Donna's Journey: June 2011

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Done, Finished, Completed!!!!!!

9:45 PM

At 3:30 today I finished up with this round of Chemo. HALLELUHAH!!! What a relief to have this portion of the journey completed. One of the wonderful things about the Infusion Center is how personable everyone is. Several of the nurses took time to celebrate with me and remind me of how well I’m doing. Carmel and Tonji, the receptionists, even joined in the celebrating.

To continue the celebrating, Ken took me to Wendy’s for a frosty. He wanted to do more but a Wendy’s frosty was what sounded good so… It’s a reminder that the simple things in life can bring the greatest joys. I had the frosty finished before we made it home so it definitely hit the spot.

Ken and I were reminiscing that my first infusion was on a rainy day and how interesting that it was raining again today. Maybe God was crying with me as He knows how challenging this is.

Today would have been my mother’s 80th birthday. Somehow it felt right to complete this leg of the journey on this day. I continue to be amazed at God’s timing.

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Empty Nesting

9:42 PM

Ken and I are having an interesting experience this week. Since Sat. we have been experiencing having an empty nest. Kedrick and Kalyn were invited to go to Yosemite for the annual camping week. They were both delighted to be able to continue the tradition of spending a week in Yosemite hiking, swimming, biking, playing games and just being with very special friends. What a treat. Kedrick went with the Swanson family and Kalyn is being a “Suit” for the week. Ken and I feel very blessed that the children were able to go.

Sunday, Ken and I drove over to Santa Cruz and walked along the cliffs. It was easy walking for me. What a joy to be able to hear the surf on the beach and to people watch. We enjoyed talking to each other and bird watching. We rounded out the evening eating at “The Dolphin” which is located at the end of the wharf. It was such a beautiful day that we sat outside and enjoyed our bread bowls of clam chowder. Ken enjoyed watching several men fishing off the wharf while I enjoyed watching the sunshine dance on the water. It was a lovely day made even better when the SF Giants won that night’s baseball game.

To make my week even better I had two lunch dates; one with Becca, Diane, and Lisa and the other with Juliet. What a treat to be able to go out to eat and enjoy the fellowship of other females. I also got to visit with my brother, Brent, and sister, Janet, who came down for a quick visit. I continue to feel truly blessed.

Tonight Kendall comes home so we get to have some one-on-one time just with him. That will be a treat.

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Friday, June 17, 2011

June 14th - Six Months

12:56 PM

June 14^th marked the 6 month anniversary of being on this journey. It also was the date of my third treatment with the dose-dense AC. The infusion went well. Jane, my nurse, was able to use the port which is always a relief. My blood work came back with very good numbers which is also a positive.

I’m realizing that chemo is also mental game. It’s hard to go to an appointment that you know is going to leave you feeling run down, along with other possible unappealing side effects. I was really struggling with this infusion but God was good. When I arrived home from the treatment I discovered a floral arrangement left for me along with a note from Chandra (one of this week’s angels). It truly lifted my spirits and reminded me of how blessed and loved I am.

Tuesday evening I was able to attend PandaMania VBS at the church and enjoy seeing the opening and closing ceremonies. I was able to watch from the sound booth which limited my exposure to germs. What a joy to watch the VBS Praise Team lead the worship time. I have to admit that I had my eye on two of the members (Kalyn and Kedrick) but I enjoyed watching them all.

I was also able to be there on Wednesday evening too.

Since Thursday I have been struggling with fatigue, one of the main side effects with this chemo treatment. The fact that it is cumulative doesn’t help either. I’m also trying to get over a cold so it a little bit more challenging. I’m spending lots of time just reading and resting. What a blessing that school is out and the children have activities to keep them busy.

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WEEKLY ANGELS

12:52 PM

God sends me lots of different angels every week. Several weeks ago my angels were Becca and Paty who checked on me via email or phone calls to make sure I was doing okay while Ken, Kedrick and Kalyn were in San Diego. What a treat it was to hear from them! They also rejoiced with me as I received news from the gang in San Diego.

Angels also began appearing again last week bringing us meals. What a gift to have a meal arrive at our door by 6pm several times each week. Thank you to Gini, who is the angel that makes sure this happens.

My next angel appeared last Thursday evening. Iris came over after working a twelve hour day to shave my head. She made something that I was dreading pleasant. I have been very concerned about losing my hair but Iris made me feel special and loved. She even spent time showing me several different ways to wear a scarf. What a gift she gave me. She also managed not to get any hair one the floor which I still find amazing.

Juliet was my next angel. She emailed me on Thursday wanting to see if we could go to Aqu in Campbell for lunch on Friday. When she emailed she didn’t know that going out on Friday would be my first trip out having to wear a hat and being “bald.” We enjoyed eating our wraps of salmon, mango, jicama and rice while catching up with each other’s lives. After lunch we walked around downtown Campbell while Juliet shared her favorite local haunts with me.

I feel very blessed by the different angels God sends to me each week. Sometimes the angels are the ones who call or send a card or just say a prayer for me. Thank you if you have been one of those angels.

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Sunday, June 5, 2011

They're Home

9:43 PM

Ken, Kedrick and Kalyn arrived home around 6:30 this evening. Praise the Lord. They are all very tired but glad to be home. Both Ken and Kedrick have colds so they don't get to sit near me, bummer.
Kedrick was pleased with how he did at the tournament. He and his partner, McKenna Stevens, received 4th place in their Duo, Lewis Carrroll's "Through the looking glass".
He came in fifth in his Expository on "Small Things" and sixth for his humorous piece. The highlight of the event was receiving fourteen place for sweepstakes, an award given for overall performance. The caliber of the 500+ speakers at this National Tournament of Champions was very impressive. To even be there was an honor.
Both Ken and I are very proud of Kedrick. He really challenged himself this season and was very responsible and disciplined. He pushed himself to exceed and we feel blessed that the Lord rewarded his efforts.
Kalyn was also very busy at the tournament. She timed 8 rounds of speeches and was a constant encouragement to many speakers from all over the United States.

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Saturday, June 4, 2011

Speech Update #2

1:05 PM

I heard from Kedrick this morning after the tournament had announced breaks for finals. Kedrick advanced all three speeches to the final round which is quite an accomplishment. He and his duo partner, McKenna, were going to be performing their duo in the large auditorium located at Point Loma University. He’s other two speeches would have also been presented in large rooms.

He was very pleased with how well he did in his semi-final round. I have been praying that he’ll be pleased with his final round performances. The results from the tournament will not be announced until late this evening so I’ll post about the results tomorrow. Thank you for the continued prayers for Kedrick and the safe return of my “San Diego gang”.

I’m feeling okay, just tired. The nausea is gone so now I’m just waiting for my blood cell counts to recover and my energy return. Food is beginning to look appealing again. I have been resting lots and today am enjoying a nice warm fire that Kendall made for me. I continue to be well taken care of by my family and friends.

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Friday, June 3, 2011

Speech Update #1

5:43 PM

I heard from the San Diego group. Kedrick advanced three of his five speeches to the semi-final round. He will give the speeches and be judged by three judges. The results will be tallied and then announced tomorrow. Making it to the semi-final round is a big accomplishment, needlessly to say a very proud mama is typing this. The three speeches he took to semis are: Alice Through the Looking Glass (done with his duo partner, McKenna), Courtship with Difficulties and his expository speech on “Little Changes”. Kalyn is enjoying herself and has been busy timing the different rounds while Ken has been working to fulfill our judging requirement. Please continue to pray for Kedrick as he competes and for Ken and Kalyn as they support him.

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