Friday, October 7, 2011

Celebrating One Year Fighting Lung Cancer!!


Bracelets worn by Madison that we had made for Grammie to celebrate her one year battle with lung cancer. On the inside it reads "In Honor or Grammie" :)

A Poem

People are often unreasonable, illogic and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will forget tomorrow. Do good anyway.
The good you do today, people will forget tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the world the best you have anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

(Engraved on the wall of Mother Theresa's home for children in Calcutta-English Translation)

Luckily my mother has always done ALL of these things, no matter what people think or say about her. She is the most amazing woman I know! <3

Friday, September 23, 2011

ONE YEAR STRONG!!

I know I haven't blogged over the fast few months but it's been extremely hectic.
But today marks the one year mark of when my mother went to the emergency room and within a week was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer. And the best way that I can sum up this past year is....Cancer has messed with the WRONG woman!! :)
My mom has done an amazing job at living with this disease. She has always been a strong person so I can't even say that this has made her stronger. She has handled this like it's any other day. She hasn't had any set backs and continues to keep this cancer right where it is. The tumor was found in her lung with 3 small tumors in her brain. Since then, the tumor remains in her lung, mostly at the same size and the brain tumors are GONE! There are two small marks still showing up on the MRI but the Dr. believes them to be scar tissue. She continues with her chemo treatments every 3 weeks.
In the past 4 months Madison and I have moved in with my mother. Madison LOVES every second of it (but I think my mom loves it more). She wakes up in the morning and tries to beat me down the stairs to steal all of Grammie's french toast. Grammie reads her a book before bed and then Madison reads it to Grammie. I believe that they are each others rocks.
I am SO proud of my mother. I only wish that I could be as strong and motivated as she is. She has lived every day as if nothing has changed. Since I went back to work I feel that I'm not as involved as I want to be with her Dr.'s. They unfortunately know me on a first name basis, along with the nurses in the hosptial that I harass for all of her reports. But that doesn't bother me one bit :P. I continue to do my research on new drugs and treatments that are out there, but she is doing really well just where she is.
I hope and pray that things will continue to go this well. I know there is no cure for this disease but I also know that my mother has NEVER been one to give up, EVER! And she will continue to fight this with every ounce of her being.
I recently got a tattoo on my back for my mother. It's a heart with wings and within that heart are mechanical gears. That is my mothers heart....an incredible machine!