Good News and Next Steps

It's been another busy week!  On Monday we met with Dr. Ardalan and he told us what he found in last Thursday's CT and PET scans.  We have two wonderful things to be thankful for:

1.  There is no metastasis of the cancer.  That means nothing has spread and all vital organs (other than the pancreas) are free of malignancy.

2.  The tumor has significantly decreased in size.

Dr. Ardalan says my mother is responding "beautifully" to her chemotherapy treatment.  Everything is working as desired and he wants her to continue with chemo (and perhaps radiotherapy down the line) to shrink the tumor even more.  After that, they will reassess and see if she'll be ready to have it completely removed by surgery or if further treatment is needed.  All of this is great news!

Additionally, we are grateful that my mom has tolerated the chemotherapy and its side affects so well.  In my last three months at home, I've noticed a remarkable difference in my mother's energy, appetite, and appearance.  Honestly, to look at her and spend time with her you would probably find it hard to imagine that she is living with cancer and going through chemotherapy.  That's just a testament to how much my mom rocks and how good God is.

With this bit of good news comes some bittersweet news as well.  My leave from work is up and it's time for me to return back to my job, my friends, and my life in Brooklyn.  I feel very blessed that I was able to take the time to be with my parents during this time and transition.  I'm also very fortunate to have the support of my employers, co-workers and friends that made my leave possible.  I'm going to miss my friends and family in South Florida very much, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting back to business in Brooklyn!

For the next stage of my mom's chemotherapy, she's going to be trying something a little different.  Instead of her Monday and Tuesday stays at The Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in the CTU with our beloved nurses and hospital staff, my mom is going to start at-home chemotherapy.  It seems like it's going to be a great option with (hopefully) less waiting and more mobility for my mom all in the comfort of her own home.  Pretty cool, huh?

Even though I'll be away from Florida, I will still provide updates from time to time so anyone who's interested can stay on top of my mom's progress.  Who knows?  I may even get my mom to start doing some of the blog entries herself!  We'll see.

As always, thank you for your continued prayers, positive thoughts, and support.  We can definitely feel them.  Keep up the good work!

And now, for some lovely photos of my mom's birthday bash last week all taken Martha Font Rodriguez, a good family friend.  Thank you, Martha!

A Happy Birthday and Some Scans

It's been a while between posts.  Thanks for being patient, friends.  As I had mentioned before April has been quite the busy month around here.  We've had lots more family visits with the kids and grandkids and even my mom's sister (Titi Delia) made a special trip from Puerto Rico to see my mom.  

On Saturday, my mom (and my sister, Monica, and my niece, Maria!) celebrated their birthdays.  They are all April 17th babes.  In honor of her birthday, my mom's very special friends, Nana & Pepe, threw her a fantastic party.  With many of her dearest friends & family, an entire roast pig, four birthday cakes, and a live mariachi band my mom declared that this was her "best birthday ever."

Here's a picture of all three birthday girls.  From left to right: Maria (2 years old), Mimi (62 years old), and Monica (37 years old).

I promise to post more pictures and maybe even some videos when I get a chance to snag them from my sisters' various cameras.

As far as treatment goes, my mom skipped last Monday's chemotherapy--which would have been her 8th--due to a low platelet count.  Otherwise her numbers are still good so we were all okay with the chemo break.  Today, my mom proceeded with her scheduled PET and CT scans.  These scans will help determine what her next steps in treatment will be.  We will see her doctors on Monday to discuss the results.  

Next week, I promise to give you more more pictures and news.  Until then, please pray.

Praises/Prayer Requests:

• Praise for wonderful friends and a wonderful birthday!
• Praise and continued thanks for the amazing doctors, nurses, and other medical staff that have taken such good care of my mom during her treatment. 
• Please pray for the PET/CT scans and that the findings would be positive.
• Continued prayer for family & friends with health issues.

Chemo Round 7 and Even More Road Trips

My mom doesn't quit!  (Even if I tell her to.)

With students being off for Spring Break and holy week holidays, April has turned into quite a busy month for us.  Two weeks ago we went to Tampa to see Monica & Brian and their kids.  Here's my mom with Noah, Luke, Simeon, Jael, Skyler, and Eve.

This week my mom decided she really wanted to spend Easter with Lula & Dave and their kids in Lakeland so off we went!  There and back in one day...can you believe it?!

My mom made sure to bring her Easter bonnet which featured pictures of all fourteen grandkids.

The Peoples were totally surprised.  My mom has spent the last seven (at least) Easters with them and she wouldn't let a little thing like distance get in the way of that streak.

Dave had an Easter bonnet, too.  Oh yeah, we had a good time.

Of course, we had another round of chemo after that.  Treatment last Monday/Tuesday was business as usual but my mom had to go in again later that week for shots to boost her WBCs and hemoglobin levels.  As far as treatment goes my mom has to complete one more round of chemotherapy and then the week after that we expect to go in for a CT scan.  After that scan we'll have a better idea of what the tumor looks like and what the next steps of treatment will be.  Until then, we will keep on keepin' on.

After last week's stay at the Sylvester Center we had the pleasure of even more family fun.  Because my nephew Ethen was on spring break, Ricky & Alison and their kiddos came to see us in Margate!

We had a great time taking trips to the park & the pool.

Thanks again, friends, for caring.  It means a lot to us that you're interested in what's going on with my mom and our family during this time.  Until next time...

Praises/Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for our good friend, Archbishop Bruce Knox, who is recently dealing with some health issues of his own.  We love him and ask for healing and peace for him and his family during this time.
• Please continue to pray for our friend Buddy's progress.  Keep up the good work, Buddy!
• Please pray for my mom's continued good health & spirits.  Her progress is steady and we are anxious to see what the results of the CT scan will look like.  So I guess that means you can also pray for patience and good news!
• Praises - We are grateful for good family and good friends.  We are also looking forward to another week off after this next round of chemo.