CHEMO - First Treatment

Friday morning, October 12...getting packed up and ready to leave for her first Chemo treatment.  Thankfully it is at the local hospital campus...in her(ours) doctor's office...so very close by!  She packed her pillow, a soft blanket, her laptop, an I-Pad from FIL with movies downloaded, books, magazines, bible, pills...and other miscellaneous things.  She is very positive and very ready to get started on this treatment.

Scott and I brought lunch for her and Jamie, first we had to stop and get a prescription from the pharmacy for her.  Jamie and Scott went to the cafeteria to eat their lunch and I sat with Dina and shared an Avocado Delight sandwich...she ate all of hers, and chips and even a donut!  The room was pretty packed when we arrived, but after even 30 minutes others were done with their treatment and the chairs were opening up.

Lacey came after we left...she had a haircut appointment and she cut her hair like Dina's.  The word is that by her next treatment (which is in three weeks - Nov 2) Dina will start to lose her hair.  Lacey's plan is to shave her hair too in support of her sister!  I told Lace that everyone will think she is going through chemo also!!  Do you see Lacey's sweatshirt?  FIGHT LIKE A GIRL  ... and the part you can't see is the ribbon symbol for all cancer...on the one side of the ribbon it reads:  TEAM DINA.  It is all from a local sporting goods store called Home Town Sports in Willamette.  The sweatshirts are $24 and the T's are $12 and all the proceeds are going to the Snook family.  Dina says she plans to donate it to the leukemia foundation.  This morning a friend sent Dina a picture of a Dad out on the soccer field with his little 5 year old son and he was wearing the Team Dina T-shirt!!  How awesome is that?

This morning Dina asked if I would come make breakfast for Jalen and Lily...SURE!  She woke at 3:30 AM and couldn't go back to sleep.  The doctor warned her of this reaction because she is taking 100 mg of prednisone for 5 days (she will do this for every treatment) and it will make her wired!  But...it is better than being sick and vomitting, right? And we must admit that she was beginning to get what we always said to my mom:  "chipmunk cheeks"!!  Not too pronounced...YET...but just a little puffy.  Probably when she starts to lose the water retention it will be time for another treatment!  Again, a small price to pay for one's life, right?

So, Day 1 of treatment is behind her, she is not sick, she is tired, but she is still staying very positive and taking each day at a time...!!  The first treatment took almost 7 hours...others will be closer to 5 hours.

I will just give a quick update about me...I really don't know a lot yet, just know that I will have a PET scan next Wednesday the 17th, and the following Wednesday the 24th I will be seeing the thoracic surgeon.  Then I will know more about how we will proceed with this tumor on my lung and when we can schedule to have the surgery to remove it.

Again, thank you ALL for your continued prayers as Dina struggles with daily life, three children, two pets, a husband (who btw is very supportive and right beside her every step of the way) and now this chemo...She has a whole village to support her and help her...I asked her if she imagined little "ninja's" inside her battling these cancer cells.  She told me she imagined having pink boxing gloves on (she received a card from a friend with pink boxing gloves - to FIGHT this cancer) and hitting each cell in her spleen, in her back, in her neck...pretty much everywhere in her body...the visualization is really helpful.  So the ATTACK is on and she is up and FIGHTING!  So proud of her!  So love her!