The Bushgang Blog

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!!

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!!!

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

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!!!

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.

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 tomorr

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. :-)

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 th

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!

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 candle

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!

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!!!

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!

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!

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!

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!!!

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.

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!

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

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!!!

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.

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.

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

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, b

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

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

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

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

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?

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!!!

So, it happened fast and we did not have time to fill everyone in but we decided to become a host family for a 12 th 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!!

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!

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!

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! :-)

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

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

Just relaxing and enjoying the day.

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!