July 3^rd was 10 months being cancer free.  Two more months and I will be at my 1 year mark. 

 

Several things have happened since my last blog.  I always want to update the blog but never seem to get around to doing it.

-          Since part 1 of my reconstruction surgery in December 2010, I have been doing pretty good.  Have started having some soreness where the removed stomach muscle bulges in my abdomen.   Doctor said I could get a binder, kind of like one that you use for exercising to try to hold that in so it wouldn’t hurt.  I got a “waist trimmer” from Walmart and put it on.  It did make me feel better.  Then I read a paper enclosed in the box and it said a chemical used in the waist trimmer could cause cancer.  Now why would someone sell it.  Needless to say, I won’t wear it again.  I will look around and find something else.

-          One of my dear friends, Donna Cassell, died.  She battled stomach cancer for two years.  She was prepared to leave this Earth.  She was a Christian and ready to meet Jesus.  It broke my heart when I heard she died.  We are so selfish, at least, I am when it comes to someone dying.  I know Ms Cassell  is better off.  She is in no more pain.  But we never like to say good-bye.  We miss talking to them, giving them a hug and them just being around.  We, as Christians, should be rejoicing when another Christian goes to see God.  We just miss them so much and I truly miss my Ms Cassell.

-          My friend, Jennie, has finished her chemo and radiation.  She is “officially” cancer-free now.

-          I had part 2 of my reconstruction surgery on June 24^th.  It should have been the last one.  But like I have told others, my body just doesn’t like to cooperate with the surgeon.  He had to stop before everything was done because my skin was not doing well.  This time he said the skin was so pale.  He didn’t even want a bed cover to touch the bandages.  He was so afraid that skin was going to die.  Four days later, doctor checked and skin was OK.  Week after that, the stitches were removed.  I will wait 6 weeks for next appointment and to decide when 3^rd surgery will be.  I still have a lot of pain trying to move my left arm.  They had to cut out a lot of scar tissue that makes my arm stiff and sore.

 

Now let’s talk about contentment.  I wasn’t after this last surgery.  I guess I thought I worked at Burger King and I could have it “my way”.  I just figured that since I was having the surgery I could put in my order on the size I would like to be.  When I woke up, I wish had not come true.  I was disappointed and with the pain I was going through since the surgery in December, I thought “what a waste”.  Someone even told me that they hoped it was all worth it.  I emailed her back and said it wasn’t.

 

Like I said, I wanted it “my way”.  After thinking about it (God working on me), I have come to realize that I needed to be content.  I thought I was. Well, in some things I am.  This part was a work in progress.  Let’s see – I didn’t have a choice in what I looked like when I came into this world. Evidently I am not to look like what I thought I should look.  So, I have decided to be content to the size I am.  I have so much to be thankful for and I was disappointed with the surgery.  Talking about not thinking things through.  I’m alive!

 

The question now is: Was the surgery worth it?  The answer is YES.  Will I have pain issues for the rest of my life?  Probably so, but so does a lot of people.  I have come to realize that I might be able to help someone someday.  You see, having cancer has allowed me to see what cancer patients have to go through.  Now that I have had this surgery, I can have compassion on those that choose this surgery for themselves.  I’ve been there and know a little of what they are going through.  There is just something about going through a situation, battle, etc. with someone that’s been there.  I can be that person for someone.  I am working on being content with myself.  I am so much closer to that goal today that I was two weeks ago.

 

A prayer request:  My son has a friend that has breast cancer. She has already had a lumpectomy and will have to have chemo and radiation.  She has two children still at home.  Please pray that Julie and her family will find that God can walk with them through the difficult times ahead.  I thank you ahead of times for your prayers for her.

 

Find someone you can encourage this week.  It will do as much for you as it does for them!

March 3, 2011 – I have been cancer-free for six months.  God is so good!

A lot has happened since my last blog in October.  Some have been medically and some have been with family.

November 2010- I saw my breast specialist and don’t have to see her until May 2011.  I saw my oncologist and my tumor markers in my blood test turn out good.  A relief!  I don’t go back until march 2011.

December 2010 -

-Sunday before Christmas, my Dad in West Virginia died.

-Monday I had a doctor’s appointment.

-Tuesday, I had my mammogram which checked out OKAY.  I had my pre-op

appointment and then an appointment with my plastic surgeon.  We then left to drive

to West Virginia for my Dad’s funeral.  We got in West Virginia laste Tueday night.

-Wednesday – We got to the funeral home right before visitation/funeral began.  After

the funeral, we had to start driving backto SC.  I had to be at the hospital at 6am for

surgery on Thursday.

-Thursday at 2am I got to bed (in SC).  Had to wake up at 4am to shower and leave the

house at 5am to go to hospital.  I had part 1 of my reconstruction surgery.

Reconstruction was not what I thought.  Although I had watched a video and read some papers, it was a lot worse than what I thought.  I was in the hospital for 5 days.  Ispent Christmas inthe hospital.  Freddie stayed with me the whole time.  That was a good thing because I couldn’t move without help.  I couldn’t believe the pain.  Would I have done it had I realized there would be such pain?  I don’t know.  Will I ever have it done again?  No answer yet on that. I don’t think so.  I hope I never have to answer that question.

Basically, I was cut from hip to hip.  My right stomach muscle was taken, laid back over and tunneled up to the left breast area and attached.  Tissue from my stomach was taken and sewn to the breast area.  Tummy was stiched up.  My belly button was removed bacause of the skin they took.  Doctor cut a placed and sewed my belly button back in.  I had about 10-12 stiches just to sew my belly button back.  After the surgery, I couldn’t set up or lay down without help.  I couldn’t sit down or get up without help.  Had to rely on someone for about 3 weeks even to sit down on the toilet and to pull me back up.

When I woke up from surgery, I asked Freddie did I do good?  He said that the surgeon wasn’t able to put the implant in due to some blood problems.  My blood flow going to the new skin was good but the outflow was bad.  The skin was blue.  The surgeon had told the family that he might have to do leach therapy if the blood flow didn’t start working.  I am blessed that everything started working and leaches didn’t have to be put on me.

March 2011 – Still have doctor visits.

-My alternative doctor said that my adrenals are bad.  That just means that I am

exhausted.  I cannot get enough sleep and rest.

-My plastic surgeon said that I’m not ready for part 2 of reconstruction surgery.  There

is way to much swelling in the breast area since part 1 and we need to put off

surgery.  I will probably have the next surgery in late June or early July.

-I have to go to my oncologist on March 22nd.  They will do bloodwork then.  Am I

nervous?  Yes.  You always get nervous when blood is taken.  You never know what

your tumor markers will be like.

A year ago, I was in the middle of chemo treatments.  Now I am still cancer-free.  Today we celebrated Addie’s 1st birthday.  Last week, we celebrated Maggie’s 2nd birthday.  Last week, Kallie turned 6 months old.  November, Sadie turned 4 and in April, Trevor will be 7.  God has blessed me with more time with my family.  What more could I ask for?

I thank all who still pray for me.  I pray that God will bless you.

I had planned for my next write-up to be about my “pink party” that my sister gave me and pictures from the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure. Things have changed. I still plan to put pictures of those events but not today. I just came home from the funeral home. A co-worker’s wife died Saturday. I never met Joan. I just knew of her through emails and personal visits with her husband, Wes. I think she would have made a wonderful friend. I am so sorry I never got to meet her. Joan and I were diagnosed with breast cancer about the same time. She also had a spot on her liver. We went through chemo on the schedule at different locations. We both had our surgeries. I went through radiation and was finished before she did. After starting radiation, test came back saying the cancer in her liver had gotten worse. Radiation was stopped and chemo was started back. Last Monday, Joan got really sick from chemo and had to be hospitalized. She stayed there almost a week. Got an email from her husband saying that if the cancer in her liver could get under control, doctors were giving her a couple of years. If not, she might have a month. I had already made plans to go to the hospital Sunday afternoon after church. Saturday night I opened my email and found “Joan’s Last Update”. Friday afternoon she was taken to a Hospice House because scans came back saying her abdomen was full of cancer. Wes said she struggle for 20 hours and that was the worst 20 hours of his life. Joan lost her battle with cancer on Saturday, October 23, 2010. My heart was broken. Now, it’s Monday and when I saw Wes, all I could say was “I’m sorry.” I felt like I needed to go. I know me being there with my very short hair was a reminder of “cancer” and what Joan had gone through. I just wanted to let Wes know that I really have come to care about him and Joan. I couldn’t believe how hard it was to be there. I have been to visitation before and it is always hard for me. This was the hardest. It’s very hard to know that I had breast cancer and so did Joan. It could have been Freddie standing where Wes was tonight. I don’t wish the pain I saw in Wes on anyone. Wes, if you read this…I don’t know how you feel. I can’t even imagine what you are going through right now. I know you and Joan loved the Lord. I know as you put it, “she is with her Lord”. Just keep putting your faith in God. You and Joan have been such an inspiration to others during her illness. You can have an influence on others in her death. I pray that you rely on God and keep your 38 years of memories in your heart and mind. That’s what will get you through. Wes, someday maybe we will know why things had to happen this way. In all your emails, you would end by saying “HIS will be done”. That’s one of the things that got me through my battle with cancer. I always had to remember that no matter what, HIS will would be done. Take care, my friend. I’m just an email away if you need to talk. If ever you need us, Freddie and I are here. Last Friday, I talked to an insurance guy at work. It is time for any insurance changes to be made. This was a difficult time this year. I have never really thought about dying before I had cancer. I was actually tearful when I was trying to figure what to do about my life insurance. It really does make a difference when you have gone through a life threatening illness, etc. It’s just like when I get in a car now (since Freddie had his motorcycle accident). There is not a time that I don’t get into a car and think that I might have an accident. You have to be ready to meet the Lord. I’m thankful to say I am. Are you? Prayer requests – 1) Please keep Wes and his family in your prayers. Joan’s funeral will be Tuesday, Oct 26th. Pray that God will comfort him in the coming days, weeks and months to come. 2) My friend Jennie has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She will have a lumpectomy on November 1st. She will be having radiation after that. Jennie, I know you are nervous. I was so scared. I pray that will calm your nerves and fears. I am so glad you won’t have to go through chemo. That was an answer to prayers. My next blog will have pictures.

I know Bridget has already posted the good news about me being “cancer-free,” but I wanted to share with you some things about that day myself.

Finally, Friday, September 3, 2010 had come – my final radiation treatment.  Freddie had to have the car that day so he picked me up at work and drove to the cancer center.  I was excited that this was my last treatment.  Freddie said he would stay outside and wait for me to get done.

I went in, as usual.  They called me back to get changed and to wait my turn.  In the dressing room, I couldn’t believe I was getting so emotional.  It wasn’t that I was sad that this would be the last time I had to do this, it was “It’s finally over!”  It had been such a long time that I had been sick and now I was finally going to get back to normal (I thought!  Nothing is back to normal yet!)  I just told myself to not let anyone see me with tears.  They just wouldn’t understand.

I went back and had my last treatment.  All the technicians wished me luck.  (They were wonderful and made the experience easier to handle.)  As I was leaving, I was handed a certificate.  It read, “Let it be known that Theresa Boggs has completed all of her radiation treatments.  She is awarded the Bachelor of Perseverance on September 3, 2010 and is entitled to all the rights and privileges therein.”  I had told them I was going to make a scrapbook of my cancer time and they told me to add my certificate to it.  I changed back into my clothes and left the building.

To my surprise, Bridget and Addy were outside with a bunch of balloons.  Of course there were pink balloons, but there was a “congratulations” balloon and a “with God, all things are possible” balloon.  That just about summed it up there.  This day would not have been possible without God.  Bridget also had the “Willow Angel – Abundance of Health” figurine for me.  It was perfect for the occasion.  Needless to say, there were tears.

Freddie and I left about three hours later to go to Kentucky for the birth of another grand-daughter.  Kallie was born four days after I was officially “cancer-free”.  I am truly blessed to have been able to be here on earth to see my latest “bundle of joy”.  My family is my life.  Through all my sicknesses, I can remember things about my grand-children.

Trevor – When I started, he was living with us.  I was trying to explain what the port was the night before I had it put in.  He couldn’t understand it all.  He just knew it was going in me for medicine to make me better.  So, that night, he put one of his hands on his heart and told me to put one of my hands on my heart.  He then held my other hand.  He said that his heart would go from him to me and make my heart better.  He drew m a heart with an angel and a cross in it and made me get-well cards.  He is so loving.  I missed him so much when Emily had to come get him and take him to Kentucky.  Chemo had made me so sick that Freddie couldn’t take care of both of us.

Sadie – We were at church one Sunday and I was having one of those BAD hot flashes that chemo brought on.  I told Freddie that I was hot.  He told me to take my hat off.  (Remember, I was bald.)  Sadie said (in no quiet voice) that I couldn’t do that because people would see my head.  She didn’t mind seeing though.

Maggie – One weekend Maggie was at our house and Freddie brought her in the room was I was getting ready for church.  Maggie saw me without my hat and I think that scared her.  She wouldn’t come to me the whole weekend almost.  I cried.  The thought of my grand-daughter not wanting to come to me just broke my heart.  She’s warming up to me now.

Addy – Addy was my ray of hope during chemo.  She was born in the middle of my chemo treatments.  I was able to see her minutes after she was born.  What a joy when I was so sick.  Bridget made sure I saw her every day during chemo and surgery and most days of radiation.  Some of those days I didn’t even feel like holding her but I got to see her and that brighten my day.

Kallie – I guess you would call Kallie my get well present.  She is a miracle to hold after my miracle with cancer.  I can’t wait till I can see her and hold her again.  Thank you Emily for letting me hold her a lot those few days after she was born.  God has blessed me in abundance.

While in Kentucky, before Kallie was born, Emily baked me a pink-ribbon cake.  We had fun trying to decorate it.  She tried to keep it a secret but I walked in the room unexpected.  She and her family had got me a pink purse, a picture frame, a pink candle and a card.  (Bridget had given me the same card.  Can you believe that both girls picked the same card 500 miles apart.)

My sister gave me a surprise celebration on September 18^th at Hibachi Grill in Greenville.  Everyone was in on the surprise except me.  There were balloons and family and friends.  It was wonderful.  There was even a lady, when finished eating, came over to me and said congratulations on me being cancer-free.

Freddie got me a pink picture frame.  Josh, Niki, Sadie and Maggie got me a beautiful devotional Bible for women, the pink edition.  I will treasure my new Bible.

Josh sent me a card (over-nighted it) the day after he found out I had cancer.  It read (on the front) “it helps to remember that hidden within every obstacle is a treasure to behold and (inside) “your heart is wiser than you know”.  He then wrote “Mom, I love you and I want you to know that you can beat this disease.  There’s a lot of folks praying for you all over the world.  Keep your head up and wear this LIVESTRONG bracelet for me.”  (Josh – I couldn’t wear the bracelet much.  It was too big and kept falling off.  I was afraid I would lose it.  I did keep your card on the mantle for the 9 months.)

My last card from Josh read (on the front) “You are a fighter, a survivor, a woman of faith and strength.  You are a tough opponent for any challenge.  Even the big ‘C’ is no match for you because you belong to an even bigger ‘C’… (inside) “CHRIST – He is with you and many prayers are for you even though you’ve won this battle.”

My card from Freddie read (on the front) “I love you not only for who you are, but for all we’ve been through together.  We’ve shared a lot of good times and some hard times too.  But no matter what has come our way, we’ve always known that with God and each other, we could make it through.”  (Inside)So here we are, with a love that’s stronger and a faith that’s deeper than the day we said ‘I do.’  I’m thankful for that, and even more thankful for you – the one I will always love.”  He wrote, “God and you – that’s all I need.  I am blessed and thankful to have you.  Because of you, I have had so many more blessings.  Thank you.  I love you.”

I want to thank Freddie for taking care of me.  There were quite a few times that I really felt like was dying.  He felt that way too.  He took such good care of me.  One time I was really in bad shape and felt so bad and was hurting terribly.  There wasn’t anything he could do for me to make me feel better.  I just ask him to be sure and pray for me.  I figured he would later on in his own quiet time.  He didn’t wait till then.  He held my hand and knelt by the bed and prayed for me.  Another time I know of (there may have been more that I don’t know of) there at the end of chemo and by body was worn out and doctors didn’t know what was wrong with me – he just sat by the bed and watched me sleep.  I can’t imagine what the last nine months would have been like without the love of my life there with me.  I do believe that God allowed him to live from his motorcycle accident to be here for me.  I hope I was a good patient because he was a great caretaker.  I love you Freddie!

Joshua, Emily and Bridget – I love you all so much.  Thank you for your love and encouragement.  I have the cards, the good white cells and the memories of calls and visits.  Thank you for letting the grand-children come from time-to-time to spend time with me during my illness.  It made my heart happy even though you probably couldn’t tell it on my face when I was sick.

To all my family and friends – I have every card and note that you sent.  I am thankful I have you who wrote, called, emailed, etc.  Thank you for your prayers.

Some have called me their hero.  I’m not a hero.  A hero would be a soldier or a missionary.  A hero is someone that voluntarily goes into battle.  I definitely did not volunteer for this battle.  No one does.  I didn’t do anything.  God has done it all.  He’s the one that gave me strength to go through it.  I don’t know if you would even call it strength.  Sometimes there was just no strength at all.  There was faith though.  Through the whole ordeal, I was never afraid of dying.  I didn’t want to die.  I didn’t want to leave my family.  But there was never a time that I was afraid of where I might go if I did die.  I knew I had accepted Jesus in to my heart and I knew that if I died that I would be in heaven in Him.  I hope all who read this have that same assurance.

In closing, I would like to tell you what a dear friend said to me.  Ms Kelly is going on 6 years of being a breast cancer survivor.  I could tell that she was emotional when she left a message on the phone for me that said, “Sweetie – welcome to the club.  It’s a club that I never wanted you to be a member of.  But you can make it.”  I am now telling you who read this, I hope you never have to be a member of this club.  I hope you never have a family member or friend that will be a member of this club.  But if you do – just remember that God will be there with you.  You know, I told Freddie the other week that God is so good!  But, even if He had taken me on to heaven, God would still be so good!

Saturday, I went to the Susan B. Komen “Race for the Cure” event in Greenville.  I will write about that the next time.  God bless you all.  I will try to get pictures of my party and the cancer event too.

Freddie, me and Addy.  Addy had more hair than either one of us.  I’m so glad Addy won’t remember seeing me like this.

Here’s a picture of Addy and me with matching hair bows.  Bridget and I thought this would be such a great picture that we could give Addy when she gets bigger.  We had planned this picture right after Addy was born while I was taking chemo.  We ended up taking the picture after I had surgery because I looked so bad and felt so bad during chemo.  Not saying I looked good with no hair.  I just looked really sick during chemo.

Now I have some hair.  I still look like GI Jane.  I have to make sure I wear earrings.  I don’t want anyone to think I am a guy.

Someday I will be able to decide whether I want to change my “new” hair color.  That will be a while

(Thanks to everyone who has prayed, called, or checked up on Mom over the last 10 months. We all couldn’t have made it through this without you! – JB)

More good news came yesterday, September 7th at 8:21am with the arrival of Kallie Rayne Hinkle to Emily and Chris. She was 8 lbs 9 oz and 21 inches long. (I’m trying to attach pictures of mom enjoying the new grandbaby…hope it works!)

BEST NEWS EVER…..MOM IS CANCER FREE!!!!! As of yesterday after her last radiation appointment, mom is considered cancer free. She’s been through a lot over the past 9 months and I’m so happy to say this part of her journey is over. She still has medical issues that need to be figured out and many follow up visits to come but instead of being known as “cancer patient” she is now “survivor”. I am so proud of her and the strength she has shown during her battle. Please keep her in your prayers. Even though the treatments are over she still isn’t 100%. Thank you all for your love, support and encouragement over the past 9 months! Bridget

Week 3 and 4 of radiation have come and gone. I thought I had written an update for week 3 but with everything that has gone on at work, I forgot. Schools have begun and this is the worst time to have radiation. All I want to do after radiation id come home, drink a glass of my almond milk and go to bed. Since school has started, I have gone to work extra early, work until 2:45pm, drive 37 minutes to have a radiation treatment, drive back to work until 7:00pm. After a day of that, I go home and crash. That was my third week. Week 4 started out the same. My hectic schedule just lasted two days of this week. I still went to work at 6:30am but after radiation, I went home. I was planning to go to church Wednesday evening. I got home a little after 4:00pm and went to bed. I got up, ate something and laid back down. The radiation is making me so tired. It’s definitely got worse as we go. This has also been a very rough week emotionally. I asked Freddie one day if I should feel guilty. That’s the feeling I have had all week. It’s hard to know that others around you are dying of cancer and you are a survivor. The only way I can describe the feeling is what I would imagine soldiers may feel when they come back alive but their buddies have died in the war. I’m not comparing cancer to war. I just feel so bad for the ones that didn’t make it through their cancer battle. I feel bad for their families. I think about Marla’s daddy who found out he had cancer about the same time I found out about mine. He died a few weeks ago. Today, one of my co-workers was buried. Ms. Reid found out she had a rare form of cancer while I was going through chemo. She lost the battle on August 24th but her family didn’t lose her. They know where she is and so if you know where your loved is – they are not “lost”. They know Ms. Reid is with the Lord. But these families will miss them so much. Sometimes I think why did I make it instead of someone else. I don’t want to die. I’m waiting on the rapture. I think that will be so cool. That’s my goal! But you still have that guilty feeling. What do you say to those families when you are still alive and their loved one has passed away? I just know that God doesn’t make mistakes. I got cancer for a reason and He allowed me to survive for a reason. He’s not finished with me yet. My last week of radiation is coming. I’m looking forward to the end of this journey. Did I just call this a journey? Journey, trial, test – don’t know what to call it. I just know it’s close to being over. I will have a rough work week. I have to put in a lot of extra time to get work where my co-worker can manage while I take Labor Day week off. I will be going to Kentucky to be with Emily when her baby daughter, Kallie, will be born. I will be leaving the day after my last treatment. It’s going to be a long trip. I’m sure I’ll be sleeping while Freddie is driving. As I mentioned earlier, my friend died this week. Please keep Ms. Reid’s family in your prayers. She was married and had two children. I can’t even imagine what they must be going through. I do know that God can see them through this time.

Mom always includes someone to pray for in her messages lately, but please continue to pray for her as well. She is very busy and VERY TIRED!!! Just another note…she enjoys reading all the comments people write for her. She says they are very encouraging to her so thank you all for that. Here is her update… Week 2 of radiation is finished. I had had some really bad pains on Saturday between week one and week two. They lasted about 10-15 minutes and were so bad they brought tears. I mentioned it to the doctoron Monday. They took some x-rays, along with the radiation treatments. Evidently, nothing was majorly wrong. He didn’t say anything about the x-rays. I usually come home and lay down and, sometimes, nap after radiation. Eight o’clock or close to that is my new bedtime. I get tired a lot. This coming week, I will probably try to go back to work after radiation for a couple of hours. I will have to see how long I’ll be able to do that. Radiation = Tired = Rest Needed. This is a bad time to be having to have radiation. School is beginning this coming week and I have to leave early from work everyday at 2:45pm. I work with the school food service program and this is the time of year for approving applications. We probably have at least 1000 applications waiting for us to process. Not really letting it stress me out. I just can’t stand having to make up my time at home that I miss getting off early. I am slowly learning that I can’t let things bother like they used to. Got to learn to say no to things. I have had to quit selling Avon. I liked doing that and loved seeing and talking to my customers. I have stopped teaching my Sunday night teen-age girl’s class. They are “my girls”. This is what I probably hate stopping the most. I enjoyed teaching the girls so much. I have one more week to teach the 1st and 2nd grade Sunday School class. I still work and full-time job and am secretary at my church, Pleasant Hill Baptist church. (If you are not a member of another Bible-believing church, come visit mine.) It has always been so hard for me to say no to people and things to do. One thing having cancer has done is to make it easier. I now have to take care of myself. That sounds selfish but I have never just looked out for me. I have to figure out what is best for me so I will, hopefully, not have the cancer return. There’s alot I can do to take care of myself as a preventive measure. I have HAIR. It is about a half inch long. It is coming in BLACK with a bit of gray in it. Freddie says I look like GI Jane. Bridget says I’m not as strong as she was. I have started this past week of going without a hat or scarf. I’m very self-conscious when I go out in public. I notice that people don’t look at me in the eyes. If I happen to glance their way, they turn their heads or look down. Bridget said they just don’t know what to say. I think a smile would be nice. It would make one feel a lot better about when going through this. If I see someone with their hair growing out, I’ll know how they feel and, maybe, be able to make them feel better about themselves. This week’s prayer request is for my friend’s mom. Her cancer has returned and will need to have chemo for, probably, a long time. She has decided to wait 8 weeks before starting treatments so she will be able to see her grandsons in the marching band. Last year, cancer took those memories away from her. This year, she wants to have some of those Kodak moments. Doctor said that waiting 8 weeks might not be a good move. But, people don’t know what they would do if it were up to them unless you have been there yourself. You have to accept the decisions that your loved one makes, even if it breaks your hearts. (Sherri, I love you and I know this is hard on you. Your mom needs those memories. Your boys need them too. They know how much grandma loves them. Your mom knows how much you love her too. Remember I’m here with a shoulder for you.) Radiation week 3 – here I come…

Last week (5 days) was the beginning of my radiation. I have 4 weeks (20 days) to go. I go at 3:30 every afternoon. It happens to be a good time to have my appointments. I don’t miss too much work this way. I have had a few side effects so far. I get tired in the afternoon and evenings. My bedtime last week was around 8:00pm. Just feel like I can stay up any longer than that. Don’t get a thing done around the house. Just resting. They say being tired can last a couple of months after radiation ends. We’ll see! I have had some swelling. I did read that some have swelling in the places where the radiation is done. It should slowly go away after radiation is is complete. The information I have says to keep up the arm exercises 1-1/2 to 2 years after radiation. I had a few small pains Thursday night. It was nothing that I couldn’t handle. Saturday night, I had some bad pains where I had surgery. It was bad enough for me to be bent over and had me in tears. Don’t know what caused it. It was just sharp pains that lasted 10-15 minutes. Every Monday before radiation, I will see the radiologist. He will check and see how things are going. It is also a time when I can ask questions and if I have any concerns, I can tell him. I will be checking about the pains tomorrow. I have another prayer request this week. Her name is Marty. She has breast cancer. She has had a lumpectomy and one round of chemo. She has decided not to have any more because it made her so sick. I know the feeling. I pray that the surgery will be all she needs to be cancer-free. In her case, chemo was a precautionary measure. Be thankful for the days you have. We never know when it will be our last. I’m so thankful that God has given me more time with my family. Just waiting to feel better to enjoy them more. I’ve been telling people that I’m not down in the valley right now. Not on the mountain either, but I’m climbing the mountain. Thank you for your prayers. I love you all!

So sorry we haven’t been keeping mom’s info updated. As she says below we have been pretty busy. — On Sat, 7/31/10, Theresa Boggs <mamaboggs@yahoo.com> wrote: From: Theresa Boggs <mamaboggs@yahoo.com> Subject: Now Comes Radiation To: “Bridget Morosan” <morosanb@yahoo.com> Date: Saturday, July 31, 2010, 10:18 PM Well, it’s been a while since we’ve updated the website. Bridget got a new job and she’s been really busy. So here goes… Surgery went well. I am able to get my arm up over my head. Arm is still tight and can’t move in all the directions I need to. I still have to have some help on taking shirts off. I will get more movement back as I keep up my exercises. I got great news on Freddie and Joshua’s birthday. My cancer doctor said I didn’t have to take any more chemo after radiation was over. What a blessing! I don’t think my body could have taken any more. I had already decided that if they said I had to, I would. The only reason I would was so no one could say I didn’t do everything traditional that modern medicine had to offer. I am so glad I don’t have to take the chemo. I went to see the radiologist for a consultation. He said that since I had had a mastectomy instead of a lumpectomy, I would only have to have 5 weeks of radiation instead of 6 or 7 weeks. That, too, was good news. I wanted to postpone the treatments until after Emily’s baby was born. The doctor said that I couldn’t wait that long, but, he thought if we go ahead and get started, we could get done before the baby was born. Last week, I went back to get ready for my radiation treatments. They made a mold for me to lay on. (I have to lay on the mold for every treatment so I am positioned exactly the same way every time so all the marks and measurements line up.) Then I had to go to the hospital and lay down in the mold and have a CT scan. The radiologist will take the scan and use precise measurements to map out exactly where the radiation will be. They have got to be exact or they could hit the heart and/or lungs I was told. I told them that those were two things that they didn’t need to hit. Kind of scary to think about! Monday, August 2nd will start my actual radiation (five weeks after my masectomy). I will go and lay on my mold and have marks made on me that I am not supposed to wash off. Then I will go have x-rays taken. If everything is ok, my radiation treatment will start. If not, I go back, they mark again, and more x-rays until they have it right. I will have radiation treatments five days a week for five weeks. Not looking forward to radiation and its side effects. The two main side effects are the skin that’s having radiation gets like a bad sunburn and fatigue. I’m really tired of being tired already. But, this is the last step for me, so I can do it. My friend has some 100% aloe vera for me to use on my skin to help out with that pain. I got up this morning and decided to check out some things on the internet. I was wondering about all this joint pain I am having. I hurt in ALL my joints. My fingers, my toes, knees, shoulder – you name it, it hurts. I looked up “joint pain after chemo”. I wasn’t alone. It seems to be one of the things some people get several months after chemo. I had only been done with chemo for about a month and I starting hurting like that. Some said that there doctors told them they would just have to live with it. Some are taking pain medications to try to manage the pain as much as possible. Some are trying acupuncture. One person said that “chemo is the gift that keeps on giving”. I know it helps destroy the cancer but it also kills your body. I read that some think chemo take the fluid out of your joints which might cause arthritis to come pre-mature. I feel so old. I can’t even get up from bed, or get up from sitting without hurting and struggle to start walking. With all that, there are so many worse off than me. I just found out that a friend of mine (Carol) that I have known through the years has cancer. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2009. It had metastasized to her liver. She had a mastectomy a week later. Her mom and sister, both, had the same kind of cancer. She has been on chemo since March 2009 and will always be on it as long as she can tolerate it. In December 2009, her cancer had spread to her brain and underwent 19 radiation treatments in addition to her chemo. She said, “God has been good to me. I know where I am going, but praying that Jesus will allow me to complete some things that I do not want to leave unfinished.” I thank you for all your prayers. It is the most important thing we can do for each other. Please do me a favor. Please keep my friend, Carol, in your prayers.