Dina update

We are counting the days, folks!  14 more days until her FINAL (we are praying) chemo!  January 25 is the BIG day...but really 30 or 40 days later is the important one...the one where she will have the PET scan and we can see that everything is GONE!

Dina has had a rough week.  Even with the red platelet shot, she is having the symptoms of low red cells...dizzy and kind of blurry vision.  After the white cell booster shot on Tuesday her bones really ache for about three or four days...even her jaws hurt to touch!  Today is one week from the chemo and today is predicted the lowest count for red cells...she will have blood drawn on Monday and they can see how she is doing...she is hoping that by tomorrow it will go up by itself and she will not have the dizzy, blurry symptoms.  Today was just a lay around on the couch all day kind of day.  Her saint of a MIL was at her house ALL DAY cleaning, washing, mopping, everything and anything to help Dina out.  She has been doing this for Dina since the day we found out about her cancer.  And her FIL has a bouquet of flowers delivered every week...fresh flowers...beautiful bouquets...such a thoughtful and kind gesture!  They are those kind of people...giving and caring and they love Dina so much, it is heartbreaking for them to know she is going through this struggle.

Both Ellie and Lily have VB tournaments tomorrow...opposite directions naturally!  Scott coaches Lily's team, so he will take her bright and early and Dina is hoping she can get up and go North to watch Lily's  first two games, then go home and rest and head South in Salem to watch Ellie play...that is the plan...but she will do what she needs to do to take care of herself.  She does love watching the girls play though and she loves keeping her family life "normal"...a new kind of normal as it is!

I am still hanging on with this cough...really just annoying now...when I talk I cough...how annoying is that?  And unfortunately my urinary infection did not clear up, so I am back on antibiotics and the tummy just feels yucky!  HOWEVER, I am so much better and I am exercising every day to get my lungs back to good working order!

I never did post this picture from October 29...I started to count, but lost track...I think close to 100 people showed up at our church grounds to take this Group Picture of so many friends from the church and the community who are supporting Dina in this battle.  Dina's family is NOT in the picture because this was a surprise.  Amanda, who organized it, framed the picture in a BIG frame and everyone signed the mat around the picture.  Dina has it hanging in her house...Amanda also made a book for her with just random shots of families and friends together, it is really cool.  If you look close, you will see both my brothers and their wives, Kyle, Teale, my DAD, Lacey's whole family,  Jamie's parents, sister and children, nephews...and all the wonderfully kind people who are walking this journey with Dina and Jamie.  After the group photo, we went to Lacey's house and met Dina's family there and that is where Jamie shaved the heads of Lacey, Aaron, Caleb and Lily...all in support of Dina who had already shaved her hair due to the massive loss from the night before when she washed her hair.

I just can't thank you all enough for the prayers coming our way...I am on the mend, but my Dina could still use the prayers...we are not in the clear yet until we get the final results from the scans...thank you for the "persistent' prayers asking for complete healing.  I know our Lord is listening, we just have to trust in Him and pray that He has more work for Dina to do here...