12-5-20

It has been awhile since Mom's last update...mostly because there hasn't been much new news to report. This week, though, she had another CT scan and yesterday she saw the oncologist for the results. He shared that the cancer growth was holding steady...with some possible shrinkage, which is good news. He wasn't sure if this was due to her latest rounds of chemo or just the nature of the cancer itself.

The current plan is to continue her chemo for the next few weeks and then take a break before scanning again. This will give her a welcomed reprieve from the side effects of the chemo and hopefully more information about how to proceed going forward. 

Overall, she is juggling the medication and the physical effects as well as possible. While I've been in Holland for the last month, she has really enjoyed special one on one time with Eric, Shawn, Chelsea, & Riley. She is currently enjoying time with Zack again, who is back for two weeks (able to do his training online from her house). I arrive back on the 14th so we will be celebrating an early Christmas while we're all together.

We're sure grateful for FaceTime which makes it possible to visit with each other from across the world...and that it enabled her to be part of of my wedding day from over 4,000 miles away: a real cause for celebration for our family amidst this challenging year! We can't wait to get her over here in person to celebrate as soon as the world opens back up again!

She appreciates family and friends keeping in touch and is sending lots of love during this holiday season!

9-30-20

Just a quick update to share that Mom is doing as well as can be. She has completed 6 weekly treatments of chemo and has 3 more to go. This round of treatment has had less side effects. It seems to have helped her cough and to have given her more energy. But, her pain level is still high. She's having to manage that by taking a lot of medication, which is tricky to stay on top of at times. It has also caused her to lose her hair.

Throughout it all, though, she is still very much herself: keeping up with world events...enjoying the home she has put so much of her heart into over the years, playing (and winning!) lots of Rummikub...watering her giant, beautiful, garden....and staying connected with family and friends over video, phone, email, texts (and sometimes even in person visits!).

We recently came across this old photo album my grandpa made while he was away in the Navy, separated from my grandma and mom.

How sweet to see how beloved she has been from her earliest days.

❤️

Until next time!

Happy Birthday!

 Happy 77th Birthday, Mom!

I hope you feel all the love coming your way today-from all around the world!

You are definitely my superhero.

Celebrating you today.

And every day.

Happy, happy, birthday, Mom. 

Ik hou van jou...with all my heart!

❤️❤️❤️

8-15-20

A quick update to share that Mom has started her latest round of chemo. The plan is for her to have weekly infusions (three weeks on/one week off) for the next few months. The hope is that it will stop or slow the growth of the cancer and that she will feel less pain as it goes.

As some of you may have heard, I am taking off for Holland today (!) for a month. Happily, Zack is still off work and is able to stay with Mom while I'm away. He'll be taking her to all of her appointments and I know they will enjoy this special time together.

 Mom shared this poem with me today and it seemed fitting to share it here.

Allow

There is no controlling life.

Try corralling a lightening bolt,

containing a tornado. 

Dam a stream and it 

will create a new channel. 

Resist, and the tide

will wipe you off your feet. 

Allow, and grace will carry you 

to higher ground. 

The only safety lies in

letting it all in-

the wild and the weak;

fears, fantasies,

failures and success. 

When loss rips off the doors of the heart,

or sadness veils your vision with despair,

practice simply becomes bearing the truth.

In the choice to let go 

of your known way of being,

the whole world is revealed to your eyes. 

~Danna Faulds

7-24-20

Mom, Eric and Chelsea have made it home from their trip safe and sound. They had a great time seeing so many sights and visiting with loved ones along the way. The wifi wasn't great on the road, so Chelsea will be updating the blog now that she is home. We're looking forward to that!

Today was a big day. Mom had her appointment at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and really liked the doctor she met with. She recommended a different form of chemo: one that can be administered weekly and is supposed to have less side effects. She also recommended radiation. So, it is hopeful that these two paths will help Mom feel as comfortable as possible going forward. 

Also, my grandma's house (which we just put on the market on July 7th) closed today. We had 14 offers and accepted an all cash one from a buyer who waived the inspection and paid $35,000 over our asking price! For it to close less than three weeks after we put it on the market and for everything to go so much better than we could've imagined, is such a gift.

That's it for now.

Till next time, take care All!

❤️

On the Road!

This has been a big week. Zack took off last weekend, after three months of being here....

and Mom, Eric, and Chelsea departed on their two week trip down the coast on Thursday. Zack was just ahead of them on the path and they will all meet up in Long Beach next week. How fun to see everyone so happy and open to new adventures!

Chelsea will be documenting their journey

 on a blog of her own, which you can follow here:

Road Trip with Nana

❤️

6/26/20

Finally an update: Mom had a CT scan on Monday and went in for the results today.

She was scheduled to see the doctor and have an infusion today but the doctor said the scan showed the current course of treatment was not working. He cancelled the infusion and is ordering a molecular study of the mass in her lung. She is being referred to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for a second opinion and to see if she qualifies for clinical trials. She is enthused about this plan.

The good news is that he approved Mom's plan of renting an RV and driving down the coast with Eric for two weeks. They'll leave two weeks from today. This is a trip that has been important to them both so it's a huge spirit lifter to be able to make it a reality!

We've been enjoying Mom's beautiful deck and had this surprise visitor recently!

5-21-20

A quick update to let you know that Mom’s procedure went smoothly today. Her voice is already showing signs of improvement but it will take a few days for things to settle to see how big the improvement will be. The procedure sounded very uncomfortable but she said it was doable. They are hopeful that it improves her ability to talk with more ease for several months at which point she’d have to go in and do it again. 

It’s exciting to hear strains of her regular voice already!

She’s resting now. It was a big morning.
❤️

The beautiful “Golden Chain” trees in Mom’s yard are in full bloom this week. 

Nice to be able to fully appreciate the lush park she has created over the years during this quiet time.

5-15-20

Time for an update.

Yesterday, Mom finished her first six week cycle of immunotherapy and began her second cycle. She’d been feeling discouraged due to increased coughing, plus back, chest, and bone pain but the doctor said her lab tests looked good and this is the time when she can expect to feel the benefits of the immunotherapy. Hope makes all the difference!

Next week, she will have a Covid-19 test in preparation for a throat procedure (5/21) that we’re hoping will allow her to talk again with more ease.

Zack is still able to be with us, at least through the month of May, which is a giant gift.

Mom has really pushed herself to be there for me during these last two months—-and especially since I broke my arm. How crazy since I so want to be there for HER! She has gotten up every day to help me: eat, shower, and be as comfortable as I can be. It really shows her inner strength—and what a strong Mama Bear I have for a Mom. We’re all managing to find things to laugh about in each day, even as we shake our heads in wonder to find ourselves riding out such an intense time.

For anyone interested, I have started my own blog for updates (https://www.unexpecteddetours.net/) and I’ll continue to post here for updates on Mom.

Till next week...continued good health to All.

Getting out for walks is helpful. Rosie & Leo love the creek just across the street!

4-19-20

An update to let you know that Mom is holding steady. She had her immunotherapy infusion on Thursday (4/16) and she will continue that every 2 weeks for the foreseeable future. She’s doing very well with it, much better than the chemotherapy. The nurse told me that she looked really good and at home she has her tough days and her good days. Her cough is hard to hear, let alone how that must feel for her but she continues with her inspiring attitude of acceptance, pragmatism, and hopefulness.
~~~~~
As many of you have already heard, I’ve had to follow in her footsteps in ways that neither of us every dreamed would be possible. These last few weeks have been a blur. I just shared a post on FB about it and it will be simplest for me to just share that here to let you know what’s happening:

“In October, in the midst of the beautiful trip Han & I took around the NW, we were simultaneously finding out that my mom had been diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer. In the midst of so much beauty...we were feeling such extreme mixtures of emotions. Supporting her during this difficult time became the top priority.

At that point, we made the decision that I would move in with her...to help out and to enjoy our precious time together. After one more trip to Holland in January, I came home and got busy doing that. In the midst of this, I decided to go to the doctor to have him look at what I thought was a “frozen shoulder” that I’d had for months. He sent me for an MRI.  One test led to another and, incomprehensibly, I have been diagnosed with Diffused Large Cell Lymphoma (a type of blood cancer). It is hopeful that it is completely curable. And for sure, it is completely scary!

This has all happened very fast. Last week I had a port put in and I start chemo on Friday. To have this all happen at once, in the midst of this pandemic has felt nothing short of surreal. My mom, Zack, and I were all supposed to be in Holland right now for a really special Spring trip. It is so difficult to put our minds around being slammed by these crazy waves we didn’t see coming.

In some ways this feels like the worst possible timing. In other ways, there are some silver linings to it, the biggest being that we’re here together and Zack is able to be here with us, too. As timing would have it, he’s between lives (moving from Billings to San Francisco) but on leave until the “shelter in place” policy is lifted. It’s hard to imagine what we would do without his help right now, when friends and family can’t come over as they would any other time.

I’m also grateful for all the inner tools I’ve been cultivating over these last years. I heard a talk recently, that in times of crisis you get to see if your house is built on sand or a solid foundation. I’ve worked deligently in these last years to build that solid foundation and although I’m scared and overwhelmed....I can feel it there and trust that it will hold me steady. The biggest comfort is my total trust in the old Pema quote, I’ve shared here before, “You are the sky. Everything else-it’s just the weather.” After stormy skies....the sun always follows. It is nature’s way and I have total faith in that."

~~~~~~~

So, I had my first chemotherapy infusion on Friday. I had the same nurse who treated Mom the day before. She was right in saying that this is one experience no mother and daughter want to share. I feel such heartache for the extra stress it is putting on Mom...and also my empathy for all she has gone through has increased so much by having to experience all the assaults on my body (and mind) that she has had to endure these last months. It is alot to take in. 

~~~~~~~~~

I know this is a crazy time for everybody reading this. Wishing for each of you to stay safe and healthy. I can’t wait until we’re all on the other side of this surreal time. We will have so much celebrating to do!

❤️
Kelly

3-26-20

Boy, how quickly our world has turned upside down.

In the midst of this, Mom had progress scans done this week and met with her oncologist today.

She found out that while there are no new spots (which is great news), the growth in her lung has grown some, so the doctor is switching her to a new formula of immunotherapy. She’ll be going in every two weeks, rather than every three weeks.

We were supposed to leave Monday for our big trip to Holland and it is beyond disappointing that we’re having to postpone it-for now. We’ll be rebooking as soon as we possibly can.

We know this is a difficult time for all.

Stay healthy and safe...and know we are sending our love to each of you.
❤️

The  daffodil fields in Skagit Valley will have to do until we return to Holland.

2-16-20

On Valentine’s Day (Isabel’s 16th Birthday!), Mom went in for another immunotherapy treatment. She also had a “Zometa” infusion (for strengthening her bones). 

In the last 3 weeks since she stopped the chemotherapy, she has had more energy. At the same time she has had an increase in back pain, which is disconcerting.

On a bright note, the two of us will be flying to Billings to visit Zack this week. It’s our last chance before he moves to San Francisco this Spring and a good test flight for the longer one we plan on taking to Holland next month.

“You can’t stop the waves, 

but you can learn how to surf”.

-Jon Kabat-Zinn

One of my favorite photos of Isabel & Mom❤️

1-25-20

The results of the new scans are in and the doctor said it was good news: there are signs of real improvement from the chemo/immunotherapy treatment! At this point Mom will only have immunotherapy which shouldn’t have the negative side effects that the chemo has been having. She also needed a blood transfusion yesterday due to a low red blood cell count. We’re hopeful that at this point, she will really begin to feel better and get her energy back.

She’ll continue the immunotherapy treatment every three weeks. During her next treatment (on Valentine’s Day!) she’ll also get an infusion to strengthen her bones.

We’re so grateful to be able to share this positive update.
❤️

(A favorite photo of Mom with all her grandkids in Texas-a FEW years back!)

1-4-20

The last three weeks have not been easy on mom. While she stayed on top of her anti-nausea medication, the chemo, nevertheless, has really been taking its toll. At today’s treatment they found out her red blood cell count is down which helped to explain how tired she has felt. Because of this, the doctor decided to reduce the potency of the chemo mixture. They always wait till the last minute to mix up the chemo solution for just this reason. 

We're hoping the next few weeks are easier on her system. They will take more scans (finally!) on the 21st (with results back on the 24th). Of course, we're all so anxious to find out what effect this last few months of treatment have been having and are hoping for the best! The results of the scans will determine the next course of treatment. 

I am writing this from Holland. I'm so grateful for Mom's continued support for my travels even as she's going through this rough time. I'm missing being there for her (in person) day to day but know other's are taking this as an opportunity to spend more time with her and she's enjoying and appreciating the support from her loving circle of family and friends. The next update will be on the 24th when we find out the results of the scans. Until then....


Happy New Year to each of you!
❤️