Well since my last post, loads of things have changed. I've been off the road with Ed now for three weeks, not out of choice but necessity. Initially I was home for the Joyce Meyer Conference in Hampton, Virginia and WOW what a wonderful time I had with a great friend! Then of course Easter and a visit with the family. Then a nephew with a medical issue I felt I needed to be here for support (more his mother's support than the nephew). As odd as it seems during that same week my son came home for a visit from California and the Marine Corps... let me elaborate a tad on this one day.
May 5, 2011 my sister my nephew and I arrive at MCV hospital in Richmond, VA for some tests for my nephew. They need to sedate the young 18 year old lad. His mother; anxious, nervous and highly excitable and I wait (I'd say patiently but that was not really the case). The procedure takes just a bit longer than we had been told but they tell us all is well and they found nothing negative to report. With a great sigh we began trying to wake sleeping boy up. Finally the nursing staff let us in on the idea that they may have given him a tiny bit more sleepy juice because the procedure took a bit longer than anticipated. Meanwhile my son and daughter along with my daughter's fiancé had arrived at the restaurant we'd chosen for lunch. Try as we may my nephew could not wake up fully. Finally they decided he was as awake as he was going to be for the day and let us take him.
Off we sped to meet the kids for lunch. When we arrived at the restaurant my nephew looked as if he had been on a week long bender. He was ashen pale and unsteady on his feet. His cousin found the entire thing greatly entertaining, and decided he'd take watch over our drugged charge guiding him to the mens room chuckling along the way as he staggered. My daughter had news for us tho! Its always a cinch when I'm greeted with "You'll never guess what we're going to tell you!" that something interesting is going to happen! I began the guessing game with "Did you go and get married?" the answer shocked me more than I imagined they could shock me. They both said 'almost'. I steadied myself and said what exactly does that mean 'almost'? It seems they'd purchased the license but the official had made an appointment to do the official marrying later that very afternoon. I've heard of eloping but never in stages.. but then again anything with my daughter is slightly at its own pace.
My sister, nephew and son and I continued with our lunch while the marriage was completed; because if we had attended and the grooms family hadn't it well could have been a little uneasy to explain. All too quickly lunch ended and the happy couple had gotten married and went off on the honeymoon. I said good bye again to my son, collected the by now mostly coherent nephew and we were off to pick up my grandson.
When we arrived at the day care to pick up my grandson his questions pelted us like a rain storm. Where was Mommy, why was CamCam sleepy, is Aunt Chris staying at my house, why are we driving Grammy's race car... and so on all the way home. Later after all the excitement had mellowed Mikey came to me and asked when his Mommy was coming home. I tried to explain that she and his daddy had gotten married he responded with "well I don't want to marry daddy." I decided I should leave that entire explanation to his mother and suggested we call her right then. She had no more gotten the phone before he asked how come she married HIS daddy? Kids can be so entertaining. I'm happy to say that they are all happily married now and its all settled.
Altogether a very interesting day in deed! We are very pleased that they have gotten married by the way!
After all of that excitement I had spent a few days with my parents. My mother is a long time liver cancer survivor nearly 13 years. She is a true living miracle even in the medical field. They have no explanation as to why or how she's lived and how they've gotten her liver cancer into remission. Initially on November 16th 1999 my mother entered the hospital at Mary Immaculate Hospital in Newport News, VA for simple gall bladder surgery. The surgeon a long time friend and doctor headed into surgery believing nothing more than simple gall bladder issues loomed ahead. He stopped the surgery and sent my mother back to her room. Suddenly cancer was center stage. Mom had stage 4 liver cancer, tumor's consumed more of her liver than liver tissue. Her prognosis was horribly grim. The first oncologist on the scene came in and very bluntly announced that she would more than likely not live to the end of the year. My sister and I stopped him out in the hall and asked what his coarse of action was going to be. His response was shocking at best, "We will make her as comfortable as possible there is nothing we can do, you need to begin the process of preparing her arrangements now." Not very comforting I must say. Later that day family began arriving. My mother's sisters and sister in law myself and my sister decided to go begin making calls. We went downstairs sobbing stopped in front of the door to the cafeteria to decide who each person was to call when a Nun in full habit came through the doors. She slowed and moved into our group with such a smile I hadn't had time to notice until she began to speak. She looked at each of us with that smile and said "I'm not sure why your all so upset but I want you to know that God can and does still work miracles. I was diagnosed with liver cancer 5 years ago and I'm living proof of what God can do!" At the time the words just sort of hung in the air everything around us seemed fuzzy. We stood and looked at this woman and no one could speak and as suddenly as she appeared she seemed to be gone. I cannot tell you what she looked like today but her words are still etched in my mind.
My mother was released several days later from the hospital on pain management and returned to see the oncologist assigned to her case. After the next visit and several prayers my parents returned to the office and had prepared to tell the receptionist that they'd like to see a different doctor. When my dad approached the desk the receptionist interrupted him as he began and said I'm sorry sir but the doctor you've been seeing has been re-assigned to another office but we do have a doctor that can see your wife today. Well, as time has progressed from that day God has been in control of my mother's treatment. The new doctor obviously a Christian asked if she wanted to fight the cancer she and dad both had not even been given a choice before, and gladly accepted the challenge to fight. Treatment began immediately - she began 5FU Chemotherapy. The new oncologist had began with, "If this shows no signs of change we'll do something else until we've exhausted all other avenues". Doctors could not tell us where the cancer originated from as the liver is the last place that cancer generally gets to because the blood is constantly flowing through the liver. Its difficult for the cancer cells to adhere anywhere else. Cancer cells had to be filtered in the liver and through many tests and pathologists around the world no one had the answer as to where it came from. My mother's sister was diagnosed with bone cancer just a year after my mother and died 3 short months later. Well 12 years later she not only showed no new tumor's but appears to be in full clinical remission of liver cancer. We joke that she looks really really good to be a dead woman after all these years. A secondary bone cancer began a few years ago and has been very slow moving and pain controlled by selective radiation.
Our prayer vigil along with the church they belong to and so many others began the day she was diagnosed. Although my mother has had very painful days, and suffered through chemotherapy weekly and then bi-weekly for 12 years her faith in God's will has never wavered. We believe that God has kept my mother alive these many years to show us all he can and will work miracles in our lives if we only let him but we must always remember that its God's will not our own that we pray for. We have been so blessed by my mother's miracle that God has allowed her to stay with us for so long with so little side affects, and she's gone on to travel extensively and see several countries and be there for the birth of her first great grandson.
Currently my mothers health has been compromised by an infection known as C-Diff. She has become very weak as a result and has lost weight down to 104lbs as of last Thursday. A bone biopsy done a few weeks ago shows that another form of cancer has begun to spread, Adenocarcinoma.
My father has been steadfast in his care for my mother all these years and I feel the time has come to offer my help since he has medical problems as well. So due to this new threat and her weakened state I will be staying with my parents for a while.
I will try and keep the blog up to date as time permits. Since Ed is still out there driving the highways I can relay some of his adventures to you since I can't get him to blog for me.
God Bless
Pam and Ed
