today.

today i cried.

today i miss her.

today is her birthday.

today should be happy. (its' not.)

today i feel like i have been robbed.

today i feel guilty because i feel like i have been robbed.

today i am glad no one told me how i should or shouldn't feel.

a different today

important day

Okay, I can't get my brain to work this morning, but I can't let this day go by without a post.

A year ago today my mom died.

The past year has been horrible, and as much as I hate it, I am having to let myself grieve.

My momma's death was one of the most important days in her life. She is now in heaven, with Jesus, for eternity. My brain can't comprehend eternity, but I am still very much comforted by that. I am also comforted that I will see her again.

I know that I am still on earth to glorify God. Some days that is hard because of the grief (see above) but I am trying. I am a work in progress.

Where will you be in your walk with the Lord when something bad happens, something bad enough to shatter you faith?

What is your concept of God? Buddy, our pastor, always says, "The most important thing about you is your concept of God."

I know that God's timing is perfect. I am thankful for a God that gives and takes away. I am thankful for a God that was and is and will be forever-regardless of me. I am also thankful that He gave me such a wonderful momma for twenty-three years. I am thankful that His love and grace and forgiveness are for everyone.

Whew, a very scattered post, but I had to get some of that out of my head.

Light the Night: A Special Tribute to a Special Girl

Let me start of by saying that last week was a hard week for me, as far as my grief. No real reason really, I was just sad and having a pity party for myself. Sometimes I feel like people have forgotten about my mom, or I feel like I am the only person that misses her. I know this is not true AT ALL, but it's just one of the things I contemplate at my pity parties. Tuesday night, I laid in bed praying and crying, asking God for peace and comfort. I must digress to say it is so comforting to have a God that I can go to with my issues and weakness and struggles and HE WILL PROVIDE for me. Over the next two days, I got three TOTALLY UNEXPECTED phone calls from people just calling to check on me and tell me they miss my mom, too. Friday some dear family friends called and invited me to dinner, some people that most definitely miss my mom almost as much as I do. I can't make this stuff up, folks. My God is continuing to provide for me, even my seemingly petty and selfish needs.

I guess you are wondering about the special girl mentioned in the title of this post. As if God didn't show up enough last week and carry me through my issues, I got an email in my facebook inbox Monday night. This is what it said:

Hey Amanda!

I don't know if you know how much you know about the Light the Night fundraiser, but it's just a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for research on blood cancers. We asked people at church to donate money to it, and I just wanted to let you know that I made the donation in memory of your mom since she has battled a blood cancer too. I figured everyone at church would be happy about that too since she was so important to so many people. If you want to see the website, the address is http://pages.lightthenight.org/al/Florence09/BeccaRoberts

Hope you are doing well.
You're still in my prayers.
Love,
Becca

***

What else can I say but W-O-W?!? God continued to show up during my weak, selfish moments. Becca is a year younger than me. We went to middle school and high school together, and we also attended the same church during that time. A few months ago she was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Becca is a very special girl and I admire her for turning her less-than-ideal situation into something that will benefit others. SHE IS MY AGE, DEALING WITH A HORRIBLE DISEASE, AND SHE IS HELPING OTHERS. Again, W-O-W. You can read about her on the above link, and I hope you do. You may even feel led to donate, and that is great if you chose to help the cause financially.

I asked her if she minded if I shared the link on my blog, and she told me to go for it. Of course she doesn't know how greatly this impacted me, and I am not even sure this post can convey how grateful I am for the works God is using (and has used, and will continue to use) through others to help me through my struggles.

I hope this spiderweb story makes sense. Thanks for reading about my struggles and about Becca...

Things My Mother Taught Me

~Girls don't spit. Or sit with their legs spread open.

~It's okay to cry.

~Improvise, because life happens with some unexpected things.

~Keep the saran wrap in the freezer so it doesn't stick together when you use it.

~Don't forget to use PAM! (My mother was appalled to learn that I buy the Publix brand cooking spray, and not PAM. "Does it work???" she asked me.)

~Mistakes happen. Learn from your mistakes and make the best of your situation.

~Get a dog. Preferably a rescued dog. Dogs are the best.

~Be on time, and always be prepared. (I totally fail at this one.)

~Don't go in public looking like a bum. My mom always fussed at me if I rolled out of bed and went to class in sweats (which was, um, everyday) and no make-up. She said that I should always try to look my best for Chris. This is coming from the lady who was a stay-at-home mom and got up and got ready EVERY MORNING just to drop me off at school. Also, another funny side-note: One time Chris and I stayed with my parents and were going to go to church with them. I came out of the bathroom, fully-ready, and my mom looked at me and said, "Oh, are you not going to wear make-up today?" to which I replied, "Mom, I am wearing make-up." This was normal for us, with slightly different topics...hair, clothes, eyebrows...you get the idea.

~Sing in the morning, just because you're happy for another day of life.

~Find a church and get involved and serve the Lord!

~How to make cakes. Really good cakes. And frost and decorate, too. I am sorry if you've never had the joyful experience of trying one of my delicious cakes. Let me know, I'll bake one for you.

~The power of prayer. Not the ritual of praying, but slowing down and spending time with God.

~Selfless love. I told Chris today that I love our children already, and I hope that God gives me the opportunity to have kids and to love those kids the way that my mom loved me. It will be so scary to have kids and not be able to pick up the phone and call my mom for advice, but I will just take what she taught me and run with it. And while I am on the subject (this is, after all, my blog) I think that the way I love Chris and the way I will love our children is totally different, not even comparable. I think that one of the hardest things I have dealt with in my mom's death is knowing that no one will love me as selflessly as she did. She always told me, "No one loves you like your momma!" And she was right.

~My mother taught me to be a Godly wife. My parents were such wonderful role models for Chris and me. A family is the strongest form of socialization, and it takes everyone in their roles to function. I am so grateful for her strong example of loving my dad.

~Stand up for what's right. Right is not easy, but it's right, so do it.

~IOCS. That would be Independent Only-Child Syndrome. I inherited that from my mom. I like to do things my way, without regards to what others think. This may be one of my strongest traits, and I am happy to say it has served me well so far. It works in my marriage, because I have a super-busy Dr. Hubby, and *I* also think it is the root to much of my creativity. She also wanted me to get an education and be able to take care of myself.

Okay, so I could go on and on about things she taught me, but I just shared some of the important things. And the funny things. Obviously this list is not in order of importance. My mother was a wonderful person, and I can only hope to be one-tenth of the woman she was. I wrote this post to encourage you to think about your relationship with your mothers. Ask them questions...about your childhood, what they want for you in life, what they would have done differently in raising you. I would be THRILLED if any of you want to leave a comment (or send me an email) sharing some of the things your mother taught you. Happy Mother's Day!

"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his." -Oscar Wilde

five weeks

Today has been five weeks since I have had a conversation with my mother. So far, the hardest thing for me has been fighting the urge to pick up the phone and call her. I am pretty sure that it won't get better, but I will remember more quickly that I can't call her. Like last week, Erin and I were decorating cupcakes and I wanted to call and ask her what icing tip to use to make flowers, or I wanted to call and tell her about Chris's conference, and call and tell her how silly Brooks has been lately. I am posting this to remind all of you to pick up the phone and CALL YOUR MOTHER! Even if she rambles for thirty minutes about seemingly unimportant things, or tells you what to do, or complains about work or family, call her. I promise you will miss it when you can't do it anymore.

is this going to happen to me?

I've always heard about the seven stages of grief...I have talked to many people that tell me that it will happen, people that have lost loved ones...Maybe since I am wondering if it is going to happen then I am in the disbelief stage...So I googled it so I could be self-aware in the next few months...Apparently everyone doesn't go through all seven stages, and some stages pass more quickly than others. (Also, there are several different versions that I found, but all were basically the same.) Hmm. Very interesting. Does it make it even more interesting that I am evaluating myself?

Seven Stages of Grief

1. Shock & Disbelief

2. Denial

3. Anger

4. Bargaining

5. Guilt

6. Depression

7. Acceptance & Hope

I sat here a reflected over this list for a few minutes. I think that I grieved a lot while in Little Rock. I begged and pleaded with God and got mad at medical staff and wished things were different and played the "what if" game a million times. I am sure the seven stages can be cyclical. I think that the next few days will be hard, but there are definitely more difficult days to come. I talked to my mom at least twice a day. I went shopping with her. She was my enabler (in a good way). It drives me crazy that she won't know my kids, or see Chris become a doctor, or grow old with my dad, or be able to go to the beach with us, or tell me when I am wrong, or what I should do...I can't really think of a good ending for this post so I am just going to stop typing now.

slow-burning fire

I read a book by Paul Loeb called Soul of a Citizen. In one part of the book it talks about taking the raging fury that can consume us and make us forget why we are fighting for change. Transfer that energy into a slow-burning fire, so that it can be used to change the world. This sounds a little weird (Chris doesn't approve of my "crazy liberal books") but it is very applicable in my life right now.

I am sure that everyone has read my mom's CaringBridge update by now. My dad asked me not to bash anyone in the update, so I will say what I need to say on my blog. (Yay for blogs!) We had another wild day. Last night was horrible. Mom's fever and cough worsened, and she also had tremors. We went to the clinic this morning. The nurse told us that the CT showed that Mom has pneumonia. I was shocked because Dr. Jerky McJerkerson didn't even want her to have a CT. Dad and I went (more like marched down the hall) to the charge nurse at the main desk. All of the other nurses and some other patients were within hearing distance. I asked the charge nurse what he was going to do. He kinda shrugged and stuttered and said there still weren't any rooms available. My hands were shaking because I was so infuriated. (My anger is not directed at him because there were no rooms but that it took so long for someone to admit that there was a problem.) There were stacks of charts on the counter, and I actually thought about throwing the charts down the hall. I knew it would cause a big mess and I WANTED to cause a big mess, to express how I was feeling at that moment. But I reeled it in, and told him that it was fine that they didn't have any rooms. I would just put her on a plane and we would take her to UAB because I know that they would admit her. I told him, "I WANT MY MOTHER TO BE ADMITTED TO A HOSPITAL AND OBSERVED BY A PHYSICIAN!!!" He told me he understood, and he would consult with Dr. Jerky to see what they could do. I said no, that is not acceptable either, because he is a rude, terrible physician. His eyes got really wide and he said that he would call Dr. Jerk's boss. Okay, I can deal with that. We went to Mom's room, and I called her myeloma doctor's CELL PHONE and left a message. Dad called the head myeloma research nurse to tell her that we were going to be admitted at UAMS and if that wasn't possible then we were flying home to be admitted to UAB. She said that wasn't a good idea, and good ol' Dave said, "I'll tell you what isn't a good idea..." Anyway, a little while after all that she started coughing and got out of breath and started getting tremors, worse than last night. Her O2 level was 48 (90 is around normal). Her heart rate jumped to around 180, her nails got blue, and they couldn't detect a pulse. She was conscious during all of this, and her blood was circulating, not very well. A rapid response team came bursting in and put her on some oxygen, then carried her to ICU. It was so scary. The oxygen has helped get her heart rate back to normal, and she is still coughing some. Chris told me this morning that he thought it sounded like a fungal pneumonia, since the fever was not responding to antibiotics. After I got off the phone with Chris, I asked the charge nurse if she had been test for fungal pneumonia and he said that she had, and it was negative. Guess what the head infectious disease doc diagnosed her with at 5:30 tonight? PCP, which is fungal pneumonia, which is what a second year med student thought. (The smartest med student ever, and when am I gonna learn he is NEVER wrong about this stuff?) How frustrating to deal with such people! I am glad that she is FINALLY in a room, after 11 days of running fevers and Dad and myself telling people that something is not right. The head infectious disease physician seems to know what is going on. I will have a better judgement in the morning.

Back to the slow-burning fire. No one should go through what my mom did. She was so sick, and her symptoms should have been addressed last week. I am going to start by writing a letter, and maybe sending some emails, and I will probably make a few more phone calls. I have really thought about what to say. I have to keep my anger suppressed but still existing in order to express my thoughts and concerns in a manner that will be heard. I am not doing this to say, "I told you so," I am simply demanding (yes, demanding) better care for myeloma patients, especially the ones that temporarily move to Little Rock for treatment. What makes me so mad is that her myeloma is in full remission and she is doing great in that aspect, but the wahoos at UAMS can't even tell when a patient has pneumonia? Unacceptable. Mom has to come back two more times for chemo consolidation, plus every few months for testing. These problems MUST be dealt with. I insist.

There is a lot from today that I left out. I am running on fumes, so I am going to bed now. Feel free to ask questions, because this may not make any sense at all as I type thru my delirium...

Please continue to pray for patience for me. Peace for my dad. Healing for my mom.

In case you didn't know...

God still answers prayers! Even the tiny little seemingly unimportant issues are addressed. As everyone knows, my parents were going to miss my graduation due to my mom's second stem cell transplant. I was not even sure if I wanted to walk in the ceremony, because my parents paid my tuition and they are the reason I had an opportunity to receive an education. I really wanted them to be there for my graduation, but even more I wanted my mom to get better. I think we were all sort of okay with my parents not being there, but not really. Anyway, my mom talked to her doctor today and her doctor decided that she and my dad can wait until December 14th (the day after graduation) to go back to Little Rock. YAY! She called me tonight while we were eating dinner. I cannot even explain how excited I am! I knew it would be fine if my parents weren't there, because the most important thing is my mom's health. I still wanted them to be there, though. I knew it would work out somehow. Once again God provided not only my needs but also my wants. After the ceremony we are going out to eat to celebrate my graduation and my birthday...WOW! Could it have worked out any better? I always seem to worry about things that seem like such a big deal, but retrospectively, those big deals really aren't anything at all...

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Monday, October 27, 2008 we celebrated my mom's 49th birthday! Bryan, Lori, Anna, Abby, Glenda, Richard, Dad, and I sang happy birthday and we ate strawberry cake. Yum!

Next year for number 50, we are going to have a big celebration :)

h&p

Chris just finished practicing a history and physical. Guess who was his practice patient? I make up funny names and weird symptoms and ask him how he would react if a patient said something inappropriate or touched him in a weird way. Ha. He doesn't really like me being his practice patient, but I think it is good for him. No one could ever be as difficult as me. I cried a little when he checked my lungs because he pushed under my rib cage way too hard. We also think that something is wrong with my right eye, but we are not sure.

This afternoon my mom and dad and Florida grandparents came over. I made chicken pot pie and the worst mac~n~cheese ever. (Actually it was ziti~n~cheese because I did not have any macaroni noodles in the pantry.) The chicken pot pie was delicious, but I may never be able to master mac~n~cheese that doesn't come from a box. My mom is doing so great! She still puts on makeup every day. She is trying to do more without her cane. There was also talk of her driving tomorrow. (She hasn't driven since March because of her leg.) We are so glad that she is home for a few weeks. I spent the entire weekend with my parents. Brooks ate the blinds in my parents' bedroom. Sigh. They were still ecstatic to see him and they fed him marshmallows. He has no idea that eating the blinds=bad because they acted the same towards him. I spanked him and made him stay in the other room for a while. How do I punish a dog when I didn't see him do it? My mom thought it was funny. My dad did not think it was funny. Over the weekend we ate at Pepito's and went to Dollar General and church and we did lots of other fun stuff. (As much fun as we could accomplish in Jasper.) Sunday night Mom is going to give her testimony at church. It will be good. I will try to post a video.

I had a somewhat productive day. I had lunch with a friend that I haven't seen in a while. I took a quiz and got some reading out of the way. After my family left, I ironed clothes for Chris and got my stuff ready for tomorrow. I start my internship thing tomorrow. Yay! I am very excited, and a little nervous, but mostly excited. Chris is working on the dryer as I speak. He put the new part on it, but we now think that it is not the dryer that is messed up, maybe it is the breaker. Hmm, I better go help him figure it out...

-blah- (warning: this is a terrible post that should not even be allowed to be posted, but here it is.)

I always post on Monday mornings, but I did not feel like posting this morning so I didn't. I don't really feel like posting now, but I am tired of studying. Nothing too exciting happened over the weekend. The yard sale was not a success, sadly, but there is a consignment store in Tuscaloosa that is going to take my jeans and purses. At least my closet is organized. Yesterday after church Paul, Chris and I went to see the new Batman movie. Paul had already seen it, but we had not. It was very scary. Good, but scary. I have studied all day. I didn't even take a break to watch The Price is Right. Maybe that is why I am in a bad mood.

Update on Brooks: He can now get out of the crate before I can get to the front door to leave. I still put him in the crate when I leave to maintain routinization. He stares out the window as I drive away. Sigh. He doesn't know why we still use the crate because he knows he has outsmarted us, and I am not sure why we use the crate either. He has not damaged anything, so it doesn't really matter.

My mom received some much-needed good news. Her port was replaced today so they can begin the stem cell harvest tomorrow. It will take at least two days, but hopefully no more than that. Then they can come home for a few days before beginning the second round of treatment. Praise God that everything is on schedule!

My pregnant friend Beth (I will only be able to call her that for a little bit longer) went to the doctor today, and Baby Olivia seems to be doing great and she will be making her big debut in about four weeks! How exciting!!!

I probably won't post again for a while because of my tests, and Sunday is our two year anniversary. I don't have anything planned, so I must work on that sometime this week in between school stuff. Last year I made Chris a video from movie maker. I scanned all of our old pictures from high school and made movie of "Chris & Amanda." It was very nice. I am not sure if I will be able to top that. I also got Chris a really cool watch. Hmmm.

i said hey

My To-Do List

• Laundry
• Flash Cards
• Quizzes
• Go to the bank
• Post Office
• Yard Sale Stuff
• Make reservations for the beach

My vertigo is better. I still get dizzy when I stand up fast or bend over, but I am much better.

I have to finish pricing stuff for the yard sale. I decided to wait until Chris left because he overprices everything. After work he is going on a fishing trip so he will miss out on all of the yard sale festivities, but he did help me set some stuff out last night.

I have made so many flash cards this week, and I don't even think flash cards help. I made a B on my marketing test that I took a few weeks ago. YAY! I am going to try to get caught up on some quizzes tonight. Nine more days of online classes! Then a beach trip!

My parents and I talked a few days ago, and we decided that I am going to take classes at UAB this fall and graduate in December. My mom wants my dad to stay with her while she completes her treatments. I will visit them on weekends and when I get breaks from class. Her body is responding really well to the treatments. We are thankful for that. The goal is for her to be in remission by Christmas.

I am going to meet with a lady in Tuscaloosa next week about volunteering. I will get school credit for it, and it is in a field that I am interested in perusing. I am very excited. More to come on that later...

Enough procrastination. I am going to start working on my to-do list now.

Confidential to Grams from Brooks

Happy Birthday Brooks!

Actually his birthday was July 2, but I just got home and told him happy birthday. I did not get him a gift, but I do plan to make dog-friendly cupcakes this weekend. He is two years old. Even crazier than dog birthdays, we also celebrate his adoption day in August. Go ahead and make fun. I just can't stop the ridiculous-ness when it comes to Brooks.

Side note: He managed to escape the crate every day this week. It is only because he missed me. He is much better now that I am home. Chris is still concerned about the welfare of our couch, and carpet, and pretty much anything outside the crate, even though no damage has been done (yet). I am going to video Brooks while we are gone one day this week to try and catch him in the act. I will post the video if we succeed.

We met with my mom's doctor in Little Rock today. He was ready to begin treatment today, but the myeloma in her bone marrow biopsy was at a low enough number that we had the option to come home for a week and begin treatment next week. We decided to come home today and give our minds a break from hospitals and testing and everything else. She will have her central line placed next Friday (July 11) and begin chemo the next day. We met with the doctor and nurses for several hours today. My mom's myeloma doctor is quite a character. He is a Dr. MD (MD, PhD, haha). He came into the room wearing jeans, a tight black t-shirt, brown motorcycle boots, and a big chain necklace. He is a fifty/sixty-something year old tiny German man. He has a pretty good sense of humor, too. He made fun of my Alabama accent and teased us about being Southern Baptists. Dr. Barlogie understands myeloma better than anyone else in the WORLD and I think it is so great that he is my mom's doctor. The nursing and administrative staff at the clinic is great. Everyone is sooo nice. When we made the decision to come home for a few days, we went back to the apartment, threw some of our stuff in the car and started driving. We got to my parents' house around 11 or so. I was too excited to see Chris so I drove from Jasper to Tuscaloosa after that (and after I photocopied all of Mom's test results so that Dr. Shubert can approve). Chris did a really good job of explaining the disease to me, so I was not shocked or surprised by anything that we found out. I even read one of Dr. Barlogie's presentations on the internet before the visit, and he was very impressed that I took the time to read and understand it. (Thank you again, husband.) We were surprised to find out how long the treatments will take. We were told to plan on staying in Little Rock three weeks out of every month, for at least five months, and possibly a year. She was also asked to participate in a clinical trial and has to make a decision about that. I am glad we got to come home, because now we have to make even longer-term arrangements. (Yeah, I don't think "longer-term" is a word either, but you know what I mean.) I am not sure if I will go back next week with my parents. I am going to meet with my advisor next week and try to work around everything for fall. I have a lot of other details about the clinic appointment today, but I am not going to post until I go over everything with Chris. If you want to know more about myeloma or how the visit went just email me. Or email me if this post doesn't make any sense, I just realized it is 2:30 am. I am going to sleep in my own bed now! More tomorrow...

leaving tomorrow

Well, I have packed my suitcase. Everything except toiletries. I am really sad about leaving Chris and Brooks, even though I am sure they will find something fun to do while I'm away. I am about to get ready to go to Birmingham to meet Chris. He is getting new glasses and wants me to help pick out the frames. I think we may eat somewhere yummy.

Prayer requests:

• Please pray for my family as we travel
• Pray for the medical staff that will be caring for my mom
• Pray for my mom-she has some difficult tests and treatments to go through
• Pray that my mom and my dad and myself keep good attitudes during all this!

Why Arkansas?

The phone rang this morning while mom and I were getting ready to go to her radiation treatment. The caller id said UAMS. It took me a minute to realize that it was The University of Arkansas Medical Sciences-the myeloma institute! We were not expecting to hear anything this soon. Mom has to be in Arkansas on June 26-July 1 for a consult and several tests. Then she will see a physician on July 2. We're not sure yet if they will begin the stem cell transplant then or if we will go back later. When I tell people that we are going to Little Rock, Arkansas, for cancer treatment everyone looks at me like I am crazy. Sam Walton (you know, the founder of Wal-Mart) passed away from multiple myeloma. His family donated a lot of money to UAMS for research, and it has become one of the top places in the world for multiple myeloma treatment. So that's why we are going to Arkansas. The second day of radiation went very well, by the way.


I also decided to make a caring bridge account to keep everyone updated while we are out of state: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/rejinakeeton. I just set up the account, and it doesn't have any information on it yet. I am working on it, in all of my spare time.

1 down, 9 to go!

We are back home from radiation treatment numero uno. Mom did really well. She is not supposed to be sick or lose her hair or have any other side effects. Yay! Her doctor is getting everything set up for Arkansas, but we don't know any details. She also did physical therapy this morning before we went to St. Vincents, and she is getting stronger every day! God is revealing so much to me and my family during this time. I cannot wait to see what He has in store for us. The phone calls and cards and emails and food people have sent are overwhelming. Please continue to keep us in your prayers!


I had to go by Jasper Wal-Mart on the way home from the hospital. I saw TONS of people that I knew, and I haven't been in that Wal-Mart in forever, so I did not know where anything was! Mass confusion. I also got up at five this morning, which only added to my confusion. I talked to my pregnant friend, Beth, on the way home. (Hey Beth & Olivia!) I feel like a terrible friend since I have only seen her two times since she has been pregnant, but I hope I can see her soon since I am in Jasper so much. When I was in Wal-Mart, I bought some Ghirardelli chocolates for my mom-she earned them today. More updates to come...

latest news

We just got home from St. Vincent's. Whew. Long day. First we went to the orthopedic surgeon to have mom's staples removed. Her leg has healed quite nicely. Then we went and ate lunch and came back and met with the oncologist. He gave her Zometa intravenously to strengthen her bones. She will have that administered once a month. Then she was sent to see a radiologist. She will have her first radiation treatment on Tuesday. She will have ten or fifteen treatments. We will be traveling to the University of Arkansas in the next four to six weeks to talk to some people about chemo and stem cell treatment. We are not sure exactly what she is going to chose to do (my dad and I want her to do what she feels comfortable with) and right now we are just evaluating all options. She can have treatments at UAB, but right now the Arkansas thing seems more promising. Please continue to pray for my family and the decisions that we are facing. I will continue to update as we find out more.

She has home health nurses that come several times a week to check her blood levels for the blood clot/blood thinner, as well as a physical therapist. She is walking around the house on her walker, yay! She will only have to use the walker about three more weeks. After her leg heals completely and she finishes radiation, she will feel much better and be ready for the next steps of treatment! Praise God!

multiple myeloma

My mom is still at St. Vincent's recovering from the rod placement of her lesser trochanter of femur. (I know, impressive medical terminology, right?) Her oncologist came by this morning and confirmed that she has multiple myeloma. Myeloma is a blood cancer that attacks bones. But here is a link explaining it a little bit better:
http://www.webmd.com/cancer/tc/multiple-myeloma-plasma-cell-neoplasm-treatment-health-professional-information-nci-pdq-general
(I know there is a way to make the link look better but I don't have time to keep messing with it.)

In two weeks my mom will begin radiation treatment. She will endure that for ten days. Then we will discuss what step to take next, most likely it will be some type of stem cell/bone marrow treatment. Dr. Gore says that there are several treatment options. She has a really great physician. He is very good at explaining all this stuff and listening to what she has to say. He told my parents that he wants my mom to be comfortable with whatever treatment option(s) she chooses. Dr. Gore also prescribed a medication to keep her bones strong.

I have re-arranged my classes so that I can take her to her treatments and take care of her and my dad can still go to work. God has really blessed us. My dad has a very flexible work schedule with a lot of vacation time. I haven't worked since July, and my remaining classes are all at night or on-line. I am so glad that I am going to be able to help my parents get through this!

As far as recovering from her surgery, she is doing great! She walked this morning (yay!!!) and she is eating a little. The medical staff adjusted her pain medication some. She is not complaining of any pain, which is another praise. If she has a good day today, she will go home tomorrow. Then a physical therapist will come to her house three times a week. She asked Dr. Gore if she will be able to go swimming this summer, and he said she can do whatever she feels like. She has tough road ahead, but God is good and He already has everything worked out! Please continue praying for her and our family. I can tell that a lot of people are praying! I feel at peace with everything that is happening, even though I don't really understand it. My mom and dad are doing incredibly well, considering everything they have been through the past eight weeks. OK, this is a lot of info packed into one post, and I hope it all makes sense. I can answer any questions. Everybody keeps asking what they can do for us, and right now prayer is our biggest need!

Here is a picture of my wonderful parents:

Update on Mom

My mom is out of surgery. Everything went how the doctor planned, which is good. We will hopefully know something tomorrow about the biopsy results. She had a bone marrow biopsy last week and then they took a biopsy today from the place on her femur. The surgery wasn't over until around 3, and she was placed in a room around 5. It was a long day. I just got home a few minutes ago. I am glad my mom will be able to walk again. (The doctor said that we could throw her out of the window and her leg would remain intact, very reassuring medical advice.) I know there is a lot of stuff ahead, a lot of scary stuff, but I know God has control of the situation. I will give updates on my mom as we get them...I'll just keep praying until then.