Not Just For Me...

I want to thank all of you for your complete support and encouragement during my "small moment" (adversity and affliction - refer to first blog).  You have given me great joy and comfort through your prayers, thoughts, service, and love.

After I finished chemo treatment, I heard horror stories about radiation.  A few people told me it was worse than chemo, especially if it was the last part of the treatment plan so I tried REALLY hard to get out of it.  Since the surgery went so well and they were able to get everything out and clear the margins, I asked the doctor if radiation was necessary.  The radiation oncologist told us, without radiation, there was a 30-40% chance of the cancer returning.  With radiation, there was a 10% chance of it returning.  They won.  Here I am one day post-radiation treatment completion and guess what?  It wasn’t hard at all…it was a breeze.  I was anticipating a very difficult six weeks and only had one day of down time due to discomfort.  My radiation oncologist told me it wasn’t that bad and she thought I would get through it just fine, but I wasn’t quite convinced.  At my last appointment, she said people don’t believe her when she tells them it’s not that bad.  I had also been considering going to acupuncture as I heard that would help with the side effects and my doctor suggested I wait a couple weeks to see how I felt.  I’m glad I did, because she was right, and she saved me some money.

Our six weeks here in Seattle couldn’t have been more perfect.  The weather was wonderful.  I think I can count on one hand how many times it rained.  I really wasn’t looking forward to the Seattle rain and grey skies during my stay.  I love the sunshine.  It lifts me up.  It made the five day a week drive from Arlington to Seattle and back very pleasant.  Plus, Jim and Jamie were able to take turns driving.  Sometimes all of us would go, and that made the trips more fun.  In addition to the drive being very pleasant, the staff at SCCA was amazing.  They are so uplifting, kind, and encouraging.  They always have smiles on their faces, greeting us with a warm welcome.  Jim kept busy making homemade filled chocolates for the staff in the radiation oncology department.  He made ganache, cherry, nectarine, blueberry, strawberry, caramel, and caramel nut.  Of course we had to sample them and they were delicious.  The staff was happy for me on my last day; however, they were also sad because they said they would miss us, but we think it was really the chocolates.  

We thought we would have so much time while we were here, but it just flew by.  In fact, we were going to write in the blog more often but, as you can see, you only get one.  We kept a pretty busy schedule driving to Seattle every day but, on top of that, I went to all of Jamie’s Zumba classes before my appointments which I believe helped me to feel so great during radiation.  We also met up with many friends.  In fact, I had a friend I hadn’t seen in over 40 years contact me, and Jim and I were able to meet with him and his wife a couple times.  We played mahjong, a Chinese tile game our nine year old grandson, Steven, loves to play.  We planned menus, did a lot of grocery shopping, cooking, and eating.  Fortunately, it’s crab season so, thanks to good friends, we had a lot of crab over the last month and a half.  Yum!

As a patient of SCCA, my family and I were able to participate in a couple of events donated by organizations and people in the community.  We attended a Seattle Storm game on breast health night and they recognized those affected, their families, caregivers, health staff, and pretty much everyone associated in some way.  We had a great time, it was a great game, and they won!  Today, we went on a schooner and sailed around Lake Union.  It was our celebratory sail.  The weather couldn’t have been more perfect.  There were kayakers, paddle boarders, seaplanes, and all kinds of boats.  We really enjoyed looking at all the houseboats, including the one in Sleepless in Seattle.  It was cool seeing the bridge open and close for our sailboat.  I’m sure the cars weren’t very happy about having to wait, but we were grateful to explore.  

I have always believed everything happens for a reason.  Now I would like to share with you, what I believe, is the crowning glory of my journey.  It’s completely different than what I could have ever imagined and than what you are probably expecting.  

Jim never knew his father.  He disappeared before he was born, and he was told his father didn’t know about him.  His mother never wanted to talk about his father or the situation.  The only thing she told him was that his father was murdered on his way to a different state to look for work.  After she passed away, Jamie asked Jim if it would be ok to look for his dad.  If there was a chance he was still alive, she wanted her grandfather to know her awesome father and to know the family history.  She has been searching for almost 15 years and has found bits and pieces but not enough to get anywhere significant.  In that time, she found out his birth month and year, he was adopted, and some information on his adopted parents.

On a Sunday afternoon, almost three weeks into our stay, Jamie got her genealogy folder out and was showing her dad some information and decided to search for some of the nieces listed in his grandfather’s will again.  She found an obituary for one of the nieces (Jim’s father’s cousin) which listed some of the relatives she left behind.  Jamie searched for information on them and found some phone numbers.  She told her dad, “Now I have to get up the courage to make the calls,” and he said, “I’ll make them.”  After she found several numbers, Jim made a call to a lady in Nampa, ID.  He explained who he was and asked if Bert and Nannie were her aunt and uncle.  She responded and then Jim said, “Yep, then we’re related.”  This is the first contact Jim has made with family on his dad’s side.  All these years, Jamie has been searching and making phone calls and, because we were there with her, Jim was able to make the phone call that counted.  We consider this significant.  The story gets better.  At this point, we had a link to his childhood family.  As far as we knew, he disappeared before Jim was born and have no idea what happened to him after that other than what Jim’s mom told him.  Jim and Jamie talked to this cousin’s daughter and she mentioned she found a draft record for Jim’s dad.  Jamie was anxious to get her hands on this because this is something she hadn’t been able to find before.  Sure enough, it was available online and she was able to confirm his birth day.  This linked to a social security death index for someone with Jim’s father’s name, birth month, and birth year, who passed in Missouri.  We were pretty sure this was Jim’s father but we had nothing else to confirm it.  Jamie started searching for Statlers in Missouri and there were a ton of them.  It would take forever to find a link to him so, after sitting in front of the computer searching for a while, Jamie sent her dad to the living room to relax and told him it could be years.  She started searching for Statlers in the small towns around where he died and a female name came up who would’ve been around 89 (he would have been 93).  This peaked her interest and she began searching that name in the area and a couple things came up.  She happened to click on a link and a double headstone popped up for the lady she found and a man with the same name as Jim’s dad born the same day and there was a chef hat above his name.  For those of you who don’t know, my husband is a chef.  The chef hat sealed the deal.  We knew it was him.  This meant a whole lot of things for us.  He wasn’t murdered.  He lived until he was 77 years old and obviously had married again.  Did he have other children?  What had happened to him all the years in between?  After doing more research, we were able to find and get in touch with some of the relatives in Missouri.  Jim spoke with a niece back there and explained who he was.  She was very kind and interested in hearing Jim’s story.  She told him his father was a wonderful man, very loving and kind.  Jim was very emotional hearing these wonderful things about his father.  She was so sad for him that he did not know his father.  She told him that he and her grandmother had a very happy life.  Jim had a lot of questions for her and she was able to get answers to some of them which he was very grateful for.  We have received pictures from the families in Idaho and Missouri, and it’s intriguing how much he and his father look alike.  

We are hoping to meet all of these family members at some point in the future.  The “meeting the family” chapter will begin next week when we go to Idaho to meet Jim’s dad’s childhood cousin and her family.  The cousin’s daughter told Jim over the phone that her mother was excited to meet him.  I had to finish the conversation with her because Jim was so overwhelmed and tearful that he couldn’t talk.  We will be heading home to Yakima tomorrow for a couple days and then heading to Idaho with Jamie and her family for a few days.

“Small moments” are blessings in disguise.  When I look back at the “small moments” throughout my life, I realize the blessings that came and are still coming from them.  This journey is no different.  I have seen an abundance of blessings throughout this “small moment” and know there are many more to come.  It is impossible to accurately relay the feelings of our experience here the last three weeks with the discovery of Jim’s father.  The fact that we were there with Jamie as she was researching, that Jim was able to make the phone calls, that we were together 24/7 to look at the evidence in the same room, to experience the emotions that come with this type of situation and be able to hug and cry with each other was extraordinary.  It felt as if the windows of heaven had opened and we were being showered upon.  This experience wasn’t just for me…

Healing in Paradise

First things first, we welcomed another grandson to the family.  Leinani gave birth to Jhase Raydon Coleman on April 20th, and he is adorable.  

My family disagreed with me going to Hawaii by myself a week early; however, I was glad I made that decision.  Hawaii has such a healing air and atmosphere - the people, the culture, the love, the ohana, the beauty, the peace, the warmth, the weather.  It rains or drizzles shortly and the sun comes out immediately and creates steam, like being in a sauna.  For those of you who've been there, you know what I'm talking about.  For those of you who haven't, you really need to go and enjoy the feeling of paradise and the warmth of Hawaii.  It's not just a heat warmth, it warms your soul.  I went to the swap meet three times and walked around for hours.  I felt good and strong.  I haven't been able to do that since I started chemo.

It didn't take as long as I thought to make all the preparations for Josh and Trina to get married, so I was able to relax before the wedding.  In fact, my cousin came over from the big island to spend a day with me.  We had so much fun and laughed and laughed.  I had a very enjoyable time spending time with family and friends.  They were instrumental in the healing I felt while there.

A couple days before the wedding, Jamie and I spent an afternoon at the beach.  It was a gorgeous day and, just to be able to lay and watch the waves rolling in and out and to walk on the warm sand, was very relaxing.  While we were there, we saw a couple guys that looked like they were training for something.  One was swimming back and forth across the bay which was pretty big.  He swam like he was a fish - so smooth, so fast, like he lived in the ocean.  Then we saw another guy paddle boarding out quite a ways, then he would come back to drop off his paddle board and jump into the ocean and swim out around this boat that was quite a distance.  When he returned, he took off jogging on the beach and then he'd do it all over again.  He was fast, strong, and amazing.  It was intriguing to watch.

The day of the wedding was beautiful.  You could see the ocean from the temple.  The grounds and flowers were colorful and breathtaking.  After the ceremony, we went outside and took pictures.  We spent the rest of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center which was amazing.  The food was ono (delicious) and the night show was fantastic.  We finally left for home around 9:30 that evening.

Jamie and I stayed with my Auntie Kahili.  She is 80 years young and lives a very simple life.  Her toilet was broken when we first arrived, and we had to take the lid off and pull the chain up to flush.  Her son-in-law came and fixed it after a few days.  The first morning I went to take a shower and, in the middle of the shower, it turned cold because she had turned off the hot water heater.  She unplugs and turns everything off at night (stove, television, microwave, etc.) because she was told that saves her money on her electric bill.  We learned how spoiled we are and how much we take things for granted at home.  On the other hand, it helped us to live at a more relaxed pace while there.  Auntie is by no means cheap, she is simply simple.  She knows the difference between necessity and want or convenience.  She has a lot of wisdom about life, like this quote she shared:  "Look not mournfully into the past but wisely into the future."  I also learned a lot about my family and the Hawaiian way of life.  Both my adopted and birth parents are gone now.  Without going into more detail about my family, which would take too much time, Auntie Kahili told me I was her daughter now.  That's the Hawiian way.  

When we got back to Washington, we hit the ground running preparing for the reception which was very nice.  It was an enjoyable day with family, new family, and friends.  

Jim and I headed up to Seattle Tuesday following the reception for my surgery on Wednesday which went really well.  While in surgery they did a sentinel node biopsy, which came back negative, meaning the cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes.  The tumor had shrunk to the size of a pencil point.  She was able to remove the cancer tissue and cleared the margins.  

Funny story...when Dr. Javid called to confirm the pathology results, I misunderstood her.  I told Jamie that all that was left of the cancer tissue was the size of a pencil point but that radiation would take care of it.  Dr. Javid sounded so positive that I was really excited.  When I got off the phone, I told Jamie what I thought Dr. Javid had said, and she had a scowl on her face, like "What?  That's not right."  I could tell she was confused, and I thought, "Am I not saying this right?"  You have to understand, Jamie has gone with me to all my doctors appointments with her computer noting everything and asking lots of questions.  She has been the mother in this whole situation, taking charge and making sure everything was in place and done right.  On with the story...Dr. Javid explained before surgery that she had to clear margins.  In other words, she had to remove a certain amount of tissue around the cancer for it to be considered "successful."  If pathology determined she didn't clear margins, I would have to go back for another surgery.  I forgot about that, but Jamie certainly didn't.  I was so excited, though, that Jamie dropped the subject until we went to my post-op.  Later, Jamie told me it was all she could do to not throw me in the car and drive me back down to Seattle to have them remove the rest.  At the post-op, Dr. Javid confirmed everything again and was very pleased with the great outcome.  That's when Jamie said, "I think my mom misunderstood you," and verified that Dr. Javid cleared the margins and everything was gone.  Dr. Javid felt so bad that I had misunderstood.  What she was saying is that my tumor had shrunk to the size of a pencil tip, and I thought she was saying that's what was left after surgery.  Anyhow, all is well thank goodness.

I had my follow-up with Dr. Brady, my oncologist in Yakima, and he said my neuropathy will last for a long time.  On the bright side, he said I could get back into my routine of things (light housekeeping, Zumba, some cooking) and to just listen to my body and rest when I'm tired.  

My pre-radiation appointment is on Monday, and I'll be starting radiation in a couple weeks.  Oh, and my hair started to grow back around six weeks after chemo.  It's about a quarter inch long now, and it's soft like peach fuzz.  Some people say it will grow back curly.  A Chinese with an afro?  Hmmm.

An Adventure

In my last blog, I mentioned the second round was supposed to be easier than the first.  Remember that roller coaster I referred to?  Well, I really don't like roller coasters.  I can't say the first round of chemo was worse than the second round.  The first round made me tired and sick, but the worst part was getting pneumonia.  I'll tell you about the second round now...

I can understand why people wear down and want to give up, and you don't understand it until you go through it.  That stuff is poison!

A few weeks into round two of chemo (12 weeks total), my fingernails and toenails started turning purple and will probably eventually fall off.  I also started suffering from neuropathy (tingling in the fingers), which the doctor anticipated.  

Seven weeks - They considered changing my chemo meds due to continued neuropathy

Eight weeks - They decided to change the meds and didn’t feel the need to give me Benadryl or steroids prior as no one had ever been allergic or had a reaction to the drug I was receiving.   Well, lucky me...guess what happened?  Yep, my lips swelled up, my palms turned purple, I was red under my nose, on my forehead and behind my neck, and I got purple and red blotches on the top of my hands.  All the nurses surrounded me, the doctor came out, and they immediately hooked me up to Benadryl and steroids.  They kept me there for an hour and a half watching my blood pressure and breathing, hoping I wouldn't go into cardiac arrest.  Fortunately, the Benadryl and steroids worked and I am fine, with a few bumps and bruises.  My hands looked like I had a chemical peel.

Nine weeks - I pre-medicated with Benadryl and steroids and had no reaction except the usual neuropathy, which was getting worse.

I made a trip over to Seattle and, while I was there, SCCA was able to get me in for a pre-op ultrasound.  Great news!!  The technician couldn't find the lump, so they sent me for a mammogram to find the clip that had been inserted during the biopsy.  

10 weeks - I went in for another dose of chemo and neuropathy was still getting worse. Dr. Brady asked if I could make it for two more sessions, and I told him I'll do whatever I need to do. We'll get through this.

11 weeks - When I went in this time, the nurse told me I didn't look too good and went to speak with Dr. Brady.  He was concerned that the neuropathy would cause permanent damage so, with that and the results of the ultrasound report, he released me from the last two chemo sessions.  Hallelujah!!  Jim and I were both crying, I was jumping up and down like a little kid, and the nurses were celebrating with us.

On May 1st, I went into SCCA for a pre-op appointment and met with the surgeon, who was very happy about the ultrasound report.  As of now, I am ready for my lumpectomy on May 28th, after I return from Josh's wedding in Hawaii and reception in Yakima.

First and second round comparison:  Being allergic, tired, and drugged up most of the time felt just as bad as feeling sick, tired, and having pneumonia.  It wasn't so much the chemo, I mean it was the chemo, but the Benadryl made me want to lay down all the time and say, "Leave me alone," because I was so tired.  When I went out to visit the Zumba classes, the ladies would tell me I looked really tired and ask if I was ok.  I wanted the energy to dance with the girls, but I couldn't, and that bothered me.  If I have a choice, I don't want to do either one again.  Hahahaha!  That's behind us now.  Chemo is done...YAY!  We're now waiting for the neuropathy to go away and the hair to grow back and looking forward to celebrating having all of this behind us.  Now it's time to focus on the wedding, surgery, radiation, and complete healing.

"Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure."  Robert Lipkin

Roller Coaster Ride: High and Low Moments

Hello!  I'm still here...sorry it's been so long.  Let me update you since the last post.

I had a couple of great weeks.  On Sunday, January 19th, I woke up feeling the best I had felt since before being diagnosed.  I woke up feeling like I didn't have cancer anymore.  My energy level was great!  I went to church.  I wasn't tired.  I had a really good day and got a lot done the next couple days.

On January 22nd, I had my last session of my first round of chemo and it took me for a loop.  I was pretty much down the next three weeks.  My energy was non-existent.  I never knew someone could feel so weak and helpless but, fortunately, the day before I started my second round of chemo (February 12th), I started feeling a little better.  My second round of chemo is 12 weekly treatments, and I will finish this round on April 30th.  These treatments are not as harsh.  I'm tired and need a nap the first day, and I usually feel better the next.  I've been going to Zumba Gold® twice a week and getting my exercise in because, after the first week, I was having some shooting pains under my arms and shoulders.  Since this treatment effects the nerves, my nurse recommended I attend my Zumba Gold® classes and it has helped.  It's so great to get back and see my Zumba students.  I love it.  My daughter-in-law, Becky, has been teaching my classes for me.  I've been able to go and visit the other Zumba® classes as well and it has been nice to get out and see people again.

After I'm finished with this round of chemo, I get to take a 3-4 week break.  During this break, my son, Josh, is getting married in Hawaii so I get to take a little trip to paradise to enjoy the sunshine and warmth.  I'm really looking forward to it.  When I return, I will have surgery (a lumpectomy) at the end of May and take another 3-4 weeks off before starting my six weeks of radiation.  I will be having my surgery and receiving radiation in Seattle, so I will be staying with my daughter for a few months.  So get ready to hear from me more often.  Jamie and I will be able to work on the blog while I'm in Seattle.

My daughter heard a message this weekend at a training with Pepper Von.  "Adversity is God's University."  If we face adversity with the proper perspective, we will learn and grow.  Each of us are given our own adversities which give us the opportunity to become stronger, wiser, and more refined. So hang on and enjoy the ride!!

Joys of the Holidays, Friends, and Happy New Year!

Well now that the holidays are behind us, we are finally catching up.  I've had chemo sessions #2 and #3 since the last blog.  Session #2 was fantastic.  I felt good enough to travel to western Washington for  the holidays.  We enjoyed spending time with family, played games, had lots of fun, and ate lots of good food.  In fact, we were having so much fun, we didn't stop to update my blog.  I thought, "Wow, I'm going to breeze right through this!"  Then came session #3 last Thursday, and oh boy, it hit me.  I went in for chemo in the morning and that afternoon I felt achy and tired.  On Friday morning, I went in for my white blood cell shot.  The nurse noticed immediately I wasn't my usual self and gave me an IV to administer fluids and anti-nausea medicine.  I'm usually there a half hour to an hour but didn't get out of there for 2 1/2 hours, but I felt better after the fluids.  Fluids really help after chemo treatment.  I can tell a difference when I take in enough, but they do NOT taste good AT ALL!!  I've tried water, water with lemon, herbal tea, and Pedialyte and Gatorade diluted with water or 7-up, but nothing tastes right.  I am feeling a little better today (day #4 after chemo).  Oh, and I've been a little shaky today.  I'm sure these are all symptoms from the drugs and the drugs are doing their job so march forward I will!  My nurse said session #4 will be the worst which I'm really not looking forward to but, once we get through that, it should get better from there.  Three weeks after session #4, I go to 12 weekly chemo treatments and those are not as harsh.

One thing that's been hard for me is not being able to do things - to get up to cook or clean or decorate for the holidays.  Sometimes I don't have enough strength to get up and get a drink or something simple.  I really enjoy doing things for others, too, and it's been hard not being able to do that, especially when I hear of friends who are struggling.  I want to go help them and I can't.

The other thing I noticed is there are a lot of people with struggles and illnesses, more than I've ever noticed before.  Is it this time of year, this time in my life, is it always like that and I haven't noticed it before?  Do people keep their illnesses and struggles to themselves?  Are our eyes that closed to our friends and those in need?  For those of you, not just my friends, but my friends' friends and anyone else, who are struggling, my thoughts and prayers are with each and every one of you…always.

Some fun stuff and things that brought me joy since my last blog:

My daughter-in-law took me to try on wigs (photos below).  Curly or grey?  What do you think?  

I received a quilt from our dear friends, the Maxwells, with a note on the back of the quilt that said, "This quilt was made to give you our hugs."  I can feel their love from across the country.  

Another friend, Lynette, drew me a "Zentangle" picture with a heart, pink ribbon, flower, and a "Z."  She wrote a very special letter to go with it.  She also picked some things up for me to finish my Christmas presents since I couldn’t go out.  What a blessing.

My daughter's friend, Angela, made me a beautiful heart quilt.

The 15-16 year old Sunday School class at church made a blanket and presented it to me at church yesterday.  What a thoughtful group of teenagers.

When I feel down or weak from chemo, all I do is think of the people who are walking through this with me and I feel strong.  Some of you, I haven't even met, and I thank you for your care and concern.  My family members and friends tell me of friends and friends of friends who are asking how I'm doing and sending their well wishes and prayers.  Thank you, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, and Happy New Year!  May this year bring you and yours many blessings and joyful memories.

Chemo and Doing Good…In So Many Ways

I had my first chemo appointment on Thursday, November 21st.  Because I tend to be sensitive to Benadryl, which they administer before every treatment, they only gave me half a dose but even that knocked me out.  I could feel that sensation of drifting off.  I remember hearing voices off and on and heard everyone laughing about me.  I heard my nurse say, "Boy she really is out for a loop," and my family saying, "See, we told you."  Needless to say, I came home and slept most of the first day only waking to do the things they asked me to do faithfully to help my body handle the chemo better and keep myself as healthy as possible.  I went in for my shot, the one that helps my bones make more white blood cells, the next day but was still very sleepy and pretty much out of it.  I wasn't too hungry but forced myself to eat protein and drink lots of fluids to flush the chemo out of my body.  Later in the evening, I was feeling better so I went to Zumba®, came home with a great appetite, and ate a good dinner.  Jim was happy.  On the third day, I woke up very tired and not feeling too good.  My temperature was 99.6 (at 100, I'm supposed to call the doctor).  I took a long nap and felt much better when I woke up.  Late in the afternoon, I felt very nauseated and threw up, or tried to, but my stomach was pretty empty.  I took a nausea pill and felt better in the evening.  My daughter, Nani, arrived from North Dakota, to spend Thanksgiving with us at 1:30 the next morning and I felt pretty good when I woke up.  I was having hot and cold flashes but was eating well.  Unfortunately, I tweaked my back in the shower before church and wasn't able to go.  On Wednesday (six days post chemo), I went into the doctor's office for my follow-up and my white blood cell count was too low so I had to follow the precautions for that.  I was expecting to feel good by now but my energy was low.  Thursday was Thanksgiving and I felt good in the morning but my energy was drained by the afternoon, which they said is normal, but I still enjoyed Thanksgiving with my family.  Friday night I started getting a cough and sniffles and, by Saturday morning, it was worse.  A family member told me to call the nurse as I was told to call as soon as I felt ANYTHING coming on.  I really didn't want to call but, when I did, the nurse told me to go to the ER.  What?!  That was the LAST thing I wanted to hear.  She said if my white blood cell count was low, they would keep me there.  I was kind of mad at this family member that made me call the nurse.  Hahaha.  They determined my white blood cell count was good, but a chest x-ray showed a touch of pneumonia.  BAM!  The ER doctor called my oncologist.  He said I could go home with meds if I would follow ALL the directions, and if anything else happened, I had to go right back.  The ER nurse told me I owed that certain family member a BIG thank you, because pneumonia is a serious illness anyways but in my situation, it's magnified.  They also gave me a lot of fluids and meds intravenously while I was there, and my energy level was way better by the time I got home.  I have another week and a half before I go for my second round of chemo.  The doctor said the week before my chemo is the week I feel the best, so it's time to party!  Party anyone?  ;)  Overall, I feel like I handled the chemo pretty well.  It was probably the pneumonia that caused the energy loss.  They said my worst day would be five days after chemo, but my worst day was three days after so I feel like I bounced back quicker than normal.  That is how I'm doing good.

Now, doing good in so many other ways…it seems like I've heard so many stories lately that help me realize I AM doing good and also stories of people doing good for others.  These stories touch my heart and help me take my eyes off myself.  I'd like to share some of them with you:

My friend who, along with many others, has been very supportive and thoughtful during this moment, has been sending me care packages, mail, and texts that are upbeat and encouraging.  After receiving one of those cute, upbeat packages earlier this week, I called her, at her suggestion, to find out exactly what some of the gifts in the package meant after several family members placed their guesses.  She sent me super glue, mounting putty, and double sided tape.  If any of you can guess what these gifts are for, you get extra credit.  Clue:  She has been keeping up with my blogs and had just read my latest blog.  We'd love to see your guesses in the comments under this blog.  :)  During that conversation, I found out she was here in Yakima, at the hospital, waiting for her son to come out of surgery.  He had a brain tumor, which we found out was benign, and he doesn't have to go through chemo or radiation.  Such wonderful news!  I asked her why she didn't tell me about her son, and she explained she didn't want to burden me with her difficulties because I was going through my own.  All this time, she's been positive, supportive, and completely unselfish in thinking of me.  I was very emotional when I realized what was happening and it made me think of this:  "We should have before us a strong desire to do good to others... Good will come to us...if we keep our minds outside of ourselves...and try to make others happier… When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself...go to him and find out what the trouble is, then try to remove it...and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light...and everything seems illuminated."  (Pres. Lorenzo Snow)  I want to say thank you my friend.

I don't even know the person in this next story I heard from one of my daughters, but I was so touched by her unselfish service and love that I wanted to share it.  She was recently diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma and had surgery to remove it but decided not to go through chemo, against the doctor's recommendations, so that she can stay healthy enough to continue taking care of her husband who has six months left in his cancer treatment which he has been fighting for a few years.  My heart is touched by her compassion, love, and care.

While I was in Seattle going through tests, we heard from a friend that her mom was just diagnosed with an advanced stage of cancer and was having a difficult time getting into the oncologist.  She had a transfusion and may possibly need a stem cell transplant later, but she and her family are in positive spirits and, last we heard, she was planning on having a bunch of people over for Thanksgiving dinner.

There are many people going through difficult times, trials, and challenges.  When I hear these stories, it makes me so thankful for my own challenges and for my friends, family, and others who help me get through this moment one day at a time.

One more story…it seems that, at least for me, when I go through trials and difficulties, I become more humbled and sensitive to those acts of kindness and touching stories I see and hear.  The other night, I saw on the news a story of a 17 year old girl who, for her senior project, raised money for someone in need by collecting pledges for a marathon ride in a go-kart around the state fair oval park over a 1,000 times.  It just touched my heart, because here's this 17 year old girl, a youth, who performed this unselfish act to help someone else.  Today, with all that we hear (all the negative news) here is a story of something good.  This one really struck me because it was a 17 year old.  

I am thankful for these uplifting stories and how they make me feel.  I am thankful for those who have done good to me.  In closing, I share words from a song, Have I Done Any Good?: "Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure, a blessing of duty and love."  

Keeping Abreast (Pun Intended)

Lots of good news!  Friday's meeting with SCCA was amazing.  The surgeon was awesome.  She spelled everything out mentioning (and celebrating) that my case was not as serious as they originally thought when my oncologist from Yakima called them.  The lump they found by my collar bone has disappeared and the other lumps were considered normal on the ultrasound, and I believe it's through the miracles of blessings, fasting, and prayers.  The surgeon specializes in breast cancer surgery and we feel very confident in her abilities.  She feels a lumpectomy after chemo will be more than sufficient.  Statistics show that a mastectomy does not decrease the chances of cancer returning, at least in my situation.  The chemo will shrink the tumor so she won't have to take as much tissue leaving my breast looking fairly normal.  During the surgery, they will be doing a sentinel node biopsy which will determine if there is cancer in the nodes.  If there is, she will take out the infected nodes then.  There is another check they do, but the results don't come back from pathology until after the surgery.  If the cancer cells are too close to the edge of the tissue she removed, she will have to go in and remove more just to be safe.  The oncologist assured us that chemo treatment would be the same whether I received it in Seattle or at home and talked about the treatment plan she administers to her patients as well as the anti-nausea drugs available.  She said, "If you're at home throwing up, then I'm not doing my job."  That gives me a lot of hope!  The radiologist explained the procedures they have available in Seattle, from the calypso which tracks your breathing so they can keep as much of your vital organs from being exposed to radiology as possible, to the team of physicists that work on each patient's case, to the dummy they use to try your radiology plan on before they try it on you.  We decided I will have chemo in Yakima, surgery in Seattle, and radiology is still up in the air.  It feels good to finally have a plan, and I have an appointment for my chemo consult tomorrow and first chemo treatment the day after.

They did tell me I would lose my hair during chemo treatment.  We've heard shaving your head makes losing your hair a little easier emotionally.  My daughter has a friend who went through all of this a couple years ago and she had a hair party.  She, some friends, and her sisters all shaved their heads.  For those who didn't want to shave their heads, they had pink extensions available.  My daughters thought it would be fun to do the same thing for me, so Nini and Becky, along with some other friends, helped plan this event and it was a blast!!  We had three hairdressers, snacks, lots of people, and lots of smiles and laughs.  One of our Zumba® students, Monnie, decided to go out and collect pledges for shaving her head.  She ended up raising $350 and donated this to my medical expenses.  Not only did she shave her head, but her hair was long enough to donate so someone is going to get a nice wig out of her hair.  When she came down and told me, I was astounded.  I had no words.  Another one of our Zumba® students, Holly, has a six year old daughter, Abby, who donated her hair as well.  She now has a cute little bob cut.  There were so many people who supported me by having pink extensions put in their hair.  We had 60 pink hair extensions, and they were gone by the end of the night.  There were many people who showed up to support with their hugs and love.  I know there are many of you who couldn't be there but still sent your love and support.  I am thankful for each and every one of you, for the love, prayers, thoughts, support, hats, donations, scarfs, bracelets, necklaces...everything.  I feel very blessed.  We are attaching a little slideshow of the hair party AND my husband, Jim, wrote this letter to all of you:

To Our Valued Family and Friends,

This night, November 15, 2013, will forever be with me.  The love by so many for my wife's support is huge.  I have told our kids that our family pays it forward.  I stress to our family that it is a priority to add value to others every minute, every hour, and every day.  By the outpouring of affection shown tonight, I know if everyone there has friends like you, this world would be much better off.

Friends reach for our hands and touch our hearts.

On behalf of my family, we thank each and every one there and those who could not be there.

Thank you,

Dad Statler