corafortsupport.org

It is now Saturday. mom endured the chemo very well in the hospital. As of her discharge on Wednesday, she still had no nausea. She had a little bit a couple of times this week. Thursday wasn’t a very good day, she had a lot of outh pain, and she wasn’t able to eat. Her counts were good on her appointment with Dr. G. Meg spent time with her today so dad could run some errands in Tacoma. For those who didn’t know, mom and dad will be staying in Seattle while she undergoes these rounds of chemo. It makes it a little more difficult for me to visit, but I am sure we will work it out.

Please continue also to pray for my friend Erica’s mom. She is on a day to day basis right now with brain cancer

Thank you for the thoughts and prayers!

Mom has passed the 24 hour mark successfully. No nausea, and feeling good. I am to scared to believe that it is going so well. It seems too good to be true. Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts.

Michael and family

Today started out tough. Mom had a hard time sleeping last night and then had a hard time waking up. We got to Swedish hospital around 12:30pm After mom got her blood checked, we met with Dr. G

The first blessing was that mom’s blood counts were the best she has had in a long time. Mom was even surprised. Dr. G said her ear infection wasn’t bacterial, and that her feeding tube infection looked healed. Based on her counts, he said he wanted her to start.

Mom was such a trooper, she is facing this next round with such grace and courage. I have never met a stronger person in my life. She is amazing.

We met with the social worker while waiting for a room. After awhile, we got our room assignment and went over ther. The oncology floor is very beautiful. I must say it is a much more welcoming environment than MD Anderson… it all looks brand new, and it also is very very clean.

A couple of friends of mine are visiting right now, so we all helped dad move into the condo in Downtown Seattle where they will be staying during her treatments.

My friends and I then went to Mass at the Cathedral, and then back to the hospital to hang out with mom and dad.

You would have never known mom was getting chemo by all of the laughter coming from our room. Rachael came and joined us around 10pm.

Having my friends there was great. First we finished praying a novena to St Jude. Then we just hung out, and dad made us all laugh. My friend Val sang to mom and in fact later sung her to sleep.

We are all very blessed. So far mom has been ok, but both chemo medications have only been in her for about an hour or so.

Thank you to everyone for you prayers! We couldn’t do this without you!

Today mom is supposed to start chemo. She has been haviong mostly good days up until recently. My feeling is she doesn’t feel ready to start. yesterday she had low blood sugars, and she also has an ear and feedig tube infection. She had a hard time getting up today, so we are going to be late for her appointment.

Please pray that she makes the right decision regarding whether to start or not, and that her Doctors and nurses are patient with her and give her the best advice. Thanks for all of your support, it means a lot!

Just after arriving home yesterday, I received a call from a close friend whose mom has been undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. So far she has had it operated on, and had chemo and radiation (all since last spring).

Her tumor board met today because, recently her PET scan and MRI had come back showing that she may have regrowth of the tumor.

I knew right away that Erica’s news was bad. She told me that the tumor board ruled surgery out as an option, and said her only slim chance was chemo. If it worked, she would have month’s to live, and if it didn’t …week’s.

I tried the best I could to be a support to Erica, but as I know all too well…there isn’t much any one can do or say to take the pain away.

After I hung up, I sat in the conversation pit and cried for awhile.

Please add Erica’s mom and family to your prayers.

Here is a link to a series being written by a 23 year old Cancer Patient, Alicia Parlette.

We went to Swedish again today to meet with Dr. G for mom’s test results. We spent all day yesterday in and around Swedish while mom waited for and received her PET/CT scans and Brain MRI.

Everything went pretty well yesterday, everything was pretty much on time, and everyone we worked with was kind to mom. Thanks to the PET/CT staff at Swedish and the MRI staff at 600 blg Seattle radiology for a good day.

We waited anxiously in the room for Dr. G We coordinated with Christine to be able to listen in on my bluetooth earpiece.

Dr. G walked in quickly and said, “Your tests are great!” before even sitting down or giving me a chance to call Christine. What a relief!

We barely had a chance to let those words soak in before he added< "I would like to start you on chemo on Monday."

This was tough news for mom (and dad and I also), because she doesn't even feel recovered from the last treatment yet. (She still has sores and can't fully eat. She still looks and is weak and experiences tiredness. She still get's nausea.)

Sensing mom's hesitance, Dr. G said mom could start a week later Oct. 24, but no later.

He said every day we wait is a day the cancer could be growing.

Mom is worried because she doesn't want the chemo to kill her.

She has special circumstances that worry her.

11 years of Myeloma making her succeptible to low blood cell counts
Previous chemo VAD and carboplatin
weak kidneys
diabetes
and still recovering from this recent treatment

It was hard to fully celebrate even though we had just heard great great news.

Here are some links to the chemo mom will be getting

info on VP-16

info on Cisplatin

We are kind of all trying to let it soak in. Please pray that mom might be able to gear up for this next round, and prepare herself menatlly and physically. Please pray for dad too… thanks.

Again, I want to thank everyone for the prayers, guestbook wishes, cards, flowers, dinners, phone messages and emails. Your support is carrying us through this along with The Holy Spirit.

God Bless

I apologize for not keeping up better with this information site. Since our return to Tacoma, it has been difficult to manage work as well as being present to mom and dad, and keep up daily posting to this website. i can tell many people are still checking it, and I will try and get better about keeping you all up to date

I have been angry inside about finding out mom has to undergo more chemo which equals more suffering. It was semi unexpected. I guess I just expected to come home, mom would have some tests, they would be clean and life would go on. mom wouldn’t have to suffer anymore, dad would be able to get out and enjoy life, and they could both go back to Arizona and enjoy retirement.

At this time last year, mom was actually playing pickleball in the Sun City Grand League.

It is so difficult to watch what mom and dad are going through and not being able to just take it away somehow.

It looks as though mom and dad have decided to get the ongoing chemo treatment here in Seattle at Swedish medical center with her primary oncologist which she has been seeing for 11 years. We met with him last Tuesday, and he also has some recommendations for mom in terms of what chemo he recommends. First he has ordered new PET/CT scans as well as MRI’s.

He was a bit upset that mom got surgery, as the protocol he wouldhave recommended would NOT have had surgery, BUT instead aggressive chemo.

What he says about this cancer is that they know it spreads fast in the beginning stages, and they also feel it responds well to chemo, so they usually give chemo which shrinks the tumors.

These are crucial scans and tests coming up because the hope is that they are clean and show no “hot spots”. If they do show “hot spots” or spreading of the cancer, it is very bad.

Mom will be having her initial PET/CT scans on Tuesday at 9:30am. Thank you for your continued prayers so far, and please remember mom over the next few days, and especially on Tuesday. We will then meet with mom’s doctor the next day to see what the results show.

Thank you again for all of your prayers, gifts, cards, calls, emails, and love. God Bless, Michael