Part 2

So the last 3 weeks have been heavenly. I'm starting to feel better and I'm able to do more things again. David and I have stayed up late watching Netflix shows, the kids and I have run a zillion errands, I've been cooking more meals and desserts, we have played and had lunch with friends, and we have just been living life. It has been wonderful to start to feel normal again. My hair is even starting to come back. Yay! (I'm still wearing my hat, but hopefully not for much longer. I literally can't wait to go see Anita and get an actual short hair style!!)

Today I am asking for prayers again. I will be having a double mastectomy on Monday, June 26th at 7:15 am. This is part 2 of my treatment. The doctors have told me that chemo and this surgery are the hardest parts, and it will be much easier after this. (I'm totally going to hold them to that.)

Please pray for my children. They are all a little nervous about me being in the hospital and about spending so much time away from home. I know they will have a good time, but it will be a little bit of a change for them. I like having my babies close, so that will be a change for me too. The Lord has been SO good to guard their hearts this far, and I know He will continue to do that. 

Please also pray for me and David. We are both so ready for this surgery to be over, but we dread the recovery and all the changes it will bring. I'm getting more emotional about everything this surgery entails. I don't really want my body to change, and I dread all the surgeries to follow.

I do know that without this surgery, I will not get better. Please pray for an easy recovery and NO complications. We will get the pathology results about a week after my surgery. Please pray for good results and good margins. Also, specifically, please pray that my cancer has not changed. I am having my port removed (because I HATE it) and the only reason I would need it after surgery is if my cancer has changed from HERnegative to HERpositive. Please pray it stays negative. I don't want to have to put that stupid port back in. Please pray that I will be cancer free after this surgery. I will probably have to do radiation next, but I'm really hoping to get EVERY SINGLE cancer cell out of my body with this surgery!

Thank you so much for praying for me. When I think about how many people have been praying for me and my family, it truly brings tears to my eyes. I will be forever grateful for how you have loved us through the last 6 months. It has been such a hard road, but I have truly seen the goodness of God. I know that may sound weird to some of you, but I know there is a purpose for my suffering. If you ever have any questions or want to know more about God, please feel free to leave me a comment and I will contact you. I have been blessed to have spent most of my life following Jesus, but this year, he has never been more real to me. I am such a mess, and I am so grateful that he died for my sins and has made me a new creation. He is not just a God of rules and regulations. He is a God who loves his children and sacrificed everything for us. I cannot imagine saying goodbye to my family, but this year has made me long for Heaven and His presence more than ever. This broken world we live in is so hard and scary at times, but I am so thankful for a savior who will wipe away every tear. His love makes this tough road worth it.

Here are some pictures of my sweet kiddos last week. We rewarded them with a "Fun Family Day." They have been SO helpful at home, so loving, so sweet, and just generally amazing. We went to Chick fil A for lunch, Dave and Busters to play games, Northpark to see Cars 3, Chili's for dinner, and then ice cream treats to end the evening. It was such a fun time to just enjoy each other and be a normal family again.

Thank you again for praying! I love each and every one of you reading this blog, and I pray that you will see the goodness of God through every step of this journey we are on. I will update after surgery. 

"Let us approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrew 4:16

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus or Lord." Romans 8:38-39

"Lord, do not forsake me; do not be far from me, my God. Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior." Psalm 38:21-22

visitors

Over the last few months I have been so thankful to have a few visitors. First, my Uncle Chuck and cousin Megan came down from Pittsburgh and Chicago. I had just finished AC, and it was SO wonderful to see them both!! I hadn't seen Megan since Christie got married, so it's been a while.

We spent the day at the farm on Saturday. It was so nice to be in the sun and just to relax. Then, they came to church and lunch on Saturday. We HAD to take Megan to Steel City Pops while she was here too. They don't have those kinds of things up north. :)

I am so thankful you were both able to come down. It was so special for me and made me wish we got to see each other more. Hopefully we can come up and visit y'all soon, especially once Baby Nardi arrives! I love you both so much!

Then, Adrienne, Stephen, and sweet Livi came down! It was SO fun to get to see all three of them and spend time together! They were here at the beginning of Taxol, so it was nice to feel mostly normal while they were here. Ha! Livi is precious and we are all so exited to meet baby Kinde in the next few weeks! Thank you for loving us and always being willing to help. You are all such a blessing to us. (I am SO sorry, but I have no pics of y'all that week. Terrible! I'm sure Oma took a thousand, so I'll add some of hers later. Ha!)

Then, in April, I got to meet my newest niece, Emmy!! Mike, Mary, and Emily came home for a visit at Easter. It was so great to spend time with them and to finally meet Emmy. She is precious, and looks just like her mommy. It was also a special trip because Mary and Emmy got to stay and extra week and be here on my birthday. What a treat! Their trip really helped push me through April and get into May and the home stretch. Thank you for celebrating and shopping with me!

Each visitor we've had has encouraged me and give me something so fun to look forward to. It is always nice to be distracted by family and friends and to spend special time with the people I love most.

Just for fun, here are a few pictures of us camping a few weeks ago. It was beautiful and we had so much fun!

DONE!!

It's been a while since I've posted. First let me say, thank you SO much for praying for me! I have felt your prayers. I haven't been as scared of the unknown lately, and I FINISHED CHEMO!! I made it! I am SO thankful to have made it through those 5 months and to be completely finished.

It was a  crazy last few weeks. I had to schedule an MRI before my last chemo so I could talk with my oncologist about the results. You know how fun dealing with insurance companies can be, right? Honestly, it was more of an issue with the facility they wanted me to use, but it was a total pain to figure it out. Thankfully my breast surgeon's office handled it and got me in to the hospital quickly.

I don't know that I'll ever get used to this stuff. I HATE being poked all the time. I will say that lidocaine is amazing! I just covered my arm in that stuff and didn't feel a thing this time. Yay! I quickly got an MRI and headed home. It was way less stressful than the last time I went for all my scans.

We got up early on June 1st and dropped the kids off with my mom at church. She then took them to my sister in law's house so they could spend their first day of summer with their cousins. David and I headed to see the doctor before my last chemo. We waited for over an hour. (Not our favorite part of this whole process.) But, it was worth the wait. My doctor was able to read the MRI results to us, and I have never been more thankful. She said that the tumor in my armpit is completely gone and the ones in my breast are significantly improved. The chemo has done its job and was worth it! Praise the Lord. Thank you so so much for praying for and with us! I went to my breast surgeon a week later, and she said that they used my MRI at a conference the doctors had recently. Apparently my type of cancer was not supposed to react as well to chemo as it did. They thought it would shrink it, but it is almost totally gone. I know it is because of the power of prayer.

This is us on my last day! No more getting poked, no more sleeping in a room full of people, no more bags of chemicals every week. No more. Thank you, Jesus!

David took these pictures of me ringing the bell. (You get to do that on your last treatment.) I seriously could not stop crying afterwards. I am just so thankful that I don't have to do that anymore. It was just so hard. Unless I am getting a shot or visiting with those sweet nurses, I hope I never have to go back into that room again!

After chemo, I went home and slept for a good 3-3 1/2 hours. It was glorious. I woke up and met our family at Shady's for dinner. My mom got me my favorite cake....Casa Linda. Poor David...he hates that cake. It was amazing and just heavenly. It was such a joy to celebrate with the people who have helped carry us through the last 5 months. I seriously wanted to invite everyone I know, but I figured that probably would have been a bit much.

The last week and half has been great! I'm still not feeling 100 percent, but I can notice small changes. I'm not as exhausted and my hair is slowly coming back in. Yay! I'm just so excited to start feeling normal again. We are still scheduled for a double mastectomy on June 26th. I know that is going to be difficult too, but I'm so ready for that part to be over as well. Please pray for an easy recovery with no complications. Also, please pray the pathology reports show that all the cancer is gone and there is no need for additional chemo. I will more than likely do 6 weeks of radiation and two more surgeries this fall. I've been told that that will be easier than the first half of the year though.

This last weekend I got together with some of my sweet college friends. We spent the day at Northpark (hello, my favorite!), getting our nails done, and eating yummy foods. They got me this awesome cookie cake too. I'm so thankful for their friendship and support.

The next few weeks will be a little stressful for me as I try to get as much in order before hand as possible. My sister and I are making freezer meals soon and I'm trying to make sure the kids have enough planned after my surgery so they aren't bored or feel like they are missing out. One of my other sisters, Martie, is going to be their nanny for a few weeks, so I know they will LOVE every minute of being with her. We will have VBS, soccer camp, and swim lessons, so that should be enough to fill their little calendars. Ha! Before surgery though, we are going to soak up every minute together! I have loved going to the library, reading Harry Potter with Annie, baking desserts, and just doing normal everyday things. We may even get out to Steel City Pops a few more times over the next two weeks.

Thank you SO much for praying for us and loving on us! I know that my MRI results are because we have such a multitude of people praying for us. I hope you know how truly thankful I am for each one of you. Please continue to pray for us as we embark on the next stage of this process. I know God will continue to take care of us and comfort us throughout all this. He has been faithful thus far, and I know he will continue to be. I know that to some of you that may sound weird or even naïve. As difficult as this has been though, I have never felt Jesus more near. I have never felt more loved, and I have never loved him more. I would absolutely love to talk to you if you ever had questions or wanted to know more about Jesus. I know we may not agree on our beliefs, and that is totally fine. I just want you to know that after going through all this, I can't imagine doing it without Him.

I promise to keep updating the blog with news and what is going on. THANK YOU for praying!