The Bushgang Blog

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 Go...

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 har...

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 do...

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 finis...

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! Th...

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!

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 ...

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!!

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!

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!

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 humb...

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!!!

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!

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!

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!!!

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 ...

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 an...

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 wi...

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!

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,” answ...