On the News

Last week, an anchor/reporter from the local Fox station interviewed me for a breast cancer story.  The story ran today several times.   It was first on at 6:45am.  I'll add the video to the end of this post, you can also see it here at Breast cancer survivor shares story.  Evan was very excited to his picture twice on the news!

We walked Noah to school with Chewie.

Morry went to Camp Gladiator and then I went to teach.

I got home around 2:30 just in time to pick up Noah from school.

We walked with Chewie to school this afternoon also.

I left for tutoring a little after 4pm.

Noah had football practice tonight.

When he got home we had dinner and watched another episode of Stranger Things.

Soon, the boys will get ready for bed.

No Baseball

This morning we walked without Lizzy.

Then, Morry and I went to Camp Gladiator.

Morry left early to get back for a meeting.

After CG, I drove over to the private school to tutor.

From there, I met a friend for lunch at Kerbey Lane.  A woman from our old playgroup was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, so I met with her.  Luckily, it was caught early.

Then, I was home for just a little before it was time to go back out for tutoring.

Morry picked up the kids from school.

They went over to Grandma's tonight for dinner.  Papa is out of town.

Morry and I walked with Lizzy to pick up the boys.

Now, they are playing a new Pacman video game Noah got.  He ordered it for Hanukkah, and it was released today.

Soon, the boys should get ready for bed.

6 Years

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

This morning we walked to school with the boys.  It was kind of cloudy so it was cool.

I went into Aaron's for a bit.  Rachel stayed at home.  We met at Wholy Bagel from lunch.  Our friend Seth (originally from Hey Cupcake) met us.  We had a nice time talking to him.  He shared the menu for the concept of the restaurant he's trying to raise money for.  It's a great idea.  I really hope it works out for him.

After lunch, Rachel went to Target, while I went home.  I left to pick up the boys before Rachel got home.

Evan went over Jack's along with Wade.  Noah and I walked home.

Today marks six years since Rachel was diagnosed with breast cancer.  She has been cancer-free since.  I'm very very proud of her and how hard she has battled through all of this.  I'm very glad it's been six years.

For dinner, we ordered Papa John's.

The boys will be getting ready for bed soon.

Until next time...

Another Wednesday

It rained a lot last night and this morning.

I took Noah to school and then came back home and did stuff around the house.  I talked to a woman from an organization called Living Beyond Breast Cancer, but she wasn't much help.  Everything she suggested we already tried in terms of people to contact with help getting insurance.  She did give us the name of one lawyer to contact so we'll see if that works out.

Noah was in a good mood when I picked him up from school.

Gabby came over around 2:30 and she followed me in her car to Evan's school.  I walked down with her and showed her where to pick up Evan for school.  Evan's class came out right after the bell so I was able to see Evan before I left for tutoring.  Gabby drove the boys home (with our car seats) and then I got home around 4:30.

For dinner we had tacos.

The boys are ready for bed, but not asleep yet.

Quick Blog Post

I just realized we didn't write the blog yet today.

Evan had a baseball game and he got a home run!

Morry and the boys watched the Steelers game.

Today was my 2 year cancerversary. Two years ago today I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I still have to make the kid's lunches for tomorrow.

We had a nice, busy weekend.

Time to get some sleep now.

Home Slice

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Today Rachel took the boys to school. They seemed to have good days. The music teacher came to Noah's classroom. Evan said he played with Victoria, Jake and Cory. Evan says that Victoria likes to hold his hand "a lot" and he said "a lot" with emphasis.

While the boys were in school, Rachel went for an 8 mile bike ride around the Veloway.

After school, Rachel and the boys walked to a playgroup. There were mostly girls there so Evan and Noah stuck together most of the time.

Gabby came at 4 and Rachel went to tutor.

Rachel had a meet-up for breast cancer survivors tonight off of South Congress after tutoring. She had a little time in between tutoring and the start of the meet-up. So I took the boys and met Rachel at Home Slice for pizza. We were able to eat outside. While we were waiting for the pizza, Evan and Noah played ping pong. I played a bit with Evan as well. Eventually another boy walked over and played with Evan and Noah. Evan ate his pizza well.

Rachel left dinner a bit early and I took the boys home. Noah fell asleep on the car ride home. I took him upstairs and got him dressed for bed while he was still sleeping. I was feeling very lucky that Noah might just be asleep. Unfortunately, about 5 minutes later, Noah came out of the room because he had to go to the bathroom. Now, nearly 2 hours later, both boys are still up.

Until next time...

Public Speaking

This morning I dropped Evan and Noah off at school and they didn’t fight me at all. I came home for a few minutes and then went to the Mom’s Club meeting. I was the guest speaker. They asked me to talk about breast cancer. It went well. I talked about my experience and also general breast cancer awareness. I passed out the packets that Susan G Komen Austin gave me. I enjoyed doing that and hope it was helpful to the other moms.

When I picked up the boys, both were in good moods. Noah’s class made cookies and Noah had a cookie to bring home. It was a sugar cookie with icing and candy corn on top. I asked him to share with Evan since Evan shared his cookie last time. Noah’s teacher also said Noah ate a ton of cantaloupe for lunch. It was pizza day and they had a big container of cantaloupe to go along with the pizza.

I was going to get the boys hair cut at Great Clips, but it was a long wait and we had to be home at a certain time because the house was getting appraised.

So, I gave the boys haircuts myself upstairs this afternoon.

Blanca came at 4:00 and Gabby came at 5:30.

I tutored and then met Morry at cooking class.

Cooking class was just ok today. I’m hoping it’s better next time. I liked what they made (applesauce and a pear/jicama salad), but they spent a lot of time talking about how to read the food label chart and Morry and I already know how to read it.

When we got home the boys were ready for bed, but not in bed yet.

We put the boys to bed and now we are going to eat our dinner.

Clean Teeth

This morning I ran about 2 miles pushing the boys in the stroller.

I took the boys with me to my 11am dentist appointment. I filled a backpack with toys and snacks. They did well during my appointment.

After the dentist we stopped by Susan G. Komen to pick up some material for tomorrow. I’m speaking to the Mom’s club about breast cancer.

After that we went to Walmart and got a bunch of stuff for the party. It was getting late, and the boys hadn’t had lunch. They saw the McDonalds inside the Walmart and started asking for Happy Meals. I bought them each one and they ate it on the way home.

I tried putting Noah down for a nap, but he didn’t sleep.

Gabby came at 4pm. I tutored and got home around 8:15pm.

When I got home Morry had already put the boys to bed. Evan was asleep, but Noah was still up.

$450 Vet Bill

This morning Morry told me the vet was able to get Mottel in today. We have wanted to take him in. He’s been losing hair on his back and Morry thought Mottel seemed to have lost weight. I had a few minutes to get the boys ready to go as well as get Mottel in the carrier. Both were not easy tasks. It took me quite a few tries to get Mottel in his carrier bag.

Morry met us at the vet. First the dermatologist met with us. Then, they took Mottel to have a blood test and see the internist. The dermatologist did lots of tests and ruled out one kind of ringworm and some other kind of parasite. We have to wait two weeks for the results of the other tests. If those don’t show anything she may want to biopsy the area. It could just be caused from his steroids or thyroid. We’ll see what the internist says.

After the vet we came home for a little bit. Evan was being very bad. He hit Noah. I put him in timeout in the dining room and because I wasn’t paying attention to him he put dents in the table with his toy. At that point I put him in his room for a little bit.

I had a conference call at 12:30 so I made the boys lunch ahead of time. Then I printed out Halloween coloring sheets to also keep them occupied.

At 12:30 I had a phone interview with Kristi Funk, MD, a nationally known, board-certified, breast cancer surgeon and founder of the Pink Lotus Breast Center. She is the doctor of some celebrities, including Sheryl Crow. The interview was set up by a public relations company I work with through my blog. They normally send me products to review, but this time asked if I wanted to do an interview.

It was a one-on-one interview. I asked Dr. Funk some questions specifically for my situation and some other general breast cancer questions as well. She had some good suggestions that I want to bring up to my oncologist next time I meet with her.

The boys were pretty good during the interview. They did not eat lunch, but they did color their Halloween sheets.

After the interview we went over the golf course, where the party will be. I met with the event coordinator and went over some last minute details.

When we got back I tried to put Noah down for a nap, but he wouldn’t sleep.

Gabby came at 3:45. I tutored one student, but sat in traffic for over an hour on my way home. There must have been an accident. I turned before I could see what was causing the problem.

We ate dinner and then put the boys to bed.

They are in bed now, but still playing around.

Boating

Hello everyone, this is Morry.

Today is a pretty significant day. A year ago today Rachel was diagnosed with cancer. It's been a pretty tough year, but the year is over now and Rachel is doing amazing. She started the morning with a 8.27 mile run. Each week she seems to be adding a mile to her run. It's really impressive.

Since today is a significant day, we thought we'd something a bit special. One of the daily deal sites called LivingSocial was having a deal on a 2-hour boat rental. So we decided to get that deal. We drove out to the lake and rented a ski boat. We toyed with the idea of bringing Lizzy but we knew if we anchored somewhere, she'd want to swim and we weren't sure how we'd get her back in the boat.

When we got in the boat and we put Noah's life jacket on, he began to throw a fit. He didn't want a life jacket on. It wasn't only our just our rule, it was the rule of Just For Fun where we rented the boat. His fit lasted for about 30 minutes. While I was driving the boat, he was rolling around on the floor.

We found a good spot to anchor and we had lunch that we brought. Noah's mood improved as he ate his lunch. Then we all went swimming off the back of the boat. Evan really enjoyed swimming. Noah seemed to like it too.

On the way back to Just For Fun, Noah threw another fit. I think it was because he didn't want to leave the lake. I'm not quite sure.

We drove home and put Noah down for a nap.

For dinner, we went to the Hill Country Pasta House. Rachel's friend, Melissa, was having a birthday party at her house starting at 7pm, so we decided to go out that way, grab some dinner and go to Melissa's. The boys were really well behaved tonight. They both ate well at dinner. Then at Melissa's they were really showing off for everyone. They seemed to enjoy themselves.

We came home and the boys are in bed now.

Now we'll begin year two of Rachel's survival.

Until next time...

Breast Cancer Update - 6 Months Later

Well, it has now been 6 months after my last chemo. I thought it would be a good time for another update.

Things are going pretty well. My hair is growing back and looking more normal. It looks more like a choice than a person going through chemo.

My fingernails have grown back in. All eventually fell off, but luckily I’m past that now.

The last few months we’ve been busy trying to get back to normal. We joined a gym and I’ve been trying to exercise at least a few times a week. I’ve taken the boys on some bike rides with the bike trailer. I’m still tired, but I’m not sure how much of that is just normal mom exhaustion.

I had my last surgery for a while back in April. The expanders were replaced with implants and the recovery was not too bad. It was a lot better than I thought. Now, I’ll just have a few minor “touch ups”.

I have a follow up with my Austin oncologist next week and then follow ups with my Dallas doctors in August.

Well, that’s about it for now. Just trying to move forward and hopefully get past all of this.

Hope things are going well for you all.

Breast Cancer Update April 2010

It’s been a while since I have posted a breast cancer update. I’ve been busy getting back to life.

Things are going well. I’m feeling good, for the most part. I still get sick easily. I had a stomach bug a couple of weeks ago that was no fun. Evan got it first, Noah had a slight case, and then I got it. Somehow Morry avoided the bug.

I have been more active. We plan on joining Lifetime Fitness soon. They have a great childcare area as well as classes for the whole family. We did the week trial and enjoyed it. I was actually able to take a few group classes and run on the treadmill.

Noah turned 2 on March 20 and Evan turned 4 on April 5. We had a joint birthday party for them between their birthdays. We had family and friends over at our house. The weather was wonderful and everyone had a great time. Here are the birthday party pictures if you haven’t seen them yet.

Back to me – besides being worn out easily, most days are good. My hair is growing back. The only annoying thing now is my fingernails. They became weak from the chemo and 5 of them have fallen off. Since there was already some nail regrowth it doesn’t look too bad. Just the upper half or 1/3 of the nails are missing. Really, it’s not too bad considering everything I have already been through.

My port is gone. I had that removed in February. It feels so much better without it. The breast surgeon did an amazing job removing it and fixing my scar. You can hardly see where it was now.

On April 23, I’ll have my final surgery for now. The expanders will be removed and the implants inserted. I’m not looking forward to another surgery, but I’ll be glad to have it completed. I have heard that surgery is not too bad. The surgery is scheduled for a Friday in Dallas and I plan on driving back to Austin on Tuesday.

Here are a few pictures taken today. You can see my head is covered in hair now. I’m no longer wearing wigs or hats.

Hope you all are doing well.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Well, I’m starting to see a light at the end of this tunnel.

I was in Dallas earlier in the week for doctor’s appointments. I had my last expansion at the plastic surgeon’s office. Now, we can schedule the implant surgery for May. The breast surgeon removed my PowerPort (where my chemo was injected). When I had the port put in, I saw a surgeon here in Austin who gave me general anesthesia. To get it removed, the breast surgeon only numbed the area and I was awake the whole time. The procedure took about 45 minutes. She put in dissolvable stitches. I was ok at first, but later in the day I was really hurting and had a rough night. I’m feeling a lot better now. I still hurt where the port was removed, but it’s getting better.

I’m really starting to feel better and get back to normal. Like I said before, I started tutoring again. I see 4 students during the week now. I wanted to start back slowly. We are trying out a few gyms. We got a 2 week trial at 24Hour fitness and I did a few group classes (Yoga, Latin Dance aerobics, aqua class). The gym has a childcare. At first, Noah wasn’t too happy about us dropping him off, but Evan was fine. After a few times, both boys were having a great time there. We are going to try Lifetime Fitness next and compare the two gyms. I really want to get back in to exercising and I think it will be easier going somewhere with a childcare rather than trying to push both boys in the stroller. I tried running for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I had Evan (40 lbs) and Noah (30 lbs) in the double stroller and was only able to run about 10 minutes.

My hair is starting to grow back. It’s somewhat patchy right now, but it is filling in. The color seems to be a light brown. It’s too early to tell whether it will be straight or curly. Attached are some pictures of my hair growth after chemo. It’s been about 2 months since my last chemotherapy.

Next weekend Evan and Morry go to baseball Spring Training in Florida. Noah and I will stay at home. My parents plan on coming to Austin that weekend to help me out. Noah has really been a handful lately. He demands a lot of attention and it’s hard to get anything done.

The weekend after that I go to Chicago.

We have been looking forward to these trips for a while and it’s hard to believe they are almost here.

Well, just wanted to send out another update. Things are good for the most part. I do have some bad days, but overall, things are going well and I feel we are all starting to get back to how we were before all of this. There are times where I get frustrated because I just don’t have the energy to do everything I was doing before. That’s my main complaint now. Physically I feel decent, but I get worn out very easily. I can tell it’s getting better though.

Hope you all are doing well. Have a great weekend.