“And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matt. 26:38–39.)
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Stable Again (Hopefully)
I know it has been some time since I last wrote and I am sorry about that. The past few weeks have been like a blur to me and now that I am home again with my children I don't want to do anything at all except spend time with them and Matt.
The past few weeks were some of the hardest since we started on this cancer journey. Several dear friends that we met at the cancer center either passed away or in the process of passing away right now. On the online forum with other colon cancer patients that I am a part of, there was a lot of devastating news as well. August was not a good month for the Colon Club. Several women that I have become friends with lost their husbands and one member who was from Phoenix that I was able to meet in person, passed away also. It is so heart wrenching to lose good friends to this awful disease.
When Matt and I returned to the cancer center the radiologist did an MRI of Matt's spine to see if there was any damage from the tumor there. Blessedly there was not and we caught the tumor in time. Matt was given a huge blast of radiation to his spine as well as his hip. It was amazing that by the next day his back pain had completely gone away.
Matt began the new chemo treatment and he broke out just like a teenager! I was surprised at how much it bothered Matt. He said he thinks it brings up bad memories of when he was a teen and how self conscious he always was with his acne.
The doctor was pleased with Matt's rash because in the studies it showed that the more you broke out the more effective the chemo was. Well Matt's rash is on his face, head, back, chest, and behind so that medicine better be working like no other!!! :)
They put Matt on the same antibiotic that teens with acne go on and it seems to be helping the rash. The rash kinda comes and goes.
Last Wednesday was Matt's chemo and the oncologist was happy with his blood work so we are hoping and praying that it is keeping the beast under control. The dr made a comment that if it does its job it could keep Matt stable for months. That was the news we wanted to hear. When we found out that the cancer had spread again we were devastated thinking that the time for no more chemo was quickly approaching.
We are home now and Matt will take an extra week off of chemo so we can take a trip to Lake Powell. This has been on his bucket list since I have known him. We are taking kids out of school and we are going. We are determined to make as many memories as we can. while we can.
The other day Helen was complaining about all the time we spend away from home and are at the cancer center. I explained to her that if she were to add up the time that she is with us as well as the quality of that time we are together, it would far exceed that of most of her friends. We are blessed to have this time to spend together, to REALLY spend it together, not just go through the motions of life. Each day is a blessing and we don't take it for granted.
Next blog will be pictures of Lake Powell!! Hopefully it won't jump from summer to winter during the week we are there. October is the month that this phenomena typically takes place! Hot Hot Hot one day, cold the next; and taa daa....winter is here!
Friday, September 7, 2012
Il cancro va avanti
La settimana scorsa siamo andati al centro dei trattamenti
del cancro per la chemio e abbiamo parlato con il dottore del fatto che Matt ha
molti dolori alla schiena. L’oncologo ci ha detto che le analisi del sangue non
erano buone e che il cancro ai polmoni e al fegato è stabile, ma c’è
qualcos altro nella spina dorsale di Matt, esattamente dove gli fa male.
La scintigrafia ossea ha confermato che ci sono nuovi tumori
nella parte superiore della spina di Matt e ha mostrato che c’è
qualcosa nella parte superiore del femore.
Ovviamente tutti e due eravamo molto sconvolti dalla notizia. L’oncologo
ci ha detto che di solito il centro del colon non si muove verso il trattamento
sulle ossa.
Matt ha cambiato il cocktail delle medicine e ha tolto due o
tre medicine e ne ha aggiunto una. Questa nuova medicina gli causerà
un forte sfogo cutaneo come se avesse delle acne. Povero Matt che di nuovo ora dovrà
passare il periodo della pubertà! :-) Quindi, se lo vedete con una faccia bruffolosa da adolescente, saprete che cosa
sia successo!!
Questo nuovo cocktail della chemio richiede che Matt sia al
centro ogni settimana. Questo peserà
sulla famiglia, specialmente sui ragazzi. Matt andrà alla chemio soltanto se io
sarò
con lui.
La settimana prossima vedrà un radiologo per parlare
delle radiazioni sulla spina e forse
sulla gamba, anche se per il momento non ha nessun dolore alla gamba. Le radiazioni divrebbero, speriamo, uccidere i
tumori e alleviare i dolori che ha. La metastasi ossea può
essere estremamente dolorosa, quindi speriamo di poter fermare la diffusione
con la nuova medicina.
Stiamo entrando in alcune zone molto paurose. Per favore continuate a pregare per Matt e la
nostra famiglia. Pregate affinché
Matt non abbia tanti dolori. Grazie
ancora per essere dei meravigliosi amici!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
The Cancer Is Moving Forward
We went to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America last week for Matt
to have chemo and we discussed with the doctor that Matt was having a
lot of back pain. The oncologist shared with us that Matt's blood work
did not look good and he suspected that the cancer was on the move
again. He ordered a ct scan as well as a bone scan for Matt. The ct
scan showed that the cancer in the lungs and liver are stable, but
something showed up on Matt's spine exactly where he has been having
pain.
The bone scan showed definitively that there is now cancer tumors in Matt's upper spine and it also showed something going on in his upper femur. Of course we were both very upset by this news. The oncologist said that Colon Cancer usually does not move to the bones, but here we are.
Matt switched around his chemo cocktail and has dropped two of the three medications and added a new one. This new chemo drug will cause him to break out in a very bad rash that will look like acne. So poor Matt now gets to go through puberty all over again! :) So if you see him looking like a pimply faced teenager you will know why!!
This new chemo cocktail requires Matt to be at the cancer center every week. This will be difficult on our family, especially our children. Matt will only go to chemo if I am with him.
Matt will also see a radiologist next week to discuss radiation to his spine and maybe his leg although he is not having any pain there yet. The radiation will hopefully kill the tumors as well as help to alleviate Matt's pain. Bone metastasis can become extremely painful so we hope to stop the spread with the new chemo medicine.
We are entering into some scary stuff. Please continue to pray for Matt and our family. Please pray that Matt will not have a lot of pain. Thank you again for being such wonderful friends!
The bone scan showed definitively that there is now cancer tumors in Matt's upper spine and it also showed something going on in his upper femur. Of course we were both very upset by this news. The oncologist said that Colon Cancer usually does not move to the bones, but here we are.
Matt switched around his chemo cocktail and has dropped two of the three medications and added a new one. This new chemo drug will cause him to break out in a very bad rash that will look like acne. So poor Matt now gets to go through puberty all over again! :) So if you see him looking like a pimply faced teenager you will know why!!
This new chemo cocktail requires Matt to be at the cancer center every week. This will be difficult on our family, especially our children. Matt will only go to chemo if I am with him.
Matt will also see a radiologist next week to discuss radiation to his spine and maybe his leg although he is not having any pain there yet. The radiation will hopefully kill the tumors as well as help to alleviate Matt's pain. Bone metastasis can become extremely painful so we hope to stop the spread with the new chemo medicine.
We are entering into some scary stuff. Please continue to pray for Matt and our family. Please pray that Matt will not have a lot of pain. Thank you again for being such wonderful friends!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Meravigliosi ricordi – Meraviglioso matrimonio!
Se volete vedere le foto del matrimonio di Brittani, scrollate in basso dopo questo post.
Brittani e Josh si sono suggellati al tempio di Mesa
(Arizona) l’11 agosto….uno dei giorno più caldi di tutto l’anno! C’erano quasi
46 gradi quando siamo usciti dal tempio alle 4 del pomeriggio! Nonostante ciò,
era un giorno magico, pieno di meravigliosi ricordi che dureranno per sempre!
Dopo il suggellamento siamo andati al Shenandoah Mill per la cerimonia delle
fedi e per la festa. La sala era decorata magnificamente e noi non dovevamo
fare niente! Yea! J
Il vestito di Brittani era bellissimo ed eravamo veramente benedetti
ad avere le nostre famiglie e i nostri amici lì presenti. Mi dispiace solo di
non aver avuto la possibilità di parlare con tutti.
Era una serata veramente speciale. Brittani e Josh hanno
ballato sulle noti della loro canzone che si chiama “Heart of Life” di John Mayer
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS8NvoMudy8)Questa canzone ha un
significato speciale, perché Josh è entrato nella vita di Brittani in un
momento della sua vita quando lei aveva bisogno di lui e il suo amore è
riusciuto a mettere da parte il dolore che aveva.
Dopo il loro ballo, Josh ha ballato con sua madre
sulle noti di “ I hope you dance” e poi Matt si è alzato sulla sedia per
annunciare (il sistema acustico era orribile) che avrebbe ballato con ognuna
delle sue figlie, ma che non voleva che fosse da solo sulla pista da ballo per
4 balli! Cosi ha invitato tutti a seguirlo
e a ballare. Era la cosa più bella da vedere, quando tutti i padri hanno
preso le loro figlie e hanno ballato per 4 balli. Matt ha scelto una canzone
per ogni figlia e un buon amico di Brittani ha filmato il tutto per noi. Ora ognuna delle nostre figlie avrà il
ricordo speciale del ballo con il loro papà. La canzone di Brittani era “My little girl” di Tim McGraw, quella di
Bethany era “Butterfly Kisses” di Bob Carlisle, quella di Helen era “Butterfly
fly away” di Miley Cyrus e Billy Ray Cyrus e quella di Gabriela era “I loved
her first” degli Heartland.
Ogni figlio ha ballato con il fratello e la sorella ed
anche con me e con il loro padre. Tutti erano felici e pieni d’amore,
esattamente come in un film di Hollywood!
Mi ha fatto (quasi) avere la voglia di vedere un matrimonio alla
settimana!
C’erano tante persone che hanno reso speciale quella
serata, in particolar modo Melissa LaRose che non ha solamente fatto il vestito
più bello di sempre, ma che ci ha anche aiutato a pianificare tutto l’evento,
ha fatto le decorazioni per noi e ha provveduto al cibo. È semplicemente
fantastica e una delle persone più genuine che io abbia mai conosciuto.
Kurt Andersen e i suoi magnifici partner hanno
registrato l’intero giorno per noi per un basso prezzo! Per me, ovviamente, il
matrimonio era la parte più importante, ma al secondo posto c’è il video.
Questo video diventerà un bene preziossimo per ogni membro della nostra
famiglia.
Il vescovo di Brittani, Vescovo Arnett ha celebrato la
cerimonia delle fedi e le sue parole erano perfette! Ha chiesto a Brittani ed a
Josh di scrivere le tre cose che amano di più dell’altra persona e poi lui le
ha lette ad alta voce. So che sto usando la parola “bello”, ma quella parola
calza a pennello per descrivere tutto ciò che accadde quel giorno.
L’amico di Josh, Ian Shell era il DJ e MC per la
serata ed era cosi paziente con me e l’orribile sistema acustico.
Abbiamo ancora da organizzare la casa aperta qui a Thatcher per il primo di settembre.
Siamo emozionati di mostrare la coppia felice a tutti i nostri amici.
Sfortunatamente Matt è dovuto ritornare alla realtà il
lunedi dopo il matrimonio. Ha preso una settimana in più di “vacanza” dalla
chemio e cosi si sentiva abbastanza bene durante il matrimonio, ma ora è
ammalato dall’inizio della settimana e lo è stato anche durante il fine
settimana.
Durante il suo ultimo appuntamento dal dottore (lunedi
mattina), abbiamo scoperto che il marker tumorale si è duplicato, perciò ci
stiamo cominciando a preoccupare. L’oncologo vuole che Matt cambi una delle
medicine della chemio. È una di quelle medicine che causa al paziente severo
sfogo sulla pelle, che la persona sembra un adolescente pieno di acne! Matt non
è molto contento di avere DI NUOVO acne, ma preghiamo affinché questa medicina
possa tenere sotto controllo i tumori.
Questo è stato un fine settimana pieno di emozioni per
tutti noi. Matt si è sentito molto affaticato e ammalato. Sabato mattina io e
Rodrigo abbiamo sposato il nostro vecchio forno nel garage, sperando di poterlo
vendere, ma è caduto dal carrello durante il trasposto e si è rotta la
finestra. Quella era la goccia che ha fatto traboccare il vaso per perdere il
controllo e cosi ho preso il carrello e l’ho usato contro il forno fino a
distruggerlo completamente, mentre urlavo e piangevo. Ho fatto prendere paura a
mio padre e ai miei figli, ma a dire la verità questo ha fatto scaricare la
tensione e le brutte emozioni e mi ha fatto sentire meglio. Mio padre era cosi preoccupato che ha preso
il forno e ha cercato di aggiustarlo, anche se continuavo a dirgli di non
preoccuparsi, perché l’avrei buttato via.
Più tardi ho parlato con i miei figli e ho spiegato a
loro che non ero arrabbiata riguardo al forno o riguardo a qualcosa che loro hanno
fatto, ma che ero arrabbiata per la situazione con il papà e che ognuno di noi
mostra le proprie emozioni in modi diversi e che a volte devi urlare un po’,
perché il tutto comincia ad accumularsi dentro di te. Poi io e Gabriela ci
siamo fatti delle domande veramente dure. Lei ha chiesto se il suo papà sarebbe sicuramente morto. Ero sincera con lei
e lei ho detto di si, che suo padre sarebbe morto a causa di questo cancro, perché
la chemioterapia smetterà di funzionare e non ci sarà più niente da fare. Poi
mi ha chiesto se questo è un fatto certo e io le ho detto di si, a meno che non
si trovi una cura per il cancro prima di quel tempo. La sua domanda successiva
era la stessa seconda domanda che aveva Helen: “Quando?” La risposta è non lo
sappiamo, sei mesi da ora, alcuni anni da ora, semplicemente non lo sappiamo.
Poi è arrivata un’altra difficile domanda: “Ti risposerai?” WOW, che cosa
rispondere a questa domanda?!!! Le ho detto che sono stata con suo padre per
una grande porzione della mia vita e che amo essere sposata, avere un compagno
accanto e che sarebbe molto difficile rimanere da soli, ma che non avevo una
risposta per lei. Questo l’ha portata a fare domande come con chi sarò nei
cieli se dovessi sposare un altro uomo. Lei veramente pensa a tutte queste cose
e fa domande difficili, lo ha sempre fatto. Le ho detto che sarei con il suo papà.
È triste pensare al fatto che i miei figli debbano avere questi pensieri
pressanti invece di pensare a ciò che indosseranno a scuola domani o a quello
che questo o quell’altro ragazzo pensa di loro.
La vita è difficile e come dice la canzone di Josh e
Brittani, “il dolore butta il tuo cuore per terra, l’amore trasforma il tutto
attorno. Tu sai che non tutto andrà come dovrebbe, ma io so che il cuore della
vita è buono”. La nostra vita era buona e continua ad esserlo. Stiamo
costruendo ricordi e stiamo cercando di amare l’un l’altro in modo migliore.
Questo viaggio ci ha portato a conoscere persone meravigliose e ad avere
preziosi momenti che ci insegnano (speriamo) ad essere migliori di quello che
eravamo prima.
Grazie a tutti per essere lì per noi!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Beautiful Memories - Beautiful Wedding!
Brittani and Josh were sealed in the Mesa, AZ temple on Aug. 11.....one of the hottest days of the year! It was 115 degrees when we came out of the temple at 4:00! But even so, it was a magical day full of beautiful memories that will last forever!
After the sealing we went to the Shenandoah Mill for the ring ceremony and reception. It was beautifully decorated and we didn't have to do a thing! Yea! :)
Brittani's dress was amazing and we were so blessed to have lots of family and friends in attendance. I just felt bad that I was unable to speak with everyone.
It was such a special night. Brittani and Josh danced to their song which is "Heart of Life" by John Mayer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS8NvoMudy8 This song is so significant because Josh came into Brittani's life when she needed him most and his love has turned her pain around.
After their dance Josh danced with his mother to "I Hope You Dance" and then Matt stood on a chair - the sound system was the absolute worst ever! and announced that he would be dancing a dance with each of his daughters and that he did NOT want to be out on the dance floor with people watching him for 4 full dances! He invited everyone to join him and it was the most incredible thing to see; all these dads took their daughters onto the dance floor and danced with Matt and each of our daughters. It was truly truly beautiful! Matt picked out each song for each daughter and we had a good friend of Brittani's video the whole thing for us. Now each of our daughters will have a memory of having that special dad/daughter dance. Brittani's song was "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw
Bethany's song was "Butterfly Kisses" by Bob Carlisle
Helen's song was "Butterfly Fly Away" by Miley Cyrus and Billy Ray Cyrus
Gabriela's song was "I Loved Her First" by Heartland
Each of my children danced with each other and with me and their dad and everyone was so happy and loving, it was just like a Hollywood movie! LOL! Made me wish (almost!) that we could have a wedding once a week!
There were so many people who made the night special, especially Melissa LaRose who not only made the most beautiful wedding dress ever!, but who also helped us plan the entire event, decorated for us as well as catered ALL the food! She is just amazing and one of the most genuinely kind people I have ever met.
Kurt Andersen and his wonderful partners took video of the entire day for us for nothing more than gas to come here from Utah and a cheap hotel room! To me the wedding was of course the MOST important part, but second to that was the video. This video will become a very treasured possession by each one of our family members.
Brittani's bishop, Bishop Arnett performed the ring ceremony and his words were perfect! He asked Brittani and Josh to write down the three things that they love most about each other and then he read those aloud. I know I keep using the word "beautiful", but that word just fits when describing everything that happened that day.
Josh's friend Ian Shell was the DJ and MC for the night and he was so patient with me and with the stinking sound system. I owe him a HUGE debt! :)
We still have the open house here in Thatcher on Sept. 1. We are excited to show off the happy couple with all of our friends here.
Unfortunately Matt had to get back to reality the Monday after the wedding. He had taken an extra week off from chemo so he was feeling pretty good during the wedding, but now he has been sick all week and weekend.
At his last dr. appointment on Monday morning we found that Matt's tumor markers have doubled and so we are starting to get concerned. The oncologist wants Matt to change out one his chemo drugs. It is a drug that causes the patient to break out in a very very bad rash that looks like bad teenage acne! Matt is not too excited about the idea of having acne AGAIN but we pray that it will help to keep the cancer tumors under some control.
This has been an emotional weekend for all of us. Matt has been feeling very fatigued and very sick. On Saturday morning Rodrigo and I were moving our old stove into the garage in hopes of selling it, when it fell off the hand truck (dolly) and the glass from broke. That was just the push I needed to completely lose it and I took the hand truck and used it to beat the stove to death while screaming and crying. I scared my dad and sons but in all honesty the release of all those pent up emotions felt good. My dad was so worried he sat down and tried to fix the stove even though I kept telling him that it was ok, I was just going to throw it out.
I spoke with my children later in the day and explained to them that I wasn't upset about the stove or anything that they did, I was upset about dad and that everyone shows their emotions in different ways and that sometimes you have to yell and scream a little because it all gets bottled up inside of you. Then I had Gabriela ask some really hard questions. She asked if her dad was going to die for sure. Helen had asked me this very question two weeks ago. I was honest with her and told her that yes her dad was going to die from this cancer sometime because the chemotherapy will stop working and then there will be nothing we can do. She asked me if this was a fact and I had to tell her yes that it was, unless a cure for cancer is found before that time. Her next question was the same as Helen's second question, "when?". The answer is we don't know, 6 months from now or a few years from now, we just don't know. Then came another difficult question, "will you get remarried?" WOW what to say to that one! I told her that I have been with her dad for a big portion of my life and that I love being married and having a companion and that I think life would be very difficult alone but that I just didn't have an answer for her. This took her into questions about who would I be with in Heaven if I married another man. She really thinks things through and asks the tough questions, always has. I told her that I would be with her dad. So sad to think that my children have to have these pressing thoughts going on in their heads instead of thinking about what they will wear to school tomorrow or what this or that boy thinks of them!
Life is hard and as Josh and Brittani's song points out, "pain throws your heart to the ground,love turns the whole thing around, you know it won't all go the way it should, but I know that the heart of life is good." Our life has been good and continues to be good. We are making memories and loving each other the best we can. This journey has brought us to so many wonderful people and so many precious moments that are teaching us to hopefully be better than we were before.
Thank you all for being there for us!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
"Stabile" dicono i risultati dell'ultima TAC
Ciao a tutti,
Wow, non ci posso credere che sia passato un mese dall’ultima
volta che ho scritto! Siamo stati veramente impegnati!
Matt ha fatto una tac ieri e i risultati dicono che i tumori
sono stanno crescendo, ma non stanno nemmeno diminuendo, perciò la chiamano un
situazione “stabile”. Stabile va bene, riusciamo a vivere con quello. L’oncologo
di Matt gli ha chiesto se volesse cambiare una delle medicine della chemio, ma
abbiamo deciso che per il momento avremmo continuato cosi, visto che il
matrimonio di Brittani è in agosto e questo cocktail di medicine non rende Matt
poi cosi tanto ammalato.
Le scorse due settimane, dall’ultima chemio, sono andate
bene. Matt si sentiva abbastanza bene e ha avuto più energie del solito.
Abbiamo fatto un viaggio con i nostri amici e siamo stati a San Diego per la
settimana del 4 luglio. Ci siamo rilassati, ma faceva freddo e quindi non siamo
andati molto alla spiaggia come volevamo.
Mentre eravamo in California, Matt ed io siamo andati a
Burbank per incontrare alcuni amici che abbiamo conosciuto al centro del
cancro. Il loro figlio è deceduto recentemente dal cancro al colon e volevamo
vederli e fare le nostre condoglianze. Abbiamo passato un meraviglioso
pomeriggio con loro, visto che abbiamo una forte connessione con loro. È sempre
difficile quando uno dei nostri amici
perde la battaglia con il cancro.
Abbiamo ancora alcuni piani per il resto dell’estate. La
settimana prossima saremo con la mia famiglia a Scottsdale e poi speriamo di
poter trovare del tempo per fare un viaggio al lago Powell. Il matrimonio di
Brittani è in agosto e siamo impegnati con la preparazione.
Stiamo VERAMENTE amando la casa che abbiamo affittato a Gilbert.
Durante le sedute della chemio possiamo andare in questa casa invece di
rimanere in albergo. I nostri figli possono essere li con noi ed è decisamente
meglio cosi.
I ricordi che stiamo costruendo quest’estate sono veramente
molto dolci. Anche se siamo ancora la solito famiglia normale e drammatica, con
guerre tra fratelli e una mamma scontrosa, quando la casa non è pulita, siamo
tutti consapevoli che il tempo che stiamo trascorrendo insieme è un dono e cerchiamo
con forza di apprezzare ogni signolo momento.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
"Stable" Says the Most Recent CT Scan
Hi All,
Wow I can't believe it has been an entire month since I last posted! We have been busy busy busy!
Matt had a ct scan yesterday and the results were that the tumors are not growing, but they are also not shrinking, so they call it "stable". Stable is ok, we can live with that. Matt's oncologist asked Matt if he wanted to switch up one of his chemo medicines, but we decided that for right now we would just stay the course as Brittani's wedding is coming up in Aug. and this chemo cocktail doesn't make Matt very sick.
These past two weeks, since the last chemo,have gone well. Matt has felt pretty good and he has had more energy than he has had in a while. We took a trip with our good friends and went to San Diego for the week of the 4th of July. It was relaxing but the weather was cold so we didn't go to the beach as much as we wanted.
While in CA Matt and I took a drive up to Burbank to visit some friends we had met at the cancer center. Their son recently passed away from Colo-Rectal Cancer and we wanted to see them and offer our condolances. We had such a wonderful afternoon visiting with them as we have such a strong connection with them. We all know exactly what this cancer journey is all about. It is always hard for us when one of our dear friends in the cancer fight passes away.
We still have many more plans for the rest of the summer. Next week we will enjoy a week with my family at a resort in Scottsdale and then hopefully we will find some time to get a trip in to Lake Powell. Brittani's wedding is in Aug and we are staying busy getting everything done for that.
We are REALLY REALLY enjoying the home that we rented in Gilbert. While Matt is on chemo we are able to go to a home each night instead of staying in a hotel. Our kids are able to be there with us and it is so much better.
The memories we are making this summer are so sweet. While we are still the normal family with lots of drama, sibling wars, and cranky mom when the house is dirty, we are all very aware that the time we are spending together is a gift and we try hard to appreciate each and every moment.
Wow I can't believe it has been an entire month since I last posted! We have been busy busy busy!
Matt had a ct scan yesterday and the results were that the tumors are not growing, but they are also not shrinking, so they call it "stable". Stable is ok, we can live with that. Matt's oncologist asked Matt if he wanted to switch up one of his chemo medicines, but we decided that for right now we would just stay the course as Brittani's wedding is coming up in Aug. and this chemo cocktail doesn't make Matt very sick.
These past two weeks, since the last chemo,have gone well. Matt has felt pretty good and he has had more energy than he has had in a while. We took a trip with our good friends and went to San Diego for the week of the 4th of July. It was relaxing but the weather was cold so we didn't go to the beach as much as we wanted.
While in CA Matt and I took a drive up to Burbank to visit some friends we had met at the cancer center. Their son recently passed away from Colo-Rectal Cancer and we wanted to see them and offer our condolances. We had such a wonderful afternoon visiting with them as we have such a strong connection with them. We all know exactly what this cancer journey is all about. It is always hard for us when one of our dear friends in the cancer fight passes away.
We still have many more plans for the rest of the summer. Next week we will enjoy a week with my family at a resort in Scottsdale and then hopefully we will find some time to get a trip in to Lake Powell. Brittani's wedding is in Aug and we are staying busy getting everything done for that.
We are REALLY REALLY enjoying the home that we rented in Gilbert. While Matt is on chemo we are able to go to a home each night instead of staying in a hotel. Our kids are able to be there with us and it is so much better.
The memories we are making this summer are so sweet. While we are still the normal family with lots of drama, sibling wars, and cranky mom when the house is dirty, we are all very aware that the time we are spending together is a gift and we try hard to appreciate each and every moment.
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