I don't know how often many of you read this blog regularly anymore--I've done a piss poor job of updating it since the official treatment ended. Of course we all know that just because active treatment ceases, the fight with cancer continues--at least in until, years later, the docs give you an all-clear. Mom's no different.
But she is feeling better, and celebrating her success. A big moment came in April, when she walked her first Survivor's Lap at a Relay For Life, this one the Springfield Public Schools teen event at Glendale High School. A group of Central High School students had adopted mom as their "champion," called themselves Lemmon-Aid, had T-shirts made, etc. It was all quite moving, and as you all know Susan, I think she was bit embarassed by all the fuss (in a good way). It was a wonderful night, as Nichole and I walked on either side of her.
Fast forward to July. July 18 is he first real doctor's visit since her treatment. We'll know a lot more about how it went then. Pray for the best, pray for a cure, and we hope you all remain as healthy and blessed as we are.
Also, coming soon, check out my personal blog. I'll post an update as soon as I can. I'm currently training for a marathon, October 21 in San Francisco, and I'm going to document my last four months of training--plus observations on life and the other stuff. I could do it here, but as I said in my first post here, this is not my blog, it's mom's. And she wishes you all the best
Matt--11:48 a.m.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Treatment is over!
Almost as quickly as they came, mom's MammoSite radiation treatments are finished. The balloon and catheter have been removed from her lumpectomy cavity, replaced by a large bandage. Next week Dr. Buckner will look at the results and the radiologist will follow up a few weeks later. And then, the good lord willing and the creek don't rise, she is done (except for more-frequent mammograms and checkups for the next five years).
This is as good a time as any to say THANK YOU to all of the family, friends, strangers survivors, victims and hopefuls out there who inspired us and prayed for us and helped us through this hellish (yet somewhat amazing) month. Of course we don't know if we're out of the woods--you never really are completely out of the woods, not with cancer, but to complete radiation so successfully is indeed a good feeling, and reason for hope.
I will keep you updated on mom's condition (today: fatigued but energetic--only my mother can pull off that paradox) and to news/events regarding breast cancer and cancer in general. A group of Central High School students are planning a Lemmon Aid team for the Springfield high schools' Relay For Life this spring, so I'll let you know all about that.
Thank you again. We couldn't be beating this without you.
Matt
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Weekend Update
First and most importantly, mom is 80 percent of the way done with her radiation treatments. Woo-hoo! Tiredness has really been the only side effect, that and the fact that the hole in her side is getting a bit irritating. She feels extremely fortunate, as do we.
I need to give a HUGE shout-out to three people who have helped mom with day-to-day care of her catheter site: since it's under her arm and requires a significant amount of tape to bandage up, mom can't do it herself. All of them are nurses and friends, and Nichole and I appreciate their time as much as mom does.
Janet Gasper is a church friend with wonderful family. She lives in Ozark and has been a big help with evening changes.
Cheryl Sisco (apologies if the spelling is incorrect!) is a longtime friend of mom's (also with a wonderful family) from Ozark East Elementary.
Lisa Massey-Brown is a friend of the family, as well as the Preacher's Wife :) Naturally, she has a wonderful family, too.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME AND FRIENDSHIP! Nichole and I have gladly been handling the driving, but these evening and weekend bandage changings have been a godsend.
Finally, my magazine did an interview a couple of months ago with Ellen Hammock, executive director of the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks. It's a little silly, but she had some great things to say about breast cancer in younger women. Please click here if you have the time and inclination.
Have a great weekend everybody! Update coming on Monday, if not before.
And because the title of this post humors me, here's a link to a YouTube video of the best of Weekend Update (starring Tina Fey--back when Saturday Night Live had talented people in the cast...)
Matt
I need to give a HUGE shout-out to three people who have helped mom with day-to-day care of her catheter site: since it's under her arm and requires a significant amount of tape to bandage up, mom can't do it herself. All of them are nurses and friends, and Nichole and I appreciate their time as much as mom does.
Janet Gasper is a church friend with wonderful family. She lives in Ozark and has been a big help with evening changes.
Cheryl Sisco (apologies if the spelling is incorrect!) is a longtime friend of mom's (also with a wonderful family) from Ozark East Elementary.
Lisa Massey-Brown is a friend of the family, as well as the Preacher's Wife :) Naturally, she has a wonderful family, too.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME AND FRIENDSHIP! Nichole and I have gladly been handling the driving, but these evening and weekend bandage changings have been a godsend.
Finally, my magazine did an interview a couple of months ago with Ellen Hammock, executive director of the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks. It's a little silly, but she had some great things to say about breast cancer in younger women. Please click here if you have the time and inclination.
Have a great weekend everybody! Update coming on Monday, if not before.
And because the title of this post humors me, here's a link to a YouTube video of the best of Weekend Update (starring Tina Fey--back when Saturday Night Live had talented people in the cast...)
Matt
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Treatment begins and a word from Susan
Treatment has begun.
After the rapid-fire diagnosis, lumpectomy, recovery and port-insertion, Mom began radiation treatment today. The process is quick: an x-ray (to make sure the balloon is still in place) and she begins, under the watchful eye of her radiation oncologist (Dr. Albritton), a radiation tech (Mark) and a radiation physicist (Mom can't remember his name today. I think we'll forgive her). The radioactive seed is inside the balloon for nine minutes. She goes twice a day.
Tonight she is tired, but glad that it's finally done: She knows what it's like now. But that's enough from me. Mom sent me this e-mail to post on Sunday morning--apologies that I'm just now getting to it. Without further ado...
After the rapid-fire diagnosis, lumpectomy, recovery and port-insertion, Mom began radiation treatment today. The process is quick: an x-ray (to make sure the balloon is still in place) and she begins, under the watchful eye of her radiation oncologist (Dr. Albritton), a radiation tech (Mark) and a radiation physicist (Mom can't remember his name today. I think we'll forgive her). The radioactive seed is inside the balloon for nine minutes. She goes twice a day.
Tonight she is tired, but glad that it's finally done: She knows what it's like now. But that's enough from me. Mom sent me this e-mail to post on Sunday morning--apologies that I'm just now getting to it. Without further ado...
Dear Strangers, Friends, and Family,
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing this journey with us. I continue to be encouraged by the words, thoughts, and deeds of all thosewho read this great blog. (Okay, so I am partial!!) I have laughed, cried, smiled, and wondered at the comments, stories, and words of encouragementyou have offered. God bless all of you! Please keep reading, sharing, and taking part in the various activities that Matt mentions here. I'll write again on the other side of this adventure.--Susan of Susie's
Fight
Saturday, February 24, 2007
So far, so good
It's rainy, cold and all-around depressing here in SWMo, but things are looking sunnier overall (and not just because the baseball season is right around the corner...though that's a plus, too). No, Mom is doing well. We had breakfast and did some cleaning for her this morning, and she's in a very good state of mind, even though she has two tubes sticking out of her side...but more on that later.
Again, apologies for the lengthy wait between posts. It's been a busy week for everyone around here, especially for Susan.
To bring you up to speed, on Wednesday the family had a second consultation with Dr. Buckner (a.k.a. Superman) who examined the lumpectomy site and pronounced her 80 percent likely for MammoSite, the newfangled treatment I told you about in this post. The concern: that the cavity where the tumor was removed was too close to the skin, this making internal radiation too dangerous. Immediately following that appointment was a meeting with her radiation oncologist, Dr. Michael Albritton, at Hulston Cancer Center. It was essentially a get-to-know-you session and a chance for the staff to explain to mom the potential side-effects of radiation treatment.
Then came the big news: on Friday (yesterday) we were again on the fifth floor of the Ferrell-Duncan clinic to meet with Dr. Buckner. By the time we left the office, mom had had a balloon inserted in her breast, filled with 40 cc's of saline (she said it was the closest she'd ever come to a implants!), and two catheter tubes sticking out of her side! The entire contraption looked kind of like this (sorry for the fuzziness of the image). They put it in Friday to make sure MammoSite would work. The concern: If the expanded balloon stretches the cavity too much, leaving too little tissue between the cavity and the skin, MammoSite would be a no-go. Fortunately, it was perfect: A full 9 millimeters of tissue between the cavity and the skin, which is pretty much ideal.
The upshot: This weekend Mom's walking around with bandages covering a not-so-tiny hole in her side (it was quite an invasive procedure, though thankfully pain-free), and will begin MammoSite on Tuesday (Monday will be a trial run...a "dress rehearsal" if you will). The tubes are catheters that connect to the balloon in her breast, where a small radioactive seed will be placed, working from the inside out rather than outside in (much fewer side effects and shorter treatment time, doc says). This will happen at the Hulston Cancer Center twice a day for five days, beginning Tuesday and ending the following Monday--only 26 days after her diagnosis. A miracle if ever I've seen one. After that, there will be frequent checkups, but hopefully no more procedures.
This is not to say this hasn't been a draining experience so far--even though it's been best-case scenario all the way, it's still a big deal, and mom has handled it like a trooper, as has my wife, Nichole, who along with help from one of mom's close nursing friends (Thank you, Cheryl!) is handing the bulk of the bandage-changing and home-nursing duties--the dressing over the catheter site currently needs to be changed twice a day, and mom can't do herself since it's on the side of her breast, almost under her arm, and she can't see it. My wife has been a godsend in this. (Watch a KOLR-10 story about her awesome high school journalism program here.)
Mom has promised a personal note for tomorrow's post, so I'm going to hold her to it--unless, of course she doesn't want to do it. She's overwhelmed (and bit humbled) by all the love and support. Our hope is that when this fight is over--or at least on a long, long, long timeout--you'll turn that support and love to others with cancer who need it, or at least to a charity to help find a cure.
Have a happy and safe Saturday.
Again, apologies for the lengthy wait between posts. It's been a busy week for everyone around here, especially for Susan.
To bring you up to speed, on Wednesday the family had a second consultation with Dr. Buckner (a.k.a. Superman) who examined the lumpectomy site and pronounced her 80 percent likely for MammoSite, the newfangled treatment I told you about in this post. The concern: that the cavity where the tumor was removed was too close to the skin, this making internal radiation too dangerous. Immediately following that appointment was a meeting with her radiation oncologist, Dr. Michael Albritton, at Hulston Cancer Center. It was essentially a get-to-know-you session and a chance for the staff to explain to mom the potential side-effects of radiation treatment.
Then came the big news: on Friday (yesterday) we were again on the fifth floor of the Ferrell-Duncan clinic to meet with Dr. Buckner. By the time we left the office, mom had had a balloon inserted in her breast, filled with 40 cc's of saline (she said it was the closest she'd ever come to a implants!), and two catheter tubes sticking out of her side! The entire contraption looked kind of like this (sorry for the fuzziness of the image). They put it in Friday to make sure MammoSite would work. The concern: If the expanded balloon stretches the cavity too much, leaving too little tissue between the cavity and the skin, MammoSite would be a no-go. Fortunately, it was perfect: A full 9 millimeters of tissue between the cavity and the skin, which is pretty much ideal.
The upshot: This weekend Mom's walking around with bandages covering a not-so-tiny hole in her side (it was quite an invasive procedure, though thankfully pain-free), and will begin MammoSite on Tuesday (Monday will be a trial run...a "dress rehearsal" if you will). The tubes are catheters that connect to the balloon in her breast, where a small radioactive seed will be placed, working from the inside out rather than outside in (much fewer side effects and shorter treatment time, doc says). This will happen at the Hulston Cancer Center twice a day for five days, beginning Tuesday and ending the following Monday--only 26 days after her diagnosis. A miracle if ever I've seen one. After that, there will be frequent checkups, but hopefully no more procedures.
This is not to say this hasn't been a draining experience so far--even though it's been best-case scenario all the way, it's still a big deal, and mom has handled it like a trooper, as has my wife, Nichole, who along with help from one of mom's close nursing friends (Thank you, Cheryl!) is handing the bulk of the bandage-changing and home-nursing duties--the dressing over the catheter site currently needs to be changed twice a day, and mom can't do herself since it's on the side of her breast, almost under her arm, and she can't see it. My wife has been a godsend in this. (Watch a KOLR-10 story about her awesome high school journalism program here.)
Mom has promised a personal note for tomorrow's post, so I'm going to hold her to it--unless, of course she doesn't want to do it. She's overwhelmed (and bit humbled) by all the love and support. Our hope is that when this fight is over--or at least on a long, long, long timeout--you'll turn that support and love to others with cancer who need it, or at least to a charity to help find a cure.
Have a happy and safe Saturday.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Ready to go
In 24 hours we'll know for sure how and when mom will treat her cancer--likely with a short but intense burst of radiation (other methods of treatment are less likely). Talking to her tonight, she's ready to know how it will go, and ready to start. Nichole and I have to say we feel the same way, for what it's worth.
Mom's condition is fine. She's a bit sore from the surgery and struggling with a nasty head cold and (I suspect) the after-effects of the painkillers, but is feeling better each day. Thanks for all the prayers and nice comments. Not unnoteworthy, she and dad celebrated 31 years of wedded bliss today, so congratulations are in order as much as prayers.
I thought I'd tell you about a couple of things that really caught my attention this week:
Gacie's Bridal and Special Occasion, a downtown Springfield boutique owned by friend and fellow Ozark High School graduate (and Tiger Pride Band alum) Andrea Alcorn, is holding a Pretty In Pink Prom Fashion Show to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks this Sunday, February 25, at her store at 431 S. Jefferson (that's in the Whilhoit Plaza, just south of the downtown YMCA branch). The shindig begins at 2 p.m. and the $5 entry fee will let you gander lots of great dresses and other pretty things...those of you with juniors or seniors in high school will especially want to attend. Again, it benefits BCFO, a stellar organization.
Also, I hope you'll check out a particularly moving feature by the Springfield News-Leader (I can't believe I just typed those words). It's an online slideshow and conversation with Drury University assistant women's basketball coach Trish Marsh, who I had the pleasure of interviewing multiple times when I was sports editor and then editor of the Drury Mirror from 2000-2002. Trish is fighting the fight against breast cancer, and the story (told entirely in her own words) is moving and heroic. Do check it out.
I'll be back with an update on mom's appointment tomorrow. Love to you all.
ML
Mom's condition is fine. She's a bit sore from the surgery and struggling with a nasty head cold and (I suspect) the after-effects of the painkillers, but is feeling better each day. Thanks for all the prayers and nice comments. Not unnoteworthy, she and dad celebrated 31 years of wedded bliss today, so congratulations are in order as much as prayers.
I thought I'd tell you about a couple of things that really caught my attention this week:
Gacie's Bridal and Special Occasion, a downtown Springfield boutique owned by friend and fellow Ozark High School graduate (and Tiger Pride Band alum) Andrea Alcorn, is holding a Pretty In Pink Prom Fashion Show to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks this Sunday, February 25, at her store at 431 S. Jefferson (that's in the Whilhoit Plaza, just south of the downtown YMCA branch). The shindig begins at 2 p.m. and the $5 entry fee will let you gander lots of great dresses and other pretty things...those of you with juniors or seniors in high school will especially want to attend. Again, it benefits BCFO, a stellar organization.
Also, I hope you'll check out a particularly moving feature by the Springfield News-Leader (I can't believe I just typed those words). It's an online slideshow and conversation with Drury University assistant women's basketball coach Trish Marsh, who I had the pleasure of interviewing multiple times when I was sports editor and then editor of the Drury Mirror from 2000-2002. Trish is fighting the fight against breast cancer, and the story (told entirely in her own words) is moving and heroic. Do check it out.
I'll be back with an update on mom's appointment tomorrow. Love to you all.
ML
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Don't worry, be happy!
Sincerest apologies if you were checking in last night to find out how mom did. After getting up at 5:15 and spending a solid (and somewhat stressful) 12 hours at the hospital, it was time to get mom settled and ultimately crash when we got back to Ozark. But, as clearly demonstrated by Biscuit, my parents' overly relaxed dog, there wasn't a lot to get super-uptight about.
As this guy would say, yesterday's lumpectomy/sentinal node biopsy was a "Great Success, yes!" Dr. Buckner says mom did beautifully, that her lymph system looks clean (they're still waiting on some pathology tests) and that the tumor was as contained as he expected. We'll discuss treatment at our appointment on Wednesday, but as of now there's zero reason to think this is still anything other than the best-case-scenario. "Dr. Buckner is greatest man doc in profession of medicine in U-S and A!" Okay, enough with the Borat references.
Mom is doing very well as of this morning. She's up and sitting in the living room. She's a bit sore and still on the pain pills, but she's eating whatever she feels like and is extremely positive about things. Dad is great (he slept in the living room--we both dozed off on this movie).
Thanks for all the prayers, calls, nice comments and good thoughts. This fight isn't over, but this was a big, big hurdle. We know (99 percent) what we're treating, and THAT part of the fight could begin within the week.
Love to you all,
Matt
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