A lot on my mind

Well, let's see - Dawson is sick and seems to have gotten worse as the day went on. I will be taking him to the doctor in the morning to see what is going on with his horrible cough. He also had a fever today and was generally miserable. I need to be very careful around him so I do not get sick. I have 1 chemo left in 9 days and want to get this over with. If I become sick too, it will delay that last treatment.

I have also found out that a friend is now facing cancer. My heart breaks for her and the pain that she is about to endure. I think about her family and their struggles. This disease blows into your life and wreaks havoc. My prayer for her and her family is for peace and rest - the 2 things you need the most and seem to get the least.

David's 5 birthday

Yesterday was David's birthday and my baby has now turned 5! I can't believe it. He had a great birthday, filled with excitement. Spiderman actually showed up at his school to wish him happy birthday, but David was on to the fact he wasn't real because he said he could see his eyes through the mask. I don't know about David, but I was pretty tired at the end of his day!

Breast Cancer Walk

I guess that picture of my big forehead worked! Over $1000 has been raised for the Breast Cancer walk. "Team Barbara" is now in the top 10 teams! It is still unbelievable to me that so many people are willing to give of their time and money to support me and the American Cancer Society.

I am feeling better than I was yesterday. I am still trying to recover from this cold. The cold and recovering from chemo has led to a lot of sleep. My body is just tuckered out.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk

A fellow survivor told me she is leading "Team Barbara" on October 14 at the Making strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. I couldn't believe it until I saw my name on the website! If you would like to join the team or find out more information about the walk, you can go to

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=3549&team_id=150601. I hope to be there if I can. I may not be able to walk but I hope to see the event. Thank you to all who are participating!!

It was a close one!

I was scheduled for chemo today but wasn't sure if it was going to happen. Even the nurse who drew my blood felt the same way. I woke up Friday afternoon with a head cold/ cough thing and it was in full force last night. This morning, I felt pretty sick and wasn't sure if my counts would be high enough for chemo. Fortunately, they were actually higher this round than last treatment. I was able to go through with it. Not that I am exciting to be getting chemo, but want to stay on the course of treatment and not put things off longer than necessary.

I was able to rejoice with a fellow patient today. She and I are on the same schedule and today was her last chemo. We have sat next to each other a few times and she is a such a pleasure to talk to. Dave joked with her that she would be running for the door on her way out. That will be me on my next treatment (and I will be running for the door)!! When my chemo is done, I will still need to go back every 3 weeks for Herceptin. I will need to do that until next June. So, I will still need to walk into that room every 3 weeks but will be able to walk out with little to no side effects.

#5 on Monday

Monday is the 5th treatment. Only 1 more after that. I don't feel as anxious about it. I have tried to explain why in logical terms - "I must be an old pro at this" or "I am nearing the end of this part of the cancer treatment." How about "God's grace"? There is a peace that I have not felt in the past. Sure, all of the side effects are in the back of my mind but I don't feel like I need to scramble around the house to make everything perfect for everyone else that week. The "caregiver" is actually okay with others taking care of her.

As some of you know, today is my birthday. I have to admit, I woke up a little grumpy this morning but that has turned around. I have been flooded with emails, phone calls, and cards wishing me a happy birthday. This evening, I will be sharing my story with a small group from church. What better day to do it than the day we celebrate life?!

I am long over the stomach problems from my last treatment, but my body gets very fatigued at this time of day. I will take a nap but the rest of the day is a struggle. This is to be expected because of the cumulative effects of the chemo. I have my fifth treatment on Monday and I am too tired to think about it.

One week down

Well, it has been one week since my chemo treatment and I am beginning to feel like myself again. This last treatment wasn't quite as hard to get over as others in the past. I even called the doctor's office about it and was asked why I was complaining. The suggestion was that I now have an idea what to expect and am better preparing myself.

Dawson has not been himself lately. It seems to be more than just the adjustment of chemo week. He has been very whiny and crabby. We aren't sure what is going on with him.

David starts Kindergarten tomorrow and there is a lot of excitement - new school supplies, new teacher and turning 5 soon.