Caring and Supporting Sister

There are not many sisters or friends who would be willing to shave their hair so their loved one would not be walking this journey alone.  I am so proud of Lacey for doing this for her sister.  She had told Dina from the very beginning: "when you lose your hair, I will lose mine too!"  We all thought:  "Gosh, Lace then everyone is going to think you have cancer!"  It didn't matter to Lacey, she just wanted to show her support and love...and gosh darn, I think they are so beautiful with hair, without hair...inside and outside.  And even Lacey's husband and her son, Caleb (13) shaved their heads!  And when Caleb was at school the next day and someone asked why he did that, he told them it was because his aunt has cancer and is losing her hair...!  I think I have the best family ever!  (I must interject here, that little Addie (5 yrs) was very ADAMANT about NOT cutting her hair!  And Tristan cried, "NO Mommy").

So the girls and I went "hat shopping" and we found some cute ones, warm ones and soft ones...you know without hair, some hats can get pretty itchy on the head!  And Dina even decided to get some eye shadow in colors to match her very colorful wigs...she again said, "Well, when I lose my eyebrows and eyelashes, I may as well have color on my face...why not purple eye shadow!!"  So she bought four colors!  Now she will most likely NOT be wearing the red, purple, or pink wig to church, but you may see her around town...and definitely on Halloween.  Oh and if you are around Meridian Park Hospital on Friday, she is wearing the pink one for her chemo treatment...yeah she is going to surprise the doctor for sure!

We are so happy that she is losing her hair...I know that is a strange comment, but like I wrote earlier, it means the drugs are working and that is a very good thing... and it is just Hair....it grows back...now I wonder if I should even put this in writing:  do you think it will come back in her normal color?  do you think it may come back curly?  I have read some different things about returning hair...she might have kinky white...oh that would really throw her for a loop!!

I just want to thank everyone again for all the love, support, prayers and Masses that are being offered for both Dina and me.  We feel so incredibly blessed to be living in a community that is there for someone in crisis.  We love you all.  God bless you!

For with God all things are possible...!!  AMEN!

Wigs, Wigs and More wigs!!

Lacey, donning the purple wig!

Dina decided to have fun since she needs some wigs...so she went with purple, red and pink!!  A friend had given her a natural color wig...it is one that is meant to be worn with a hat...it is short...just below her ears, but looks really cute on...

Lily knew from the beginning she was going to shave her hair when "Mommy lost hers"...no question about it!

Dina wearing a very cute knit hat that Linda P sent to her!

 We had a shaving head festivity on Monday night...Lacey, Aaron, Caleb, and Lily all joined her mommy with shaved heads (Jamie and Jalen already have the shaved heads!)  More pictures to come of the others, but wanted to get these posted right away!.

Step 2 of the Chemo Hair loss...

I wrote on Saturday night that her hair was starting to fall out.  Last night, Sunday, she knew it would be bad when she needed to take a shower and wash her hair...and it was...as soon as the water came down on her head, the hair just fell away...

So the whole family "helped" with the remaining hair...first they cut it short, then they all took turns shaving it...She has a few nicks from our little buddy...but all is good...even at this length, if she runs her hand over her head, the little snippets that are left fall out too. 

But Glory Be...doesn't that girl look BEAUTIFUL?  Yes, she still has that stunning smile and how can one go wrong with a positive attitude like that?  She did not want to be in the picture by herself, so she insisted Jamie be with her...what a cute couple!!  They are strong, but together they are unstoppable...I have no doubt that the Lord has great plans for them...and it is for Dina to make a difference in many people's lives!

Today we are going to look at the wig again and see how she feels about it now that the hair is gone...

Maybe my next post will be with the wig!!

The Chemo Drugs are working....

9:22 PM October 27 I receive a text from Dina...actually it was a picture with a sad face...

So I will insert my own sad face here too..Seeing the evidence here is heartbreaking,  but as sad as this makes us, knowing the drug is working brings hope and joy to us.  I immediately called her...she said she was just brushing her hair before bed and it was easily just coming out...she could run her fingers through her hair and it would be in her hands.  She had to stop herself from raking her fingers through her hair.  We talked about what her pillow will look like in the morning.  She said you can't really tell that she lost the hair, no bald spots...just kind of all over...we will see what the morning will bring.

The reality is hitting us and this is only the first wave...her first treatment of chemo did bring nausea and lots of sleepless nights along with tiredness...But during the first 17 days she did not have any vomiting only nausea and being tired...her sacrum is not even hurting her as much, although she paces herself so she is not standing or walking a lot to make it ache.  Now we have the beginning of the hair loss.  In six days she will have her second treatment of chemo.  The doctor said that as the treatments progress the fatigue will be stronger and there will be less "good" days between the treatments...one down, five to go!  We CAN DO THIS!  (Do you like how I say "we"....I know, we are all supporting her and feeling her pain...we cry right along with her...but these tears are tears of joy for the end result of wiping out the cancer!)

But we have to remember that this hair loss is a GOOD sign...it means that the drugs are working...it is killing off all those bad cells and obviously it has to get some of the good ones too...but we can sacrifice a few good cells (like hair cells...is that what they are?)  for eliminating all the bad ones.  That is our goal, right?  And hair just grows back, right?  So we are staying positive and looking at the end results here!

I suppose my next picture will be one with NO hair...and maybe a wig...???  maybe a hat? ... maybe a scarf?..whatever she wants!

Thank you for your continued prayers, we appreciate everyone imploring our Lord to heal Dina.  And to give her strength to conquer this battle.

I just discovered that November is Carcinoid Cancer awareness month...now how ironic is that?  And September was Lymphoma awareness month...the month she was first diagnosed.  Oh, and the colors for carcinoid cancer?  Zebra color!  Yes, we ordered some zebra print wristbands that say:  No one fights alone!  Were you even aware there is a color for every kind of cancer?  Pretty amazing...I think we all just know the PINK so well for the breast cancer...but all cancers have a color...pretty cool!

The Surgery is on the Calendar!

I saw the surgeon today and learned that the whole lower lobe of my left lung will need to be removed..  The left lung has two lobes, the right lung has three lobes...the tumor is in the middle of the lower left lobe, so the whole thing needs to be removed.  I certainly didn't like hearing the procedure but it seems he will have to cut both the vein and the artery that comes from the heart to the lung and staple the ends...they will no longer be in use.  Then he will have to take the airway from the lower lobe and connect it to the upper lobe!!  Gives me the shakes just thinking about this!!  (So my question is this:  about the vein and artery with the staples at the end...are they just hanging there?...just wondering about that now...of course I didn't think of it at the time to ask the doctor.....)

The surgery is scheduled for Monday November 26 at 7:30 AM...at St. Vincent's in Portland, they have blocked three hours for the surgery and the hospital stay is 5 - 7 days!  I will have three incisions and he will have to 'spread' my ribs apart (not crack or break them) and because the ribs have nerve endings, I most likely will have pain radiate out from those incisions.  Sounds like a piece of cake, right?

But I am ready to move forward and both Scott and I really liked this doctor and have a lot of confidence in him...he is Italian, after all!!

Dina news:  you know the saying:  "No news is good news" and that is what I am going to report...although I guess I am telling you that there really is no news...for the most part she is feeling pretty good...she is trying to lay low as she has had a sore throat for the last two days.  She is already on antibiotics, so it most likely is just a virus, but she is keeping a close eye on her body and how she is feeling...and YES she has a very good thermometer and knows to call the doctor ASAP if she runs a fever.

She said yesterday that her scalp felt tingly...we are wondering if this is something that happens prior to the beginning of hair loss...she has her next treatment next Friday, Nov. 2...and so far she has no hair loss!

So that is the news from here for now...I guess I won't have any more news about me until December...but I will continue to keep you informed about Dina right up until I go into the hospital...hmmm, do you think I should get an Ipad to take with me to the hospital...kind of like a 'surgery gift'???  hint hint...anyone reading this???   

The Good News...

I will not keep you in suspense any longer, although I do have a story to tell (have you ever known me not to tell stories?)  but I am going to cut to the chase with the news that you all are waiting for:  NO OTHER DISEASE DETECTED IN MY BODY!   Good news, right?  So we are all celebrating that news.

Now for my story:  I was taken to a back room and placed in a comfy chair with my feet up.  The the technician put in a little IV for me as I was getting a die and a little more radioactive medicine to help with the scanning...low lights, quiet...no phone, no texting, just relaxing.  So I close my eyes for the 45 minutes of quiet and begin saying the rosary...a very nice way to pass the time and reflect...sometimes I admit to my mind wandering, but it is all good!

Finally the 45 minutes is up and I am taken into the scanning room.  I lay on a narrow bed of sorts and I must keep my arms above my head, except this time, there was a foam pillow that had sides and it pressed my arms into the side of my head (no wiggle room, if you know what I mean)...now I am NOT claustrophobic, so I knew I would not have a problem with that, besides, I just keep my eyes closed anyway and decided to say another rosary.  Is it my 62 year old body or what, but with my arms above my head I get a lot of pain in my shoulders...Oh, Lordy, I was thinking to myself that I would have to call out to the technician for a break, I really didn't want to...but my shoulders were killing me  and I could feel the tension in my neck and was so afraid of getting a tension headache.  So of course my mind immediately went to the Lord...What did He do for me?  How did He suffer?  Yes...NAILED to the cross...arms outstretched...OMG, can it be any worse for Him?  Yes, he suffered the most and all for me.  So I offer up my pain to Him and asked Him to give me strength to finish this session (now, according to my calculation...I was on the fourth decade of the rosary, so that should have put me at about 20 minutes or so into my scanning and it was suppose to last 30 minutes).  HELP me Lord to be strong...I give this pain to you...and just when I think I can no longer handle it, the technician comes up to the side and says, "Okay we are all done!"  Oh THANK YOU, Lord!!  YES!!

The technician had to slowly lower each arm from above my head down to my side.  BUT I survived and He was with me through it all and He helped me when I called out to Him!

And that is my story...do you ever offer up your pain to God?  Try it sometime...it really does help.  I do it at times when I have the flu and just ache so bad...all of a sudden it is not so bad...I take a deep breathe and offer up my pain and suffering to the Lord, remembering all that He went through for me.  And all of a sudden a calmness and peacefulness radiates from me and I do feel better...it may only last a few seconds or moments...but it is Him responding to my call.

Dina had a pretty good week I would say...some nausea moments...but she has pills for that and once they kick in, she feels better.  She is off the 100 mg. of prednisone now, so she is sleeping a little better and not feeling like she is coming out of her skin.  She is learning to pace herself and not do too much because it does tire her out.  Her two best friends from Seattle, Emily and Jenni came down for the weekend to spend some time with her...on Saturday Jenni went with Dina to Ellie and Lily's volleyball games.  I took Jalen to his soccer game.  Then we all met up at Wells Wigs in Tigard to try on some wig, Lacey joined us too....Dina is not sure about the whole wig thing, but we will see how she feels when her hair actually falls out.  All the girls got into the act and put on synthetic wigs...except they went totally out of their normal color and style...I will post some pictures when Jenni sends them to me...All in all, she had a great weekend and of course feels so blessed to have such tremendous friends who make a point to come down and spend time with her and laugh with her...She is truly blessed!

The next news will be on Wednesday when I see the thoracic surgeon and we can get on his surgery schedule...and I will know more about the location of this tumor in relation to other body parts and how easy or hard it is going to be to get to it to remove it.  Dina's next infusion is November 2...the doctor thought she would be losing her hair by that time or within the next week...we will see if she is going to be a miracle chemo girl and NOT lose her hair...so until later...thanks for all your support and prayers.  They are truly lifting us up and filling us with your love and the love of Our Lord.  God bless you all!

Before I go...I thought I would post a picture from Thursday, October 18....that was my Dad's 91st birthday and he came over to my house for lunch.  I made roasted Tomato Basil Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  We did not have the whole family, most of the kiddos were in school, but whoever was around, we gathered and sang to him and shared a birthday meal.  What a blessing to have him still be with us and doing so well.  He is very concerned about Dina and me...he makes us oatmeal and muffins and other goodies that he thinks is healthy for us...He is great!  And do you see the T-shirt he is wearing?  It is the Team Dina shirt...It says:  Fight Like a Girl and team Dina is on the ribbon.  If you would like to get a Team Dina  T-shirt or sweatshirt, you can go HERE to Home Town Sports, click on "Spirit Wear" and scroll down to the near bottom where it says Team Dina and the password is "believe"...Her friends are planning a BIG GROUP Picture on Monday, Oct. 29 at Stafford Grade School, 5 pm on the playground (and the covered area if it is raining), so please join us if you have a Team Dina shirt or just a purple shirt to support Dina's battle with cancer!

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!