Thanksgiving

Well...all went well yesterday with Sheri's surgery. She has a new port and is all caught up with her Herseptin treatments. It was a busy day as we had to be in Wenatchee at 6am. We finally got home at 5pm. It was a long day. Today we have my family over for dinner. My sister Amy, Doug her husband, and their kids Mitch(10) and Sidney(6). My Mom and Dad are also coming over. Things am I thankful for? Healing, God's grace, family (yes you too Mom in law, you've been a huge blessing even though I don't verbalize it very much), and very supporting friends and community and LCBS crew too . We really are very blessed indeed. Happy Thanksgiving all, and thanks for your support.

Brett

Happy Thanksgiving!!! There is sooooo much to be thankful for today and every day. I echo Brett in being thankful for God holding us in the palm of his hand, His healing, family, friends, my entire school staff, LCBS staff, church, our entire community and fanominal doctors, nurses and crew at the clinic and hospital. We are one BIG family in our valley and beyond.

Yesterday's surgery went great. I was thankful it was so early in the morning so I would still be able to eat breakfast. Brett and I were able to get a bite to eat by 10:30. Yeah! Then we went to the clinic for a Herceptin treatment. They were a little busy so we had about an hour or two to kill. At that point I decided a girl has to do what a girl has to do! ...Retail Therapy! I called mom from Cost Co. and she just shook her head. Then on to Big R and back to the clinic. It was a long, but good day. Today I'm not lifting anything bigger than a coffee pot, but that's ok. There's lots of help from family. It's a great family day.

Another joy is watching the kids with our new puppy. He is already such a part of our family. He follows the kids every move. He is such a little snuggler. Brett and I enjoy stealing moments with him too. He is very sweet and so calm... I'm sure he'll start being a little more active and chewing things up later. It's just a lot of FUN!

Thankfully looking up!

Sheri

Bryce and Alyssa: Meet Cooper, our new puppy!

OK, this post has little to do with cancer, other than there is a lot of life to live outside of cancer! A year ago we had to put down our family dog Izzy, Sheri and I got her from the pound right after we moved back to Manson 17 years ago.

We told the kids we needed to wait two years before we got another dog. Fast forward to yesterday. We had visited Cooper and his brothers and sisters two weeks ago and fell in love! Yesterdays scans gave us the answer. Right after the doctor left the room Sheri and I high fived, hugged, then Sheri blurted out, we're gettin' a puppy! We were planning on puppy sitting the puppy (Cooper) as the Ireland's took the other puppies to their new owners in Seattle. Bryce and Alyssa knew we were going to puppy sit.....but they didn't know it would be their own dog! We had a tag made up with the name we had picked out as a family for our future dog....Cooper. When we arrived Cooper had his tag on. Bryce asked Mrs. Ireland, "what is the dog's name?" She said "Cooper." He then frankly replied, "oh, we're going to have a dog named Cooper in a year." I chimed in "Buddy, this is Cooper, this is our dog." The looks on their faces...."really daddy?".......Really, really.

That'll do Cooper, that'll do.

Looking up.....and living life!

Brett and Sheri

NEWS............

As we sat waiting for Sheri's doctor in the room, she walked in plain faced and said "your scans are normal." Then she jumped and hugged us both!!!! Yep good news indeed! No sign of cancer. We are very happy and giving HIM the glory. This scan was for everything except the brain, which we will do in a month from now. We'll let you know when we cross that bridge. The doctors feel very good about her progress after radiation. For now we are excited to go back to maintenance with Herseptin every three weeks.....that we can handle. Sheri has a small surgery Wednesday to replace her failed port, pray that goes well. Thanks all again for support and prayer, once again we know it works! Now we're off to relax with the kids....play some Wii, and enjoy the blessing God has given us. (and grow back some hair!)

Brett and Sheri

Better Numbers

Sheri had blood work done yesterday. Her liver numbers were down half of what they where the week before. They are still elevated above normal, but they are moving in the right direction. What does that mean? Not much until we get the results of her PET scan on Monday. She goes in for the scan Saturday at 2:30pm, so pray, pray, pray for good results. Actually we were encouraged to see her liver #'s go down, it may mean it was caused by one of the many drugs she was taking, like the steroids. She's been off of them for about a week, and they went up right after she started them. Those things really sent her flying....literally around the house. And man could she eat! She was out eating me! And I'm a healthy eater. Anyway there it is, the latest, unfiltered, nothing beyond the blog, news. We'll keep layin' it out there, if you keep praying!

Looking up,

Brett

CHROME!

No more Mohawks......chrome baby! Two new shinny heads. Yep we shaved them. Sorry we didn't get pictures or Sheri's new do, I'm not so sure she would have let me take it anyway. Once again we are twins. Bryce asked me why I shave my head too. I said: solidarity. What does that mean daddy? I don't want mommy to do it alone.

That is my role in a situation I cannot control, love and support my wife, and pray constantly for her healing.

Brett

Mommy's Sporting a New Mohawk!

You can sure tell that the radiation is hit on each side of my head because I have a Mohawk in the middle. As the days go on, it gets thinner an thinner, but it's still there. I figure a little hair will at least give me some length and maybe a little volume...just in case I don't have to go through chemotherapy again. We'll know that on Monday afternoon after PET scans on Saturday.
As for now, it's one day at a time and trying to live as normal of a life as possible in the midst of it all. I'm thankful God is in charge and am still praying for a BIG miracle.

Looking up,
Sheri

New Numbers

Well, Thursday we learned that my liver numbers are slightly up. My doctor said there could be 15 reasons for it, but she was most concerned that the cancer could be back in my liver. So we will be going in on Saturday, Nov. 22 to get a PET scan. That's two weeks earlier than planned. My doctor would want to get us started on chemo therapy as early as possible. She has different plans depending on the results of the scans.

Both Brett and I were concerned. It seems like every time she has a concern that she is right. So we strap in, put our seat belts on and get ready for the next ride.

My port is also not working. Ugg. At this point my doctor said. "This is ridiculous. You need a port that works! I don't want you to have to worry about that any more. You don't need that." So, I'll probably be going in for a surgery to get mine replaced. This is rare that someone needs to do this, but the results of getting it replaced will be good. I want to keep my veins in good condition. A port also helps in distributing the chemo. Pray for good results with a new port please.

I wanted to let you all know that this type of cancer is always considered Breast Cancer. Breast cancer can travel to the lymph nodes, bones, liver, lungs and brain. It is still Breast Cancer and treated as such. It isn't another type of cancer. It has just moved. (Just a little free information.)

Ok, November 22nd is the day of the Apple Cup. We have season tickets and just Brett and I were planning on going. We were both looking forward to it. Brett didn't bat an eyelash and there wasn't even a second thought of missing it. Now, as a true Coug through and through, that's the perfect example of sacrificial love. You may need to be a Coug to understand that one in a loosing season, but just trust me on this one.

So, what does all this mean? Well, here's how I look at it. My circumstances don't dictate or influence God's power, being, or ability to answer prayer. He is on His throne. We are in His hands. We are still praying steadfastly for a miracle. I will trust Him no matter what comes our way. I will choose to look up. I will choose to rejoice, praise Him, love my husband and children and live each and every day to the fullest. I love the verse: This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24

Continuing to look up!

Sheri

Beyond the blog.....part II

Well here we are again. You all need to know that this most recent news caught us a bit off guard. We, and the doctors were quite happy with Sheri's progress over the last year. Her past scans were nothing short of miraculous, I know I was there and saw them.....yet here we are again, and so soon. The progression of the cancer to the brain, we're told, is a natural one. The doctors are confident Sheri will respond like last time with good results, that is our hope and prayer. Treatment for her cancer in her body is different then cancer in her brain. Many have asked why the first treatment didn't kill the cancer in her brain. We asked the same questions. Plainly.....the brain is different, and is treated very different as well. The previous scans showed no signs of cancer in the brain, so the doctors chose not to put Sheri through that treatment if they didn't have to. Like before it has been caught relatively early, she didn't have symptoms of it even being there. Sheri is a real trooper, and is handling the treatments well. She's working half time in the mornings, and we do radiation in the afternoons. We try to get home before the kids are back from school to minimize any interruptions for them. All in all we're trusting God, but not totally understanding why we're back here so fast. We didn't get much dust collected on our helmets and shields from the last fight, but we strapped them back on for the next round. We've found it's easier to fight today's battle, and not worry too much about tomorrow.

My employees at the yard are great. Thank you to them for holding the fort down for our entire family. We really are blessed by them! Dad is busy with Mom, and I'm in and out with Sheri and the kids. Our friends have helped immensely too, helping drive and watch the kids on days I need to be at work. Thank you!!! My employees also field tons of concerned questions. Their pat answer? "Read the blog." We really do lay it all out here, no hidden stuff behind the scenes....really, really. The main reason we did this is so others know what we know, thus avoiding the "how are they doing" questions that tend to become mind numbing after the 1000th time you've said it. Don't get me wrong here, please, we know people care and just want to know. But if I'm being totally honest here, it does drain me. There, I got my grumpy stuff out there, take it for what it is. In short.....read the blog. I hope I didn't offend too many of you, those that I did I hope you can cut me some slack.....I'm a work in progress. My role in this situation is to love and support my wife and my mother, be a good dad for my kids, and run our business in an uncertain economy. If I come off a bit short and preoccupied, I hope you'll show me grace and understand why.

Keep Praying

Brett

PS: If blogging isn't your thing....Sheri and I are both on Facebook too. Some find it a little lighter and easier then the blog.

Food, Food and MORE Food!!!

The last few days I've been out eating Brett easily! In fact, I think he just watches me, quietly smiles inside and is amazed I can put away so much. I'm finding that I need to constantly eat little bits to keep my head feeling clear. It's really easy to get light headed right now, but if I just keep food going in it really seems to help my head not feel spacey and keeps my hands from shaking. So, at the moment, big meals are out and the little constant meal is in! Now, an excuse to eat all day! Who can complain at that! I know this will pass too. Then we'll be back to normal eating in life, but for now...EAT, EAT, EAT!!!!

Looking up always,

Sheri

Coming off of Steroids!

I'm so thankful to say that today was hopefully the last day I have to taper off of those steroids. I am very thankful for the good work they do in reducing swelling. Really, in the whole picture, feeling a little hopped up is much better than a swollen brain! Let's get it all in perspective.

I expect that it may take awhile for my body to readjust and that's ok. Right now I have quite the chipmunk cheeks. My doctor told me I would. I just told him that was more room for Brett to kiss me on the cheek and he laughed. He also said my hair would fall out again. Well, he must be a good doc. He is right on. It's just starting to come out today, so get ready for the wigs and hats!

All in all, life if great. We took a family trip to watch the Cougs play football this weekend. We had a ball. Yes, I know it's a rough year for the Cougs. I was hoping for just one touchdown...and they got 4! One touchdown in each quarter! All the die hard Coug fans in our section were ecstatic with the progress. Sometimes you've just got to rejoice in the steps of progress of life. It's how we play the game that's important, one step at a time. That's a lesson that I think God is continuing to teach us...looking up to Him.

Well, the kids are watching a movie with daddy and mommy better get downstairs to join them!

Thank you for all your continued prayers.

Looking up,

Sheri

Celebrating Each Step

Last Tuesday my Radiologist doctor told me I could begin going off of the stteroids. Yeah! They have left me feeling pretty hopped up, but the good news is the house is looking pretty clean and I think every piece of mail that could be filed is in it's place at the moment. My nurse warned me that I would probably take a pretty hard crash, but at least it would be in a clean house! We both laughed. I was aware of this because I knew a body just can't keep going like this. I'm so looking forward to just being my normal busy self. The honest rest is sounding really good too. I'm trying my best to rest and really have to concentrate on it, even with sleeping pills.

Radiation and oral chemo therapy seem to be going well. It is a privilege to continue working half time through this and living normal family life as much as we can. My mom has really helped out with the kids on the half days and they love being with grandma and grandpa.

We have student conferences right now. During this time I just worked the conferences. I really missed teaching, but that will come next week with the schedule back to normal. It will be all of us off to school in the morning and daddy off to work. Then I leave at 11:10 to begin the radiation and chemo treatment schedule. We run to Wenatchee and come home quickly so Bryce and Alyssa can just walk home from school like normal. We are blessed to have such a great hospital that works so closely with us. They really care about the needs of our kids and family life. We appreciate that greatly.

Thank you for continuing to pray with us and looking up.

Sheri

Hope

Today is another day of radiation, chemo and steroids. I'm hoping that my doctor may want to begin weening me off of the steroids. I think that would feel good, even though I haven't felt bad, just different. Getting back to natural sleep would be a good thing. My doctors take such good care of me though. I have some great sleeping pills that really help. Sleeping is healing.

On the lighter side of life, I have noticed that I want to clean up, clear out old unneeded things and move them on. I'm not sure if it's the steroids motivating me or something else...but look out old store room! I'm on the move. Maybe it's just knowing Christmas is around the corner and I want to be ready. We all do that.

Enough rambling for now. We're ready for another beautiful day that the Lord has made. A day of healing and giving. Thanks for all your faithful prayers. I believe God honors them.

Looking up,

Sheri