Index
-
Thirty three years ago I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at the age of 20. I went thru chemo and radiation treatments. December of 2014 I was diagnosed with breast cancer, triple negative. I am continually fighting it. January 2016 my cancer had spread…
-
Living Through Cancer With Faith, Hope & Love A Journey Between Two Friends “Can you come in a few minutes early? This was my eight o’clock text. Not thinking too much about it, I hurried through my morning routine and headed out the…
-
November 19, 2014 Another mammogram and this time a sonogram. The technician indicated that the spot they were concerned with did not look right. Its shape had a distinct curve and it shouldn’t. The lymph node was also enlarged. Laura knew in her…
-
Ready to get this done and over with! Laura’s words of encouragement to herself. Even though deep in her heart Laura did not want to go through this again, she knew she had to. She also knew she had to be strong…
-
I really had no intentions on putting this next part in the book. But our friend Luisa, insisted that it had to be in here. One evening, my family and I went out to dinner to celebrate my daughter, Brandi’s, birthday. I sent…
-
Wednesday, February 18th, the first of the last four chemo treatments of the second cycle. This type of chemotherapy required Laura to take 5 pills before bed, and then awake again at 2 A.M. to take 5 more. Oh boy! That sounds like fun. …
-
The day had come. It was time to welcome into this world, a new Grandbaby! Not a single ache or pain was going to ruin this level of excitement. On March 24th, 2015, a sweet healthy baby girl was born. Her name is…
-
It was Easter weekend. Laura was planning for the big holiday meal. Rachel had been dating Austin for a few months now, and their relationship was becoming more serious. The two met while Rachel was visiting a friend in Iowa. Austin seems like…
-
Wednesday, April 15, 2015. LAST CHEMO DAY!! Counts were up where they should be, and chemo was a go! Laura was FINALLY going to be able to put chemotherapy behind her. Laura was so excited for this day. She sent out a…
-
Monday, May 11th, 2015 Surgery Day. Laura had to be at the hospital by 6 A.M. So I wanted to be sure to catch her before she left. This was my 5:00 text… ‘Well I have thought all night on what I…
-
It was nice to be home. Wearing David’s shirts became quite the norm and quite humorous, as they were huge on Laura. She chose to wear them since they were the only shirts big enough to cover the contraption of bandages and drain…
-
“I look funny and kind of weird.” Laura described how she looked. I asked her if she was okay that first time. I knew it had to be hard. I’m sure she was nervous. Who wouldn’t be? I think it would be a scary…
-
Laura had an appointment with the Nurse Practitioner to receive education on the next set of treatments. There would be six sessions of chemotherapy. These treatments should end sometime in October or early November.Laura has a long-standing relationship/friendship with this Nurse Practitioner. She was…
-
The girl’s weekend was over, and the Doctor’s visits had begun. Monday morning, Laura went to see the cardiologist. This visit went well. Laura no longer needed to take the medication to slow her heartrate. The Doctor said to take it, only if…
-
Just like I have mentioned earlier, Laura kept losing my texts. I thought I had explained this well enough. You know… To plead my case. Here is a prime example of what I have been talking about. I had been scrolling through…
-
I always have a story to tell. If a situation arises that I think you need to hear it, I will tell you. Laura wanted me to share this story. Let’s go back to the time when my mom was having her…
-
Wednesday, August 5th, 2015 No chemo day message today. It was not needed. ‘I bet you’re glad you’re not going to receive any more ‘short stories’ from me.’ I laughed when I wrote this. It seems like my chemo day messages were now…
-
Before I tell this next story, I want to talk about how I have been feeling. In the previous chapter I talked about being there for people. Help the friends in your life through their difficult times. Take the time to be present. …
-
We went on with our travels and ended up at Niagara Falls. It is more powerful and beautiful than you could ever imagine. We made sure to tour both the U.S. and Canada side. Both sides were equally amazing. I will say one…
-
It’s Wednesday. Hooray! Laura was able to receive chemo. Her counts were up, just enough to get by. This time Laura greeted the nurses with a sausage and cheese tray. The visit went well. The night went well too. There were no late-night…
-
The first day of preschool was set to start in the morning. Late that night, Laura sent me a text. She was worried about (as she put it) “stepping on people’s toes.” I knew what that meant. She hasn’t been back to work…
-
October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Laura was so excited about this month. As she put it… “This month is all about PINK!” Laura decided she was going to wear something pink every day. And if Laura was going to wear pink, that…
-
Laura’s life was slowly returning to normal. She was back to doing all the things she loved. Her hours at work returned to a regular schedule and she no longer needed my afternoon help. This was a good feeling for both of us. …
-
Laura called and asked me if I would do something for her. She wanted to know if I would go with her to see about some counseling. The Doctor’s office had sent her some information about ‘Gilda’s Club’. I didn’t know it at…
-
Laura needed to do something to get out of her funk. The best way to do that was to color her hair. She has been waiting MONTHS for the okay to do this. Chemo was over, so she felt it was time to…
-
Birthdays take on a different meaning when you have cancer. It goes from another year older, to thanking God for another year here. Today Laura is celebrating hers. Happy Birthday Laura! Sunday, November 8th, 2015 “Happy Birthday to me! Today I am…
-
Early Thursday morning, my phone goes off… 3:01 A. M. “I can’t sleep. Mind is going. Heart racing. I know I can do this. It’s so real. It’s been one year. I am happy but still nervous.” I stared at my…
-
“Hi. How are you doing?” ‘I’m doing good. How about you? Are you ready to go back to work?’ “Doing good. I guess. LOL. I will come up with something for us to do tomorrow.” ‘Yeah, I wondered about that. Since I was…
-
“Hi, I need your address. And Brandi’s.” ‘Maybe I don’t want you to know where I live.’ “I know where you live. LOL. You want to come to the wedding?” ‘Fine. It’s……’ “Thank you. That wasn’t so bad, was it? Working on the…
-
“She said, Yes to the dress!” Saturday, December 26th. Journal entry… “Today I slept in a little. Then up to put things away. Had a dress appointment at 11:30. Today Rachel said yes to her dress. She chose the strapless dress. We…
-
Christmas break was over, and it was time to head back to school. I wasn’t ready to return just yet, I could use a couple of more weeks. The last conversation I had with Laura, was when we were talking about her upcoming…
-
January 8, 2016… “Got a phone call about the PET scan. They can do my test earlier in the day. They had 2 cancellations, so I am going in at 12 to have it done. Amanda and Becky are going to be there…
-
Sunday, January 24th, 2016 journal entry… “Happy 3rd Birthday, Caleb. Today we are going to eat with Mickey Mouse. Caleb liked the characters at a distance. He didn’t want to shake hands or give hugs to any of them or get his picture…
-
The closer it got to Laura’s next appointment, the more on edge Laura was. It seems like anything anyone would say, she would end up taking it the wrong way. I didn’t say anything to her. Instead, I watched as she went about…
-
“I just want to hit something. I am tired of coughing. It sucks.” ‘I know a few people you can hit. Did they say how long you would be coughing?’ “Lol. No. It is so frustrating.” ‘Do you feel any better?’ “I am…
-
Wednesday, chemo day message… ‘I’ve been sitting here waiting for the words to come. The words just aren’t coming. It’s hard to think of a pick me up, a cheer me up, when just the day before, you can see the pain in…
-
Friday, March 25th, 2016. Journal entry… “Today I am feeling very tired and weak. Today was Disney on Ice. I fell asleep a couple of times. It was a good show, but I was so tired. The kids came back, and we ate…
-
Saturday, April 9th, 2016. Journal entry… “Rachel woke me up to say that David was in the hospital. It might be his heart. He was having trouble breathing. I told her we needed to go home. We got up and got ready to…
-
Tuesday, April 19th, 2016. Journal entry… “I’m feeling pretty good today. My sisters from Fort Scott are coming up for a few days. We are going to have some sister & mom pictures taken today over by Bass Pro. Had a really good…
-
‘I know this is not an official ‘chemo day’, but there is something I want to share. I told you how I follow Rory Feek’s blog. He is that fellow that recently lost his wife. He is raising their 2-year-old little girl with…
-
Thursday, May 5th, 2016. Journal entry… “Today was a good day. Was able to clean a little. Still have more to do but trying to do a little at a time. Went to see the nurse’s at Centerpoint to let them know the…
-
Thursday, June 2nd, 2016. 11:52 A.M… “Can you come up to work about 2:15/2:30 today?” ‘Probably so.’ “Okay, thank you.” Well, I wonder what this is all about. She asked Luisa and I to meet her in the office. Maybe now, she…
-
Saturday, June 18th… “Good morning. Have a fun and relaxing vacation. Enjoy the nice weather you will be having. Have fun with the kids and the animals too. You deserve to have this trip. No worries. Everything is going to be fine with me. …
-
Sunday, July 3rd, 2016… ‘My vacation is over. We are home.’ “So is mine. On our way home.” ‘Be careful and have a happy Fourth.’ “Thanks, you too.” Our two-week vacation was over, and Brandi and the pup had left for home. It…
-
“They were in my car. I was taking out my heated seat cushions and there they were. Do you know how many people looked in my car? Omg.” ‘What was in your car?’ “My keys.” ‘Seriously?? In the driver’s seat? You didn’t feel…
-
‘Happy Wedding Day, Momma! Hope you feel wonderful. Take it all in, every moment. You did a lot of praying for the happiness that this day is bringing. We both did, for our girls. I know what you are feeling today. I felt…
-
“Hey, we are going to Vegas for the wedding. Leaving Saturday and coming home on Tuesday. $200 a person for airfare.” ‘What airline? Who is going?’ “Southwest. Amanda and I.” ‘How did you find that price?’ “Amanda found it. Southwest was having a…
-
Clint and I had to go out of town for a funeral. We left early Sunday morning. Laura sent me a text later that afternoon, expressing her frustrations. She had chemo on Wednesday, so we know what that means. It means the weekends…
-
Wednesday, September 14th, 2016. Chemo day… ‘Last night I looked up what I wrote you for a chemo day message a year ago. I did this before you ever asked me about an ending for our care bags. Well, almost a year to…
-
10:30 P.M text to Amanda… ‘Hey, the nurse is in here asking a series of questions. What did they call her heart thing? Your mom can’t remember.’ “Sinus tachycardia. It’s means fast heart rate.” ‘That’s it! I remember now. Thanks.’ The nurse…
-
“I sent mom’s story to ‘The Ellen Show’. I had to pair it down by half because it could only have 1500 characters. Which was like a paragraph.” ‘It will be great! Good job!’ Rachel… “Awesome. Hopefully, it will work (Insert smiley face). …
-
October 1st, 2016. 9:01 P.M… ‘Hi Laura, how was your day?’ “It was good. How about you?” ‘It was very productive. I cleaned the house, vacuumed all the rooms, and put out my Halloween decorations. Now, I’m beat. I spent all evening taking…
-
Wednesday, October 12th… “Hi Debbie, this is Amanda. I have some stuff in my car for the care packages. I’ll bring it with me when I get Caleb.” ‘Ok. Thank you.’ “Thanks for keeping an eye on my mom. I am worried about…