The BushCrew Blog

2011-12-17T00:00:00.000-06:00

One year ago today, several things came to an end: Stephanie's fight with cancer, her ability to raise Levi day by day, and our marriage of more than 19 years. BUT, several things came to pass as well: Stephanie now experiences the love of our Heavenly Father in ways we can only dream about and hope for, I have a new, more experienced way in which I view and process life, and we all are better off for having known and reflected on the person that Stephanie was here on Earth and in our lives.

I share with you today a poem (if you can call it that) I wrote in early 2011, about a month after Stephanie's death. As I look back on the last year and reread this poem, there is much to see. The piece that stands out to me now is the analogy I used about a forest fire. The hope they lay just beneath the surface then is now in full bloom. Levi and I have been blessed with a new beginning that promises to grow into a thriving, green forest, rich with love and experience for as long as God wills it to be.

Please, take a moment today and reflect on who Stephanie was and what she meant to you. Thank God for her presence in your life, thank Him for the loved ones in your life, and thank Him for the new beginnings we are all blessed to experience, be it the start of a new family unit or the cleansed life that can only come from the acceptance of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. - Kevin

It is dark and mylegs are weak

Tired of it allwhen she began to speak

Igniting the flameof hope

Travel begins tothe place of dreams

Love welcomes withopen arms

Acceptance waspast

and light filledthe corners of my soul

After years oftogether

Her life was nomore

Hope burnt to theground

The forest floorsmolders

But hope lies justbeneath

It will prevailand burst through

A beautifulcontrast of

Pale green againstthe black

She smiles inpeaceful solitude

The pain andsorrow gone with the wind

Her soul rejoicingin the race she ran

Now embraced bythe ones she loves

Warmed by thebeauty of perfect light

And rewarded for herfaithful fight

General Family Update

2011-09-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

It has been almost 7 months since I last posted an update. WOW! I can't believe it has been that long...which translates into quite a lengthy update. I will consolidate by giving the main highlights. If you want more details (and many of you just may), you know where to find me! :-)

LOCATION
We officially moved to Jacksonville, FL on March 26th, 2011. By we, I mean Levi, my mother and father, and me. We stayed in a furnished, corporate apartment for 3 months while I built a new home for us all to move into. We then moved into the new house on July 1st, 2011.

LEVI
Levi started pre-school and soccer last week. He is enjoying school but still looking for some new friends. We don't have any neighbors around our house, so he has only had a short amount of time to get to know anyone his age. I'll keep everyone posted but the only name he knows from school besides his teacher is a little girl named, Katy. Go figure! That kid is already going to be a ladies man...

KEVIN
For those who are on Facebook, some of my update will already be familiar to you. the rest, here you go! For reasons too numerous to list here, I began the process of dating through Match.com about 6 months after Stephanie passed. Shortly after that step, I met a beautiful lady named Jessica. We are now well on our way in the dating process and are starting to get serious about our relationship.

I understand that there will be several folks reading this that will find those words hard to swallow. Trust me, I understand the emotional response there. I do want to say however, that my decisions are being made thoughtfully and prayerfully at every step. I know very well what I want in life for myself and for Levi. If I were to sum up my thoughts on this subject, I would have to put it this way: I know that God's hand is guiding me and he has placed Jessica in my life with a purpose that is very clear to me. (This is where I know that many will see me as Noah's long lost companion.)

I could write or talk about this situation for hours or even days straight and still not share everything I have thought about, considered, discussed with various people I respect, prayed for, hoped for, dreamed of, or even cried about. I come back to a couple questions only. First, what would Stephanie want for Levi and me? Second, what does God want for me? I believe beyond words that I know the answers to these questions. In my mind, I respectfully say, nothing else is of significant concern. What that means is that the relationship will progress quickly, if I have anything to say about it. How quickly you ask? Well, you will just have to stay tuned to find out. :-)

Peace and Love to All!

Honoring Stephanie Bush and Walking for the Cure

2011-02-28T11:13:00.001-06:00

This year I have decided to walk 60 miles on behalf of my wife, Stephanie. She had a passion for this event and all it represented to survivors and their families. It will be an emotional journey for me and the rest of my team, The Hopefuls. Our team captain, Stephanie, is now watching down from above as we fight the good fight and take every step in remembrance of her, in the hope of Jesus Christ, and in making progress towards a cure for breast cancer!

When I came to this site to write this information, Stephanie's note was already prepared. I chose to leave her words below. Please read it when you have a moment. Thank you for your time and donation! - Kevin

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This year, I'll be participating in a very special event called the Breast Cancer 3-Day.

I'll walk 60 miles over the course of three days with thousands of other women and men. The net proceeds will support breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment through Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.

I've agreed to raise at least $2,200 in donations. I've set my personal goal at $3000. Would you please consider making a donation? Keep in mind how far I'm walking - and how hard I'm training. You can give online at www.The3Day.org. Just follow the link below to visit my personal fund-raising web page and make a donation. You can also call 800.996.3DAY to donate over the phone.

Each of you know the battle I won against breast cancer this past year. It was definitely a challenging time in my life but one I'm truly thankful to have come out on the other side of. I am truly excited to be a part of such an exciting event and know this is just another way that I can help make changes in the lives of so many others who are facing or who will face this disease.

According to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, approximately 200,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and nearly 40,000 will die from the disease. That's why I'm walking so far. To do something bold about breast cancer. I hope that you'll share this incredible adventure with me - by supporting me in my fund-raising efforts.

Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Much love,
Stephanie

P.S. Ask your employer if they will double your donation through a matching gift program!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.the3day.org/site/TR?px=1650633&pg=personal&fr_id=1622&et=DRTxTBS-iUt2uyUwBPRnTQ..&s_tafId=81118

Click here to view the team page for The Hopefuls
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.the3day.org/site/TR?team_id=178768&pg=team&fr_id=1622&et=BZ1IboqrFVyhHT3Y0Zqc-A..&s_tafId=81118

If you no longer wish to receive email messages sent from your friends on behalf of this organization, please click here or paste this URL into your browser: http://www.the3day.org/site/TellFriendOpt?action=optout&toe=c1eac77989a0bcf40a2df5f30754384cebcbc7435140ece1

Final Update on Stephanie

2010-12-18T18:09:00.000-06:00

The day I feared the most in my life has come. My soul mate, my lover, my life partner, my flesh, my best friend, my better half and my blessing took her last breathe of air at 3am yesterday morning. I was lying beside her and she was at peace. No more pain, no more worry and no more sadness. It is a strange feeling to be so happy for her victory yet feel the pain of loss that has torn me from my mind, through my heart and into the depth of my soul.

Stephanie, I love you so much. I know I told you that all the time but I wanted to tell you once more in public. You are the most amazing lady I have ever seen and your thoughts and actions were the same in front of friends, strangers, and at home in our private moments. You were my inspiration and will continue to be for as long as we are apart. I can't wait to see you again my love.

Father God and Lord of my life, I cannot begin to express the thankfulness I have towards you for giving me such a wonderful gift. It is sometimes hard to fathom the gift of grace, but I can honestly say I have a full and complete understanding of the gift you gave me in Stephanie. The 23 years we had experiencing life has brought me so much joy, brought me closer to you than I could ever have thought possible and has left me with a son that I adore with every ounce of energy in me. I praise your name!!!

All readers, I have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and compassion. Through our walk in the valley, our cry has always been that we are able to show people who have followed our journey how the love of Christ can make things easier to deal with, knowing that someone loves us more than we can comprehend. I may feel the pain of losing a best friend and love but I am not alone. Even when I lay in bed at night with no one to share my covers with and kiss goodnight before I close my eyes, I take comfort in knowing that I have a God that loves me, grieves with me, and most importantly, waits for me. It is my chance each night to be still and know the He is God.

REQUEST FOR THE BUSH FAMILY

2010-12-15T12:00:00.002-06:00

Let me first say that the people that are surrounding us with thoughts and prayers are a huge blessing!
My request right now is simple but will require a little extra on each person's part. I am struggling with knowing that Levi may grow up without really knowing who is mother is or was to everyone. Instead of flowers, cards or messages, I would greatly appreciate hand written notes that express what Stephanie has meant to you.
I would like to read them to Stephanie and collect them in a book for Levi.
You can mail them to: 4116 Amhurst Dr. Highland Village, TX 75077
Thank you all in advance!
Kevin

Update on Stephanie

2010-12-14T22:21:00.001-06:00

UPDATE: Stephanie is home, laying next to me in bed this evening. She has no immune system left. Her white blood cell count this morning was 0.3 and the doctor said she would no longer benefit from chemo. His words, "I don't believe she will be with us much longer." Seeing her deteriorate from Thursday through today, I guess it was expected news so I took it well, all things considered.

We now have hospice care at home 24 hours a day with the goal of making her comfortable. My heart is broken and I am on my knees. My love of 20+ years has put up an amazing fight. Honestly more than I ever thought humanly possible.

Please pray for her comfort and for the strength for her family to carry on. I'm not sure what else to say. Thanks to everyone showering us with love. It does help!

December 6, 2010 Update on Stephanie

2010-12-06T17:13:00.000-06:00

Ever heard the phrase, "Here we go again"? Well, that's our story too. We got word last Thursday that Stephanie's cancer has returned yet again. This makes for the third recurrence. The results showed that the lymph nodes in her abdomen are enlarged again, the spleen is enlarged and there is another lesion on the liver.

The good news in all this is that we are in a good place, leaning on God and knowing that things are going to work out. The chemo Steph had last time around worked very well and she will be getting the same drug this time with an additional little mix of something (Taxotere like before and Carboplatin for the detailed folks reading).

First appointment for chemo is tomorrow, December 7th at 9:30am. Prayers and text messages are always welcome. Please let her know you are praying or that you are just thinking about her.

I'll keep everyone posted through Facebook and through this blog. Keeping your finger on the pulse of the situation is best done through Facebook as streaming conscientiousness happens there.

Until the next update, God bless!

09/22/2010 Update on Stephanie

2010-09-22T16:43:00.000-05:00

I came out to the blog to update those non-Facebook folks following Stephanie's fight with breast cancer and realized that it has been a long time since my last update. Not only that, but the last post was a pretty rough time for Stephanie and me.

Well, the good news is back. Since the last post, Stephanie has started chemo and we have seen some miraculous changes. The story is long and I will shorten it here. We went to review here latest PET scan with her doctor today. He read through the medical verbiage that was quite lengthy and incomprehensible, paused, looked up at Steph and said, "Looks like you are officially in remission."

The only way to explain what has happened, between my last post in May until today, is that God chose to heal Stephanie for her faithfulness. Jesus said in Mark 5:34, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." There is a lot to be said for believing in your heart and praying expectantly. We serve an amazing God, there is no doubt! All it takes is the amount of faith equal to that of a mustard seed. And that isn't a lot!

Stephanie will continue to run through a few more treatments of the IV chemo, then reduce that to just the oral form. We will be transitioning our diet and increasing the exercise as the long-term strategy for healthy living. I do expect to begin to document in blog posts some of the things we are doing to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Hopefully, there will be value for all who read it!

God bless you all!!!

Update on Stephanie - 5/21/2010

2010-05-21T22:24:00.000-05:00

This was day number four for Stephanie to spend in the hospital. Pain management is the key objective that needs to be achieved before they are going to release her. The doctors today did some scans and determined that it appears there is an enlarged lymph node that is quite possibly pushing on a bundle of nerves near her spinal column.

The good news is that there is a fairly easy procedure that can be done to check to see if that is the problem. If it is, they can then inject some alcohol into that site and permanently control the pain. It is a little after 10:00 as I sit in the hospital room and type this message. The test will be preformed in the morning so I will update tomorrow as answers come in.

Please continue to pray as this pain and sleeplessness has really taken it's toll on Stephanie. She needs the sleep and pain relief to help her body begin to fought off the cancer.

The best news so far is that the stint they put in on Monday has been very successful in getting rid of the jaundice. Her counts are much better than they were on Monday. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers this week. Please keep it up! I'll update tomorrow.

4/15/10

2010-04-16T03:17:00.000-05:00

Wow, I know all of you are going to find this hard to believe but I'm having a sleepless night and I know so many of you are begging for an update on me. Yes, it's Steph finally writing this time! Let me first start by saying how incredibly blessed we are to have so many friends, family and followers that are praying for us and care so much about us. God has truly placed so many incredible people in our lives.

I won't lie and say this hasn't been a trying few weeks. Since the result of my PETscan, we have been on our knees as always begging God for His wisdom and discernment and most of all, believing Him for a total healing. We're not just praying for one but BELIEVING in His mighty healing power. He is still in the miracle business!

The weeks have been full, and I mean every day of appointments and or treatments. We decided to take on a holistic approach since chemo and radiation certainly haven't been the answer in the past. Why put my body through such toxic stress for something that hasn't been a proven fighter yet? We have spent lots of time with various doctors, many different opinions and protocols. So much, at times it's truly overwhelming.

We made a decision to go back and visit with an oncologist that we visited once last year in the midst of my chemo under the supervision of another oncologist. This particular oncologist was referred by a friend who's mother was going through a battle with lung cancer. He supports the holistic approach so we thought last summer we should see this doctor and make sure the holistic approach we were taking last summer in addition to chemo was the right path. At the time, I wasn't overly impressed with the initial visit although Kevin was. He preached diet/nutrition and exercise.  This doctor is from South America and is a big believer that the diets most Americans consume is the root cause of this ugly disease. Everything is overly processed with added chemicals, pesticides, hormones, etc. The main goal for me to see him again this time around was to have at least an oncologist in my back pocket, so to speak, to stay on top of my bloodwork and scans. Little did I know, God had greater plans than that for this visit. We were at this appointment for 3 hours. This man is amazing. He once again got on the bandwagon of diet/nutrition and exercise. In the midst of all of this information, he spoke of many scriptures and stories in the Bible. His bottom line with me is that my immune system is severely supressed. He has referred me to a friend of his that is practicing at the Mary Crowley Research Center. This friend/doctor has been working on a vaccine for cancer which is in a clinical trial phase. The process involoves taking a piece of one of my tumors and developing a vaccine which would then be injected into my body. The theory is as with any "disease or foreign substance" injected into the body is that the body's instant reaction is to start fighting it, hence, fighting the cancer. He also recommends a very low dose of chemo. He refers to it as a non-life altering dose (no hair loss, nausea, etc). The combination of this along with dosing up on lots of supplements in addition to a 60-70% raw foods diet and daily exercise should get my system regenerated into fighting for a change. I have to tell you that I have never once cried in front of my doctor's at any of my appointments in the last 3 years. This one I did.  I could really feel God's presence and a total peace.  At the end of the appointment he stood up and hugged us and laid his hands over us and prayed for me. He prayed not only for healing but he prayed for wisdom and discernment. It was truly a wow moment for us.  We walked away feeling God's hand in that appointment and a total peace about the road ahead and finally a game plan that again we felt at peace about.

The process now is for the Research Center to review my case and line me up with a case study and get me set up for an initial consultation. We are hopeful that will be by Friday before we leave for our week long cruise. I will go back and see my oncologist once I've had my initial consultation with the Research Center to start moving things along.

I know that is a long answer to everyone's question as to the latest news but hopefully informative. Prayers for continued wisdom and discernment as we continue down this path as well as a total healing would be greatly appreciated. God's word tell us that if "two or more agree to together on this earth that it shall be given unto us."  In the mean time, we keep looking up as we know God continues to walk us through each and every step! Thanks for hanging in there with me through this update and I can't wait to share more great news.

Love and hugs to all of you!

3/11/2010 Update on Stephanie

2010-03-11T11:17:00.000-06:00

Let me start by saying that all of your thoughts and prayers are very helpful and have meant the world to us. Please continue to pray as we brace for the challenges in front of us.

Stephanie and I received the news/results yesterday (earlier than expected) from her PET scan this week. The news was not what we expected to hear...not even close. The cancer has spread to the right side of her chest, lymph node activity is double normal, indicating a good chance that the cancer is there as well and there is a small spot on her liver.

We are still pursuing options and this news changes nothing except giving us a greater sense of urgency to make decisions wisely and quickly. Stephanie recently started a maintenance program through a holistic doctor to keep the cancer from returning. This program will more than likely change as we move to eradicate the cancer instead of keeping her cancer-free. Those who are skeptical about holistic medicine, please hold your judgment until you have finished reading my post.

Stephanie's cancer has been extremely aggressive in nature, responding well to chemotherapy both times but coming back quickly once chemo has stopped. Albert Einstein once said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." This is hauntingly familiar in our situation. No one has been able to tell us why Stephanie continues to get cancer. If we look at what we do know, it is that a healthy body can kill cancerous cells while one with a depleted immune system cannot.

We are not opposed to another chemo regimen to keep the cancer under control but our focus is on fixing the leak rather than mopping up the floor. We are going to make every lifestyle change necessary to get Stephanie in best shape of her life. This is the direction that makes the most sense and through lots of prayer, we believe we are on the path that God would have us travel. Stephanie and I have joined hands and we are ready to run down that path together as fast as God will allow.

Stephanie and I spent several hours talking last night. Throughout that conversation, one theme emerged. Fear robs us of the time we have to love. God knows the desires of our hearts and we believe our prayers have already been answered. How exactly is not our concern but pleasing Him through our actions and listening to Him are of the utmost importance. We cannot do these things when we are fearful. That is an enemy we all fight together. I say boldly to those reading this, do not be fearful of what is to come. There is nothing pleasing to God in those thoughts. Spend you time praising God for the blessing both seen and unseen that are given through our situation.

Stephanie and I love God with everything in us. We know that He will be glorified through this situation and our faith cannot be shaken. Please, don't let yours be either! Focus on blessing that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. Put the fear out of your mind and love! Katherine Mansfield said it well when she said, "The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your actions will be." I pray each of you embrace this and are blessed richly.

I will keep the updates coming as things unfold. Thank you all again for your thoughts and prayers.!

3/9/2010 Upate on Stephanie

2010-03-09T16:47:00.000-06:00

I hope this blog comes to all readers at a time of peace and realized blessings! It has been several months since I have posted anything out here and I did briefly think of my New Year's promise to post more frequently. I'll work on it!

I wanted to give an update on Steph. If you haven't been in touch with us or followed us on Facebook, you may be a little out of the loop. So, here goes the crash course!

Stephanie finished up the first reconstruction surgery by getting the last of the drains removed. the healing process has been slow and there was one spot on her abdomen that stubbornly has not healed. She recently went in and had the doctor stitch it back up. that was about two weeks ago and she is still having some bleeding from that area. the good news came this morning in that Dr. Lemon wanted to wait another couple weeks before deciding to open her up to explore what might be going on. Steph really doesn't want to have another surgery if it can be avoided!

That appointment was followed up by going to have another PET scan. This is part of the routine process we will go through indefinitely. If you pray, please pray the outcome is full of good news which mean the results are free from suspicious spots.

That said, Stephanie did have another spot come up on her chest wall a few weeks back. It was tested and came back positive for cancer. The surgeon said he got it all but was concerned about other spots that might appear. Stephanie now has another spot just below the one biopsied. she has another meting with the surgeon tomorrow to discuss this. Prayers over this situation would be greatly appreciated as well!

One more little issue. Stephanie has another area under her skin on the other side of her chest that could be multiple things. we are pursuing options for this as well but the PET scan will prayerfully rule out one of those "might be's".

I will keep everyone posted. Blessing to you all!
Kevin

Genevieve Ross - Stephanie's Mom

2009-12-23T16:43:00.000-06:00

Stephanie's mom, Genevieve Ross, has been hospitalized. I have set up a separate blog for those of you interested in following her status. She has been struggling lately with her M.S. and has run into some complications that required her to be admitted. She really is not in good shape.

I am asking everyone who is reading this to please stop what you are doing right now and say a prayer of healing for Stephanie's mom, my mother-in-law, and Levi's "Lollie".

Thank you in advance for the blessings!

12/22/2009 Update

2009-12-23T08:59:00.000-06:00

Stephanie saw the doctor yesterday and he removed the last two drains she had in. That is great news. If you have never seen them or heard someone talk about the drains, you can't imagine. Good riddance!

The doctor doesn't want to see Steph for another three (3) weeks so things are going as he had hoped. I will update as things progress.

For those of you not on Facebook, this is the new and preferred method of communication for many! If you were not aware, I update this much more frequently and Stephanie updates only on Facebook. Please consider signing up by clicking here. I would be glad to give anyone a training session of quick run-through on how to use this wonderful website!

Not only do I provide updates but I post pictures of Levi all the time!

12:30pm 12/15 Update

2009-12-15T12:36:00.000-06:00

Sorry for not updating in a while! Stephanie had her first follow up appointment with her doctor this morning. He said everything was looking good. She needs to leave her two drains in for one more week and then she will at least be free from foreign things being attached to her body and only one thing foreign in her body, the port.

Stephanie has been doing extremely well, walking every day and even getting out of the house a little to attend church and of course, you guess it, shopping! We felt strongly about adopting a child for Christmas and weren't sure if we could make it happen with everything going on. While at church on Sunday, they had some children and families left on the adoption list so we went ahead and got the list for a 5 year old girl. Stephanie is thinking the shopping is fun but I am struggling with the chore of finding the gifts.

Anyhow, things are going well. Levi is in Houston with Stephanie's aunt this week and our wonderful neighbor Connie has meals lined up for us through this weekend. That has been a huge help!

It does appear Stephanie will need to go through another surgery to "clean up" some things but there was no rush expressed by the doctor today. Until then, we will just enjoy the Christmas season and continue to heal!

Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers!

10:30am 12/10/2009 Update

2009-12-10T10:29:00.000-06:00

The doctor has called in Stephanie's release from the hospital as of this morning. While the paperwork is being processed, Stephanie is taking a shower and getting meds filled. She is not having a great morning. She is soar and fighting a little nausea again.

Please continue to pray for her healing and for a good day today! Thanks!!

10:00am 12/9/2009 Update

2009-12-09T09:57:00.000-06:00

I just spoke with Stephanie and she is not feeling too great this morning. She didn't sleep well and is uncomfortable today. They gave her a unit of blood yesterday because her "counts" were low and it was assumed the infusion would help improve the way she felt. This has not occurred yet but we are hopeful that will change! The doctor also started her on iron supplements to help speed up the development of new blood.

We will have to see what the doctor says today but we are not sure if Stephanie will be getting out of the hospital today or not.

Please pray for continued healing and a quick release from the hospital! Thank you all!

5:00pm 12/7/2009 Update

2009-12-07T17:01:00.000-06:00

Now that was a quick answer to prayer! Stephanie is now in room 705
and was able to take a shower and feel clean. She said she feels "a
thousand time better."

Dolly is on her way to pick up Levi from his grandparents and bring
him up to see mom. This will be the first time Steph has seen him in 4
days!

Dr. Lemmon stopped by today and said that she may be able to get out
of the hospital Tuesday evening or Wednesday. That is great news!

Please continue to pray for fast healing and a quick release from the
hospital.

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10:00 am 12/7/2009 Update

2009-12-07T11:34:00.000-06:00

Sorry for not updating last night. I got wrapped up in other things and forgot.

As of this morning, Stephanie is still in ICU. This is not because she is not progressing but because there are no regular rooms available. This is keeping Stephanie from being able to take a shower and see Levi. She is doing well otherwise, getting up and around and managing the pain.

If someone is curious, you can go to YouTube.com and see a 9 minute version of the TRAM Flap surgery Stephanie had. It is a little gruesome for some but interesting none the less! :-)

Please pray that Stephanie would get moved to a regular room as soon as possible and that in general, she is wrapped in God's favor.

10:50 am 12/6/2009 Update

2009-12-06T11:02:00.001-06:00

Stephanie is hanging in there this morning. Fighting some nausea and a
change in the nurse. Hopefully things will smooth out a bit now that I
am up here and can help out.

The Physical Therapist came and helped move Steph to a chair and
taught me how to assist her. The nurse will be removing the cath today
and we will see how the afternoon goes.

I have been told also that they will take her off the morphine drip
today and begin to administer oral pain meds.

The nurse said today will most likely be her worst day. Please pray
that is goes better than anyone expects!

I'll update this afternoon. Thanks!

5:35pm Update

2009-12-05T17:47:00.000-06:00

Stephanie has been doing very well today. She has been eating although that is a little challenging. When she raises up to a sitting position, she gets a little queezy and asks for something to help with it. That makes her really tired. She jokes that she feels like one of those little kids that falls asleep while eating their food. I can testify to that! I had to wake her up multiple times to get her to eat one bit of the baked potato! :-)

She really is doing well though. The progression to a regular room (leaving ICU) is at the doctor's discretion however the nurse seems to think she will get a room on the 7th floor tomorrow. That will be quite nice!

She sat in a chair today for about 3 hours. Tomorrow will be the first day for her to try walking. I will update everyone on the progress tomorrow. Please continue to pray for a fast healing and strong mental health as Stephanie fights her way back to the shopping machine we all know and love!

9:00am 12/5/2009 Update

2009-12-05T09:23:00.003-06:00

Stephanie is doing well this morning after her first night of recovery. She has a morphine drip and they are administering oral pain killers as well. I am at home this morning but will be up at the hospital by 10:30am and I will leave when they close it down this evening. I will update no later that 8:00 tonight and more often on Facebook if you are so inclined to check it out.

Levi and I are doing well. Levi will be spending the morning with his good friend, Selah. I am pretty sure that will result is some sort of picture being posted on FB, as it usually does.

As a reminder, please continue to pray for Steph's quick recovery! Thank you all!

To end this transmission, I would just like to say that we have the most awesome God ever! Thank you Lord for wrapping us in your love and never leaving our side. I hope that others see the difficulties in our lives and how we handle them as a testimony to your never ending love and amazing grace that we rely on constantly. I am truly humbled by the blessings of friends and family you have surrounded us with though out this time. Praises to our King!

6:00pm Update

2009-12-04T17:58:00.001-06:00

Surgery is complete and Dr. Lemmon said it went very well! Stephanie is in ICU, awake and dealing with a little nausea. Please pray that this goes away quickly!

She will be monitors closely for the next 48 hours to make sure the tissue is getting adequate blood flow and she is getting better. I will keep the blog updated but probably not as frequently as I have been today. I will shoot for 2-3 times per day.

Thanks for the prayers! Please keep them coming!!!

3:30 pm Update

2009-12-04T15:57:00.001-06:00

Last call from the OR I received said that they were installing the mesh wall on her abdomen and working through the rest of the microsurgery. Stephanie is still doing very well, they said!

1:15 Update

2009-12-04T13:42:00.001-06:00

I received an update call from the OR. A different nurse, Amy, this time. Anyway, she stated that things were progressing well and they had started on the microsurgery portion of the procedure. Expect another update in a couple hours.

Please keep up the good prayer warrior work!

10:24 Update

2009-12-04T10:24:00.000-06:00

I just received another call from Janice in the OR. She said Stephanie is doing fine and the surgery is still progressing. I don't expect to hear much beyond that for the next 7 hours or so. I will continue to provide any information I get!

Please continue to pray! With the length of the surgery, fatigue has got to be an issue for the doctors and nurses. Please pray for them in this process!

8:08 AM Update

2009-12-04T08:08:00.002-06:00

I just got the call from Janice, one of the OR nurses. The surgery has started! Stephanie was in good spirits this morning. Everything has gone quite smoothly so far and I expect the same will continue.

The staff here is amazing! They have booked a patient consulting room for me to camp in all day. It has a couch and a chair with electrical plugs for my laptop. I am comfortable and working.

For those who are curious, Stephanie's surgery is being performed at Baylor Regional Medical Center of Plano.

One note from my previous post, Stephanie will be in ICU for up to 48 hours post surgery. I will let everyone know when she can start receiving visitors.

Keep those prayers coming! They have been working great this morning already!!!

Stephanie's Reconstruction Surgery

2009-12-03T08:29:00.002-06:00

Hi Friends and Family!
I thought I would post a quick note to let everyone know that Stephanie will be having reconstruction surgery on Friday, December 4th. We have to be at the hospital between 5:30 and 6:00 am for check in. The surgery will take somewhere between 9 and 15 hours depending on many things. Please check our blog frequently for updates through out the day on Friday.

What can we expect?
Stephanie will be in ICU for 24 hours post surgery to make sure the reconstruction was successful. There is a lot of microsurgery that will occur and they need to monitor blood flow closely. The information we have been given puts Steph in the hospital for 4 to 7 days depending on her recovery progress.

What do we need from you?
Lots of prayer! Please pray today and tonight for Stephanie to be free from anxiety and that all people involved with the surgery are well prepared, well rested, and have clarity of mind for tomorrow's event. God is in control and there will be many reasons to glorify His name on the other side of this surgery. I look forward to sharing those with you!

Thank you all for your love and support! It has meant the world to Stephanie and I as we go through this season of our lives. There are no words to fully express the gratitude we have. We continue to pray that God's Word be active in your lives in part due to the actions of love you have showered on us.

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38

Godspeed and God Bless!

Message from Stephanie

2009-11-02T06:57:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! As most of you know, I am blessed to say I am finally
walking the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk this coming
weekend, November 6-8. The last 2 1/2 years have been one heck of a
journey and I can only imagine how amazing this walk is going to be
for me and all those walking with me. I have a team of 8, The Hopefuls
consisting of both family and friends, that will be walking (probably
in front of me- LOL!). I am so incredibly blessed and grateful for
these dear friends and family who have dedicated a tremendous amount
of time and sacrifice in training, preparation and fund raising. I am
also blessed to have those who donated last year and this year and
most importantly for the thoughts, prayers and support.

I would ask for prayers for my team that God gives us the strength and
endurance to make all 60 miles. Now comes an even bigger request. If
any of you have time to come cheer us on any of the 3 days, I would
love nothing more than to see your smiling faces and a great big hug!
There are cheering stations posted that I will list below a link to.
You can also send me a text if you're planning on coming out so that I
can look for you and stop to say hi! Cheering stations link: http://www.the3day.org/site/PageServer?pagename=DF_Spectator

Much love and hugs,
Steph

Justice or Not-So-Much?

2009-09-10T07:08:00.005-05:00

I got up and headed to work this morning like any other weekday morning. It was dark outside and traffic was light. As I was turning onto the feeder road from FM407, I witnessed a silver Toyota Rav4 rear-end a white Ford F250 hard enough to do damage but not injure anyone. My first thought was, "Great, these cars are in front of me and there is very little room to get around!" To my pleasant surprise, the F250 turned and appeared to be headed to a safe area to check vehicles and exchange information. "Good call on moving out of the way of traffic!", I thought.

As I rounded the turn and headed down the feeder road about three cars behind the Rav4, I saw the F250 pulled off out of traffic and the guy looking at his bumper. Then I saw the guy in the Rav4 just keep driving! My thought, "That dude better be pulling off up ahead!" I watched...but no such luck for Mr. White Truck. I wasn't too upset since it appeared the F250 had taken no damage and I was far enough back in traffic I could not have gotten the license plate of the Rav4. I then chalked it up as one of those things I can't do anything about and planned to forget it.

A few moments later, on the highway, I came upon the Rav4 in the right lane of traffic. As I approached, I realized he had taken enough damage to warrant a tow truck and a decent insurance claim, if the spare even had insurance! As I pulled up along side of him I could see his front bumper was hanging by a thread, dragging on the cement and wires hanging out everywhere. The guy looked like he was completely oblivious to anything going on. I put down my passenger-side window and honked close to ten times to get his attention, pointed to the trashed front-end of his vehicle indicating there was a problem. He gave me a courteous wave and kept right on going. "Jeez!", I thought, "this clown has a real problem!"

At this point, I just went to work and performed a Google search looking for a website where I could log the accident and be a witness if needed. there is no such site I could find. Where is a good entrepreneur when you need one? Somebody create a site where this is possible! I may need it in the future!!!

Without any luck, I thought I would just post a question here. How would you have handled this situation or would you have just kept to yourself and not jumped through mental hoops to try and help? I am genuinely interested in your thoughts!

Levi's First Dentist Appointment

2009-09-09T11:02:00.003-05:00

I know, we are horrible parents for waiting this long to introduce Levi to a dentist. His visit was uneventful but he started off quite hesitant as you might expect. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Levi's First Day of School at Lakeland Christian Academy

2009-09-01T09:01:00.003-05:00

Levi has been so excited about attending school. We went for open house yesterday and he got to meet his teacher, see his room and survey the playground.

Mom dressed his up and sent this picture from school. He will attend from 9am - 1pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Just a cute little tidbit, he loves to tuck that little stuffed dog under his left arm and carry it just about everywhere. He named it "Arf".

I know I am biased but I truly believe I have a cute, stinkin' kid!

Chemo Treatment 17 of 18

2009-08-25T08:10:00.003-05:00

Alright everyone, Stephanie is having her second to last treatment today. In general, we are excited to be nearing the end of this chapter in our story but there are a few things that temper our excitement...let me explain.

One thing we now realize is that treating cancer is not "science". There is scientific evidence that abnormal cells in your body will die when exposed to certain chemicals or radiation. Doctors use this information to "design" a treatment program. The order of chemo, radiation and surgery varies from doctor to doctor and so does the dosage. Treatment is an art form, there is no doubt.

Stephanie's current medical oncologist has suggested that she may recommend a continued chemo plan to remain in place indefinitely. She also wants Stephanie to get whatever remaining radiation she can to reach her lifetime maximum exposure. Reading between the lines, what does this say to you? What it says to us is the doctor is not sure if or when the cancer will return.

So, here we sit. The doctors don't know what is causing the cancer to form and they all have different artistic viewpoints on how to move forward. We don't have the experience or general understanding to make an educated decision on which doctor will have the perfect painting to hang over our fireplace so-to-speak. I imagine everyone dealing with a similar situation finds themselves in this place. Who do you place your trust in? Why do you chose one doctor over another?

Hopefully, you can appreciate our muted excitement about the "end of chemo". So what is our decision? We have chosen to embrace life and faith in an amazing God. Our bodies were designed to heal themselves of disease and eradicate abnormal cells. When the body is weak, this doesn't always happen. We are going to incorporate more exercise and a healthier diet in our lives.

Did you know that a cancer survivor who exercises 4 hours a week increases their chance of survival by 45%? And what about all the chemicals we are putting in our bodies through the food we eat? Take a few seconds every time you eat something and look at the ingredients. How many items on any given list of ingredients can you pronounce? Compare the ingredients lists of processed foods with those of organic foods. I can't imagine that removing the additives and preservatives from your diet wouldn't benefit you.

A good friend told me recently, if you drop a french fry on the side of the road and return to look at it days later, it still looks like a french fry. It doesn't decay. That is not the food are bodies are made to eat. It is hard to get much simpler than that.

Stepping off my soap box, Stephanie will have a another PET scan next week and they will perform a Brain MRI. This will help determine if there is any cancer left in her body and will help finalize the doctor's recommendations for next steps.

Please pray for us during this critical time. We have placed our trust in God and fully expect that His name will be glorified throughout this process. I'll update everyone soon.

Chemo Treatment 12 of 18

2009-07-07T15:15:00.002-05:00

Stephanie had treatment #12 today and has her regular weekly break next week. Hooray! Not much to update everyone on this week. We are in a groove and working through it week by week, day by day. If anyone is interested in providing Stephanie with words of encouragement or just following her and her thoughts on FaceBook, click here.

House update: It is still on the market. We have an occasional looker. When they see the place, there is always good feedback but just short of an offer. Please pray that we have discernment on this in relatively short order!

Thanks for all the love and support!

Chemo Treatment 11 of 18

2009-07-01T08:41:00.005-05:00

Stephanie had her 11th treatment yesterday. She is such a trooper! Many people stop and ask me how she is doing. From my perspective, she is doing great. She does get tired after her treatment as I have mentioned before but beyond that (and hair loss), there really are no in-your-face side effects. Thank God!

Once again this week, our neighbors and friends stepped up and into our lives to help. Connie went with Stephanie to the hospital and Deanna brought us her amazing lasagna last night for dinner. That is very helpful to have dinner prepared and delivered at critical times like this. Thanks so much!!!

I pray that the generosity of time and effort by those around us provides in return blessings that fill their lives with overwhelming joy. The Lord is good.

Mark 12:28-33
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.”
32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

I see this play out every day by those around us. Stephanie, Levi and I are blessed, there is no doubt!

Chemo Treatment 10 of 18

2009-06-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Well, many of you may have noticed that I skipped a few updates on Stephanie. I am actually surprised that only two people have given me a hard time for slacking. Rest assured, I am looking to get back on the wagon so-to-speak.

Stephanie has her 10th treatment today. She is still going downtown for her treatments as we were never able to get the Lewisville location to administer the drugs. It is unfortunate but not the end of the world. Steph's good friend, Susan, just moved away and is not able to take Stephanie any longer. (Thanks for all you have done Susan!) I have tried to pick up the slack by taking her and picking her up but it is hard for me to stay there all day with her and actually work so I go up 75 to the office and then head back to pick her up. It isn't the best option for Stephanie, but she is a trooper for sure!

We will have some decisions to face in September as the doctor is wanting to pursue further treatment options. Please pray for some clarity and peace of mind as we draw close to that time.

I can't say it enough, thank you for following our situation and praying with us. You all have been a tremendous help in more ways than you know!

God bless!

Picnik - Free Photo Editor

2009-05-18T19:51:00.001-05:00

Picnik is a great option for those who don't want to mess with a program like Photoshop for editing their pictures. Take a look at what I did in a matter of 3 minutes or less.

Before:

From 2009 Maui

After:

From 2009 Maui

Notice I cropped it, removed power lines and made the image more vivid. Picnik is free for most things and a very lower yearly fee for more advanced features. Check it out!!

Chemo Treatment 6 of 18

2009-05-18T15:43:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the late post. Steph had treatment number 6 last week. She is doing well although still battling with sleep the day or two after her treatment. They give her dexamethasone during her treatment to counteract an allergic reaction to another drug they are giving her. Bottom line is not a lot of sleep.

Please continue to pray for a complete healing. the goal would be that come September, check ups just become routine and worry-free.

Thanks for following Stephanie's updates! God bless!

Chemo Treatment 5 of 18

2009-05-05T08:00:00.003-05:00

Stephanie is headed to Dallas this morning for another treatment. Hopefully, they have arranged to have the remaining treatments, except when she has to see the doctor, in Lewisville. Our friends and neighbors are once again stepping up! Connie is going with her today and Deanna is watching Levi. I am sure he will not want to leave when mom goes to pick him up. We have the least number of fun things to do at our house compared to our wonderful neighbors. :-( Levi just loves to visit and play.

Stephanie got a new wig last Thursday and it looks really great! She will be celebrating her 3rd Mother's Day (2nd with Levi breathing air) on Sunday and looks better than ever! I find it hard to express how great of a mother and wife she actually is. The amount of love she shows all the time, the tenderness that is exhibited in times of need, the thoughtfulness and planning that keeps our family running even when she doesn't feel like doing anything but sleeping is inspiring to me.

Stephanie is always putting other's needs in front of her own as I am sure most mothers do. How would this world look if everyone did the same? The love of a mother and friend and lover...it is priceless.

Please remember Stephanie is your prayers and thoughts. If you have a minute, please let her know you were thinking of her! It makes her feel wonderful when she hears that sort of thing.

Thank you all for everything to date and the things you have not yet done by way of prayer and actions. We are very grateful to have you in our lives!!!

Chemo Treatment 4 of 18

2009-04-28T11:29:00.004-05:00

Today my wonderful wife has yet another infusion of drugs meant to eradicate the cancer from her body. Treatment #4 means she is roughly one fifth or 22% of the way to completion.
Stephanie's hair is thinning enough that we are going Thursday to look for a new wig. Thank you for your prayers on this issue. Apparently God has greater plans than keeping Stephanie out of a wig. :-)

On another front, We officially put our house on the market Friday, 4/24/2009. We already have an interested buyer and we should have an offer today. There are several homes we have found that are interesting all in and around Highland Village or Lantana. We will keep you posted on these developments as they unfold.

Chemo Treatment 3 of 18

2009-04-14T07:53:00.002-05:00

Today Stephanie goes in for treatment numero tres and next week will be an off week. At this point, the main thing to update everyone on is the fact that she still has all her hair and she is feeling very minimal side effects from the chemotherapy.

I do ask that those who are praying for us, please ask for a special blessing to be given to Stephanie. She would really like to keep her hair. She is emotionally and spiritually prepared for whatever happens and we don't want to get in God's way so His will be done above all but it would be especially nice if Stephanie never had to sport another wig, especially over the Texas summer.

Again, I cannot begin to express in words our total gratitude for the friends and family members that surround us during this time. Please accept our humble thanks and know that we will gladly return the blessings however and whenever we can!

Oh, I almost forgot. Easter at our house was crazy and included a sick little Levi that kept us from following our best laid plans. Our apologies to family that didn't get phone calls!

Second Treatment - First Cyle

2009-04-07T08:17:00.002-05:00

Stephanie goes in today for her second treatment of chemo (18 in total). The praise is that she felt much better than we had thought she might after the first treatment. Being tired was about the extend of it.

Stephanie will be accompanied today by a good friend and neighbor, Susan. Thank you Susan for watching over my sweetheart! Another good friend and neighbor, Connie, is taking Levi to school and maybe picking him up. Thanks Connie!!

We sure are blessing to be surrounded by such good people! God's plan is amazing. If you are curious, just ask me and I will be glad to share how all this started!

I will update soon. I promise!

Chemo Begins 3/31/2009

2009-03-31T13:39:00.002-05:00

Stephanie's chemotherapy begins today. I am typing this blog post from the waiting room. It is 20 minutes until 2:00pm and we have been here since 10:30 this morning. We have at least 4 hours to go from the time they call us back. Who knows how long it will be!

Stephanie's regimen is 6 cycles. Each cycle consists of 3 weeks on and 1 week off. Her last treatment will be on September 1st. This is enough time for her to be back to growing hair before the holiday (and picture) season is upon us. :-)

Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers as we muddle through the next 6 months!

Update on Stephanie - 3/6/09 @ 2:03pm

2009-03-06T14:03:00.002-06:00

Dr. Clifford came in and told me that the surgery went well. Thank you Lord!

Instead of doing a biopsy, he went ahead and took all the questionable tissue out. The concern with this is healing. Since one of the chemo drugs she will be taking suppresses healing, we need to wait until Stephanie has healed enough before we start. Please pray that this healing occurs faster than expected!

Steph will be in recovery for about an hour and then we will head home soon after that. Thanks to everyone praying for us!

Next update will probably be in the next few days.

Update on Stephanie - 3/6/09 @ 12:23pm

2009-03-06T12:23:00.002-06:00

They are running behind. Stephanie was just wheeled out of the room. Should be about 1 hour and 15 minutes for surgery. She has not been given anything yet so surgery probably won't start before 1:00pm. 1 hour in recovery and then we can get ready to go home.

I'll update when I hear from the doctor.

Update on Stephanie - 3/6/09 @ 10:55am

2009-03-06T10:54:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the short notice but Steph is having a meta port put in at 11:15am this morning. We are at the hospital right now and Steph is ready to go back. We are also having a biopsy done on a questionable spot. The outcome, cancerous or not, won't change the fact that she will be going through chemotherapy once again but it would be nice to know that cancer has not come back a third time. Please pray for a successful surgery, good outcome on the biopsy and a quick recovery.

It is expected that chemo will begin in two weeks. I'll post updates as things unfold today!

Thanks for your prayers!!!
Kevin

Virus Protection is Important!

2009-03-04T07:48:00.001-06:00

I will share on occasion things I run across. This is a good deal if you are not protected with virus software on your home computer. It is hard to pass up on free...especially when it could save you money in the long run. I know several people that have had to pay someone else to fix their computer because it got a virus. Don't fall into that category!

Sent to you by Kevin via Google Reader:

McAfee Total Protection 2009 3-User Free After Rebate

via User Voted Hot Deals at Dealigg.com on 3/4/09

At Amazon.com

After $60 rebate

Click Here

Things you can do from here:

Subscribe to User Voted Hot Deals at Dealigg.com using Google Reader
Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

Xbox Live is making ten times as much money as the Playstation Network

2009-02-26T10:49:00.001-06:00

Trying this feature out...we'll see if it works! Go XBox!

Sent to you by Kevin via Google Reader:

Xbox Live is making ten times as much money as the Playstation Network

via Fidgit by Tom Chick on 2/25/09

Variety blogger Ben Fritz gets to the bottom of the debate between Xbox Live and the Playstation Network (PSN).

If you're interested in the business of video games, there's only one statistic of any significance: Sony has generated $180 million in gross revenue from PSN two-plus years of life. As of the last E3, after about five and a half years, Xbox Live had generated over $1 billion.

That's not terribly surprising considering Xbox Live has a subscription fee and the Playstation Network doesn't. However, there's no way to untangle how much of Xbox Live's revenue is from subscriptions and how much is from sales. It just does to show that you can't trust videogamers to actually buy stuff. It's better to charge them a regular fee they can forget about, like MMOs do.

Things you can do from here:

Subscribe to Fidgit using Google Reader
Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

Family Update

2009-02-11T18:02:00.004-06:00

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long delay between updates on Stephanie. My New Year's resolution is already falling into the pit of forgotten promises. Don't worry, I don't plan on giving up easily!

Steph and I are heading to Maui on Friday. Steph's Aunt Dolly has been very helpful in the past and is going to watch Levi while we are celebrating our 17 years of wedded bliss. Seventeen years! Wow time flies when your having fun!

On that note, the last two years have been a little slower to pass as most are aware. Our medical oncologist made a recent decision to move back to the west coast. That event led us down the path of finding a new medical oncologist. We did. He reviewed Steph's case and determined that a strategic move was in order...more chemotherapy.

When we return from Maui, Steph will have another PET scan to check once more for cancer that may have spread to another part of her body. Once the results are back, a chemotherapy regimen will be established. Initial talks have laid out an 18 week schedule, 3 weeks on and 1 week off. Not the news we were looking for obviously but how can you argue with a conservative decision? He stated that he would hate to be in a situation where cancer returned 18 months down the road and we were all thinking, "Maybe we should have done another round of chemo."

After we get through this, Steph has decided on the TRAM Flap procedure for reconstruction. This is the most intensive reconstruction option but considered the "Cadillac of Reconstruction".

All said, we are planning to chalk up another year to beating cancer and putting it behind us. The Lord will carry us through, no doubt. He loves us and He loves you! He will see this situation through to the best possible outcome. Recent events have shown us that our struggles pale in comparison to many. We will continue to praise God for the joy He gives us daily and pray for those around us who are struggling in their situations.

Updates soon, I promise!

The Maverick's Game

2009-02-05T18:00:00.002-06:00

Sharing my experience with you...
I had an offer from a good friend to attend the Dallas/Portland NBA game Wednesday night and although I am not a big NBA fan, I chose to go along for the company and the experience. It just so happened that these tickets were free to us but the price printed on them was $334.

With a price tag like that, we knew they would be good. In fact, they were 3rd row on the floor! Just so you can appreciate the expense here, there are 45 home games in a season ticket package. That means, someone or some company wrote check for a little over $60,000 for our four seats.

A really nice guy named Chris was sitting behind us. As it turns out, he is one of the guys that sells the season tickets. He pointed out several people around us that were "important", including "Don", an eccentric 67 year old gentleman who owns half the land in Uptown (Dallas area) and gives a lot of money to charities and the church and supports a lot of missionary work. He sat next to the founder of Minyard's Foods. Supposedly, the founder on Minyard's has actually had to be escorted out of American Airlines Center before because when he gets upset with the game, he gets really upset!

Anyway, so much for my brush with money-laden people. I can't afford two seats worth of season tickets in that locale or anywhere else close to court-level. The good news is that even though I really enjoyed myself, I don't "need" all that. It was just great to soak it all in with three of my good friends!

By the way, I uploaded a couple pics from my iPhone to my Facebook page. If you want to see them, look me up on Facebook!

Kevin

Worthwhile Websites

2009-01-12T21:00:00.000-06:00

Pandora - Internet Radio
For those who can stream music at their job, at home or through your iPhone! The best thing about this site is how it selects music for you. All you do is put in your favorite song or band and it will start playing music of similar kind. The quality is great by comparison with XM Radio's online music.

reQall - To Do List
Pronounces like "recall", there are a few things that make this site great for your "to do" list.
1. Available on the iPhone and on their website and they stay in sync.
2. They have a buddy list so you can assign a to do item to your buddies. My example: I remember while at work that we are out of toothpaste. I can whip out my iPhone and speak or type, "Toothpaste - have Stephanie buy some today." (I can do this on the website too.) What then happens, reQall recognizes "buy" and puts the to do item in the "Shopping List" and also recognizes that I have Stephanie in my buddy list so it puts the request in Stephanie's "Shopping List" too!
3. Amazing flexibility to remind you of the things you have put in reQall. Email, Instant Messenger and text messaging. Get reminded in one or all of these ways!

Clipperz - Online Password Manager
Please read this! The title of this one is a little deceptive. Imagine a website you could go to that had a collection of all your personal information you need to remember about you, your spouse, your children and anyone else, knew all your user IDs and passwords for all the websites you were registered with and with a single click of a link could take you to that site and log you in! This is exactly that site. My mind is no longer cluttered with trying to remember all my passwords and IDs. This site even allows you to generate strong passwords for everything. I feel more secure with this site in my website toolbox!

Google Reader
Ever wonder how people keep track of all the information in the world? This is how!!! Careful, once you figure this site out, you will be hooked! You will need a Google account to gain access to this. If you don't already have one, you have no business surfing the web anyway! :-)

PageOnce - Internet Personal Assistant
This is as the call it, "Your Internet, Your Way". It is a collection point for all the websites you want to monitor. My example: American Express, Chase Bank, Facebook, Gmail, Netflix, etc. It is available through the web, your iPhone and your Blackberry! Caution, I knew about my birthday present well before it was given to me... What can I say, I'm connected!

Delicious
Have you ever not saved something to your favorites because you never thought you would find it again...or because it was too much trouble to remember to go back and read or reference something? Yes, me too. Have you ever saved a favorite at work and then wanted to look at it from home but didn't have access to your work favorites so you had to search for it again? Yep, me too. Well, stop it! Use Delicious and get your favorites from anywhere. As an added benefit, you can see what others are saving like yours to maybe find some little gems you didn't know were there!

Hope you enjoy these websites. I know I have!
Kevin

Venturing out in 2009

2009-01-12T19:00:00.003-06:00

Everyone has probably picked at least one New Year's resolution to break, right? Well, I am hear to tell all that my New Year's resolution is to be more active with blogging and do everything I can to not break it! In fact, I will be taking my blogging to another level. What is this new level you might ask...glad you did!

Family updates was and is level 1 blogging. That won't change. The next level is nothing more than various posts of stuff and junk I find interesting. I will do my best to title and label these appropriately so that you only need to read what you find interesting or somewhat amusing. Stephanie's health issues of recent will always be labeled with "breast cancer" for example.

So I hope you all enjoy the new "level 2" blogging! If you like an article, please leave a comment!

2008-12-25T20:07:00.003-06:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Levi - Future Professional Gamer

2008-12-18T14:15:00.002-06:00

Tell me he isn't talented! I have it on good authority he did this on his own. Stephanie would never have put this on him, so it must be his doing! Like father, like son. Very heart warming!!!

Tuesday, 12/16 Update on Stephanie

2008-12-17T08:34:00.005-06:00

We had our Tuesday appointment with Dr. Lemmon. Everything went well and he removed one of the two drains that were in place after the surgery. We hope to have the other one taken out next Tuesday. Pray for that, please!

Stephanie is doing great. She may be an inspiration to some of you that follow our situation but you really have no idea how great she is through all this. She is a true inspiration to me and I see her in all her glory through good and bad times. Stephanie is stronger than I ever imagined, keeping her spirits high when we are now approaching two years of less that perfect health, countless trips to doctors and hospitals, sleepless nights, sick from medication and on and on. All the while caring for me and our two year old son, Levi.

She gets her strength through knowing God has a plan and is working it out in our lives. This is where I am so proud of her. She could easily be discouraged and grumpy and carry a why me attitude. She does not. Not even in times of struggle. I have seen her break down many times. Her prayer every time, she just wants to feel normal again. Even as close to the situation as I am, I can't imagine what she is going through. And thus we come full circle. Jesus knows what she is going through and more. Where my love and support can only carry her so far, His love is never ending.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34

I am also grateful to all our family and friends that have been so supportive in our time of need. You will never know how much your persistence to help has blessed us! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I pray that each one of you reading this has a very merry Christmas!

I'll update next week after Steph's doctor appointment. God bless!

8:49am Update

2008-12-12T08:51:00.001-06:00

Dr. Lemmon just came in and let me know that the surgery went well and
Stephanie is doing fine..more detail to follow as it comes up.

Thanks for the prayers!!!

7:30am Update

2008-12-12T07:38:00.001-06:00

The nurse and doctor just wheeled Stephanie out of the room. She is in
good spirits and ready to get it over with. I'll update soon.

Surgery in the morning, 12/12/2008

2008-12-11T14:55:00.002-06:00

Stephanie and I went to see Dr. Lemmon, Steph's plastic surgeon, today at 10:00 am to look at one of her incisions that we thought might be infected. Turns out, Dr. Lemmon thought it was best if he remove the expander from her left side. You may recall the expander was "installed" to help stretch the skin in preparation for a permanent implant.

That option is not a good option any longer as the skin is not stretching like normal skin, due to the radiation treatment previously given. that said, we are looking at another reconstruction surgery in February. We have two option, Latissimus Flap or TRAM Flap. Follow the links for your reading pleasure! :-)

Back to the point at hand, Stephanie is a little anxious that we are having this unexpected surgery tomorrow. Please pray for a good night of rest for Stephanie and a successful surgery tomorrow.

When this has been completed, she should be more comfortable between now and the February surgery. I'll update tomorrow!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

Merry Christmas to All!!!

2008-12-03T21:19:00.000-06:00

We finally finished most of the decorating this evening. Levi really
loves the tree and was actually helpful at times although he will be
much more helpful when it comes time to take everything down. :-)

2008-11-13T07:52:00.004-06:00

NOTE: I copied this from Steph's email. She was having trouble getting all the email addresses working so I thought I would duplicate on the blog. If you received the email, no need to reread. Thanks!

I have been meaning to email for weeks but time just keeps slipping by. I know most of you have been following our blog at www.bushcrew.com. For those of you who have not, many things have taken place and many praises to report. I had a bi-lateral mastectomy and reconstruction surgery on October 23. I was in the hospital for 4 days. The week following my surgery, I received the blessed news that my lymph nodes and tissue surrounding the tumor were clear of cancer (which translates to NO chemo or radiation). A big PRAISE GOD!

Since the surgery, I meet with my plastic surgeon on a weekly basis. I chose to go with the implant reconstruction surgery which means that I currently have expanders in place that will be there for approximately 3 months before my next surgery to put the implants in place. The skin on the “cancer side” is not quite responding the way we had hoped since the skin was radiated with my previous diagnosis. My plastic surgeon mentioned this week that if the skin doesn’t respond like we need it to, we’ll likely have to go to “plan B” which translates to the reconstruction surgery I opted not to do. The reconstruction surgery I chose not to do was a much more complicated surgery with a much harder and lengthier recovery time. My prayer is that the skin will start responding and we’ll be able to stick to the plan we have in place today.

I will likely wait until after my next reconstruction surgery to schedule my hysterectomy and thyroid surgery. I do have a few more surgeries ahead of me but soon enough, I’ll be “as good as new!!!”

There have been so many of you who have sent flowers, cards, gifts, brought meals over, personally visited, called, etc. I hope that I have not been to medicated to remember the many thank you cards to each of you. But for those I missed, I hope you know how much you have truly blessed us and I feel forever indebted. Kevin and I just keep talking about how truly blessed we are to have so many great friends and family in our lives who have truly blessed us in so many ways. It’s been overwhelming, really!

The only thing I could ask for is that you continue to pray that God will continue to work all of this to His glory! He has truly blessed me and it’s been such an amazing journey. Stay tuned to our blog and I will try to help Kevin stay on top of the updates!!!

Much love,

Steph

About half way through!

2008-11-08T13:56:00.000-06:00

The Lord is Good!

2008-10-29T17:16:00.005-05:00

We just got word about 15 minutes ago that the pathology report has come back - 3 lymph nodes, all cancer free, the tumor was 2.5 cm and all surrounding tissue was clear.

I don't have many more details than this yet but this is exactly the news we were praying for to keep Stephanie from having to go through chemotherapy again.

I hope it is not lost on anyone that we have an awesome God and He can do amazing things! He has given us what we can handle and we have the experiences to help others who find themselves in similar situations.

All the glory to God. We praise him continuously! Thanks to everyone who has spoken to Him on our behalf!

9:00 pm Update

2008-10-26T20:57:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the delayed post. I brought Steph home today at 2:00 pm. She has been resting and doing very well. So well in fact, I had to get on to her this evening for trying to help clean up after dinner!

Most of you know how much of a neat freak she can be. Dolly, Steph's Aunt, and I have been really trying to keep the house straight so Steph doesn't get tire tracks on the walls! We came really close this evening as the "model home look" was in jeopardy! Fortunately, we got things in order and she settled down in bed.

For those that may not know the level at which her neatness exists, a little story. Today, mind you she got home and went straight to the bedroom at 2:00pm, she was laying here and I was standing on my side of the bed. I asked her if there was anything she needed for me to get her at approximately 3:15. Her response was, "Can you move my candlestick on the dresser back to where it goes? It has been driving me crazy." She has three candlestick thingies on the dresser and one of these was about 6 inches out of position. I'm not exaggerating this story either! Then she proceeded to ask if I could adjust the plant that is next to the candlesticks because it was a little too close to the front of the dresser.

Being the loving, caring husband I am, I did just what she said and she is now happy. :-) In truth, I couldn't imagine being married to anyone other than a neat freak! A slob would drive ME up the wall!!!

I'll be posting a little less frequently now that Steph is home. Feel free to call, email or whatever if you are in need of an update. I do plan to post a message tomorrow when the pathology reports come back.

Please pray for good results. The outcome could determine if we need to meet with another medical oncologist to discuss chemotherapy again. We really don't want to have to go that route if it can be avoided.

Thanks again to everyone that has reached out in support. It is truly appreciated!

7:15 pm Update

2008-10-25T19:15:00.001-05:00

We are looking at one more night in the hospital. Steph had a couple
issues today with unexpected swelling and tightness and they wanted
her to hang around. We plan to bring her home tomorrow around noon.

Please pray that she gets a good night of rest!

10:00 pm Update

2008-10-24T22:06:00.001-05:00

Steph is doing very well, up and walking around and eating solid food.
She doesn't feel well enough to go home yet and is enjoying the time
at the hospital to relax and get better.

Please contiue to pray for a fast recovery for Steph! Thanks!!!

1:15 pm Update on Steph

2008-10-24T13:27:00.001-05:00

Steph is starting to feel better and has actually had a few bites of
her chicken sandwhich.

We are not yet sure when Steph will leave the hospital but tomorrow at
the earliest. We don't have a time yet and they may actually want to
have her stay Saturday night as well.

I want to really thank everyone so much for all the prayers and all
the outreach for help. It is overwhelming to see how many people
really care deeply for Stephanie. We are blessed more than I could
have imagined!

Steph is in room 216 on the second floor, Las Colinas Medical, at
Macarthur and 161. We look forward to seeing visitors!

9:00 am Update

2008-10-24T08:59:00.001-05:00

Steph is still in considerable pain but they have given her something
extra to see if that helps. Getting and walking like they want is
really hard. In contrast, after her c-section from Levi, she was
walking all over the place.

Please pray for the pain to reduce!

Visitors, I will update later but please hold off until this
afternoon. Thanks!

5:23 Update on Steph

2008-10-23T17:26:00.001-05:00

Stephanie is now in her room, resting. She is battling nausea and in
some pain but otherwise in very good shape. Please pray for her speedy
recovery and don't forget to praise God for answering all our prayers!

3:47 Update on Steph

2008-10-23T15:49:00.001-05:00

Dr. Lemmon just came out and said the surgery is finished. Steph is
doing well and will be in the recovery room shortly.

Thanks for all the prayers!!!

1:21 pm Update

2008-10-23T13:26:00.001-05:00

Dr. Clifford just came in and said the mastectomy part of the surgery
is finished and went very well. He said nothing looking concerning
regarding the tissue or lymph nodes. We won't know for sure until the
pathology report comes back on Monday whether or not chemotherapy
needs to be explored as an option.

Dr. Lemmon is now working on the reconstruction portion of the
surgery. That is expected to take about 2 hours. I will update around
3:30 pm.

Thanks for the prayers. Please continue to pray for all involved.

11:41 Update - Wheeled back!

2008-10-23T11:44:00.001-05:00

Steph was just wheeled back for surgery. Dr. Clifford said the
mastectomy surgery would take him about an hour and a half. I expect
to provide the next update around 1:30pm.

Every indication this morning is positive that things are going to go
smoothly.

Please pray for Steph and the doctors and nurses!

10:00 am Update

2008-10-23T09:59:00.001-05:00

We are at the hospital in the day surgery prep room and appear to be
on schedule.

Stephanie's Schedule for Surgery

2008-10-22T18:52:00.005-05:00

Here we go:

10:00am Check in
11:00am Mastectomy surgery starts
01:00pm Reconstruction surgery starts
03:00pm All surgery completed
04:00pm Out of recovery

Warning! These times are estimates and could be subject to change. I plan to update the blog regularly throughout the day so those interested can follow along. I will post additional prayer requests as needed. Prayer Warriors, thank you!!!

If you want to be notified at each update via email, become a follower! On the left side, check it out!!!

Update on Steph and Blog Information

2008-10-21T08:01:00.003-05:00

Steph has her final appointment with the plastic surgeon this morning at 9:30 am. We don't anticipate anything new coming from this meeting but will be a good reinforcement of the process and what we can expect along the way.

I have made a slight change that will hopefully help everyone. You can now access this bog by simply typing "bushcrew.com" into your browser and it will direct you here. This is much easier to remember and share.

Updates to follow soon!

2008-10-20T08:09:00.006-05:00

This will be short and sweet. Stephanie's surgery is scheduled for this Thursday, 10/23 @ 11:00 am. She should be in the hospital for 2-3 days with a 6 week recovery window. I plan to provide updates Thursday and after on a very frequent basis to keep everyone in the loop.

If you would like to visit Steph in the hospital, she has asked that Friday be the first day for visitors. Please check this blog for updates or changes to that time frame. I would like everyone to be flexible as I am not sure how "up for company" she will actually be. We are both keeping a very positive outlook as we are absolutely sure God is guiding us through this!

Please pray for the steady hands and focused minds of the doctors and nurses involved and the speedy recovery of my wonderful wife.

Stickers Galore!!!

2008-10-12T10:34:00.001-05:00

While getting ready for church, Levi was into the sticker drawer and
before you know it, this is what happened.

Update without much info...

2008-10-02T07:31:00.003-05:00

I wanted to post something so everyone knew we we not forgetting to update the blog. We have been meeting with doctors and reviewing options. This process seems more complex than last year when Steph was originally diagnosed with breast cancer.

We are expecting a call from Dr. Clifford, Steph's surgical oncologist, today. Hopefully, this conversation will provide the needed information so that we can begin to lay in other decisions and start scheduling events/surgeries.

I will keep you all posted. As always, please be in prayer that this process is as quick as it can be, the doctors and other decision makers (like us) have clarity of mind and wisdom beyond their experiences and please pray also for the wonderful support network we have!

Finally, it is my hope and prayer that as we go through this one more time that those people around us see the love and hope and faith we have through our relationship with our living savior, Jesus Christ.

"The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." Ps.34.10

Email from Stephanie

2008-09-25T10:47:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! I wanted to take a bit of time to email each of you as it’s nearly impossible to reach everyone individually right now. I hope this email is not too impersonal but each of you truly mean so much to me. The reason I am writing today is to share with you some very recent news that requires nothing more than some prayer!

As a result of my battle with breast cancer last year, my breast surgeon has me alternate between a mammogram and MRI every 6 months. I had a mammogram this past March and just completed my MRI week before last. The MRI showed a small mass which I had biopsied last Friday. I got the results on Monday which showed it was once again invasive breast cancer in the same breast. I know this probably comes as a bit of a shock as it certainly took me by surprise. I always knew it would be a risk but never expected it to be this soon. I had already decided last year when I chose the lumpectomy route versus mastectomy that if the cancer ever returned, I would immediately have a mastectomy and be done with this cancer once and for all.

Things have moved very quickly this week. I met with my breast surgeon on Tuesday to discuss the mastectomy and today I met with a plastic surgeon to discuss the reconstruction process. You can’t begin to imagine the choices you have in the reconstruction process so Kevin and I have a few things to consider before making a final decision. In agreement with my breast surgeon, I would like to get this moving quickly so it is likely that we will proceed with surgery in the next couple of weeks. I will definitely have a bi-lateral mastectomy (meaning both breasts) and will have reconstruction started in that same surgery.

I know there are many questions so bare with me as I try to give a few more details. My prayer is that the cancer has once again remained local to the breast and not moved beyond to the lymph nodes. The day before surgery I will go to start the process for a “Sentinel Node Test” which essentially means a die is injected. During surgery my breast surgeon will perform a small incision under my arm and look for any lymph nodes that “light up” which could indicate cancer in the nodes. The nodes will then be sent to pathology to test for cancer. If the nodes are negative for cancer, then we are done with this thing and we can focus on the follow up surgeries as a part of the reconstruction process. If the nodes are positive then I go in for a PTScan to see if the cancer has spread to any other part of my body and we potentially face chemotherapy and radiation again. As you can imagine, my specific prayer that I’m lifting up is that there are no nodes involved and the cancer is local.

I spent a lot of time with my breast surgeon on Tuesday who is absolutely a SUPER doctor and has been really great through all of this. We talked in detail about my cancer and my risk for ovarian cancer given the fact that ovarian and breast cancer are so closely related. It is almost a definite that I will undergo a hysterectomy as well but that is something we will deal with down the road. Right now the main concern is the area of cancer and getting that taken care of first.

I want each of you to know that I am doing well and really at peace about this. I am ready to “fight” once again and claim total victory! God has truly blessed me in so many ways. God has blessed me with a great surgeon who has “run a tight ship” and really stayed on top of my progress. I also feel blessed that we caught this now instead of another 6-7 years down the road when I wouldn’t be under such a rigid schedule for follow ups and by then it could have been one of those “too late” stories. I feel blessed that it’s me and I’m not having to watch Levi go through some devastating disease.

I also have to keep a sense of humor through all of this (yes, I’m a believer that God has a sense of humor too!)! I will instantly lose 20 lbs so who could complain about that!!! I will also be having an insurance covered procedure done that women pay thousands of dollars for! You have to find the good in everything!!!!

Again, right now all we need is just prayer as I mentioned before! I appreciate each and every one of you. Kevin will start keeping the blog updated with the latest information (new developments, surgery date, etc) so…. “stay tuned and stay praying!” www.bushgang.blogspot.com

Steph

Happy times

2008-09-21T18:57:00.002-05:00

At least my son can still smile after the Steeler's loss.

My Big Boy

2008-09-10T20:28:00.000-05:00

Burger

2008-09-06T13:54:00.002-05:00

Linh just ate a whole large hamburger...wow!!!

Meeting cousins

2008-08-22T11:34:00.002-05:00

Levi met his cousin Audrina for the first time today. He is infatuated
with her!

2008-08-18T20:59:00.001-05:00

Levi and his new big sister, Linh! Stephanie is going through the process to get Linh registered for school at Marcus...the process is grueling from what I understand. I was at work with my feet on my desk the whole time she was dealing with that! Isn't she a wonderful Mom?

2008-08-18T20:56:00.001-05:00

Levi and his new big sister! This is also the first picture posted of Linh. Stephanie is going hrough the process this week to make sure Linh is registered for school at Marcus. Very grueling!!!

Who is Linh?

2008-08-16T16:07:00.002-05:00

So, it happened fast and we did not have time to fill everyone in but we decided to become a host family for a 12th grade student from Vietnam. Her name is Linh. We will be including her in all our family activities and there will be much more posted involving her. Steph and I talked long and hard about this decision and in the end, came to the conclusion that we had a lot of love to give and there are few ways better than to invite someone to live in our home and learn all about our country and culture. Should be very exciting!!

Kicking back

2008-08-15T19:41:00.001-05:00

We are waiting at La Hacienda Ranch for a table. Our new addition to
the family, Linh, is still recovering from the trip. I guess coming
from half way around the world is pretty exhausting!

Survivor!

2008-07-23T19:59:00.000-05:00

The training has begun! Steph is training for the Breast Cancer 3 Day. Please take a moment and visit Steph's site. There is lots of information and a chance to help Stephanie raise money for the cause. See how close she is to meeting her goal! Thanks in advance for your prayers!

You are almost as cool as me!

2008-07-16T13:26:00.002-05:00

So, I asked Stephanie to send me a "pick me up" pic yesterday and this is what she sent. She said that she had a little trouble keeping his sunglasses on once they got away from a mirror where he could look at himself and smile. I had no idea we were raising such a vain child! :-)

Hangin' out

2008-07-11T07:36:00.001-05:00

I'm just waiting in line for the new 3G iPhone!!!

Levi in his new chair

2008-07-05T14:53:00.001-05:00

Thanks Lolly and Pop for the cool chair! Levi is already enjoying it
while watching his movies.

Hanging out...

2008-07-03T19:23:00.001-05:00

Just relaxing and enjoying the day.

Long time no post...

2008-07-02T07:26:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the delayed posting. I am going to start being more active however I am unsure how many folks are still looking at this. :-(

Our son Levi, what a character! He loves to wave at people and cars and planes and trains and walls and anything else with or without reason. His Great Aunt Laura brought him this cowboy hat and he really enjoys wearing it!

Surgery Update

2007-09-07T10:54:00.001-05:00

I just spoke with Dr. Clifford, the surgeon, about 5 minutes ago. He said Steph did very well and that there was nothing that looked abnormal. He removed some breast tissue and what looked like 3 lymph nodes. It is all being sent to pathology and we should know the results on Tuesday.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers!

NEXT STEP: Steph goes to the radiologist on Monday to prepare for radiation therapy. She will actually get three little tattoos to line up the radiation machine the same way each time! Gary and Genny can know say their little girl has three tattoos. I know that will make them happy. ;-)

The radiation therapy is roughly a 6 and 1/2 week long process, 5 days a week for about 20 minutes each treatment.

September Update!!!

2007-09-04T17:47:00.000-05:00

Short and sweet. Sonogram Wednesday to determine the exact location for surgery. Steph is going to have a lumpectomy this Friday. Please be in prayer for her quick recovery.

NEXT STEP: Radiation - this will hopefully start next week.

Last Chemo Treatment!!!

2007-07-30T22:28:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lengthy delay in posting a new reply. There has not been much to tell thus far. Last post was treatment #3. Tomorrow is treatment #6. That is right, #6! That is the last one, thank God.

Reader's Digest version: Steph has remained strong through out the treatments. Thank you all for the prayers! It has been very consistent in that she is down and out the first 10 days after a treatment and then she feels better until the next one. Tomorrow, Tuesday, is the next treatment and doctor's visit. We have been talking with the doctor about how the treatment is progressing. She has mentioned on several occasions that Stephanie has been the patient of the season. She has responded to treatment very well. So well in fact that the doctor is going to take her case in front of a tumor conference, date to be determined.

A tumor conference is where a number of doctors get together and discuss treatment options for patients. In Stephanie's case, her doctor thinks her case is interesting and one that could result in good news. They will make the decision to not perform surgery, perform a lumpectomy or something else. The doc says that the surgeons are very conservative but it will be interesting if they don't find anything to remove.

Stephanie is scheduled for her 2nd MRI and mammogram on Friday. You may recall, she had an MRI prior to the 1st treatment and this next one will tell us how well the tumor reacted to the chemo. From physical inspection, you can't even tell there is a tumor and it was very noticeable before!

NEXT STEP:
Tuesday, 7/31/2007, Last chemo treatment
Friday, 8/3/2007, MRI and mammogram

PRAYER REQUEST:
Please pray that this week goes smooth. Steph has been sick with an upper respiratory infection and she will be weaker going in to this last treatment.

PLEASE READ:

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psa 143:8

The morning will come every day without fail and we know it. Think about this verse when you first see the sun in the morning. We can trust God just like we know the sun will rise...every day. If you are not in the habit of daily giving your troubles to God, it is very hard to understand what it means to be free. I can't imagine what it would have been like for us to walk through this valley without God's grace, love and strength. Next time the morning sun shines in your eyes, remember this verse!

God bless!

Finally an Update!

2007-06-07T19:50:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay in the reporting everyone! I had some access trouble.

I hope everyone is ready for some great news...
Last Tuesday was Stephanie's 3rd chemo treatment. That means she is halfway through! During the normal process of going in for treatment, we meet with the doctor. The doc asked about stuff like changes in symptoms and other junk then feels the lump as an informal tracking method to see if the tumor is responding to the chemo. (Remember, they will do another MRI when chemo is finished to really tell the degree of success on the chemo.)

Anyway, the 1st piece of great news is that when the doctor went to feel the lump, she could not find it. Before, it was very noticeable! Now, NOTHING! Praise God!!!

2nd piece of great news, the BRAC test came back negative! As a reminder, this was the test to determine whether or not Steph was at risk genetically for cancer coming back. This could not have been better news. This means she will not need a mastectomy or a histerectomy!

We could not have had better answers to prayer!! Thank you all!!!

NEXT STEP: 3 more chemo treatments

PRAYER REQUEST: Please be in prayer for Steph to keep up her strength. She has really been doing well but we do expect that it will continue to take her a little bit longer to recover each time.

Founding Fathers of Steph's Fan Club

2007-05-06T22:12:00.000-05:00

You should have seen Steph when she was reading the email and looking through the pictures that were sent to her yesterday. It was a great thing to do and Stephanie was truly touched and overcome with emotion. The first picture is Tom. He used to work with Steph. The second is Steph's boss Kelly and his son Dane. She is always talking about how much she loves Dano! (Sorry Kelly, she doesn't have exactly the same level of affection for you!) The last picture on the left is Nelson and Lisa. Stephanie has working with Nelson for the last nine years. I know these are four guys that Steph has really enjoyed having as part of her life. I for one am glad that when she is not around me, she can be surrounded by such great people!

This Thursday is Steph's next treatment. The first one was a little tougher than expected so we are not looking forward to the next one at all. I guess we are in that we will then be able to say, two down and four to go. Steph was just looking at the timeframe for the next few. It appears to be very good timing. The next treatment will fall just after Memorial weekend and then just after July 4th and then just after her birthday. That means that she will probably feel her best for these holidays (including her birthday which is a holiday I celebrate).

NEXT STEP: BRAC Test has to be redone due to some insurance issues. #2 chemo treatment is Thursday, May 10th.

PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray that the BRAC Test results come back quickly and with good news. Also, Stephanie is coming up on her first Mother's Day with Levi outside the womb. I made travel arrangements well in advance and did not realize what that Sunday was. I leave town first thing Sunday morning. :-( Please pray that she not only feels good on Mother's Day, but also pray that she has a good Mother's Day!!!

Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers. We can't even begin to explain how much it means to us.

1st Chemo Cycle Completed

2007-04-18T14:49:00.000-05:00

Stephanie and I were at the hospital most of the day with her hooked up to the pump administering the various bags of drugs. The experience from my point of view was not bad at all. Everyone was very nice and we were able to watch a movie and read a while.

Steph started experiencing some mild flu-like symptoms last night and it has continued through today. She is getting along pretty well so far. She actually mentioned that the tumor is bothering her today. Since the chemo works on rapidly developing cells, it appears this is a good sign. Perhaps the tumor is already being destroyed by the drugs!

I'll keep you all updated with a new post really soon.

Great news and port-a-cath installed!

2007-04-11T15:33:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: Tuesday evening, we received a message from the doctor that the PET scan results we had been waiting for were in and the news is great, THANK GOD!!! The cancer is primarily located in the left breast with very little in the lymph nodes under her arm. So little in fact that he is not worried about it at all. This is truly an answer to many prayers. Although we are walking into the valley, God's light is still shining upon us. We are so grateful to everyone that has been praying for us!

This morning we went to the hospital to have a port-a-cath installed to ease the administration of the chemotherapy drugs. It is commonly referred to as a "port". It was inserted just below her right collar bone. The procedure took about 3 hours from arrival to departure.

NEXT STEP: Cycle 1 of 6 for chemo begins on Tuesday, April 17th. The plan is to also draw blood for the BRCA test. This will help us determine the right approach for making sure the cancer has as little a chance of coming back as possible.

PRAYER REQUEST: Please be in prayer for Stephanie to have mild side effects to the drugs and for good news on the BRCA test. If you don't believe in prayer, please just share this information with all the God-fearing folks you know. They can handle the rest...

Sound Asleep

2007-03-25T11:53:00.000-05:00

Steph took this picture last Friday morning. She had left him on the island in the kitchen quite happy and when she returned just a few minutes later.....he was out cold, holding onto his blanket with his thumb in his mouth.