In Her Own Words. . .

Life has changed so much.  I am going to have to stop my shopping at will since I no longer am working.  My meager check that I do get has to help with bills for a while.  Things will get back to normal eventually.  I just need to be patient.  Like my hair.  The nurse said it would fall out right after the firt chemo session.  She said to go ahead and cut it.  I did and grieved big time.  I still have my short hair.  Now it is supposed to fall out after the next chemo session. I will get to grieve again. However,  I AM VERY happy to have had more time with my hair.  A silly little thing, but something that made me smile and not cry.  I have a wonderful family, the kindest friends and great doctors---all of whom believe I will get better.  So when Donald and I are up nights, I give thanks for them. Thanks for your support and prayers.

-Laura

A Bit of a Breather

The past week has been pretty relaxing. Mom has felt pretty well, despite her white blood cells being at their lowest point Thursday through Sunday (days 7-10 after chemo). She even drove down to Columbia  this weekend to celebrate Drew's birthday (which was yesterday). Drew's parents came too and we had a nice dinner.

Drew has been such a support to all of us the past few weeks. He is always able to encourage mom, and helps me to stay positive. Incredibly thankful for my husband! Happy Birthday Dude- hope you shot a lot of ducks this morning!

This  is the firsy stretch in nearly a month where mom doesn't have every other day doctor's appointments (we thought she wouldn't have to go at all, but she did have to get her port checked out).  We are all welcoming the breather :). Mom did have to meet with a representative from her insurance company...I guess so the rep could make sure mom was really sick. Exactly what she needed ;). Oh well...

Although she has been feeling better physically, giving up work has been more difficult for mom than she imagined. She misses her students, and the other teachers from the school. But after missing so much work last year with her hip, she didn't feel like it was in her student's best interest to only be in the classroom sporadically.


Now, we are all excited to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday. We will miss Drew's sister Kelly, who is in China, and both Big Daddy and Granddaddy will be on our minds. However, looking forward to Miss Sophia's first Turkey Day, and to my first Thanksgiving as a Creech.

Thanks for continued prayers! Mom has a second round of chemo next week, so look for an update then. :)

When You're Worried and Cannot Sleep....

This Sunday, I drove to Greenville to meet my parents and two of their friends to see White Christmas at the Peace Center. It was wonderful. I love 1950's musicals, as does mom, and we had a nice relaxing evening, enjoying the music, and getting into the Christmas Spirit.

One of the songs in the show is "Count Your Blessings"- the lyrics go "When you're worried and you can't sleep, count your blessings, instead of sheep. And, you'll fall asleep counting your blessings." I was so surprised to start tearing up during the song (although I do cry fairly easily- I HATE crying in public).  Over the past few weeks my prayers and thoughts have so been focused on mom and our family, weighty with worry. However, even as we begin this journey, there is so much to be thankful for: mom's doctors, family, friends, financial stability, dogs (Herbie, Jake, and Donald), prayers, Christmas music, Thanksgiving, PRAYERS, laughter, etc. The list goes on and on. So, I am going to make extra effort this Thanksgiving to be grateful for the blessings God has provided to my family and me! Also, my sleep has not exactly great these days, so I am indeed going to count my blessings and cross my fingers (and put Jake in the kennel since he likes to sneak into bed between Drew and me throughout the night).

Yesterday mom got a port placed below her collar bone to make the administration of the chemo therapy easier. She feels sore and uncomfortable, and has some funky bruises. But, the pain should subside in a few days.  Today she went back at the doctor's office for her to get lab work done. Getting blood drawn the day after surgery made her feel pretty nauseous. But, she has a good attitude. I hate seeing her feel yucky though.  The lab work showed that her white blood cell count is pretty good, despite the chemo!

We also went shopping for wigs, which was emotional, but went very well. We picked out two wigs for mom, and got some soft hats for her to wear around the house.

Cancer sucks. But, lots of other things in our lives don't. :)

Pixie Cut

Cute, isn't it?

And just because:

Mom's favorite doctor. OK- Donald doesn't have a Medical Degree, but he gives the best medicine- LOVE.

Hair

My mom has silky black hair. When I was a little girl I would take her bright banana yellow hair brush and sit behind her in her brass king sized bed and spend hours brushing and "styling" her hair. I was with her when she got her first grays, and when she got those grays died black (sorry for selling you out mom!- to be fair, she doesn't need any color and I have as many grays as she does now!). I remember her getting her hair done on my brother's wedding day, getting a stylish new cut at the beginning of each school year, and most recently, sitting together getting our hair done for my wedding day.

In a few weeks my mom will not have hair on her head. This has perhaps been one of the most emotional aspects of learning of her diagnosis. At first it seems a bit superficial, but losing her hair says "I have cancer," it betrays the tumor inside of her. BUT- it also tells the world- I am FIGHTING cancer, I am on the ROAD TO RECOVERY.

I had asked mom if she wanted me to go with her to get her hair cut short or shaved prior to it falling out. She declined my offer several times, but yesterday a nurse in her oncologist's office also suggested a short new do to ease the emotional impact. My mom went this morning to get her hair cut short. I had to judge a mock trial competition and work this afternoon so did not go with her. I HATE I wasn't with her, and wish I had known earlier in the week.

But, I will see her tomorrow and am sure she will look wonderful in her new pixie cut. I am SO PROUD of her for taking control of this aspect of fight--going ahead and cutting her hair off before the drugs take it from her. If she gives me permission, I'll post pics of her new do. ;) That being said, even though the yellow hair brush has been long retired (although I am pretty sure mom still has it hidden in the back of a bathroom drawer), I look forward to the day when I can brush her hair again.

This week mom takes steroids and has surgery scheduled Tuesday to get a port placed in her body to make it easier for her to receive the chemo. (I will work on my medical descriptions, please be patient with me). Pray for her doctors, that the surgery will go smoothly, and also for her attitude and spirit.  The past few weeks have been filled with doctor's appointment and she seems especially down this weekend.

Trying to cast our cares on Him.

My Mom Has Cancer

On October 26, 2010, I had just finished up a long day at work. Was feeling excited about the upcoming Halloween weekend, and glad that we had gotten a good result for a client during mediation that day. I was leaving the mediator's office when my phone rang--it was mom. I picked up to tell her I'd call her right back, but I immediately knew something was wrong. She had been to her family practioner for a check up, and mentioned she had felt something hard in her stomach. The doctor said he felt an abdominal mass, and scheduled a CT Scan for the next day. He rushed the results, and I met mom to get the results on Wednesday---CANCER.

That one word turned my world upside down. My mom is truly my best friend and the thought of her being sick, of potentially losing her, shook me to the core.

After nearly two weeks of tests, doctor's visits, tears, and prayer, mom got her official diagnosis-- Beta cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, stage 3.

Mom started chemotherapy today. I wanted so badly to be with her, but Drew's grandfather (his other grandfather passed away a few weeks earlier), and we went to his funeral services. The service was lovely, and Dad was able to sit with Mom. 

The past 12 months have been some of the best of our lives---Drew and I got engaged and married, John and Bianca had a sweet baby girl, and our family spent a lot of time together. But, they have also had many challenges---mom was hit by a cab in NYC- i mean WHO does that happen too? And, has had a long road to recovery, Drew has lost two grandfathers, and now this.


I am starting this blog as a way to keep close family and friends updated on Mom's progress, and selfishly, to process my own feelings/struggles through the journal we are about to take.

Mom is a fighter, and as one of my good friends told me- God has a lot of trust in her faith and will see her through this battle.