious as I waited for him to come into the room. I guess he could tell because the first words he said to me after hello was "the scans all looked good". He said it was normal for me to be apprehensive and afraid that something was growing and I didn't know it. He said that maybe by this time next year I wouldn't be so anxious. I hope so!
I will go back and have another ct done the last part of Nov. and see him the first week of Dec. I think he has me on a 4 month schedule now.
We have had a lot of out of town time since May. We went with Jerry and Ginger to the hill country and stayed in a condo outside of Bandera. Kenneth and Gwen got to go with us for 4 days. We all wished they could have stayed longer. I did my first kayaking adventure down the river there! I wasn't so sure I would be okay but the fastness of the river was perfect! I only dumped over once but I said that I rolled in the 20 foot deep water for about 20 minutes!(It was actually only 4 feet and maybe 30 seconds!) I didn't have my life jacket on but after that happened I strapped that sucker on! Anyhow, it was so fun!
On the way home we decided to do the touristy tour of the LBJ Ranch. We really enjoyed it and especially like the working farm that the State Parks have at the site. It was very informative. If you haven't tried it, you might.
Then, we have been camping in our 5th wheel travel trailer that we bought from Ronnie's brother-Steve. We love it! It has a slide out on it which gives us so much more room than our old camper! We have been one weekend to Benbrook with the Foxes,Gearys,Rollmanns and Nortons. It is always fun to go with lots of people - never boring!
Then we went a couple of different weekends with Amy and Brad and their newly acquired trailer and Starla and Aaron with the camper they got last year. Brandon and Michelle usually drive out to wherever we are and join us for the day.
Then we have been gone the last 2 WEEKS at Ray Roberts camping with Donna and Steve,Amy and Brad and Starla and Aaron. Fun,fun, fun and a lot of sun,sun,sun! I came back a lot browner than when I went.
Gracie decided that she was going to learn to ride her bike without training wheels while we were camping! And she did! Way to go , Grace!
Lily became a better and faster bike rider but was not able to loose the training wheels yet! She is finally going to get to start Kindergarten in a few weeks. She has been waiting a long time to be 5 so she can go to real school instead of day care!
In case you haven't heard, Amy is the new principal of Eagle Heights Elementary!!!!Way to go,Amy! My mother would be so proud - that is the school that she worked at for 25 years! I used to take Amy there when she was little and eat lunch with Mother in the lunch room!
Starla is busy, busy taking care of her 3 boys. She has also lost a lot of weight doing Slim for Life.Way to be dedicated, Starla!
The grandkids are growing up! Toby is 9 months old and so cute! He, like the rest of them, loves Pawpaw sooooo much! He cut his first tooth yesterday. He'll be walking before we know it.
Dakota is almost 5. He has decided within the last week that he doesn't need his floaties on in the pool anymore! He does pretty good , but it scares me that he will get out in the middle and not be able to make it to the edge, but he is not worried one bit!
Riley will be 7 next week. He has been swimming like a fish for a couple of years. I am a little jealous! He'll be going into the 2nd grade this year.
I pray that this post finds everyone feeling as blessed as I do!
Never forget that God does know each and every one of us personally and loves us more than we can even imagine!
Blessings to you all!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Wow, the last 4 months have flown by!
I have been feeling good and enjoying life. God has truly blessed me in so many ways. I pray that every day I look around to see blessings and not anxieties.
I went to my 3 month check-up with Dr. Redrow and he said that I am doing great. He didn't order a scan before I went in for my appt. so I told him that he was making me a little anxious! I told him that the fear of the unknown going on in my body was a little scary to me. He said that was completely normal considering all that I have gone through in the last 2 or 3 years. He sent me in for a Ct scan of the chest and the reports came in this week. All is clear and nothing abnormal! Yea, Yea! If only now I could figure out how to not be anxious! Isn't there a scripture about that?
Talk about blessings! Starla had a sweet baby boy on Nov. 7. He weighed 7 lb. 8 oz. and is just perfect. His name is Toby Miles Norton. Amy and I like to say that we delivered him since Dr. Howell didn't make it to her room in time - but actually we helped Tonya the nurse in every way possible! Tonya had a cast on her left arm where she had broken her wrist the week before. She told Starla to keep from pushing when she felt she needed to so Dr. Howell could be there for delivery, but Toby could not wait! Starla did and EXCELLENT job of natural childbirth and Amy, Aaron and I were intent on making everything easier for Tonya to do her job.
Christmas was great this year. We always do our gift-opening on Christmas Eve. The kids got there around 2:00 - right when the snow was starting to come down pretty heavy. It was sooo beautiful. The kids got to go out and play in the snow and get all wet and cold. What fun!
Thank you again all of you who have kept up with me and my journey and encouraged me on. I'll never forget it.
I have been feeling good and enjoying life. God has truly blessed me in so many ways. I pray that every day I look around to see blessings and not anxieties.
I went to my 3 month check-up with Dr. Redrow and he said that I am doing great. He didn't order a scan before I went in for my appt. so I told him that he was making me a little anxious! I told him that the fear of the unknown going on in my body was a little scary to me. He said that was completely normal considering all that I have gone through in the last 2 or 3 years. He sent me in for a Ct scan of the chest and the reports came in this week. All is clear and nothing abnormal! Yea, Yea! If only now I could figure out how to not be anxious! Isn't there a scripture about that?
Talk about blessings! Starla had a sweet baby boy on Nov. 7. He weighed 7 lb. 8 oz. and is just perfect. His name is Toby Miles Norton. Amy and I like to say that we delivered him since Dr. Howell didn't make it to her room in time - but actually we helped Tonya the nurse in every way possible! Tonya had a cast on her left arm where she had broken her wrist the week before. She told Starla to keep from pushing when she felt she needed to so Dr. Howell could be there for delivery, but Toby could not wait! Starla did and EXCELLENT job of natural childbirth and Amy, Aaron and I were intent on making everything easier for Tonya to do her job.
Christmas was great this year. We always do our gift-opening on Christmas Eve. The kids got there around 2:00 - right when the snow was starting to come down pretty heavy. It was sooo beautiful. The kids got to go out and play in the snow and get all wet and cold. What fun!
Thank you again all of you who have kept up with me and my journey and encouraged me on. I'll never forget it.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
A Good Report!
Yes, I went to Dr. Redrow yesterday for my 3-month check-up and he said that my scans didn't show anything new! That is so awesome. God has gotten me through this last year and blessed me with healthy days ahead.
I was a little apprehensive about going to see the doctor. You never know if that ct scan is going to show something that shouldn't be there. I know from personal experience that there can be those horrible cancer cells growing in your body and you never know it! I told him that I was a little concerned that something might be growing and the wait is kinda hard from the time you get the scan until you see the doctor. He said that is not an unusual feeling to have.
I go back for another 3 month scan and check-up in December.
We had a wonderful weekend getaway to Hico for Labor Day weekend. We took our trailer and the Geary's took theirs. The Foxes stayed in the house. We got up there on Friday and Donald cooked us delicious ribs and Shara fixed the veggies. Wonderful!
We all were blessed by our children and grandchildren coming up and spending all day Saturday with us! Kevin and Holly and their 4 precious ones; Aaron and Starla and their 2 precious boys;Brandon and Michelle brought Randy, Jessica and cute little Macy; Josh and Mandy(and Teddy);Craig and Shana. And I of course can't leave out that Tuffi was with us all weekend also! I was bummed out though that Brad, Amy, Gracie and Lily were not able to come because Brad had to work! That would have made it perfect!
Some were fishing in the tank off and on all day and others were playing washers and others were exploring and some( the women) were mostly sitting on the porch and enjoying the beautiful weather and visiting with each other. It can't get much better that that!!!
Well, we are on the 2 month countdown now until our newest family member arrives! I am getting excited to get to cuddle and kiss a new grandchild! Everything so far is going great with the pregnancy and due date is still Nov. 14th. They are still working on a name for him.
Keep my friend, Charlotte, in your prayers as she has started her chemo for breast cancer! Thanks and I love you all,
Joyce
I was a little apprehensive about going to see the doctor. You never know if that ct scan is going to show something that shouldn't be there. I know from personal experience that there can be those horrible cancer cells growing in your body and you never know it! I told him that I was a little concerned that something might be growing and the wait is kinda hard from the time you get the scan until you see the doctor. He said that is not an unusual feeling to have.
I go back for another 3 month scan and check-up in December.
We had a wonderful weekend getaway to Hico for Labor Day weekend. We took our trailer and the Geary's took theirs. The Foxes stayed in the house. We got up there on Friday and Donald cooked us delicious ribs and Shara fixed the veggies. Wonderful!
We all were blessed by our children and grandchildren coming up and spending all day Saturday with us! Kevin and Holly and their 4 precious ones; Aaron and Starla and their 2 precious boys;Brandon and Michelle brought Randy, Jessica and cute little Macy; Josh and Mandy(and Teddy);Craig and Shana. And I of course can't leave out that Tuffi was with us all weekend also! I was bummed out though that Brad, Amy, Gracie and Lily were not able to come because Brad had to work! That would have made it perfect!
Some were fishing in the tank off and on all day and others were playing washers and others were exploring and some( the women) were mostly sitting on the porch and enjoying the beautiful weather and visiting with each other. It can't get much better that that!!!
Well, we are on the 2 month countdown now until our newest family member arrives! I am getting excited to get to cuddle and kiss a new grandchild! Everything so far is going great with the pregnancy and due date is still Nov. 14th. They are still working on a name for him.
Keep my friend, Charlotte, in your prayers as she has started her chemo for breast cancer! Thanks and I love you all,
Joyce
Monday, August 17, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
An Anniversary Not Fun to Remember!
That's right - 1 year ago today I found out that I had cancer. Not a fun memory! The 2 months before this day, I had been going through test after test and playing the waiting game to see the Dr. to find out the results. I knew that the results of the PET scan were not going to be good when the surgeon's office called and moved my appointment up 2 weeks. I still remember that day so clearly. Dr. Brooks had called and said she wanted to go with Ronnie and I to see the Dr. I didn't think that was odd because we had become personal friends and I thought she wanted to meet Dr. Macias. I remember the nurse calling us back to the dr. office and him walking in and showing us the findings on the computer screen. The pet scan shows my body ( the inside, not the outside) slowly turning around showing all the organs and any abnormalities. He stopped it and showed me the area on my left lung that was a hot spot. This means cancerous. His words were "I'm so sorry , but you have adenocarcinoma." I looked at him then over at Kathy Brooks and Ronnie, trying to process what he had just told me. I said "what exactly does that mean?" His answer was the dreaded words "lung cancer"!
But you know what? God was with me in that room that day and I have felt His presence every day since. I don't know how people with serious conditions can get through those dark times if they don't feel God. I did have many dark times during the next 6 months as I went through the chemo and then radiation. But even then , I never doubted that God was feeling my anguish. I just hope now that I don't forget where I've been and what I've been through. I know it must have been to help someone else through the darkness. I pray that my eyes are open all around me so I will recognize my opportunity.
Now, for some news on the wonderful side! We did our family vacation in July. All 12 of us went to Gulf Shores, Alabama. We stayed in a wonderful townhouse. It was a 3 story structure across the street from the white sand beach. The bottom floor was actually the garage/parking/storage area because all the houses are on stilts. The whole 2nd floor was rented to another family. We had the 3rd floor to ourselves. There was actually a whole 5 bedroom/6 bathroom house on each floor. We had a deck on the front side that overlooked the ocean and on the back side was another deck that looked out over the swimming pool and a couple of blocks over was a lagoon. Everyone got along great and Ronnie was able to sit on the deck about 3/4 of the time with his binoculars always around his neck!
The guys went bay fishing one day and golfing one day. The girls and Brandon went for a massage one day. Ahhhhhh. Anyway, the family vacation was great and now we have to figure out where to go on our next trip!
Thanks for keeping up with me. I still covet your prayers. I go for my next scan sometime within the next month.
But you know what? God was with me in that room that day and I have felt His presence every day since. I don't know how people with serious conditions can get through those dark times if they don't feel God. I did have many dark times during the next 6 months as I went through the chemo and then radiation. But even then , I never doubted that God was feeling my anguish. I just hope now that I don't forget where I've been and what I've been through. I know it must have been to help someone else through the darkness. I pray that my eyes are open all around me so I will recognize my opportunity.
Now, for some news on the wonderful side! We did our family vacation in July. All 12 of us went to Gulf Shores, Alabama. We stayed in a wonderful townhouse. It was a 3 story structure across the street from the white sand beach. The bottom floor was actually the garage/parking/storage area because all the houses are on stilts. The whole 2nd floor was rented to another family. We had the 3rd floor to ourselves. There was actually a whole 5 bedroom/6 bathroom house on each floor. We had a deck on the front side that overlooked the ocean and on the back side was another deck that looked out over the swimming pool and a couple of blocks over was a lagoon. Everyone got along great and Ronnie was able to sit on the deck about 3/4 of the time with his binoculars always around his neck!
The guys went bay fishing one day and golfing one day. The girls and Brandon went for a massage one day. Ahhhhhh. Anyway, the family vacation was great and now we have to figure out where to go on our next trip!
Thanks for keeping up with me. I still covet your prayers. I go for my next scan sometime within the next month.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Circle of Life
I know it has been over a month since my last update. That means that my life has been pretty uneventful ( some might use the term boring). I have learned this week that our lives are made up of highs and lows - happiness and sadness - and I have to learn how to handle and express both.
Happiness first. Starla is pregnant. We have actually known this for a couple of months, but yesterday was the big sonogram day! She is 19 weeks, the perfect time to make sure the baby is growing on schedule and to find out the sex of the baby. She already has 2 boys , so what do you think this one growing in her belly is? It's a boy! She and Aaron are excited about this - so is Riley. They all 3 were hoping for boy. I'm not sure which I wanted her to have, but I think I would have liked her to experience girl, but boy it is. Most important, though, was that all the measurements were right on target and all the organs and bones were connected like they should be. Sonograms are so fun to watch and see the miracle of a baby being formed and functioning inside a womb!
Another good thing was our vacation to South Padre with Ginger and Jerry. We had a wonderful relaxing time. The guys played golf a couple of days and Ginger and I did as little as possible! We rented a dune buggy one day and drove all along the beach. We of course picked up shells to bring home. We also did a lot of walking along the beach. It is so refreshing and relaxing. They are great vacation buddies.
Sorry, but now some sad. My longtime friend , Cynthia Adams, passed away last Friday of a heart attack. (I called her Bim ) She was 56 years old. We have been friends since our freshman year of high school- maybe longer. We hung out together throughout high school - having a great time together - sharing our boyfriend woes and all the other traumas that comes with the teenage years. We kept up with each other through marriage and childbirth and the years watching our kids growing up.
She was a kind, caring and loving friend and I'll miss her a lot. She was also a very Godly person and it showed in her everyday life. She felt blessed even in her darkest times. During the last year, she was one of my greatest prayer warriors! I knew that she wasn't feeling her best, but she didn't complain. She lost her husband, Keith, to cancer about 2 days after I lost Wendell to cancer. She and Sandy were going through the same things and the same emotions at the same time. I pray that I was an encourager and as good of friend to her during that time as she has been to me this last year.
Goodbye my good friend - I'll never forget you!
Happiness first. Starla is pregnant. We have actually known this for a couple of months, but yesterday was the big sonogram day! She is 19 weeks, the perfect time to make sure the baby is growing on schedule and to find out the sex of the baby. She already has 2 boys , so what do you think this one growing in her belly is? It's a boy! She and Aaron are excited about this - so is Riley. They all 3 were hoping for boy. I'm not sure which I wanted her to have, but I think I would have liked her to experience girl, but boy it is. Most important, though, was that all the measurements were right on target and all the organs and bones were connected like they should be. Sonograms are so fun to watch and see the miracle of a baby being formed and functioning inside a womb!
Another good thing was our vacation to South Padre with Ginger and Jerry. We had a wonderful relaxing time. The guys played golf a couple of days and Ginger and I did as little as possible! We rented a dune buggy one day and drove all along the beach. We of course picked up shells to bring home. We also did a lot of walking along the beach. It is so refreshing and relaxing. They are great vacation buddies.
Sorry, but now some sad. My longtime friend , Cynthia Adams, passed away last Friday of a heart attack. (I called her Bim ) She was 56 years old. We have been friends since our freshman year of high school- maybe longer. We hung out together throughout high school - having a great time together - sharing our boyfriend woes and all the other traumas that comes with the teenage years. We kept up with each other through marriage and childbirth and the years watching our kids growing up.
She was a kind, caring and loving friend and I'll miss her a lot. She was also a very Godly person and it showed in her everyday life. She felt blessed even in her darkest times. During the last year, she was one of my greatest prayer warriors! I knew that she wasn't feeling her best, but she didn't complain. She lost her husband, Keith, to cancer about 2 days after I lost Wendell to cancer. She and Sandy were going through the same things and the same emotions at the same time. I pray that I was an encourager and as good of friend to her during that time as she has been to me this last year.
Goodbye my good friend - I'll never forget you!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
LIFE IS GOOD!
Hi everyone!
I know that it has been a while since my last update, please forgive me. I am just trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing!
Well, Relay was great fun. We all had a great night. We raised about $1,800.00 that night in donations and selling our wares. That brings our total so far to about $3,000.00 for Joyce's Journey 1 and 2. We all wore t-shirts that matched and said Joyce's Journey on the front and were a beautiful teal color. I ended up ordering 54 shirts, so there was a lot of that color going around the track. We sold necklaces, crosses, lemonade, do it yourself mosaics and outdoor tea lights. The night was so windy that we could not keep our canopy up!
It was great walking the survivor lap with my father-in-law, Wallace, who had been diagnosed with lung cancer the year before I was diagnosed. Thank goodness his cancer was not as far along as mine was so he did not have to have the horrible chemo and radiation!
My ex-sister-in-law, Sherry, also walked the survivor lap with me. She has been completely free of her leukemia since 2005 when she underwent a bone marrow transplant!
A constant encourager in my life, Chelsa, also walked with me as she is a skin cancer survivor. It was an awesome time!
The next lap walked was supposed to be the survivor and their caregiver walking together. Ronnie walked with me and Wallace's wife, Pat, walked with him. That was very touching to me also. Of course, Lily and Riley couldn't stand seeing Mimi and Pawpaw walking without them, so they joined us on the track. We were all holding hands and sporting huge smiles!
The organizers asked me on the Thursday night before the relay if I would be willing to speak at the relay about my story. I agreed, then began having butterflies. I am not a public speaker! It was better when I found out that I wouldn't speak until about 1:15 A.M. Not a lot of people left at that early hour! My speech lasted maybe 7 or 8 minutes (seemed like a lot longer!) and my people left there said I did a good job. I hope it helped someone there who has just been diagnosed or has a loved one going through testing. It was to promote doing everything we can to fight cancer.
I did have a CT scan done last month and went to the Dr. for the results last week. Great news! He said that it showed no new signs of cancer anywhere! Yea,Yea,Yea!!! I think that I will be going for scans and seeing the oncologist every 3 months for the next 2 years. I'm glad of that because I know now that I can have cancer growing inside of me and not know it!
I am trying to start a walking routine so I can gain my energy back and get that left lung expanded on out. I do get pretty winded still but I just need to work on it every day. I also did go back to the hairdresser and am once again BLOND!
Ronnie and I are going on a week vacation to South Padre next week with Jerry and Ginger. It will be good to go and not think about being sick. I just want to have a fun, relaxing time with good friends!
Again, thanks for continued prayers,
Love ya, Joyce
I know that it has been a while since my last update, please forgive me. I am just trying to figure out what I'm supposed to be doing!
Well, Relay was great fun. We all had a great night. We raised about $1,800.00 that night in donations and selling our wares. That brings our total so far to about $3,000.00 for Joyce's Journey 1 and 2. We all wore t-shirts that matched and said Joyce's Journey on the front and were a beautiful teal color. I ended up ordering 54 shirts, so there was a lot of that color going around the track. We sold necklaces, crosses, lemonade, do it yourself mosaics and outdoor tea lights. The night was so windy that we could not keep our canopy up!
It was great walking the survivor lap with my father-in-law, Wallace, who had been diagnosed with lung cancer the year before I was diagnosed. Thank goodness his cancer was not as far along as mine was so he did not have to have the horrible chemo and radiation!
My ex-sister-in-law, Sherry, also walked the survivor lap with me. She has been completely free of her leukemia since 2005 when she underwent a bone marrow transplant!
A constant encourager in my life, Chelsa, also walked with me as she is a skin cancer survivor. It was an awesome time!
The next lap walked was supposed to be the survivor and their caregiver walking together. Ronnie walked with me and Wallace's wife, Pat, walked with him. That was very touching to me also. Of course, Lily and Riley couldn't stand seeing Mimi and Pawpaw walking without them, so they joined us on the track. We were all holding hands and sporting huge smiles!
The organizers asked me on the Thursday night before the relay if I would be willing to speak at the relay about my story. I agreed, then began having butterflies. I am not a public speaker! It was better when I found out that I wouldn't speak until about 1:15 A.M. Not a lot of people left at that early hour! My speech lasted maybe 7 or 8 minutes (seemed like a lot longer!) and my people left there said I did a good job. I hope it helped someone there who has just been diagnosed or has a loved one going through testing. It was to promote doing everything we can to fight cancer.
I did have a CT scan done last month and went to the Dr. for the results last week. Great news! He said that it showed no new signs of cancer anywhere! Yea,Yea,Yea!!! I think that I will be going for scans and seeing the oncologist every 3 months for the next 2 years. I'm glad of that because I know now that I can have cancer growing inside of me and not know it!
I am trying to start a walking routine so I can gain my energy back and get that left lung expanded on out. I do get pretty winded still but I just need to work on it every day. I also did go back to the hairdresser and am once again BLOND!
Ronnie and I are going on a week vacation to South Padre next week with Jerry and Ginger. It will be good to go and not think about being sick. I just want to have a fun, relaxing time with good friends!
Again, thanks for continued prayers,
Love ya, Joyce
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Looking forward to Relay!
I'm getting more and more excited as the time draws near for the Relay for Life! It is 2 weeks away and the final preparations are being made. I am so glad that I delegated other people to do some of the work. Knowing how I am - I would forget something really important until the day before - then I would do a lot of fretting about it! I'm a superior fretter! (I know that is not something to be proud of!)
For all of you who have donated to the American Cancer Society on my behalf, I thank you so much! I know that the excellent care I received and the drugs that were administered to me were connected to research that the A.C.S. has funded throughout the past few years. Also, the A.C.S. provides care and services to every cancer patient. I personally found out that they have a room full of wigs and scarves that are free to cancer patients who are in need of these. There are so many, many other things that they provide that thankfully I did not need! (If you want to donate and don't know how to do it - go to www.relayforlife.org/azletx and click on Joyce's Journey or Joyce's Journey 2 and it should guide you through it. Anyway, thank you so much!
I hope to see many of you at the Relay on Apr. 24th at the Forte Jr. High football field starting at 6:00 P.M. We are going to have a great time together and I will love seeing everyone who has been praying me through my journey!
Love you all!
For all of you who have donated to the American Cancer Society on my behalf, I thank you so much! I know that the excellent care I received and the drugs that were administered to me were connected to research that the A.C.S. has funded throughout the past few years. Also, the A.C.S. provides care and services to every cancer patient. I personally found out that they have a room full of wigs and scarves that are free to cancer patients who are in need of these. There are so many, many other things that they provide that thankfully I did not need! (If you want to donate and don't know how to do it - go to www.relayforlife.org/azletx and click on Joyce's Journey or Joyce's Journey 2 and it should guide you through it. Anyway, thank you so much!
I hope to see many of you at the Relay on Apr. 24th at the Forte Jr. High football field starting at 6:00 P.M. We are going to have a great time together and I will love seeing everyone who has been praying me through my journey!
Love you all!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Reflections
I have had some time in the last 2 weeks to reflect back on the last year. I know each one of us goes through something in our life that is very life changing. If you haven't experienced that yet - enjoy where you are now! But most of us have gone through something, especially if you are in your 40's or 50's.
Exactly a year ago, I had a wreck. When it happened, I didn't think it was anything life-changing. Some careless driver just pulled out in front of me and totalled my 14 year old truck! Oh well, I wasn't really ready to buy a different vehicle and I really liked that old green truck. I really didn't find out until the end of April that the simple wreck would lead to 12 months of major surprises and total changes in how I viewed life. And I know that God was with me the whole way!
First was finding out that I had to have neck fusion surgery. That sounded really scary! But it really wasn't that scary and the biggest nuisance about it was having to wear that horrid neck brace for 9 hot weeks! In fact, I've almost forgotten that I even had neck surgery and the scar is very hard to see. Thanks Dr. Bechtel for doing such a good job!
But the life-saving part of the whole wreck thing is the fact that I think about every day. Remember, if they hadn't done the pre-op chest x-ray, I still may not have known today that I had a mass growing in my left lung! That's how it is with most lung cancer patients - they don't know until it's big and spread to other areas! Thank you, God, for saving my life and making me aware that you are with me.
Next was going through another even more major surgery - the removal of the lower lobe of my left lung and having a doctor come in to tell me the dreaded words. Cancer that had spread to a lymph node. This would require chemotherapy for the next 4 months of my life and then another 6 weeks of radiation! Are you ever ready to hear something like that?
I remember being calm and maybe thinking that surely he wasn't talking about me! 6 months seemed like an eternity away. I couldn't even imagine myself in 6 months. I do remember about halfway through the 16 weeks telling my girls that I just wanted to close my eyes and blink and it would be after Christmas and the chemo would be over! It seemed so long away! But look! It is the first week of April and I'm still here and that too did pass!
What have I learned in the last year?
Life is precious and not guaranteed!
What seems like an eternity away is really not and time does go by.
Most important - that God does carry us in the palm of His hands and does get us through anything even if at the time we are going through it we can't feel Him or see Him.
That the prayers sent up to God on our behalf are heard and are very powerful. I never doubted for a minute that many people were praying for me. It seemed that somehow I felt them all! I only hope that I return the prayer favor for those in need of it. I believe the words of Babbie Mason's song"Standing in the Gap". When I didn't have the strength to pray for myself - there were many that were standing in that prayer gap and praying for me!
My prayer now is that I am able to see why God got me to this point. I pray that I give Him all the glory for my blessings. I pray that I use my life for Him and listen hard for the whispers that He gives me everyday.
Love to you all! and thanks for all you did for me and my family.
Joyce
Exactly a year ago, I had a wreck. When it happened, I didn't think it was anything life-changing. Some careless driver just pulled out in front of me and totalled my 14 year old truck! Oh well, I wasn't really ready to buy a different vehicle and I really liked that old green truck. I really didn't find out until the end of April that the simple wreck would lead to 12 months of major surprises and total changes in how I viewed life. And I know that God was with me the whole way!
First was finding out that I had to have neck fusion surgery. That sounded really scary! But it really wasn't that scary and the biggest nuisance about it was having to wear that horrid neck brace for 9 hot weeks! In fact, I've almost forgotten that I even had neck surgery and the scar is very hard to see. Thanks Dr. Bechtel for doing such a good job!
But the life-saving part of the whole wreck thing is the fact that I think about every day. Remember, if they hadn't done the pre-op chest x-ray, I still may not have known today that I had a mass growing in my left lung! That's how it is with most lung cancer patients - they don't know until it's big and spread to other areas! Thank you, God, for saving my life and making me aware that you are with me.
Next was going through another even more major surgery - the removal of the lower lobe of my left lung and having a doctor come in to tell me the dreaded words. Cancer that had spread to a lymph node. This would require chemotherapy for the next 4 months of my life and then another 6 weeks of radiation! Are you ever ready to hear something like that?
I remember being calm and maybe thinking that surely he wasn't talking about me! 6 months seemed like an eternity away. I couldn't even imagine myself in 6 months. I do remember about halfway through the 16 weeks telling my girls that I just wanted to close my eyes and blink and it would be after Christmas and the chemo would be over! It seemed so long away! But look! It is the first week of April and I'm still here and that too did pass!
What have I learned in the last year?
Life is precious and not guaranteed!
What seems like an eternity away is really not and time does go by.
Most important - that God does carry us in the palm of His hands and does get us through anything even if at the time we are going through it we can't feel Him or see Him.
That the prayers sent up to God on our behalf are heard and are very powerful. I never doubted for a minute that many people were praying for me. It seemed that somehow I felt them all! I only hope that I return the prayer favor for those in need of it. I believe the words of Babbie Mason's song"Standing in the Gap". When I didn't have the strength to pray for myself - there were many that were standing in that prayer gap and praying for me!
My prayer now is that I am able to see why God got me to this point. I pray that I give Him all the glory for my blessings. I pray that I use my life for Him and listen hard for the whispers that He gives me everyday.
Love to you all! and thanks for all you did for me and my family.
Joyce
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Who am I?
Yes, that's a big question. So far in my life, I have enjoyed different titles and surroundings that labeled who I was.
As most of you know, growing up I was pretty much a pampered little girl who liked to sleep with her grandmother instead of my own comfortable bed. I always felt so protected when sleeping with her - being alone was scary. By the time I turned 11 though, I was sleeping in my own bed alone and seemed to manage alright. Besides, before I knew it I was a teenager who really didn't need my parents hovering over me all the time and especially not my grandmother!
So, then while still in those teen years I met the love of my life and we got married at the age of 18. I then acquired the title of Mrs. Ronnie Smith. I was a wife! ( Then I was back to sharing my bed with someone and feeling protected and not scared.)
Then, after about 3 years , I gained another monumental title , Mother. Amy was born! What a thrilling time. And a full time job! Then 3 1/2 years later , Starla was born and a different title - mother of 2. Then 3 1/2 later , Brandon was born and a couple of new titles - mother of 3 and mother of a boy! And life was good and past so fast!
I really hadn't planned in all this happy home life that I would get a full-time job, but it happened! After Brandon started to school, I started working for Kerri full time and got my next title - Interior Designer. And yes, I even had an official card from the state of Texas telling me that is what I was!
Of course, with children growing up and starting their own lives , different titles came for me. The next new title was when Starla got married - I then became mother-in-law. And no, I didn't become the nosy kind(I don't think). And so it continued with Amy and Brandon marrying also.
Of course, my prize title is Mimi. With my 4 precious grandchildren, Gracie,Lily,Riley and Dakota, that is the title that makes me smile and beam with pride! They are so precious.
The next title is the scariest one I've ever known. Cancer Survivor! I'm still not sure what God has planned for me to do with this title, but I know he will reveal it's purpose to me. I am sure that God loves me and has a plan for me. Pray for me to have my brain open to his message, my ears open to His whispers!
As of this past Monday, I have finished my radiation and now in the game of waiting for either something to feel different or just waiting for a check-up every 3 months.
Meanwhile, my new title seems to be RETIRED. I can't wait for the flowers to start blooming!
As most of you know, growing up I was pretty much a pampered little girl who liked to sleep with her grandmother instead of my own comfortable bed. I always felt so protected when sleeping with her - being alone was scary. By the time I turned 11 though, I was sleeping in my own bed alone and seemed to manage alright. Besides, before I knew it I was a teenager who really didn't need my parents hovering over me all the time and especially not my grandmother!
So, then while still in those teen years I met the love of my life and we got married at the age of 18. I then acquired the title of Mrs. Ronnie Smith. I was a wife! ( Then I was back to sharing my bed with someone and feeling protected and not scared.)
Then, after about 3 years , I gained another monumental title , Mother. Amy was born! What a thrilling time. And a full time job! Then 3 1/2 years later , Starla was born and a different title - mother of 2. Then 3 1/2 later , Brandon was born and a couple of new titles - mother of 3 and mother of a boy! And life was good and past so fast!
I really hadn't planned in all this happy home life that I would get a full-time job, but it happened! After Brandon started to school, I started working for Kerri full time and got my next title - Interior Designer. And yes, I even had an official card from the state of Texas telling me that is what I was!
Of course, with children growing up and starting their own lives , different titles came for me. The next new title was when Starla got married - I then became mother-in-law. And no, I didn't become the nosy kind(I don't think). And so it continued with Amy and Brandon marrying also.
Of course, my prize title is Mimi. With my 4 precious grandchildren, Gracie,Lily,Riley and Dakota, that is the title that makes me smile and beam with pride! They are so precious.
The next title is the scariest one I've ever known. Cancer Survivor! I'm still not sure what God has planned for me to do with this title, but I know he will reveal it's purpose to me. I am sure that God loves me and has a plan for me. Pray for me to have my brain open to his message, my ears open to His whispers!
As of this past Monday, I have finished my radiation and now in the game of waiting for either something to feel different or just waiting for a check-up every 3 months.
Meanwhile, my new title seems to be RETIRED. I can't wait for the flowers to start blooming!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Happy Birthday to Me!
Yes, that's right. Tomorrow I will celebrate my 56th birthday! Wow, how time flies. I does seem ,though, that the older I get the more I forget. Does that sound familiar to anyone but me? I am learning though to enjoy life and appreciate every day that God is giving me. I just pray that I am showing His glory through the trials I have gone through. I know that God is holding me in the palm of His hand and getting me through each and every day. I just don't want to be missing the opportunities He is giving me.
My radiation is going very well. I still go every day - usually at 2:45. It only takes 5 to 8 minutes for the treatment unless it's the day that they take x-rays. That day takes probably 15 minutes! The drive there is 45 minutes there then 45 minutes back home. I've got the routine down now. I do see the dr. every Tuesday also. He said last week that everything seemed to be going as he planned. I think the only side effect I feel is tiredness. My skin has not started looking sun-burned yet. I am half-way through now, so that's usually when things start happening. I am able to drive myself in , thank goodness.
Ronnie and I just got back from a few days of staying in the travel trailer. Don and Shara are building a little house in Hico and Ronnie and Kenneth are using their talents there. Gwen and Kenneth take their trailer too, so we set us up a little home away from home! This time we got there on Wednesday and came home today(Sunday). Gwen rode with me into Ft.Worth on Thursday and Friday so I could get my treatments. It took us about 2 hours to get there then 2 hours back. It is a nice scenic drive, though and she is a good traveling buddy!
Oh, yes, before I forget - remember that I have told you before that Michelle is soooo smart? Well, she is and she has passed all 4 parts of the C.P.A. exam! She is extremely happy to have all that test studying and test taking behind her! She has literally been doing some kind of school-work and studying for the last 21 years! It has paid off now. She says that she is tired of studying and not planning on taking any test if she can help it.
The Relay for Life is getting all planned. Joyce's Journey has enough people to have 2 teams. Yeah! We have organized and have given responsibilities to different people so just one person won't be overwhelmed. We are not going overboard anyhow - we just want to make a little money for the American Cancer Society and mostly have a fun-filled time together!
Here's a couple of updates - Janice came through her surgery very well and is home recuperating. The biopsy came back begign! Yeah!
Calva is still getting her radiation to her head and spine. Unfortunately, hers is making her nauseated. Boo. She knows that she will make it through it and the nausea is only temporary. Keep praying for all of us.
Love you all!
My radiation is going very well. I still go every day - usually at 2:45. It only takes 5 to 8 minutes for the treatment unless it's the day that they take x-rays. That day takes probably 15 minutes! The drive there is 45 minutes there then 45 minutes back home. I've got the routine down now. I do see the dr. every Tuesday also. He said last week that everything seemed to be going as he planned. I think the only side effect I feel is tiredness. My skin has not started looking sun-burned yet. I am half-way through now, so that's usually when things start happening. I am able to drive myself in , thank goodness.
Ronnie and I just got back from a few days of staying in the travel trailer. Don and Shara are building a little house in Hico and Ronnie and Kenneth are using their talents there. Gwen and Kenneth take their trailer too, so we set us up a little home away from home! This time we got there on Wednesday and came home today(Sunday). Gwen rode with me into Ft.Worth on Thursday and Friday so I could get my treatments. It took us about 2 hours to get there then 2 hours back. It is a nice scenic drive, though and she is a good traveling buddy!
Oh, yes, before I forget - remember that I have told you before that Michelle is soooo smart? Well, she is and she has passed all 4 parts of the C.P.A. exam! She is extremely happy to have all that test studying and test taking behind her! She has literally been doing some kind of school-work and studying for the last 21 years! It has paid off now. She says that she is tired of studying and not planning on taking any test if she can help it.
The Relay for Life is getting all planned. Joyce's Journey has enough people to have 2 teams. Yeah! We have organized and have given responsibilities to different people so just one person won't be overwhelmed. We are not going overboard anyhow - we just want to make a little money for the American Cancer Society and mostly have a fun-filled time together!
Here's a couple of updates - Janice came through her surgery very well and is home recuperating. The biopsy came back begign! Yeah!
Calva is still getting her radiation to her head and spine. Unfortunately, hers is making her nauseated. Boo. She knows that she will make it through it and the nausea is only temporary. Keep praying for all of us.
Love you all!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Relay for Life
I have had 4 days of radiation and all is going well. They have marked my left chest with target looking markings in permanent ink. I go in every day except Sat. and Sun. I just go in and put on a lovely hospital gown and they take me to a big x-ray room. I lay on the table and be real still! This big x-ray machine zaps me from the top then it travels down below me and zaps me from my back then it comes around to my side and zaps me again. All this takes about 5 - 8 minutes and then I'm through. I don't feel any different yet - although I am so tired already. I guess the going into Ft. Worth every day is going to tire me out. I saw the dr. today and he showed me some pictures of the areas that the radiation is hitting. Pretty interesting.
I am definitely having a team at the Relay for Life here in Azle on April 24th. The name of my team is just like my blogspot - Joyce's Journey. So far I have about 28 team members! We are going to have such a fun night. We are working on fund raiser ideas right now. If you are interested in making a donation to the American Cancer Society under my team name - just go to www.relayforlife.org/azletx and go to Joyce's Journey. The theme of the whole relay in Azle this year is the silver screen so I picked Mamma Mia for the theme for my team. Now we just have to come up with decorations and stuff to go with that.
I still say that I could not have made it through all the mental and physical troubles I have gone through if it hadn't been for my wonderful support team. Ronnie has been the greatest caregiver anyone could ask for! My children have been with me every moment providing me with anything I ask for. My friends have called all the time to check on me and been the greatest chauffeurs! I don't know how people handle all this without support! Most of all, though, is the power of all the prayers that have been said on my behalf. I know that the prayers are what gave me the inner strength to keep thinking positive when I felt so bad. I remember around Thanksgiving time telling the girls that I wished I could just close my eyes and wake up and it was after Christmas already. Those were the worst days of my chemo treatments. But here I am - way past Christmas and I'm still here and positive that all will be well. God is good - He heard my pleas and the prayers of others and got me to this point, of this I'm sure!
My cousin Calva started her radiation treatments on Monday. Keep praying that she will sail through these also. My other cousin , Janice, will have surgery tomorrow(Thursday) and have the spot on her kidney biopsied and frozen. I pray that it is nothing more than a cyst. I'll keep you posted.
Love you all!
Joyce
I am definitely having a team at the Relay for Life here in Azle on April 24th. The name of my team is just like my blogspot - Joyce's Journey. So far I have about 28 team members! We are going to have such a fun night. We are working on fund raiser ideas right now. If you are interested in making a donation to the American Cancer Society under my team name - just go to www.relayforlife.org/azletx and go to Joyce's Journey. The theme of the whole relay in Azle this year is the silver screen so I picked Mamma Mia for the theme for my team. Now we just have to come up with decorations and stuff to go with that.
I still say that I could not have made it through all the mental and physical troubles I have gone through if it hadn't been for my wonderful support team. Ronnie has been the greatest caregiver anyone could ask for! My children have been with me every moment providing me with anything I ask for. My friends have called all the time to check on me and been the greatest chauffeurs! I don't know how people handle all this without support! Most of all, though, is the power of all the prayers that have been said on my behalf. I know that the prayers are what gave me the inner strength to keep thinking positive when I felt so bad. I remember around Thanksgiving time telling the girls that I wished I could just close my eyes and wake up and it was after Christmas already. Those were the worst days of my chemo treatments. But here I am - way past Christmas and I'm still here and positive that all will be well. God is good - He heard my pleas and the prayers of others and got me to this point, of this I'm sure!
My cousin Calva started her radiation treatments on Monday. Keep praying that she will sail through these also. My other cousin , Janice, will have surgery tomorrow(Thursday) and have the spot on her kidney biopsied and frozen. I pray that it is nothing more than a cyst. I'll keep you posted.
Love you all!
Joyce
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Wonderful news!
Yes, I got wonderful news yesterday. I had a pet scan done last Thursday and I went to see Dr. Sorgen(the radiation oncologist) yesterday and he told me the scan did not show any new cancers anywhere. Yeah! I am going to start my radiation treatments tomorrow ( Wednesday) . They will last for 6 weeks - 5 days a week. As of right now, I will be going at 4:30 every day. It just so happens that my cousin Calva is going to be starting her radiation tomorrow also! She has recovered from her brain surgery very well. She thanks everyone for all the prayers ( as do I)
My other cousin, Janice, will be having kidney surgery on Feb. 12th in Arlington. They are going to do laproscopic surgery and biopsy a small spot she has on her kidney then freeze the remaining spot. Pray that this is not malignant but only a cyst of some sort.
I am working on the planning of my booth for the Relay for Life here in Azle on April 24th and 25th. I am excited for all the participation so far and know it is going to be a fun night. I am trying to get in touch with the guy to make us t-shirts so everyone on the team will have matching shirts for the evening. We are also trying to come up with the best ideas for fundraisers. We had to choose a movie theme for our booth, so I chose Mamma Mia. Got to come up with decorating ideas now. My mind is whirring!
In case you didn't know - Starla lost a baby a couple of weeks ago. She was about 2 months along and the fetus just quit growing. The same thing happened last year at this time so the dr. is working on figuring out what is happening. She is doing fine. Also, the day after she found out that she lost the baby - Aaron got laid off from his job! Double whammy! He was fortunate though because he found another truck driving job a couple of days later. Keep them in your prayers.
My other cousin, Janice, will be having kidney surgery on Feb. 12th in Arlington. They are going to do laproscopic surgery and biopsy a small spot she has on her kidney then freeze the remaining spot. Pray that this is not malignant but only a cyst of some sort.
I am working on the planning of my booth for the Relay for Life here in Azle on April 24th and 25th. I am excited for all the participation so far and know it is going to be a fun night. I am trying to get in touch with the guy to make us t-shirts so everyone on the team will have matching shirts for the evening. We are also trying to come up with the best ideas for fundraisers. We had to choose a movie theme for our booth, so I chose Mamma Mia. Got to come up with decorating ideas now. My mind is whirring!
In case you didn't know - Starla lost a baby a couple of weeks ago. She was about 2 months along and the fetus just quit growing. The same thing happened last year at this time so the dr. is working on figuring out what is happening. She is doing fine. Also, the day after she found out that she lost the baby - Aaron got laid off from his job! Double whammy! He was fortunate though because he found another truck driving job a couple of days later. Keep them in your prayers.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
A New Path
Hi, everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. I still don't know how I did it, but I completely crashed my computer! I had been having trouble with it being so slow, so I decided to try an air card. Well, that sent it into orbit and the more I tried to help it - the worse it got! Finally, one day when I turned it off in disgust - I tried to turn it back on and it wouldn't boot up. At all!!! I went camping the next day for the weekend and before I got back , Brad brought Scott over and he was able to get me going again. Thanks, thanks, thanks to Scott! He is soooo smart. He was also very kind to me and didn't laugh at me for my computer ignorance! I don't know what I did but I am going to be verry careful. He did not get all my stuff off of my hard drive so I'll be busy recreating my pictures and music and those very important things!
Since my last letter, my cousin Calva has had very successful brain surgery and is already home. The surgeon said he was able to get most of the tumor out so the upcoming radiation won't have to do so much. Thanks to all of you for your prayers - they are powerful and effective! Keep it up for her as she recovers and starts her radiation.
My other cousin, Janice, has discovered that she has a very small spot on her kidney! Since Wendell had the same thing, I think she will be having laprascopic surgery to freeze the spot. I'll keep you informed on that.
Speaking of radiation - my journey will be taking me down another path now. I will have a PET scan done week after next and see the radiation oncologist again that same week. (Starla , Amy and I went to see him yesterday). He wants to start the 6 week, 5 days a week regimen the first week of February. I am not scared. He was so very informative. He explained that lung cancer has a history of not traveling very far at first so we need to hit the area close to where the tumor and lymph node were that contained the cancer cells. The chemo was more for total body eradication and the radiation is an added precaution for any microscopic cells that might still be hiding away in that left lung area. The side effects are not supposed to be bad. Best news of all is that maybe my 5 month nausea is finally coming to an end! Hallelujah!!!!! I have finally quit taking my Marinol, but am still using the phenargan occasionally.
I also have decided to have a Joyce's Journey booth at the Relay for Life in Azle on April 24th. It will be an opportunity to raise money for the American Cancer Society but mostly for me to be with all my friends and family that have been carrying me for the last 6 months. I truly can't imagine going through what I have been through without alllllll the support I have had.(and especially the continued prayers!) I'm planning on having a very fun night!
Keep up the prayers for me and my family. I can tell that Ronnie is getting very tired and weary. Pray especially for him and my sweet children.
Love you all!
Since my last letter, my cousin Calva has had very successful brain surgery and is already home. The surgeon said he was able to get most of the tumor out so the upcoming radiation won't have to do so much. Thanks to all of you for your prayers - they are powerful and effective! Keep it up for her as she recovers and starts her radiation.
My other cousin, Janice, has discovered that she has a very small spot on her kidney! Since Wendell had the same thing, I think she will be having laprascopic surgery to freeze the spot. I'll keep you informed on that.
Speaking of radiation - my journey will be taking me down another path now. I will have a PET scan done week after next and see the radiation oncologist again that same week. (Starla , Amy and I went to see him yesterday). He wants to start the 6 week, 5 days a week regimen the first week of February. I am not scared. He was so very informative. He explained that lung cancer has a history of not traveling very far at first so we need to hit the area close to where the tumor and lymph node were that contained the cancer cells. The chemo was more for total body eradication and the radiation is an added precaution for any microscopic cells that might still be hiding away in that left lung area. The side effects are not supposed to be bad. Best news of all is that maybe my 5 month nausea is finally coming to an end! Hallelujah!!!!! I have finally quit taking my Marinol, but am still using the phenargan occasionally.
I also have decided to have a Joyce's Journey booth at the Relay for Life in Azle on April 24th. It will be an opportunity to raise money for the American Cancer Society but mostly for me to be with all my friends and family that have been carrying me for the last 6 months. I truly can't imagine going through what I have been through without alllllll the support I have had.(and especially the continued prayers!) I'm planning on having a very fun night!
Keep up the prayers for me and my family. I can tell that Ronnie is getting very tired and weary. Pray especially for him and my sweet children.
Love you all!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
ahhhh! Finally
Well, I finally made it! The 16 weeks are over and I have received my last scheduled chemo treatment. I go to see the oncologist next Tuesday and see what he has to say about my future. Ginger took me to the final chemo on Monday. It only took a couple of hours from the time we arrived until the time we were walking out. My white count was only down to 1.3 or 1300 this week and my red count had gone down a little bit more. The nurse asked Dr. if I should get the shot to boost my count but he said no - wait to see where it is next week when I see him .
I have been waiting for this last 4 months to be over. It's almost as if I were in a time warp and it was in slow motion! Now that it has passed I am trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do with this future that God has given me. Lots of heavy thinking,huh? You have to remember , though, that I am still talking my Marinol this week to fight the nausea from Monday's treatment. I can't think too seriously during this time. I'm likely not to remember what big decision I came up with!
I do know that God has provided me with days ahead to use to His glory. I'm not sure where that is leading but I am still listening for God's whispers. I pray that I will recognize them when they appear. I have been studying about when God speaks to you - you will hear Him and you will know that it is God. Let me be listining!
I'll let you know about the dr. visit next week. Calva is still having mri's done to know the exact treatment for her - it should start soon. Keep us in your prayers. Love you all.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
HAPPY NEW YEAR
On one hand, I can't believe that 2009 is almost here - but on the other hand I never thought that the last 16 weeks would ever end! I only have one more scheduled chemo treatment. That will happen next Monday if my white count remains high enough. This Monday, it was 1900 or 1.9. That's way more than it has been on the week after my cisplatin. I do know that he reduced my dosage down to 60% it's original strength. I guess that's what kept my count from dropping so low this week. Anyhow, Monday ,Amy took me because she was off of work. I only got the 1 dose of Navelbine so we weren't there but a couple of hours.I did find that the nausea was still with me . I came home and took my regular nausea medicine on schedule and took a nice long nap!
I forgot to tell you last week about having a day of pampering. (Of course, Ronnie has actually pampered me for the last several months!) This day was Ginger's. She went and bought me a copy of Mamma Mia! and brought it over Saturday. We had total girl day. We put in the movie on the big screen T.V. and she brought out her manicure equipment! I had a total pedicure with everything from foot soaking to red nail polish! I actually have only had one official pedicure that I can remember because my toenails are so ugly! But this foot pampering sure did feel good! Of course, she did manicure also. You know how you look down on your hand and you wonder when your mother's hand appeared on the end of your arm? Well, that's the feeling I had. Mother's nails had developed ridges over the years and I have noticed that mine have done the same. The difference though is that Mother always had strong, long, pretty nails and mine have always been short and thin. Maybe they are changing to be more like hers! I can work on the ridges if only I had nails strong enough to take some abuse. Of course, right now, I don't have the strength to do much hard work so my nails are growing better. I have started taking prenatal vitamins to get the added iron , so I'm thinking this may help my nails to be stronger also! But I know before long my strength will return and I can get out and work in my flower beds. They are looking kinda sad.
Thanks for pampering me Ginger!Love ya lots!
My cousin, Calva, is still waiting on all the MRIs to be done so she can start her radiation. She is supposed to have 6 weeks of radiation - 5 days a week. (That is the same schedule I am going to have if radiation is necessary for me.) After the rounds of that she will have gamma knife treatment done on what's left of the tumor. Keep praying for both of us, please.
Love you all and HAPPY NEW YEAR AND MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS EVERY ONE OF YOU!
I forgot to tell you last week about having a day of pampering. (Of course, Ronnie has actually pampered me for the last several months!) This day was Ginger's. She went and bought me a copy of Mamma Mia! and brought it over Saturday. We had total girl day. We put in the movie on the big screen T.V. and she brought out her manicure equipment! I had a total pedicure with everything from foot soaking to red nail polish! I actually have only had one official pedicure that I can remember because my toenails are so ugly! But this foot pampering sure did feel good! Of course, she did manicure also. You know how you look down on your hand and you wonder when your mother's hand appeared on the end of your arm? Well, that's the feeling I had. Mother's nails had developed ridges over the years and I have noticed that mine have done the same. The difference though is that Mother always had strong, long, pretty nails and mine have always been short and thin. Maybe they are changing to be more like hers! I can work on the ridges if only I had nails strong enough to take some abuse. Of course, right now, I don't have the strength to do much hard work so my nails are growing better. I have started taking prenatal vitamins to get the added iron , so I'm thinking this may help my nails to be stronger also! But I know before long my strength will return and I can get out and work in my flower beds. They are looking kinda sad.
Thanks for pampering me Ginger!Love ya lots!
My cousin, Calva, is still waiting on all the MRIs to be done so she can start her radiation. She is supposed to have 6 weeks of radiation - 5 days a week. (That is the same schedule I am going to have if radiation is necessary for me.) After the rounds of that she will have gamma knife treatment done on what's left of the tumor. Keep praying for both of us, please.
Love you all and HAPPY NEW YEAR AND MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS EVERY ONE OF YOU!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas everyone!
I am happy to report that I had a good day on Christmas Eve. That's when we got together at Starla's house for our present exchange. We each brought finger foods so we had a good variety of snacks. Starla and Aaron drove in from Andrews that day so we waited till about 5:30 to get together. I was so surprised when Michelle and Brandon gave me a camera! I haven't had one in several years. It is so cute and small. I hope I will remember to take it with me wherever I go so maybe I will remember to take pictures. My pictures around the house definitely need to be updated!
Ronnie is almost through renovating our master bath. It looks sooooo good. What a difference changing tile will do. We used 18 X18 pieces of travertine instead of the standard 4 X 4 white squares! We are still waiting on the shower door to be made , but we are just using a shower curtain in the meantime. I think the next step of our project will be putting wood floors down in the bedrooms. Ronnie wants a break from bathroom project for a while! I can't wait though to get the hall bath done because it is the ugliest bath ever! But I will be patient.
I had my chemo on Monday as scheduled. Shara took me and got to experience the long day, although , it didn't take as long as usual. He has reduced the dosage of the cisplatin to 60 per cent strength. So I guess maybe it didn't take as long because of that. The nausea didn't really hit me till Thursday, so I slept probably 18 hours out of the 24 hour day! Thank goodness for medications! Today is Friday so I will hopefully be getting over some of the nausea by this evening. This was my last week to get the cisplatin and navelbine together. The next 2 Mondays, I will only get the navelbine if my blood count is high enough. Then I should be through with chemo! I thought I would never get to this point!
Keep praying for me as the next weeks pass. I am supposed to see a radiation dr. sometime in January or February. Also, keep my cousin, Calva, in your prayers still. She should see the radiation dr. this next week to see what her treatment will be for her tumor in her brain.
I am happy to report that I had a good day on Christmas Eve. That's when we got together at Starla's house for our present exchange. We each brought finger foods so we had a good variety of snacks. Starla and Aaron drove in from Andrews that day so we waited till about 5:30 to get together. I was so surprised when Michelle and Brandon gave me a camera! I haven't had one in several years. It is so cute and small. I hope I will remember to take it with me wherever I go so maybe I will remember to take pictures. My pictures around the house definitely need to be updated!
Ronnie is almost through renovating our master bath. It looks sooooo good. What a difference changing tile will do. We used 18 X18 pieces of travertine instead of the standard 4 X 4 white squares! We are still waiting on the shower door to be made , but we are just using a shower curtain in the meantime. I think the next step of our project will be putting wood floors down in the bedrooms. Ronnie wants a break from bathroom project for a while! I can't wait though to get the hall bath done because it is the ugliest bath ever! But I will be patient.
I had my chemo on Monday as scheduled. Shara took me and got to experience the long day, although , it didn't take as long as usual. He has reduced the dosage of the cisplatin to 60 per cent strength. So I guess maybe it didn't take as long because of that. The nausea didn't really hit me till Thursday, so I slept probably 18 hours out of the 24 hour day! Thank goodness for medications! Today is Friday so I will hopefully be getting over some of the nausea by this evening. This was my last week to get the cisplatin and navelbine together. The next 2 Mondays, I will only get the navelbine if my blood count is high enough. Then I should be through with chemo! I thought I would never get to this point!
Keep praying for me as the next weeks pass. I am supposed to see a radiation dr. sometime in January or February. Also, keep my cousin, Calva, in your prayers still. She should see the radiation dr. this next week to see what her treatment will be for her tumor in her brain.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Just a week till Christmas!
Here it is Thursday morning! I was able to get my cisplatin and navelbine infusion on Monday. My blood had come up to it's normal numbers. I did talk to Dr. Redrow on Monday (Amy and Starla were with me ) and he seemed to think everything was going fine. He didn't indicate that there is any worries over all the treatments that I have not been able to take. He will see me again the second week of January and reassess my condition then send me over to a radiation specialist to see whether I will require radiation also. I'm hoping that they will do another pet scan so they can make sure it hasn't shown up somewhere else.
The nausea is better this week because maybe I have my pill taking schedule under control a little bit better! I will just sit real still when the wave starts rolling in!
We are getting our Christmas schedule all worked out. Of course, the important part of the festivities is what goodies to make. We decided we just wanted snacky type meal on Christmas Eve instead of full-blown holiday meal. Remember, we did that for Thanksgiving at Starla's. So for Christmas - it won't be so healthy!
I think all my shopping is done. I really didn't do too much. A couple online purchases and a couple of someone else going and doing my picking! Been pretty easy for me, huh? We did some tree switching this year. Starla took Amy's big tree because Amy took my tall skinny tree because I borrowed Grace and Lily's little tree to put in my living room! Starla also is using my outdoor lights because that was not something that Ronnie was going to mess with this year!
I asked all of you last week to remember to pray for my cousin Calva as you lift my name up. She had a biopsy done and found out the results on Tuesday. She does have a neural-pineal blastoma. A malignant tumor on her penial gland in her brain. They have told her that it is not related to the colon cancer! She is waiting to get with an specialist for this to decide the treatment plan ,probably radiation. She is still very brave and positive, but still remember her name to God. Thanks!
The nausea is better this week because maybe I have my pill taking schedule under control a little bit better! I will just sit real still when the wave starts rolling in!
We are getting our Christmas schedule all worked out. Of course, the important part of the festivities is what goodies to make. We decided we just wanted snacky type meal on Christmas Eve instead of full-blown holiday meal. Remember, we did that for Thanksgiving at Starla's. So for Christmas - it won't be so healthy!
I think all my shopping is done. I really didn't do too much. A couple online purchases and a couple of someone else going and doing my picking! Been pretty easy for me, huh? We did some tree switching this year. Starla took Amy's big tree because Amy took my tall skinny tree because I borrowed Grace and Lily's little tree to put in my living room! Starla also is using my outdoor lights because that was not something that Ronnie was going to mess with this year!
I asked all of you last week to remember to pray for my cousin Calva as you lift my name up. She had a biopsy done and found out the results on Tuesday. She does have a neural-pineal blastoma. A malignant tumor on her penial gland in her brain. They have told her that it is not related to the colon cancer! She is waiting to get with an specialist for this to decide the treatment plan ,probably radiation. She is still very brave and positive, but still remember her name to God. Thanks!
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