Hello All,
We've had a busy couple of months. Found out that my cancer has spread to my bones so I started new chemo on Aug. 4th shortly after completing 34 radiation treatments on July 30th. Made a switch to a new Oncologist at the Morse Avenue facility as the Oncologist I was seeing went back to UCDavis. We are very happy with the change though. Had a port placed to make things easier and am receiving Zomata, (they call it bone glue, as the cancer leaches the calcium out of the bones and the Zomata replaces it). Started that drug first, (Aug. 4th) as we weren't sure if I had to have my appendix out or not before beginning the new chemo. I lucked out, didn't have to have surgery and started the drugs Avastin (shrinks the blood supply to the tumors), and Taxotere, (the chemotherapy drug) on Aug. 8th. My treatments are 3 weeks apart so very manageable. Had trouble after the first treatment of Taxotere, forcing us to cancel our trip to Hawaii, ending up in the ER instead. The chemotherapy had been given so close to my radiation that I got an infection where the radiation burn was and needed antibiotics and daily Neuopen shots to raise my white counts. Decided to make a trip to Utah to see our nephew get married and spend some time with family in Park City at the Marriott where we have a time share. Got a bit cocky and canceled my chemo, figuring it would be there when we got back so postponed until Sept. 2nd and had a wonderful time with family. Came home for chemo then decided to make a trip to New Mexico to see the motor home we decided to purchase so we could do some traveling. We bought it from some of the nicest people we've ever met. Nigel and her son Nick went over and above, from the time we met them when we made our first trip to Las Cruces on Sept. 4, 2008, our 32nd anniversary. We flew down to check out the RV, found everything to be above our expectations, they took us to dinner to the best Mexican place in town (La Posta) to celebrate. The original building was a part of the pony express route. The old jail where Billy the Kid was housed was across the street. We flew home the next day, then made a nice trip to Newport Beach and Las Vegas to see some client's of Steve's from the 6th to the 13th, returning home in time for me to speak at the "Relay for Life", the main fundraising event for the American Cancer Society for El Dorado County. I was very honored to be asked to speak and gave a quick synopsis of what I've gone through the past 11 months, ending with a sweet letter from my 10-year old nephew, Spencer Pinegar. In it he thanked us for inviting him and his family to Park City and remembered when he had visited us there before when he was 3 years old, having remembered me giving him hot chocolate in the bathtub. He said he was glad we came to him at his house while we were there and that he liked who I married, saying that I had "good taste". He also mentioned that "beauty came from the inside, that this life was a test, and that I was going to get an A+". He also said that "hair was just dead cells" and that his parents didn't make him write the letter he had done it "in his spare time". Lastly he said he knew why he loved me so much, it was "because of my heart". If the music video by "Rascal Flats" about a young girl having been diagnosed with cancer and afraid that no one would ask her to the Prom because she had no hair that we watched, which started off the ceremony didn't have us all in tears, that sweet letter did. (By the way, the prom date for the young girl had shaved his head........very sweet).
Now on to our trip of a lifetime to the church history sights and New England to watch the leaves change color.....
Our shake-down cruise started yesterday afternoon late in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Nigel and Nick led the way to the freeway. We made it to Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico just before dark. We got a bit settled and were going to head to the store for some dinner fixings but couldn't get the tow car unhooked. The neighbor was trying to get to sleep so I had protein bars for dinner and Steve eating nothing. Steve got the car unhitched easily this morning and we headed to Denny's for breakfast, then to WalMart to load up on a few supplies. The game show got it's name from the town as the host of the show used to live here. We loaded up and are headed to Amarillo for the night.
Happy trails and love to you all,
Mary Ann & Steve
We've had a busy couple of months. Found out that my cancer has spread to my bones so I started new chemo on Aug. 4th shortly after completing 34 radiation treatments on July 30th. Made a switch to a new Oncologist at the Morse Avenue facility as the Oncologist I was seeing went back to UCDavis. We are very happy with the change though. Had a port placed to make things easier and am receiving Zomata, (they call it bone glue, as the cancer leaches the calcium out of the bones and the Zomata replaces it). Started that drug first, (Aug. 4th) as we weren't sure if I had to have my appendix out or not before beginning the new chemo. I lucked out, didn't have to have surgery and started the drugs Avastin (shrinks the blood supply to the tumors), and Taxotere, (the chemotherapy drug) on Aug. 8th. My treatments are 3 weeks apart so very manageable. Had trouble after the first treatment of Taxotere, forcing us to cancel our trip to Hawaii, ending up in the ER instead. The chemotherapy had been given so close to my radiation that I got an infection where the radiation burn was and needed antibiotics and daily Neuopen shots to raise my white counts. Decided to make a trip to Utah to see our nephew get married and spend some time with family in Park City at the Marriott where we have a time share. Got a bit cocky and canceled my chemo, figuring it would be there when we got back so postponed until Sept. 2nd and had a wonderful time with family. Came home for chemo then decided to make a trip to New Mexico to see the motor home we decided to purchase so we could do some traveling. We bought it from some of the nicest people we've ever met. Nigel and her son Nick went over and above, from the time we met them when we made our first trip to Las Cruces on Sept. 4, 2008, our 32nd anniversary. We flew down to check out the RV, found everything to be above our expectations, they took us to dinner to the best Mexican place in town (La Posta) to celebrate. The original building was a part of the pony express route. The old jail where Billy the Kid was housed was across the street. We flew home the next day, then made a nice trip to Newport Beach and Las Vegas to see some client's of Steve's from the 6th to the 13th, returning home in time for me to speak at the "Relay for Life", the main fundraising event for the American Cancer Society for El Dorado County. I was very honored to be asked to speak and gave a quick synopsis of what I've gone through the past 11 months, ending with a sweet letter from my 10-year old nephew, Spencer Pinegar. In it he thanked us for inviting him and his family to Park City and remembered when he had visited us there before when he was 3 years old, having remembered me giving him hot chocolate in the bathtub. He said he was glad we came to him at his house while we were there and that he liked who I married, saying that I had "good taste". He also mentioned that "beauty came from the inside, that this life was a test, and that I was going to get an A+". He also said that "hair was just dead cells" and that his parents didn't make him write the letter he had done it "in his spare time". Lastly he said he knew why he loved me so much, it was "because of my heart". If the music video by "Rascal Flats" about a young girl having been diagnosed with cancer and afraid that no one would ask her to the Prom because she had no hair that we watched, which started off the ceremony didn't have us all in tears, that sweet letter did. (By the way, the prom date for the young girl had shaved his head........very sweet).
Now on to our trip of a lifetime to the church history sights and New England to watch the leaves change color.....
Our shake-down cruise started yesterday afternoon late in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Nigel and Nick led the way to the freeway. We made it to Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico just before dark. We got a bit settled and were going to head to the store for some dinner fixings but couldn't get the tow car unhooked. The neighbor was trying to get to sleep so I had protein bars for dinner and Steve eating nothing. Steve got the car unhitched easily this morning and we headed to Denny's for breakfast, then to WalMart to load up on a few supplies. The game show got it's name from the town as the host of the show used to live here. We loaded up and are headed to Amarillo for the night.
Happy trails and love to you all,
Mary Ann & Steve
