Shout Outs

I have mentioned on many occasions that our family has been blessed by countless "angels." I wanted to do a shout-out post to recognize some of the people and businesses that have been super supporters during this "Great Experience" as Mom would call it. This is definitely not all-inclusive, but it is important that we recognize many of those who have made an impact.

1) Anyone and everyone who has said a prayer, meditated, sent healing thoughts, good vibes or in any way took a moment (or more!) out of your day to share your spirit, positive energy, and well wishes for Mom and our family. The outpouring of support has been nothing short of a miracle and these prayers and support have created a strong foundation for Mom's battle and helped lift her spirits so she can keep up her energy to wage a personal war on cancer!

2) Mom's church - http://www.lds.org/ - her ward alone has mobilized and coordinated meals, service projects, members have given blessings, provided moral support and the ward continues to be an integral part of her support network.

3) Randy Grant, Owner of Divine Nature Health, Wellness and Nutrition - http://www.divinenature.com/ - Mom started her year-long health overhaul after she attended one of Randy's seminars in Las Vegas with one of her best friends. She explained to me that his message simply made sense to her and she was willing to incorporate many of his nutritional recommendations for a while and then see if it made a difference for her. A year later, she has completely turned her diet around and has experienced some phenomenal health benefits as a result. We are so thankful that she made so many wonderful changes over the course of the past year and on a personal note I love to see how good she feels when she is on target with her whole-foods diet and how helpful the smoothies/shakes are for her on a daily basis. Divine Nature is located in Mesa, AZ but their products can be ordered online at http://www.divinenature.com/. They are also on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

4) Mom's closest friends who have acted as liaisons, communicators and moral supporters. You know who you are. I don't know how I could have possibly coordinated all of the communications between family, friends, church members, work colleagues, etc. without having a select few people who have worked "behind the scenes" to support our family. I have often told Mom how cool it is to become friends with her best friends through all of this. I know now why she loves them so very much!

5) Special benefactors who have supplied Mom with things like head coverings, books, a special water filtration system, a leather recliner, wigs, hats, etc.

6) Everyone who has sent in cards, flowers, postcards, drawings, photos, balloons and more. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, your willingness to show your love for Mom and your continued support of her and her family.

And as I get ready to post this, I am certain I have forgotten to include everyone and I will add/amend as needed to give credit where credit is due! Please forgive me if I am missing anyone, it's late and I wanted to be sure and get this posted before retiring for the night. Thank you everyone so much for your continued love and support. Words do not adequately express how grateful we are to have such tremendous people in our lives.

~Candice

Bald and Beautiful

Just in case anyone hasn't already seen/heard, Mom bit the bullet yesterday and went to the barbershop and had a (very) nervous barber shave her head. She had been losing her hair for a few days and decided to take control of the situation and let her hair go. Her good friend had been over the night before talking to her about her own experiences with cancer, chemo and losing her hair and she felt empowered to go for it herself. She texted me the following photo with the caption "Ready or not . . . "

And then she followed that text message with the following picture and message: "Your momma rocks the baldy look . . . it is actually quite liberating!"

It took a moment to get used to, but tonight as she was laying back, legs kicked up in a recliner in her room, I realized that she didn't have a head covering and I didn't even think about the fact that my Mom is now bald. Funny how things change and you just adapt. My Mom is both bald and beautiful!

~Candice

How YOU Can Help

There are so many little miracles that we are privileged to count, be grateful for and recognize. These miracles range from an unexpected postcard, an encouraging email, and flowers to weekly meals, text messages and prayers. Tonight, Mom and I witnessed another miracle when we went to a somewhat unusual presentation hosted by Dr. Bradley J. Monk. M.D., Mom's gynecological oncologist. We were unsure what to expect but it turned out to be a plea for special money earmarked for cutting-edge research that Dr. Monk and his colleagues are working on. Now this wasn't a fancy schmancy fundraising dinner, it was a very personal event where people within a small community were coming together to support a friend and employee at their place of residence in Scottsdale. The woman has been diagnosed with a terminal form of cervical cancer and Dr. Monk put his personal as well as professional reputation on the line to ask for help in getting her DNA tested, sequenced and analyzed in order to attempt to target her cancer with a targeted cancer therapy based on the very specific characteristics of her cancer. This is her last chance to survive. And if they raise the money, this is the first time they have been able to have a cervical cancer patient's DNA sequenced and analyzed.

Now this is a sad story, but what does this have to do with Tammy? Well, this has everything to do with my Mom. Ovarian cancer is terribly under-funded from a research perspective and fortunately Mom is working with one of the world's foremost gynecological oncologists. We hope that her chemo treatments will be the end of her cancer battle, but in the case that they are not, it is more important than ever that this kind of DNA sequencing be explored, researched and tested. Please support her surgeon in his efforts. I have included the link  to the donation site here. And if research into gynecological oncology, ovarian cancer is what you choose to allocate your funds to, please be sure to indicate that you want your funds to go to "Gynecological Oncology, Ovarian Cancer."

Let me know if you have any questions.

~Candice

What a Week!

It's been a week since I posted and just over a week since my mom went to the ER and was informed that she indeed shows evidence of cancer in her lungs. Nine days ago I had a hard time seeing the forest for the trees, while my mom used the news to strengthen her resolve and to challenge the cancer right back! My Mom has defied all of my pre-conceived notions about cancer and chemotherapy. She has shown the direct benefit of the power of choice as she has been undergoing treatment for her cancer. In the LDS faith, there is a central concept called "free agency" (which others who are reading are far more qualified to discuss than me the Buddhist!) but in a very basic sense it is the power, the privilege and the responsibility for each person to make their own choices in life. As a child I always thought of it as choosing right over wrong, but I think it can also apply to our attitudes in how we handle the bumps in the road called "Life." One can choose to see the negative, focus on it, feel bad about it (and rightfully so!), and let it bring them down. Or . . . one can choose to look out for and recognize, acknowledge and celebrate every little positive that presents itself and use these moments to take a devastating and scary experience and turn it into a "Great Experience."

As you have likely seen in her blog postings, photos and facebook posts, Mom is the poster child for choosing the right in terms of her personal battle with cancer. She has not only kept an amazingly positive attitude throughout all of this, she has made whole foods, excellent nutrition and exercise a part of her daily routine, and she is actively seeking out ways to not only help herself in this battle but ways to help others as well. She is an inspiration to me and everyone around her. In fact, it may appear that the dark and difficult side of this is hidden from view, or minimized to protect people from seeing the "other" side of her battle. And truth is, she has been completely transparent about her disease from day 1. She is just as awesome as everyone sees in the photos and blog posts. I pray that this continues because no one could ask for any more than this joie de vivre, this spunk, sass, and joy. I am one seriously proud daughter, and speaking on behalf of my siblings as well as her sister, brother, Mom, Dad and extended relatives, I know they are as well.

Keep praying. Keep meditating. Keep my Mom in your thoughts. She is putting up one helluva fight and she feels every last one of you in her corner!

~Candice

Bathing in the Light of Truth and Spirit

I awoke today and my chest was filled with feelings of anxiety. Not the best way to start the day. I was grumpy with everyone I came in contact with (namely my kids, husband and brother). I went to work and felt stressed there. It just wasn’t the best of days.

When I arrived home, I spent a few minutes hanging out and talking with Mom. We talked about general family happenings, schedules for the week and other small stuff. For all intensive purposes, it was a rather ordinary and unremarkable conversation. Yet, as I walked out of the room to greet my children as they arrived home from school, I felt light, energized, patient and at peace. I felt good. It was like somehow I had been given permission to let go of the negativity of the day and was allowed and invited to come closer to the Truth, to the Spirit and the Infinite Light. I was given the opportunity to see clearly what matters in life and it is the “small” things that we take for granted every. Single. Day. In that moment, I enjoyed a short conversation with my mom and I enjoyed greeting and paying attention to my kids.

Mom might attribute the feeling to the presence of the Heavenly Spirit and I (being the “wacky” Buddhist of the family) realized that for me, it was a reminder that as I draw closer to understanding the ultimate Truth, or Enlightenment, that material things in life don’t matter and that true joy is found in everyday, mundane, and simple tasks if we just open our eyes and look. We are blessed.

~Candice

In the Face of a Challenge - Mom Puts her "Dukes" Up

Another update taken directly from Mom's personal blog:

Just another Detail to Address

If nothing else, I have found that I am resilient.  I am grateful for this.

Over the weekend, I realized I was short of breath and that it did not seem to be "going away".  I checked my punch list for "things you should report to your doctor" and acknowledged that this indeed was  on the punch list.  And then I did the "Tammy Thing"...tried to figure out if I "really" needed to bother the doctor...

Maybe all I needed was an inhaler (an asthmatic response to all of this perhaps?)
Maybe I was just doing to much and stressing my lungs?
Maybe I could just run over to Urgent Care and get a second opinion...before I got the first?

Then I stepped back into reality and called my doctor on a Sunday morning.  No surprise.  They wanted me to report to St. Joseph's emergency room. 

Okay then...was it a blood clot?  Pneumonia?

After xrays and CT Scans...I got the second most startling answer I have received during a hospital visit.  The cancer has spread to my lungs.  It is a "sprinkling of nodules" that is causing me to be a little breathless as I speak.  Now here is the news that I heard....

It makes a better case for approval of Avastin (a chemo drug that my insurance company has not approved yet)

It gives definition to my battle...yes, the cancer is alive and well and I need chemo!

Points for Tammy....my oxygen levels are high enough...I do not need to carry a tank with me yet.

Best news...I can exercise and fight this.  (I thought it might limit my physical ability...now I know, that I can power through this)

And confirmation...I am doing the right thing...chemo is the method to treat the lungs as well as the rest of it.  It actually gave me cause to look forward to my treatment today.

My visual today, I am fighting mad and my opponent (cancer) just energized me.  I am coming out shooting, swinging, using whatever I have in my arsenal to do battle.   And yes, to me, the lung involvement is simply just another detail.

This remains a great experience!

 

~Tammy

In Her Own Words

Here's the latest on Mom - taken directly from her blog :)

Who Scrambled My Insides?

What is chemo like 3 weeks after major surgery?  It is the ultimate guessing game in which you try to figure out if  you are feeling "this way or that" because you just had surgery, or your hormones are imbalanced (a special bonus for having both ovaries removed simultaneously and welcoming premature menopause), or you have just intentionally decided to boil your insides with toxic chemicals.   There are no concise answers...it just feels like someone took a giant eggbeater and stirred your insides up.

There have been funny moments...when they let me take a business call just as my Benadryl infusion was taking hold, or when I panicked at the sight of a "horrible discharge emanating from my belly button" only to be slightly embarrassed to discover it was just accumulated surgery glue that was releasing itself from the wound and the then the moment you realize you are not "running a temperature"...simply having a "hot flash"

There have been scary moments....that first drip, drip, drip of caustic solution releasing itself into your veins, the first and second puncture into your newly installed port, and the first time you stand naked in front of the mirror and fully examine your Frankensteinish scar down the middle of your body for the first time.

There have been tender moments...when you close your eyes to endure a moment and are blessed with the spirit of comfort or you run into a new friend that you only met 3 weeks ago as you made recovery laps around the hospital together...and now share the same extended journey to the doctor's office, chemo infusion center, etc. 

There have been sad moments...when you know your illness is too painful for others to witness (they just feel so helpless and, if they are natural "fixers" by nature, it is 100 times worse...the fact that they can't make you better).

There have been unexpected mercies and kindnesses...cards, flowers, dinners, phone calls, visits, and expressions of concern.  One of the latest...my neighborhood gas station owner who literally walked around the counter and gave me a hug then sincerely told me he would pray for me every day until I was well.

What is chemo like after major surgery...it is a new adventure every day wondering how in the world your insides (including your brain) got so scrambled and what the ultimate result will end up being!

Chemo Day 3: Hit the Wall

Today Mom has been feeling pretty crappy. When I asked how it felt for her, she said she feels like she "hit the wall" today. One of her best friends who is also a cancer survivor texted me to check in and said day 3 and day 4 were always her worst days too. She said she hasn't really felt nauseated, though, so that's a good thing. We will take all the "good things" we can get.

~Candice

Walking, Working and Waiting

A quick update for everyone :)

Walking: Mom is doing well today. She took a walk with Grammy (Charlene - her mom) and Great Grandma (Anna - her grandmother) this morning and another one this evening. She mentioned wanting to aim for taking two walks a day so she remains active through this treatment. She is working on eating frequent, small meals in order to keep her nutrition levels up as well.

Working: I talked to Mom and she said she was able to get a solid day of work in today which seemed to make her very happy. The more productive she can be, the better. As we all know, Mom thrives on a challenge and this is just another challenge for her to figure out and overcome.

Waiting: This one is for me, mostly. I have never really been around anyone who has undergone chemo so it is hard to know what to expect. I find that there is a sense of waiting for the proverbial "other shoe" to drop. I can't help but feel as though we are waiting to see what happens, waiting to see how she does, etc. Just a lot of waiting. I just hope once it all arrives that we are ready for it :)

Side effects so far:
Funny taste buds, achy feeling all over, restless legs, uncomfortable tummy (though not specifically nauseated)

~Candice

Chemo Week One

I went with Mom to her first chemo appointment today. We arrived at around 8:15 am and left around 12:45 pm. They said this appointment would take longer than subsequent appointments but it was right on the mark as far as what they told her to expect. She received Taxol and Carboplatin today, next week and the week after she will only receive Taxol. She wanted to have some photos posted so everyone can see what the treatment rooms, etc are like. It's hard to imagine it all so we are in agreement that pictures can bridge that gap for everyone. Click HERE to see additional photos. She was a little bit of a ham . . . :o).

The treatment itself was relatively uneventful. The nurse explained a lot, got her port site prepped and then got her hooked up to the IV drip. It took about 3 hours for her to receive all of the pre-meds (a lot of anti nausea meds, benadryl, etc) and the 2 chemo drugs. She didn't report any side effects except that the benadryl made her sleepy. In fact, she slept through much of the infusion.

After treatment, we went and had lunch at a local vegetarian restaurant called Green, picked up her prescriptions at Walgreens and then came home. She is in great spirits and hasn't had any side effects so far except she reported a metallic taste just a minute ago (which is very common for chemo patients). The high point of the appointment was when the nurse explained that if she feels up to it, exercise is actually a great way to combat some of the chemo side effects so she has plans to take walks with Great Grandma regularly to keep moving forward.

~Candice

Family Fun Before Chemo Begins

It's true. Chemo starts tomorrow for Mom. But this sobering reality didn't stop her from enjoying her last chemo-free weekend (for a while anyway) with friends and family. It was a good weekend - free-flowing, relaxed and even a little bit silly. My sister, Kristen, flew into town late Friday night to spend the weekend in Phoenix. I was absolutely delighted to have her here and we spent hours talking together, laughing together, discussing style tips and tricks with Mom, and genuinely enjoying each others' company. I love my sister with all my heart and I don't know what I would do without her! Before she left, she and I and Delaney created a chemo bag for Mom that included all kinds of goodies to keep her occupied, entertained and distracted when she has her chemo appointments. The bag included: a magazine, 2 cool cancer books, chapstick, assorted mints and candies, gum, an iPod shuffle with 4 hours of music, comfy socks, a new scarf, hand cream, pockets for water and more (I'm sure I'm forgetting something!).

Mom was a great sport and let me and Kristen take lots of pictures over the weekend. There are way too many to post on the blog, but you are welcome to check out all of the fun by clicking HERE. We tried on scarves, played with her new wig and took comfort in the love that we are surrounded by. There is no doubt that we have some pretty big mountains to climb, but we are united in the adventure, no matter how treacherous the terrain! Mom has recently posted on her personal blog - Grammy Tammy's Family and Friends. Be sure to check it out if you haven't. It's nice to read about her journey in her own words. Much love and light to everyone that is in this with us - the prayers and love are an inspiration.

~Candice

A Good Heart "Attack"

I haven't seen Mom a whole lot the last couple of days since she has been more tired in the evenings and going to bed early. The procedure to put the port in went as well as expected and she now sports a bump under her skin where it was installed. I am curious to see how they actually access it when she has her chemo treatment. She remains in good spirits and was delighted by the "heart attack" consisting of lots and lots of colorful hearts attached all over the front of the house - decorated by little ones in Primary and hung up by a couple of church "angels." These are the things that consistently put a smile on Mom's face.

I have also included a link below to a feature on famous people who have been affected by ovarian cancer that I found on aol.com today. I was shocked to hear that Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller has been diagnosed and treated for ovarian cancer. Check it out :) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/22/celebrities-ovarian-cancer_n_1370768.html?ref=healthy-living

~Candice

Port Tomorrow, Chemo Monday

Hi everyone, this will be pretty quick but Mom has been scheduled to go in tomorrow (Tuesday March 20th) and have a "port" installed (click here for more information) which is a less painful way for the nurses to administer the chemo as well as any other IV treatment she may require while she undergoes her chemotherapy. She is currently scheduled to receive her first treatment of chemo on Monday, March 26th. She seemed a bit relieved to have it set up for Monday as this means she has a few more days to get everything in order before feeling icky. Keep her in your prayers :).

~Candice

St. Patty's Day Treat

On Lisa's last day in town Saturday, the girls all met up at a family favorite restaurant in Scottsdale called Los Olivos. The lunch bunch included my Mom, Traci, Lisa, Marsha, Grammy (Charlene), Great Grandma (Ann), Delaney, Mia and me. It was a beautiful, sunshiny day with Spring Training fans milling all over downtown Scottsdale and our crazy bunch joking, laughing, reminiscing and just enjoying each others' company. What I enjoyed most was watching everyone interact and knowing that those moments of simple happiness are the moments that will help mom get through her upcoming treatment. And since pictures are worth a thousand words, I will spare everyone the additional words and give you the pictures from the fun afternoon.

As for the treatment schedule, Mom will be starting chemo this week, no later than Friday. I will post more when I know more. It is likely that she will go in and have a "port" put in near her collarbone to make it easier and less painful for the nurses to administer the chemo drugs as well as any other IV treatment she may need as she is going through the process. I will be sure and update everyone when I have additional information.

~Candice

Mom's Personal Blog

I wanted to be sure and point out that mom has her personal blog at http://grammytammys.blogspot.com/ and it's a great place to hear what she is up to and what she is thinking about. There are some great recent posts as well as photos - some I hadn't even seen yet :). You can always visit her blog by clicking on the link to the right that says "Grammy Tammy's Family and Friends."

~Candice

Photos from Today

Decision Time

Mom had her appointment today with her gynecological oncologist. She walked into the office with an entourage of 5 additional people which included me, my two brothers, my grandfather and cousin Lisa. As usual, everyone made friends in the waiting room before Mom was called back for her appointment. The doctor looked over her incision and then the family was called back into a room where the doctor would give his recommendation for treatment based on the pathology results. Here are some of the things that the doctor confirmed and the general treatment recommendation he gave Mom today:

1. He confirmed that she has Stage 3C ovarian cancer (Click here to learn more)
2. He said the cancer is grade 3 (Click here to learn more)
3. He indicated that the cancer was "optimally debulked" which means that he was able to remove the majority of her cancer during surgery. While he removed the most possible, he was not able to remove absolutely all of the disease.
4. He is recommending that she receive a weekly dose of Taxol (Click here to learn more)
5. He recommends that she receive a dose of Carboplatin every 3 weeks (Click here to learn more)
6. In addition to the above drugs, he would also recommend that Mom receive a dose of Avastin every three weeks if insurance will cover it. While he has seen some promising things in his research using Avastin, it is not a drug that is routinely used to treat ovarian cancer. (Click here to learn more)
7. The doctor recommends that Mom start the chemotherapy treatment next week (Thursday or Friday 3/22 or 3/23)
8. As part of her treatment, mom will meet with a team of specialists ranging from a genetic counselor, dietitian, etc.
9. Mom will still need 4 weeks for her major surgery to be healed.
10. She may be able to start driving in 2 weeks

So, there it is. This is what her doctor recommends. That being said, Mom has an appointment set up for tomorrow afternoon with a nutritionist she has been seeing for a year to discuss natural options for treatment/overall health and nutrition. Chaz also is working on gathering information he has found about effectiveness and dosing of cannabis treatment should she decide she wants to try something else. Her feeling right now is that she will have to make the decision that she feels is right for her based on all of the information she gathers and how she feels after fasting and praying about it as well.

This is not a decision she is taking lightly, and as cousin Detlef emphasized to her (he is currently battling Leukemia), it is important for her to be her own biggest advocate with regard to her care, health and well-being. Everyone can have an opinion, but ultimately it is her health and her decision how she will battle this cancer. She has a lot to think about this weekend and we are all supporting her by offering our insights, listening to her wants and needs, doing research and talking about it. There's definitely a lot of talking going on around here! Lisa will be here until Saturday night and I know she will play an integral role in helping Mom talk through all of her concerns, ideas and feelings about her treatment options. It's been a blessing have her here today :).

If you have questions, I suggest posting the question to the comments area and I will do my best to answer questions when I get home from work at night.

~Candice

The Calm Before the Storm

Tonight I got home from work and then drove with my mom to pick up my aunt Lisa, the chemo nurse I mentioned in the last post when she arrived tonight. While we drove, Mom and I had a chance to chat about a few things. One of these things revolved around a sense of peace that she reports feeling and that I also feel as we head toward Mom's cancer battle and the doctor's appointment that she has tomorrow morning where we will learn a lot more about the treatment plan and details. Now, I haven't been with her 24/7, but I have yet to see her breakdown and seem depressed during the past couple of weeks. There really has been a sense of peace and a sense that "everything is going to be ok" that has helped her and everyone in our family move forward each day, laughing, smiling and ready to do whatever needs to be done to keep Mom cancer free and as healthy as ever before.

I think of this time as the calm before the storm. We know the storm is coming and that Mom will need everyone at the ready, but for now we are stocking up our storehouses with good discussions, silly jokes, touching sentiments, action plans and strengthened faith - of all varieties. These are the things that I hope Mom can hang on to as she tackles the cancer and puts her body through the wringer with whatever treatment plan she chooses. And I know that while some of us may be physically closer to her than others, all of the people who are praying and sending healing energy to Mom right now are touching her through a mutual connection to the Spirit and through the hands of those who are helping Mom on a day-to-day basis. I have no doubt that these blessings will continue to manifest as she starts and finishes this cancer treatment.

As always, thanks for reading and thank you for the love and support. This is what keeps Mom holding her head high and knowing she is going to be ok through all of this.

~Candice

Blessings, Big and Small

Today's theme in the house has revolved around recognizing, receiving and appreciating the many blessings we have experienced as a family this past week and a half. I have had a few of my own - coincidences and conversations that give me goosebumps because they provided an unexpected support, timely answer to a struggle or just the right words at just the right time.

Mom shared an experience she had today as she called in to book a flight for my aunt Lisa. She knew the flight was last-minute and that it wouldn't come cheap. But instead of just doing it online, she called in and got a person on the other end of the phone. After giving the woman her information, the rep asked if she was Tammy Call from Las Vegas, NV. Surprised, mom replied that yes she is and discovered that the customer service rep was a long-time friend from Las Vegas who has been following mom's progress form the very beginning. She wasn't sure what she would be able to do so last minute, but somehow found a fare at the lowest price possible. Unbelievable! Such coincidences keep cropping up for us - it's crazy.

And then, my sister Kristen was called in and presented with a card from her boss and inside it included several hundred dollars worth of travel vouchers for her to be able to fly out to Phoenix and be with her family when she needs it. All of her team of 9 contributed and the gesture was above and beyond what she expected.

We are truly being looked after and cared for in our time of need, Thank you to everyone for your love and support :)

Know the Signs of Ovarian Cancer

When you research ovarian cancer, it is often referred to as "silent" because the symptoms are not overly alarming, or it may be easy to explain them away as the flu, or having eaten too much, etc. While not every woman who is diagnosed with ovarian cancer experiences these symptoms, it is important to know that there are symptoms and the earlier a woman is diagnosed, the better the general prognosis. And from what I have read, the "bladder troubles" often include frequent urination.

~Candice  

Evening Concert

Tongiht sleep evades me...and I listen to the music of Mike Ericksen sipping grape juice.  It is so peaceful!  Savoring the moment...

Back in the Saddle Again!

Okay so I am home "sleeping", or "sleep typing" as the case may be!  :)

I am really giving it my best shot at laying around, but somehow I just don't think I was designed to lounge around...even if it is doctor ordered!  So I thought I could add to the blog quickly and then make another attempt at "resting". 

(Note to doctor...pain killers just make it more tempting to move for some people)

Hello its me!  :)

Tomorrow I am going to get down to the business of "taking care of business"...paying bills, doing a little business follow up, setting up FMLA, deciding exactly how I want to fight this beast called cancer, etc.  Today...I am just going to be!

This morning I went to church.  The topic of discussion was agency and choice.  Its kind of ironic that many people believe that the Mormons are a large group of "followers"...today all that was encouraged was exercising agency, to discover, to think!  If anything we are encouraged to think and decide for ourselves.  This is God's plan for us...to act as Free Agents.  We literally have a choice...to follow the guy in red (or at least that is how they depict him)...making no choices, or to follow the Savior and make choices, knowing we will make mistakes, that we will be bumped, bruised, and broken in the journey in need of repentance.  Bottom line...life  = choices!

As I told my good friend Mr. Passman today via email, Today I choose to FIGHT!  I am so very grateful for the ability and the right to choose!

I thank you all for loving me and my family and supporting us in this journey.

Home Sweet Home

Mom is now home and sleeping peacefully. She is regaining her appetite and wanted some lo mein noodles and shrimp. Not sure how much she was actually able to eat, but it's good to hear that food is beginning to sound appealing now. The doctor said that she may attend church in the morning if she is feeling up to it so she may be there, or she may not. We will see how the night goes and how she feels in the morning. She is just thrilled to be home and in her own bed!

For now I think it's best to wait and see how she does at home before having visitors. I will post here when she feels like it would be ok. Then we can work on scheduling people at good times :). And now that she is here with all of her flowers - the house smells amazing!

~Candice

Please No Visitors Saturday 3/10/12

Mom called this morning and asked that I request no visitors today - for good reason! Her doctor stopped by to see her last night, he had been in Chicago meeting with a group of other gynecological oncologists from around the country. He is pleased with how she is doing and said that she may be able to be released today. Mom is requesting no visitors so she can focus her energy on getting out of the hospital today if possible.

So, pray for her and I will let everyone know what happens! :)

~Candice

Pictures!! 3-9-12

Mom took a shower tonight and got spiffied up so I asked if she would approve of some photos and she obliged :). Cam and Chaz stopped by for a very short visit so we took the opportunity for a photo op. Enjoy!

~ Candice