Happy Anniversary!!!

No, we're not celebrating the one month anniversary of mom's diagnosis, although I suppose that falls on today as well. No, today is a real celebration. It's my Mom and Dad's 37th Wedding Anniversary. Dad greeted mom bright and early this morning with some flowers and a Happy Anniversary balloon, and mom was all smiles. Actually, mom has been in good spirits all morning. She's been very talkative and energetic and her appetite seems to be good too.

Last night, she recieved her first chemo treatment since her return trip to the hospital. They lowered the dosage to try and limit the side effects and while it is still extremely early, it seems to be going good. With this new approach (described here), mom will recieve the chemo treatments more frequently. This became very clear to mom this afternoon, as she learned that she had recieved her second chemo treatment in as many days this morning. She says she must be getting good at this chemo stuff, because she didn't even realize she was getting it until it was over.

But enough about the treatment for today. Today isn't about the cancer. It's about celebrating the two people who showed me what true love is. My parents marriage has always been the one thing that I could always look at as rock solid and good. Here it is, 37 years later (well, I guess 33 years later for me), and it is still is as solid and good as ever. Here's to you Mom and Dad. We all love you both more than we could ever put into words!

Wednesday Update

Last night was a big night for our family. We met with the doctor who has been treating our mom. First she gave us the rundown of everything that has been going on lately. In a nutshell, most of the problems that my mom has been experiencing have been caused by one of two things. The first main problem is that her liver isn't functioning properly, as a result of the cancerous tumors that have developed there. The high ammonia levels, the water retention, and the confusion are all a result of this problem. The second problem was her reaction to the chemo. She had an alarmingly low platelet count and her white blood cell count was also low, which were both direct reactions to the chemo. These have both returned to normal levels now, so it was now time to decide what mom wanted to do as far as treatment going forward. It is kind of a catch-22 really. The only way to improve the functioning of the liver is to try and get the tumors under control, but the only way to do that is through more chemo, which may introduce more problems.

First of all, mom will receive a paracentesis today at 11AM, which is basically a drainage of the fluids that have built up in her abdomen. This will relieve some of the pressure she is feeling in her midsection and will hopefully allow her to eat and feel a little better. This is important because mom is going to need her strength.

After much thought, discussion, and prayer mom has decided to give the chemotherapy another shot. This time they will reduce the dosage of the main chemo agent, Gemzar, to about 75% of the original dosage. This will hopefully limit the side-effects, but still be enough to hinder the growth of the tumors. They will give her the next treatment either later today or early tomorrow, depending on how she recovers from the paracentesis. Once the chemo is administered, mom will spend at least a few more days in the hospital so they can monitor her blood levels and make sure she doesn't have anymore adverse reactions to it. If she doesn't, a decision will be made about going home or staying at the hospital.

This is obviously a very big day for our mom. As always, if you pray, we could use your prayers. Mom's words to me this morning were as follows:

"I'm a fighter. If I just stopped chemo after the first set-back that I had, I would feel like I'm quitting, and that's not me."

So she is going to continue to fight. We ask that you support her in her battle.

Monday Update

It seems that most of mom's problems right now are being caused by problems with her liver. Her legs and abdomen have both been experiencing some pretty significant swelling in the past few days. This is what we could find on the condition:

Fluid retention in the legs and abdomen -- The liver produces a protein, called albumin, that holds fluid in blood vessels. When the blood level of albumen falls, fluid seeps out of the tissues into the legs and abdomen, causing edema (fluid accumulation) and swelling.

To try and counteract the swelling the doctors have greatly reduced the amount of fluids she is taking in through her IV. If that doesn't seem to help, they will most likely have to drain the fluids manually, as it is becoming rather uncomfortable for mom.

Also, the ammonia levels in mom's blood are rather high, which is also an indication that her liver isn't functioning properly. The liver normally converts ammonia into urea, which is then eliminated in urine. Ammonia levels in the blood rise when the liver is not able to convert ammonia to urea. The outward effect of this elevated ammonia level is a very sleepy, disoriented, and sometimes confused mom. If you do go and visit mom, she will occasionally slip in and out of the conversation and won't always make perfect sense. If you just go with the flow and let her keep her talking, eventually you will start to figure out where she is coming from. Fortunately, there is a medication that mom is taking that will hopefully lower the ammonia levels and help mom regain some mental acuity.

Mom's appetite seems to come and go. It seems that her appetite is the greatest in the morning and then kind of fades as the day goes on. With the amount of nutrients that she is taking in through the IV being greatly reduced, her eating has taken on more importance. Becky visited her this morning and says that she seemed to be more aware and sharp than she has been lately. Also, she wolfed down a good portion of her breakfast, which is great.

Her platelet levels are back to normal and her lungs still look good, which are positives. However, perhaps the most amazing thing I saw yesterday was when one of mom's friends came to visit her while just Kelly and I were there. This was a woman who my mom knew from childhood, and they kept in contact because they both worked at the hospital. She heard my mom was in the hospital so she came to pay her a visit. She had no idea that my mom wasn't totally with it, so she was just talking to her normally. Then my mom started asking questions to her. Things that to me, didn't make much sense, and I assumed they didn't make much sense to the woman either. But the woman knew what my mom was talking about. Apparently, the woman recently lost her husband to cancer and my mom was asking her how he was treated during his stay at the hospital, and how she was doing now. Soon the woman was crying and telling mom how much she loved her husband and how she missed him. My mom just held her hand and let her talk, and suddenly things were normal again. There mom was, comforting someone, just like she always has. I don't know why I was even surprised. Mom is always at her best when she is serving others. She truly is amazing.

Today's Update

Mom is still in the hospital and has been moved out of the intermediate care area and onto the Oncology floor. She has been put up in a nice private rooms, right next to a nice little lounge room that is set-up with little kiddie tables, TVs, and everything that a grandchild would love. Mom's Doctor said it was OK for the grandkids to visit, which wasn't possible during mom's first visit to the hospital.

Mom has recently started to experience a lot of itching on her arms & legs. They have given her some Benedryl to try and counteract the initial reaction. They have also ordered all "allergen-free" bed linens for her new room, with the hope that it is a simple reaction and nothing more.

The reason mom originally had to go back to the doctors is because she was in a lot of pain, was throwing up, and had diarrhea. Her pain level is improving, but it's still not where it needs to be if she wants to go home. It's hard to tell exactly how much pain mom is in, because she's such a tough person, but the doctors are still trying to figure out the source. The hope is to have a definitive answer within the next two days, but the early leanings seem to be that this is some sort of infection, most likely C-Difficile.

Again, at this point, this is just an educated guess and not the official diagnosis. The results should be available tonight or tomorrow (24-48 hrs), and then they can hopefully work on fixing it. While mom is still having bouts with diarrhea, the throwing up seems to be under control for now.

When comparing the CT scans done on August 1st with the ones done on August 22nd, the liver looks like it has more lesions on it. While this isn't the most encouraging news in the world, this does not necessarily mean that the chemo is not doing its job. The doctor said she has to work through the infection first and get mom past that before she can start making decisions or drawing conclusions about the chemo's effect and treatment going forward. The chemo session scheduled for tomorrow is still a possibility, although there is a very real possibility that it will have to be suspended until mom can get rid of the infection.

On a more positive note, the doctor was impressed with mom's labs. Many things were better today than they were when she was first in the hospital. The way that the swelling just resolved itself in her legs was also very encouraging. It's difficult to figure out where everything is right now, but the one thing we do know is mom is where she needs to be right now. The hospital can offer the care and comfort that she simply cannot get at home at this point. Hopefully, with a few more days, we will start to get some clarity on everything.

Mom looks much better today than she did two days ago when she was forced back into the hospital. The color in her face has returned and she is starting to become more active. Last night, our sister Cathi presented her with a scrapbook that all of the kids put together. Each kid included pictures of their family and some little notes and pictures. Mom really loved it, as we knew she would. I think she is kind of exhausted right now with all the medical talk and just wants to enjoy her time with anyone who stops by. If you do happen to see her, here's a tip...don't bore her with the doctor talk. As always, mom wants to talk about you.

An AMAZING Benefit Concert Turnout

I don't even know how to begin this entry, because putting into words the amount of love and generosity I saw displayed last night would not be possible. To say the very least, last night's benefit concert at the Arabian Knights Barn was a success beyon what we could have imagined.

My job was clicking the counter as each person paid when they entered the Barn, after which Lauren would draw a cute little "J" on each person's hand. The number kept rising. 100, 200, almost 300 clicks, and little J's later, we could hardly believe the turnout on a Tuesday with such short notice! Upon entrance, an employee of the Barn collected the $10 entry fee, the majority of which went to our mom's cause. But I lost count of how many people said "where can I bring the rest of my donation?". So aside from the $10 cost of the ticket, so many people wanted to do something more.

We had a table set up where people could read our blog updates, take a thank you flyer with the blogspot website on it, write little encouraging notes to my mom, look at pictures, or make a donation to her cancer fund. Aside from this, one of our brother Georgie's friends, Jess, has this amazing mother who was walking around the entire night with a bucket asking for donations from everyone she talked to. Which I think by night's end was... well, everyone. Many thanks to her for that effort, we are truly grateful. The big white donation box from the table has not even yet been opened yet and we have already counted over $3500 in donations!! And let me tell you, this big white box is BIG and FULL from what I could tell. Also towards the end of the night a life sized signed poster of The Plain White T's and the other bands (donated by a club owner who designed it, printed it and drove it in from Lacrosse, WI where he lives. 8 hours round trip, he never met my Mom, just a kind-hearted man who wanted to show his support) was auctioned off to the highest bidder, which ended up being the Arabian Knights Barn at $375 bucks!! That entire amount went to my mom. Amazing. A huge thank you to the Barn!

The bands all gave awesome performances, and the crowd was very warm and receptive to all of them. I always enjoy watching my brothers perform, so that was just an added treat for me. Our brother Daniel's last song of The Fold's set was my favorite, as it was a very pretty, accoustic song called Stay. This is not a new song and was not written about my mom that I know of, but one line kept ringing in my head and giving me the chills: "Stay where you are, time will pass as this falls away". Originally the lyrics are slightly different ("time will pass as they fall away") but I think I noticed he changed it up a little, maybe so it could be directed to our mom, and I liked it. It was encouraging and beautiful and I was very proud. And if it wasn't on purpose, well... good change up anyway, Dan! The show was video taped and many pictures were taken, so hopefully my mom can experience it as though she was there.

The final band to perform, the Plain White T's, has been a force on the local band scene for many years now, and they have been growing bigger and bigger in popularity as time has passed. They now tour nationally and are getting regular radio play on the biggest radio station in Los Angeles! Tom Higgenson is the front man of this band, and he went to high school with us, in Daniel's class. We used to be in plays together back in the day, and him and Daniel ran in the same circles, so my mom knew him during those younger years. Tom was in a bad car accident several years ago and he was hurt pretty badly. When he was in the hospital my mom came to visit him. She brought him a Bible and prayed with him. Obviously Tom was touched by this, as he told this story last night to all of his fans, friends, and family, and used his notoriety among the Plain White T's following, to encourage everyone to open their pockets and give my mom something back. I was so grateful and touched by this, as it goes to show you that little gestures like the one my mom extended are always remembered. I hope Tom and the T's will check this blog so I can tell them again... Thank you for being so kind, and sharing what a wonderful person our mom is with so many people who may not know.

As Greg said in his entry, you normally can't equate money with love. It won't cure my mom's cancer, as only God can do that. But in this situation, it was the act of donating money that showed us the love, generosity, and eagerness to help from SO many! It is sure to touch my mom's heart and hopefully give her some added strength to keep fighting this battle. This money will go to good use, on a woman who really, truly deserves it. So to all who came out last night, and opened your hearts and your wallets... thank you, thank you, thank you, from ALL of us! This night of encouragement and support came at a time when we really needed it. We love you and thank God for you.

What we know...

Well, unfortunately, we don't know a lot, but we have more information than we had yesterday. After piecing together little tidbits of information that various people shared with me, I think this is a pretty good recap of where we are right now.

The doctors seem to think that yesterday's episode was most likely caused by one of two things; A side effect of chemo or an infection. Additionally, when mom first came to the ER yesterday, she was extrememly dehydrated and her blood was showing very low levels of white plateletts and elocrolytes. However, after retesting, the doctor said her blood was not nearly as "low" as the doctors thought when they re-drew it. The earlier numbers were in error, which is good news. So for the time being, we are in a holding pattern. Hopefully today will bring some answers. They did do some tests on her lungs and those look good. There was some fear that there could be fluid build-up which could complicate things.

They did another CT scan and mentioned that her liver enzymes looked better than a few weeks ago at the hospital, which is possible sign that the chemo is having some positive effects. The swelling in mom's legs has pretty much gone away which could also be an indication of some progress. Once we get CT scan results back it could shed some light on this, but the doctors stressed not to put too much stock in a CT scan that is done this early. After all, we're only on day 10 of her chemo regimen, and medically speaking, that really isn't much time for the chemo to work.

So for now, Mom is resting in intermediate care. She is doing much better than she was yesterday morning and has even started walking around by herself. Most of the new pain from yesteday is gone, but she is still extremely tired. The hope is that with a few more days in the hospital she can get everything straightened out and regain her strength.

Becky is going to be writing about the great benefit concert that my two younger brothers put on yesterday. For some reason, I keep thinking back to the end of "It's a Wonderful Life." While I hate to equate monetary donations with love, in this case, it was fairly obvious that the two went hand in hand. Everyone just wants to do something, anything to help this wonderful woman.

I leave you with this quote, from Uncle Billy in "It's a Wonderful Life." You can change the name to Jeanette and it's dead-on:

Uncle Billy: She told a few people you were in trouble and they scattered all over town collecting money. They didn't ask any questions — just said: "If George is in trouble — count on me." You never saw anything like it.

Harry Bailey: A toast to my big brother George: The richest man in town!

Treatment Update #4

So it seems these updates have been filled with optimism and have had mostly good news since the initial diagnosis Unfortunately, today I have to share some not so good news. This morning when my mom woke up, she was in a lot of pain and started throwing up and had diarrhea pretty much anytime she tried to move out of her bed. After talking with the doctor, it was decided that the hospital was the best place for her to be today. So an ambulance came and got her and brought her back to Elmhurst Hospital where they'll try and figure out what is causing this. At this point, we don't know if this is just a reaction to the chemotherapy or something more serious. Becky, my dad, and mom's sisters are at the hospital with her right now.

As always, we could use your prayers. We will update this with more information as we get it.

Getting Organized - Part Deux

Last night my sisters, sister-in-laws, aunts, and myself had a meeting where we put together a schedule covering who will be with my mom which days & times each week, as well as a list of chores we will cover on a weekly basis at my parents house, meal coverage, medicine schedules and organization, etc. To say the least, it was very productive!

Our finalized schedule ensures that someone is always there to help my mom with whatever she needs from early each morning, to at least 8pm each night. We divided each day into timeslots that all of us "signed up" for. While some of us work during the week days, we are free in the early mornings and evenings, and vice versa. We also signed up for various household chores, from dusting, to vacuuming, to grocery shopping. And we're going to teach my dad and Georgie how to do their own laundry. It should be an educational week! So anyway, it worked out quite nicely. Aside from all this I'm sure there will still be "unscheduled" visitors, and of course, my dad will be there most of the time. But we do want to encourage my dad to feel comfortable leaving to get things done with his real estate and not worry that he is leaving my mom alone. We've got her covered, she will never be alone, that's for sure!

Now my mom might look at this and think we are making a fuss about covering every base. But rest assured mom, this schedule is not just to cover time slots, but also to LIMIT us from being with you every second of the day, all at once. We love you that much, and cherish every possible second we can spend with you. We need to be contained! :)

On a side note, I (and I know everyone else would second this) want to say a very special and heartfelt thank you to our sister-in-law Lauren for organizing last night's meeting, and putting together nice printed out packets with the weekly schedule, chore list, medicine schedule, & phone number list so we can all reach each other. She might be bashful reading this, but it had to be said that she has gone so above and beyond in her love for my mom, and her eagerness to tackle the task of getting things organized. She couldn't do more if it were her own mother, and we are so blessed to have her as a part of our family. Of course EVERYONE is a blessing and is doing so much to help, I just thought she deserved a special mention for last night alone! She is also using her graphic design talents for a lot of things that will contribute to making tomorrow night's benefit show extra special. So again, kudos to Lauren. That Daniel is one lucky guy. We love you!

A Benefit Show for Mom!

**JEANETTE CASTADY CANCER BENEFIT CONCERT** This coming Tuesday in Willowbrook, IL @ The Arabian Knights Barn (6526 Clarendon Hills Rd) w/ Plain White T's, The Fold, Scissors and Michaelane. Starts at 6 PM. $10, ALL proceeds go to Jeanette Castady's Cancer Fund.

Treatment Update #3

Mom finished her second chemo session yesterday. Once again, no real problems to report on that. Her blood work came back good, which is a good sign. Apparently, with chemo there is a risk that the white blood count can get low. That hasn't happened with Mom. They did mention that the sodium was a little low. This was most likely caused by mom drinking too much water. From now on, she promises to "Be Like Mike" and supplement her water with Gatorade or some such drink.

She has one more chemo session scheduled for next week and then the first cycle will be officially over. At that point, they will run a series of tests to see if the chemo is doing it's job yet. If it is, there is a decent chance that radiation can start on the tumor in her pancreas. That will hopefully help reduce some of the pain that she has been experiencing in her midsection.

From there, she will continue on a three week on, one week off schedule with the chemo. The only exception to this rigid schedule will be Friday, September 22nd. That is the day that our sister Becky is getting married. Mom will skip that day's session and make it up the following day. Apparently, she's afraid that the chemo session might interfere with her dancing the night away, and we can't let that happen.

Taking the Good With the Bad

First, I just want to thank everyone for their prayers and well wishes. You have all been so wonderful, and we are thankful for each and every one of you.

Now, I want to use this entry as an opportunity to shed some positive light on all of this. Out of every terrible, heartbreaking situation, I have learned that good things can come too. While my mom having cancer is the worst, most painful nightmare I've ever endured, it has also caused some very amazing things to happen all around us. It has turned lives around, caused people to embrace the Lord and turn away from their selfish habits, and brought an already close family even closer. I speak for myself personally when I say that my own selfish pursuits are of not of the world I now live in. God is working in my life, and working in the lives of so many people around me.

Not only that, but I've never, EVER in my life seen such an outpouring of love and support first hand! There is nobody who doesn't want to help, whether it's lending an ear, a shoulder to cry on, a home cooked meal, or most importantly, a prayer. If I had a nickel for every person who has offered to help, I would be a very rich person. But I feel rich anyway. Rich in love, from God, to my family & friends, to complete strangers who are praying for us. And despite the pain she is in, I know my mom is beaming inside at the changes she is seeing in our lives. It's been her prayer for a lot longer than any of us probably even know. Today I just feel very encouraged, and full of hope, and I hoped that might be contagious for anyone reading. Keep praying! :)

Getting Organized

The newest challenge that has arisen is figuring out the best (read simplest) way to ensure that mom is taking all of her medication at the right time, and in the right dosage. While this may seem like a relatively simple thing at first glance, if you take a look at the spreadsheet that our sister Cathi worked extremely hard to put together to track it all, you will quickly find that there is nothing simple about it. Mom is taking 11 different pills every day, at 9 different times thoughout the day, and that isn't even counting the "as needed" pain pills, which she can take, you guessed it, as needed.

Then there are special pills that need to be taken right before after chemo treatment to help prevent nauseau. In reading the warning label of that drug, it lists the possible side-effects:

"The most common side effects of EMEND are tiredness, nausea, hiccups, constipation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, headache, and hair loss."

Hmmm...you'd think that they would try and find an anti-nausea drug that didn't cause nausea, wouldn't you? But I digress.

On the homefront, our Dad's office has been converted into a mini-bedroom for the time being and an adjustable hospital bed has been moved in there to allow mom to elevate her legs as needed. She has been experiencing quite a bit of swelling in her lower legs ever since she has been released from the hospital last week. The doctors aren't treating it as a big deal, so we are trying to keep it in perspective. It is very possible that it is just the result of a woman who has been constantly on the move for 60 years, suddenly being confined to a bed for most of the day. Once she gets some strength back and can move around a little more, everyone is assuming that the swelling will go away.

Mom's second Chemo session is scheduled for tomorrow. She tolerated the first one extremely well, and we're hoping for more of the same tomorrow. Thanks to all for your prayers and thoughts.

A little rhyme running through my head...

I’d give everything I have to take this burden from you.
I would walk a million miles if you said you needed me to.
I don’t understand how you’re doing it,
How you’re enduring it, through and through.
I just want you to know, there’s nothing at all
That I wouldn’t do for you.
******************************************************
I love her so much.

Information Overload

This cancer business is tough, and I guess that's part of the problem, there is a definite business side to it. Sometimes it's hard to figure out where the facts end and the business begins.

When we found out that my mom was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, I think all of her kids instantly jumped on the computer to try and find out as much about this type of cancer that they could find. We learned about how the doctors would treat it. We learned about procedures to help ease her pain. We learned about primary treatments, we learned about alternatives treatments, we learned about supplement treatments. We learned as much as we could as quickly as we could. We talked to cancer survivors, who all had ideas about what helped them. We talked to doctors. We talked to family members who cared for loved ones who were struck with cancer.

At the end of the day, we had accumulated a ton of knowledge, but a lot of it conflicted with each other. Some people said you need to alter your diet to give your body the best chance of fighting off the cancer. Others said you should eat whatever you want, and that it's just the total calories consumed that are important. Some people suggested we go to one of the big specialized cancer centers for treatment, others thought the established mainstream teaching hospitals were best.

And then there are the "wonder drugs." If you go on the web and start searching for cancer treatments, it won't be long until your turned on to these wonder drugs that supposedly kill cancer cells and cure patients. Things like Essiac Tea, Careseng, Tian Xian, and other pricey options are all over the place. However, finding actual facts on these products usually proves to be a pretty fruitless undertaking. Sure you can find survival stories and even important sounding doctors with M.D.'s attached to the end of their name endorsing the product. But usually these people are all somehow associated with the same website selling the product. Are they real experts and survivors, or are they paid endorsers? My skeptical side says don't believe it, but I want so bad for the claims to be true. I want there to be hope.

I wonder, is that what is being sold on those websites? Hope? The one common thing that I have found among people who beat cancer is that they all have a strong spirit and underlying feeling that they can beat this. The never give up hope. Perhaps some people are just born with this, maybe some people need to get that hope from medicine, but they have it. For my mom, I know where she gets her hope, and she doesn't have to spend a dime to get it. If you look in the top drawer of most hotels you'll find a copy of my mom's hope medicine. God's Word is my mom strength, and it is the sole source of her hope.

At the end of the day, when we were going over all the treatment options for our mom, we did what we always did. We asked simply asked her. And just like always, our mom showed us, in her simple confident ways, what we were going to do. She was going to eat what she wanted, but we all knew she has always been a sensible, healthy eater, so chances are eating what she wanted to eat would be just fine. She felt comfortable with her doctor at Elmhurst and wanted to receive treatment there. And then she reminded us that it isn't the chemo or the medicine that would cure her. It is God's healing hand that will decide her future, and there is no insurance referral needed for that treatment (Thank God for that...but that's another blog entry entirely).

Of course, we can't keep things that simple. We're still investigating and searching for the thing that is gonna help her. So we ask you, what have you heard? Do you have experience with a food or alternative treatment that worked for someone you know (or even yourself)? If so, we'd love to hear your story. I had the comment section accidentally locked down when I first started doing this, but I have since opened it up, so please comment with whatever you have on your mind.

Treatment Update #2

I guess in the grand scheme of things, it was a good weekend for our mom. On Friday we assumed that the port would get put in on Saturday and then we'd wait until Monday before Mom would get her first Chemotherapy treatment. However, due to a few people working extremely hard on my Mom's behalf, she was able to get the port put in on Saturday morning and then recieved her first chemo treatment later that same day. Going forward, mom will recieve one does of Gemzar per week, most likely administered on Fridays, and then she will take an oral medication of Tarceva everyday.

I think everyone was very interested in seeing how Mom would react to the first batch of Gemzar. From what we can tell, there doesn't seem to be any real significant side effects yet. Her appetite is, if anything, better now than it was prior to recieving her first dose. She has been in good spirits, but is still tired, most likely related to the pain medication that she is taking.

Mom is still being surrounded by love and is getting regular visits from friends, family, and pretty much anyone else who has heard the news. While I wish that I could have found this out under different circumstances, I must say that it is truly inspiring to see how my mom has touched and impacted so many people's lives.

Treatment Update #1

I think, at least for the short-term we have a treatment plan in place. Tomorrow, August 12th, Mom will be going into Elmhurst Memorial Hospital to get a port catheter inserted into her upper chest. This will be used to inject the drugs that she will be taking as part of her chemotherapy regime. She can also use the same port if they need to draw blood or for pretty much any other procedures that they would normally be sticking her skin with a needle. It isn't much, but it's one small thing that can be done to help make things easier.

The port catheter "installation" procedure is a simple out-patient procedure that should only take a couple of hours. Then the real stuff begins. Once the port procedure is done, Mom will receive her first dose of Gemzar and Tarceva, which in layman's terms means that chemo will officially begin tomorrow. Hopefully we will also learn tomorrow what the plan is as far as dosage and frequency for the chemo treatments.

In addition to the chemotherapy, Mom will also start radiation treatment on the big tumor that is attacking her pancreas in the next week or two. We're still waiting for a definitive date on that one. The goal of the radiation treatment is to decrease the size of the tumor in her pancreas which will hopefully help with the pain that she is experiencing. The delay in starting radiation is to let the chemo do some work on the tumors on her liver first. Then we go to work on the pancreas.

Outside of the professionals, mom is getting a steady dose of visitors and well-wishers at the house. Mom still has that glow about her, and you can feel her strength when you are in her presence. She is truly amazing. Her daughters and daughter-in-laws have whipped together a schedule so that one of them is there every morning an hour or two and every night as well. They are helping with whatever they can while they're there, but most importantly just trying to keep the medication straight.

The one challenge that we are continuing to face, is trying to make sure mom is getting enough food and nutrients. She doesn't have much an appetite, and when she eats she starts to feel nauseas, so we don't have that quite worked out yet. If anyone out there has any suggestions, we'd love to hear it. We know that Mom needs to eat to have the strength to fight this.

Seeking Your Prayers...

It's amazing how your life can change in the blink of an eye. One day you're fretting about the stupidest little details... wedding invitations, head counts, finding the right shoes... and the next you are run over with a crisis that makes you long for those silly little "problems" you were worrying about yesterday. Suddenly, your life is forever changed. You will never be the same person you were yesterday. The moment I found out my Mom might have cancer, my heart broke. The moment it was confirmed, those broken pieces shattered into a million tiny particles. From those particles I am trying to rebuild my heart into a vessel of faith, hope, and strength, and it can only be achieved through my savior, Jesus Christ. I am leaning on Him now more than I ever have in my life, and He is my only source of real comfort through this. Only God is capable of performing the miracle that my Mom SO needs right now. The doctors say, she can be treated, but she can't be cured. I say... how about we let the Lord have the final word on that?

I enlist your prayers, whoever might be reading this. My Mom is the single most loving, giving, sweet, kind, faithful, and amazingly selfless person I have ever known in this world. I hit the jackpot being born to someone who is so perfect in my eyes. She has been my teacher, my inspiration, and my friend for my entire life, and all I want to be someday, is just like her. I only pray that God's will is not to take her home just yet, because she is so loved and needed here on this earth. But I do pray first and foremost that he will take her pain away, and make her suffering stop. She loves God more than anything and she is not afraid. Through the oceans of tears we have all shed in the past week and a half, I have not seen my Mom shed even one. She is the strongest person I know, and she is a fighter. She is my hero. I love her so much and I just can't stop asking anyone and everyone to pray for her. Please pray for my Mom.

Thanks.
Becky

The First Week

The past week has been a flurry of learning, coping, and comforting for the Castady family. I think everyone in the family would agree that we have learned far more than any of us would like to know about this scary type of cancer that has attacked our Mother's body. Everyone involved has gone through the full gamut of emotions, from shock, anger, and frustration, to sadness and denial. And then, finally, determination. Determination to be strong through this. Determination to put our faith in The Lord. Determination to beat this. Yes, it will be a long uphill battle, but I don't think anyone among us doubts that if anyone can tackle this mountain, it's our mom.

She truly is a special woman. While most people who know my mom think of her as a compassionate loving person, which is completely true, there is so much more to her. Inside of my mom, lives a pitbull. How else could someone live in pain for almost a year while doctors continued to tell her nothing was wrong with her? How else could someone raise six kids on a very tight budget and still somehow show so much love to all of them? How else could someone stare in the face of cancer and not even blink. Yes, with her Family and her Savior at her side, my mom is ready for this battle.

This blog will give updates on our mom as she fights through this. This blog will relay stories from the frontline as she undergoes treatment. This blog will also talk about the memories that our mom created for those she loved. This blog will be about our mom and all that she is.