Update on Ma's Condition

Ed's mother had a CT scan on Tuesday, April 19th. We then met with the radiologist and oncologist on Thursday, the 21st. The news was not good. The cancer has spread into her lungs and liver. She has terminal cancer. While the doctors didn't want to give us a time frame at this meeting, the oncologist had said 6 weeks ago that people with her type of cancer live on average 6 months. Ma has decided to fight as long as she can and will start chemo therapy on Tuesday, May 3rd. After 6 weeks, she will get another CT scan to check the progress. If the chemo is helping then she will continue, if not, then we'll have to figure out what to do next.

Both of my parents died of cancer. Mom from ovarian cancer when I was only 11 going on 12. Dad of lung cancer when I was 24 years old. Both only lived a year from the initial diagnosis despite the chemo and radiation. Ed's mom has battled cancer twice before. Ovarian cancer before I ever knew her, and breast cancer 9 years ago. While I have had both parents and a grandparent die while I was around, I was never there when it actually happened. I remember Dad coming home from the hospital and telling us kids that Mom had died. I visited with my father in the hospital just an hour before his death, my sister called me to let me know of his passing. The same thing happened with my grandmother. I had visited her as she lay dieing and told her that she needed to go, people were waiting for her on the other side of the veil. That it was going to be a grand reunion. As I drove home from the hospital, the nurse called to let me know she had died. I have always been thankful that I wasn't there when the final time came. Somehow it helped me get through the heart ache. I don't think I'm going to be able to miss out on this event this time.

The one thing I hope is that Ed's siblings and my family don't do what I and my family did to my mom during her last year on this earth. We kept thinking she'd beat the cancer and that she'd always be there. I read in her diary years later about her last Mother's Day. She had been expecting us to do something special. We were never ones to really do cards or gifts (I'm still not), but the only thing she got that day was a gift I had made at school. She was hurt, thinking that we would try to make her last Mother's Day memorable, we didn't. To us it was just another day. If I had a time machine I would go back to that day and really let her know how much she meant to me/us. Since there is no magical time machine, I pray that we all take the time to tell our loved ones how much we love them.

The Lord's Been Good to Me(Us)

As you all know, Ed has been out of work since before Christmas 2009. He has been deligent in looking for work, and we even were willing to move in order to get a job. Fortunately we didn't have to. The Lord truely has been sustaining us through this past year. We did have to dip into retirement a bit, but then that just means not as many trips to Disney Land once we retire.

Well, as of April 18th he will be back in the work force where he actually gets paid for the work he does. (He has been hard at work around the house with the remodel, so I can't say he has not worked this whole time.)

Life Changes

Well, we have a new addition to our household. Ed's mother has come to live with us. It was decided back in January that after she retired from Craft Warehouse she would not be able to afford her own home and would come to live with us. We set about remodeling the downstairs to accomodate this. Ed installed a door between the kitchen and what was the dining room.

He also installed French doors between the dining room and living room flanked by glass blocks.

To complete her "apartment" he installed another set of French doors between the living room and the entry way.

Finally, he is in the process of installing a shower in the old laundry room between the family room and the garage.

Then on February 10th, our world was turned upside down. Ma's back had been aching for months. It was the main reason she decided to retire, she just couldn't cope anymore. Her primary doctor told her that she had degenerative disc diesease. After weeks of physical therapy and no relief, Ed finally took her to the emergency room to try to get a shortcut to see a neurologist. Instead, Ma was immediately admitted to the hospital for a broken neck vertebrae! Two major operations later, she has been diagnosed with a carcenoma of unknown origin. For a while we weren't sure she was going to make it out of the hospital. The prognosis is 6 months to a year and a half, hopefully longer. Right now she is having to wear a full neck/back brace when she is up and walking about, and just a soft collar at all other times. Tomorrow she'll finish her radiation treatment.

Ma was released from the hospital to our house yesterday. We were told not to leave her unattended due to the fact that she can't see her feet when she walks in the walker with the brace on, and she gets a little confused when she gets tired. Plus, the pain meds make her a little loopy. She needs to be checked on every four hours to see if she is in enough pain to warrent the meds. This means we will not be getting a full night's sleep anytime soon. (Now I know why God gives babies to young people.)

A Great Visit

We drove to Rexburg Idaho last Thursday to spend the 4-day weekend with Jennifer. When we arrived most of the snow she had been telling us about had melted and you could see the grass. We even walked around campus without coats on it was so warm. Then came Saturday night and along with it 5 inches of snow. I heard the snowplows running up and down the street outside her bedroom window at 5am.

While we were there she took us to Craigo's all you can eat pizza parlor. Edward really enjoyed himself. I must admit their Oreo pizza was good.

Saturday night after the boys dropped us off at the dorm and drove back to the hotel to have a swim, I dyed Jennifer's hair a dark auburn color. I also dyed her dorm mate Heidi's a light blonde. We had a great time just spending "girl time" together.

It was hard to say 'good-bye' once again, but she'll be coming home in just 42 more days. She'll then be home until September when we take her back and do it all again.

Had to Laugh

I was looking over the new photos taken of our family by Ingela and picking one to replace the old one in my wallet which happens to be quite a few years old, when I realized that even though the children are still in stairstep, it is now by height not age. Jennifer has lost two positions already, and we figure in a few years she might just end up at the bottom spot when Aaron hits his growth spurt.

Still Waiting

It has been over a year now that Ed has been out of work. We are still waiting for one of the many companies he has talked to over this year to start hiring again. With the economy as it is, as well as the uncertainty the government is imposing on businesses, is it any wonder that they are holding off hiring? We continue to put our trust in the Lord and with His help we have made it a year so far. We count our blessings that Jennifer is able to attend BYU-I. She was given a Pell Grant that has paid for her schooling thus far. At the end of December we found out that she was also awarded a "Smart Grant" that helps pick up further costs involved in attending school away from home. I know that it is the hand of the Lord. He sustains us, and we will continue to wait upon the Lord and do our part.

Happy New Year!

I told you, we love our Union Titan Football. Jennifer sweet talked the coach into letting us borrow some jerseys for our photo shoot with Ingela. I opted to wear Edward's sweatshirt and go as the number one fan of my family. I love the stair-step photo of the kids the best I think. I told Ingela she was supposed to make me look thinner in these pictures, but I guess she hasn't figured out how to do that yet in Photoshop. I hope you all have a great new year as we start 2011.