I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was quiet, but there was much to be thankful for. Mom is doing better, although she is still losing weight. Her spirits were high last week. We attended church on Christmas Eve and she was overcome with emotion when our Pastor was giving her sermon. One of our church council members sang "O Holy Night". He has such an amazing voice and it brought joy to my heart listening to him sing.
Brittany went to church with Joshua and his family. Afterwards they came over and we opened our gifts from Rob & Laura. Then we played a game I had bought for Britt & Josh. What fun we had and Mom & Dad were laughing so hard. It was awesome to see them forget about their troubles and enjoy themselves.
Christmas morning Britt went to Josh's early for their family gift exchange. Once she got home, we opened our gifts. Mom had a wonderful day and that was our goal. I did make her put the red bow on her head, but I forgot the camera so I could post the picture. Next week, I will be sure and post it for everyone.
On Friday I took her to radiation while Dad spent some quality time with Brittany. She is now two weeks into radiation with 5 weeks to go. :)
She has no side effects as of yet; she lacks energy, but she has for some time now. Treatment does that to you. Once she is finished with radiation, my brother and sister-in law are going to fly her down to Florida to spend some time with them and my Grandmother who is 96. Mom hasn't seen her mother for a few years and she cannot wait to visit with her. I am in awe of the fact that no matter how old we are, we still want our mommies when we don't feel well or are in need of a hug.
Nothing special is planned for New Year's Eve tonight. I may rent some movies if I have time and we will be together and count our blessings.
I hope that everyone has a Happy New Year.
Mo
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to everyone. I want to AGAIN thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers for Mom. It is going to be a wonderful Christmas. :)
Love,
Mo
Love,
Mo
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Other Love of Her Life: Her Granddaughter, Brittany
This is the other love of Mom's life. My daughter, Brittany. She had a birthday Dec. 21st. I cannot believe my baby is 22 already. I believe that my Mom loves her so much it hurts...if that is possible! :)
The love of her life
My Mama and Daddy. I don't know what she would do without him, despite him driving her crazy sometimes! :)
Making Her Wish
She was a little choked up at this moment in time, but they were happy tears, as all of her friends surprised her!
Radiation continues
Mom's radiation is each day, Mon. through Fri. at 11:30 AM. the worst part of it is that Mom LOVES to sleep in and HATES having to get out of bed earlier than she would like! Yesterday, the radiation oncologist had a Christmas party and all of the patients received a goodie bag. Plus, Dad got to eat lots of yummy food while he was waiting for Mom.
She is feeling good. She looks better as each day goes by and the hair is growing! This will be such a wonderful Christmas. I will make sure I post a pic of Mom wearing the red bow that I bought for her to put on her head Christmas morning. I cannot think of anything else I could want for Christmas!
I am going to post some pics from Mom's surprise party from her friends. What a wonderful day that was!
I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas! God Bless all of you.
Mo
P.S. Jane has recovered fantastically from her brain surgery. She is a walking miracle!
She is feeling good. She looks better as each day goes by and the hair is growing! This will be such a wonderful Christmas. I will make sure I post a pic of Mom wearing the red bow that I bought for her to put on her head Christmas morning. I cannot think of anything else I could want for Christmas!
I am going to post some pics from Mom's surprise party from her friends. What a wonderful day that was!
I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas! God Bless all of you.
Mo
P.S. Jane has recovered fantastically from her brain surgery. She is a walking miracle!
Friday, December 19, 2008
On Wednesday Mom had an appointment to be fitted for her new boob and mastectomy bras. Brittany went with Mom since she is home for Christmas break. She said that Mom did wonderfully and they actually had fun! Mom was fitted with a prosthesis (breast) and given a bra to wear home. Her insurance allows for 6 bras a year, so she picked out 5 more. Brittany convinced her to pick vibrant colors, as in Britt's words "You only live once, Grandma". Mom got pink, purple, etc. She ordered 2 camisoles as well.
And in Mom's words, "she looks normal now", although everyone's definition of normal is very different, I suppose. It was nice to see her smile. She was like a little kid at Christmas! So excited about her gifts! It is amazing when you see her. It looks as if she still has both boobs! The woman who fitted her did a great job. Again, Mom said the staff was exceptionally nice and caring. Plus, she got to see her surgeon, Dr. Malay, as well. Mom stopped in the office to say hello while they were in Cranberry.
There really are angels here on earth. Mom's medical team has been amazing thus far, as well as their staff.
I bought a huge red bow at Walmart for Mom to put on top of her head Christmas morning. After all, she is my gift this year. I will take a picture and post it for everyone.
Love all of you so much!
Mo
And in Mom's words, "she looks normal now", although everyone's definition of normal is very different, I suppose. It was nice to see her smile. She was like a little kid at Christmas! So excited about her gifts! It is amazing when you see her. It looks as if she still has both boobs! The woman who fitted her did a great job. Again, Mom said the staff was exceptionally nice and caring. Plus, she got to see her surgeon, Dr. Malay, as well. Mom stopped in the office to say hello while they were in Cranberry.
There really are angels here on earth. Mom's medical team has been amazing thus far, as well as their staff.
I bought a huge red bow at Walmart for Mom to put on top of her head Christmas morning. After all, she is my gift this year. I will take a picture and post it for everyone.
Love all of you so much!
Mo
Monday, December 15, 2008
71st Birthday
Today is Mom's birthday and she had her 1st dose of radiation. Yesterday 5 of her girlfriends from high school came and surprised her for her 71st. They brought all of the food, cake & ice cream and lots of laughter. Mom was so happy, she cried. Happy tears for once. They had such a wonderful time laughing and carrying on.
All Mom had to do was sit and enjoy herself. Britt, Dad & I took care of the clean-up. There was such great positive energy in the house! After everyone left, Britt, Mom & I created some home-made Christmas ornaments. Mom & I had Britt laughing, as we are so NOT creative when painting/decorating ornaments. Mom chose a 4 leaf clover that she could paint green. I chose a snowflake and 2 ribbons that I painted pink for breast cancer awareness. That was the extent of my artistry. Paint. Oh and I glued some gemstones on my snowflake, but that was Brittany's idea. We had fun, anyhow.
I called Mom to see how radiation went and she said the Dr. and staff members sang Happy Birthday to her. She was so excited. Those exceptional individuals who work with cancer patients are so compassionate and caring. Mom has had many wonderful doctors, nurses, etc. during this entire ordeal. They have made the road much easier to travel.
Not sure what we are going to do for her birthday tonight. She was going to cook herself and I said no way! I had jury duty this morning, so I wasn't sure if I would be picked for a jury or not; I ended up being dismissed at 10:30 AM today, but have to go back tomorrow. To make a long story short, I didn't know if I would be home to take her out to dinner, but as jury duty is no longer a worry today, she shall get treated to dinner out. I would say she is deserving of that. :)
Brittany is home for the holidays and that makes the house a happier place, as well. She brightens her grandmother's days so much. I don't know if she realizes it or not, but Mom's world revolves around her. We may not be opening many gifts this year, but we have received the greatest gift of all and that is Mom's life and health.
Tomorrow Mom goes to Cranberry to get fitted for her fake boob and mastectomy bras. That is my birthday/Christmas gift to her; covering that cost.
I will keep you updated as to how radiation is going.
A very special thank you to my forever best friend, Stritz, for sending my mom a funny book and letting her know she cares. It was so nice talking to Lori. We have been friends since kindergarten; she lives in Pittsburgh and we don't keep in touch near as often as we should. However, I think about her every day and love her like a sister. Thanks, Lor. You are an angel.
Until next time,
keep Mom in your prayers.
Mo
All Mom had to do was sit and enjoy herself. Britt, Dad & I took care of the clean-up. There was such great positive energy in the house! After everyone left, Britt, Mom & I created some home-made Christmas ornaments. Mom & I had Britt laughing, as we are so NOT creative when painting/decorating ornaments. Mom chose a 4 leaf clover that she could paint green. I chose a snowflake and 2 ribbons that I painted pink for breast cancer awareness. That was the extent of my artistry. Paint. Oh and I glued some gemstones on my snowflake, but that was Brittany's idea. We had fun, anyhow.
I called Mom to see how radiation went and she said the Dr. and staff members sang Happy Birthday to her. She was so excited. Those exceptional individuals who work with cancer patients are so compassionate and caring. Mom has had many wonderful doctors, nurses, etc. during this entire ordeal. They have made the road much easier to travel.
Not sure what we are going to do for her birthday tonight. She was going to cook herself and I said no way! I had jury duty this morning, so I wasn't sure if I would be picked for a jury or not; I ended up being dismissed at 10:30 AM today, but have to go back tomorrow. To make a long story short, I didn't know if I would be home to take her out to dinner, but as jury duty is no longer a worry today, she shall get treated to dinner out. I would say she is deserving of that. :)
Brittany is home for the holidays and that makes the house a happier place, as well. She brightens her grandmother's days so much. I don't know if she realizes it or not, but Mom's world revolves around her. We may not be opening many gifts this year, but we have received the greatest gift of all and that is Mom's life and health.
Tomorrow Mom goes to Cranberry to get fitted for her fake boob and mastectomy bras. That is my birthday/Christmas gift to her; covering that cost.
I will keep you updated as to how radiation is going.
A very special thank you to my forever best friend, Stritz, for sending my mom a funny book and letting her know she cares. It was so nice talking to Lori. We have been friends since kindergarten; she lives in Pittsburgh and we don't keep in touch near as often as we should. However, I think about her every day and love her like a sister. Thanks, Lor. You are an angel.
Until next time,
keep Mom in your prayers.
Mo
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Markers for Radiation
Mom went to see her radiation oncologist yesterday and discovered that she will have to have 7 weeks of radiation. She has an appointment today to receive her markers so the radiation goes to the right place. The were at the Drs. office for about 3 1/2 hours, with 1 and 1/2 hours being with the doctors. Mom said he went through each and every one of the pages in her charts. Very thorough. Which is a good thing. When she was there, a social worker came and brought some knitted caps that are provided for cancer patients. Mom picked out 6 hats to wear this winter! The funny thing is that I had just read about this project on the New Castle News online. There was a little article about local women who knit hats for cancer patients and the hats are free through the Cancer Society. I was going to tell Mom about it and then they showed up at the doctor's office.
Mom was like a little kid at Christmas showing me her hats last night. I believe I am finally getting through to her that Christmas isn't about how many presents you give/receive. As long as my mom is alive and healthy on Christmas Day, that is present enough for me!
Back to work I go. Again, thank you for your thoughts and prayers and please say a prayer for Jane. She is a local woman who is having surgery for her brain tumor today.
Love you all.
Mo
Mom was like a little kid at Christmas showing me her hats last night. I believe I am finally getting through to her that Christmas isn't about how many presents you give/receive. As long as my mom is alive and healthy on Christmas Day, that is present enough for me!
Back to work I go. Again, thank you for your thoughts and prayers and please say a prayer for Jane. She is a local woman who is having surgery for her brain tumor today.
Love you all.
Mo
Monday, December 1, 2008
Monday December 1st
Mom goes to the radiation oncologist this week for her consultation. The sooner she begins radiation the better. She is tired of Drs. offices and such.
She is still very emotional. I wish I had a solution, but I don't.
She had a nice Thanksgiving, but cried again. I only wish they were happy tears.
Please say a prayer for Jane, a woman we have come to know through her blog; she lives in New Wilmington. She is scheduled for brain surgery this week due to a brain tumor. I have not met her in person, but she inspires me every day. What a fighter she is.
I will update on Mom's radiation schedule when I know the plan.
Mo
She is still very emotional. I wish I had a solution, but I don't.
She had a nice Thanksgiving, but cried again. I only wish they were happy tears.
Please say a prayer for Jane, a woman we have come to know through her blog; she lives in New Wilmington. She is scheduled for brain surgery this week due to a brain tumor. I have not met her in person, but she inspires me every day. What a fighter she is.
I will update on Mom's radiation schedule when I know the plan.
Mo
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