Hi Troops!

Well… another year is upon us. And instead of staying up to date for the new year, this is coming to you extremely late. Sorry again. First, July 14 marked the one-year anniversary of mom’s diagnosis. Not necessarily thrilled to celebrate the diagnosis existing, or mom being diagnosis. But a one-year anniversary means she’s been successfully fighting this cancer monster off for over 12 months, and I plan on many more. Thank God for the great medical staff that has been treating her and that things have been successful as they have been.

That brings me to the new year…so far it’s been good, so let me catch you up to date. In mid – December, mom was temporarily taken off work by her doctor. She contracted numerous flus and colds and had difficulty recovering. The doctor thought this would take a toll on her health and immune system so the best decision is for her to rest and focus on her health. Though she is still recovering from those illnesses there is still need to decrease stress and focus on various aspects of her health to help her body fight off the cancer. Mom has been seeing her oncologist, cardiologist, pulmonologist, homeopathic doctor, physical therapist, chiropractor, and has been trying to increase her amount of exercise… so of course she’s kept herself busy. On February 9 mom had her regular chest CT scan and blood labs. Blood labs all looks good, AND… CT results show NO growth and NO metastasis. Thank God!! The Tarceva seems to still be working. Mom still has a lot of negative side-effects. However, the doctor is still wiling to work with her on decreased amount of the Tarceva which helps… sometimes. She takes a super low dose which, for right now, is keeping the tumors at bay. But, she’s noticing on the days she takes the meds, she experiences a spike in the side-effects; skin rashes and pain, mental cloudiness, and overall exhaustion. Mom, very true to form, is super enduring, persistent, and says that it’s a small price to pay for the success of the medications. Through everything, mom remains positive, thankful to God for his hand in everything, every step of the way, and continues to look for opportunities to witness for Him. Anyway, that’s about all for now. Pray that God continues to allow the medications to work at this low does and long as it can. And pray that God continues to inspire mom and give her the strength she needs to carry on. Thank you all for your great support and prayers. I don’t think there are enough blogs in the world to indicate just how much we all appreciate each and everyone on of you!

Until next time!!