Wild and Crazy

(picture taken September 2, 2016)

Thank you to everyone who is continuing to follow mom's updates and show your care and concern in this way. Each of us has been blessed in so many ways by so many people, and Mom continues to receive cards daily; this is a nice encouragement for all of us! Thank you so much. Things were 'quiet' during the time of the last update, but since, they have hyped up a bit. Nothing too wild and crazy. Unless when you think of wild and crazy MRIs, all but impossible blood draws, appointments, and procedures come to mind. Well then by golly, wild and crazy it is!

Some of this so called wild and crazy happened earlier this week. Mom had the procedure to have the port put in. It went well. Praise the Lord! This wiped her out a bit, but she is recovering nicely. This week also brought about some local work for Dad. This is such a blessing, and as it was mentioned before his bosses have been amazing through all of this. Words can't express how much our entire family appreciates them. They have shown an incredible amount of kindness, love and support. Dad going to work has granted my sisters and I some much cherished time with Mom. We like spending time with her, and when Dad is away at work it gives us LOTS of Mom time. So Mom has had her fair share of company from, as she puts it, her daughter who is the boss, the one who would like to take that spot, the noisy, funny, entertaining one, and the quieter one who goes with the flow. We would like to think that each of us is her favorite, but ultimately she enjoys her time with Dad and likes when he is home with her...this just goes to show that no matter how old your kids are sometimes you just want a BREAK from them! (Haha!) But even more so, this is a testimony to Dad and Mom's marriage and commitment to one another. In similar and also very different ways this is so hard for the both of them. And yet their unconditional love for one another is lived out daily. This is even more evident on the days where this love is tested and stretched in ways like never before. Their love for one another is something that my sisters and I are blessed to witness.

Back to all the wild and crazy...leading up to the port this week was a slew of appointments. One of which was a drawn-out (no pun intended) lab appointment with some talented staff that managed to get some blood from those rolling, collapsing veins of hers. In very Mom fashion, she was a trooper for this lab appointment (which lasted well beyond an hours time more like two and was stretched over two separate lab locations).

Her oncology appointment last week brought with it the most recent MRI results. We got expected but discouraging news that there have been undesired changes since the last MRI from 2 months ago. As it was explained to us, these changes likely indicate irreversible brain damage from the radiation treatments which are continuing to have an affect on her brain. Unfortunately, radiation can't decipher cancer cells from the healthy ones so it attacks all of them mercilessly causing wanted and very much unwanted damage. There is another MRI ordered for the end of this month in hopes of giving the doctors more clarity of exactly what these changes are. On a lighter note, when you are in the midst of wild and crazy, why not party? And that she did. Twice! Last week Mom was able make it to her family Christmas gathering; an annual highlight in January. She was also able to celebrate with one of her sweet granddaughters for their fourth birthday. When you take things one day at a time, unsure of what that day or the next will hold, and what we unthinkingly assume as predictable suddenly falls into the category of unpredictable, these moments and happenings become very cherished and treasured. We praise God for these times! God is continuing to bless us, teach us, and sanctify us through this trial. As we continue to find peace in these blessings I do ask for continued prayers in specific ways.

Mom could use prayer for lifted spirits. With the news from the MRI, the stress leading up to the port, and the anticipation of another round of chemo coming up in less than a week, anxiety and depression has crept in. Please pray that she can feel Gods peace throughout each and every day like she had before. We don't see mom's quick wit like we used to. It's still there but doesn't shine like it once did. Instead it has been replaced with gentle, appreciative smiles, but even more so...confusion, discouragement, and anxiety. We also continue to pray for complete healing; for the tumor to be destroyed and the damage to be reversed. This may seem like a steep order, but this is possible in the hands of God, and it is our desire, so we pray in this way. But in the meantime, we find rest in knowing that He has a plan and is in complete control.

And please pray for all of us as we seek to glorify God through this difficult time. Pray that we continue to see the many blessings he bestows upon us and that we can all feel the peace that only He can give us. And lastly pray for Mom that her body responds well (as well as can be) to the next round of chemo, and that the chemo would be effective. It will begin this weekend. Thank you again for your love, support, concern and prayers! Blessings,

~Jenna

(In regards to the picture above)

A month into her diagnosis we gifted Mom with a blanket that had a picture of all the grand-kids. The blanket is displayed behind her in this photo. In the fall when Mom was up and about more than she is now she would refold the blanket on occasion to display a different grandchild's face as it lay folded in her room on display. But in the most recent weeks, she rests daily with this blanket draped over her. And now, rather than it being on display, it displays each and every one of her grand-kid's faces all at once; no refolding necessary. My mom with her grand-kids is a sweet sight, and they continue to put the biggest smiles on her face.

But besides the blanket, I chose this photo of Mom because she looks so happy here even though less than 4 weeks before it was taken she was told that she has a brain tumor and was given a grave prognosis. And this picture perfectly depicts her attitude about it all. While we were all living through the shock, she was setting the tone and reassuring each and every one of us. God granted her unwavering joy and faith in our Lord and Savior that she poured into us since the beginning of this journey. She is a special mom.