Happy 7th Birthday Todd Jr!!!!!

Finally, the big 7 has arrived... Todd Jr was so EXCITED this morning... I just hope the cake experience won't be as messy as the first one.....

The Update

I am really tired... still recovering from the long drive... a special thank you to Dat Dat and Foe Foe for keeping me entertained and especially to Aunt Grace, Mason and Madison who put up with the Gant Gant.

So far this is what we know... I will go back to Tampa next Thursday for a MUGA Scan (to make sure my heart is healthy), a bone marrow biopsy and a port placement (luckily I get to be asleep for these two things)... on Friday I have a PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) and a PET Scan for staging the Hodgkins. Dr. Bruno indicated that I should start chemo the first week of November and I will have it every other week for at least four months.

I will have my next appointment with Dr. Bruno on Oct 29... and everything will be finalized at that time as well.

My hair is pretty long now and I want to donate as much as I can to Locks of Love, so I will probably shave it before my first round of chemo.

Time to get Todd Jr ready for football practice...
Natalia

October 15, 2008

Hello All,

I just wanted to give a little update...

Dat Dat, Foe Foe, Grant, and I arrived in Tampa last night after a mostly uneventful trip... Grant did not appreciate that I was sitting next to him and not holding him... he let us know his displeasure... with eardrum piercing clarity!!!

I believe we all slept well and are anxious to make our way to Moffiitt Cancer Center... I have to be there at 11:30 EST to have blood work and then we have an appointment at 12:30 EST to see the Doctor. I suppose you could say that I am a little nervous, but really I think I am more anxious to get the process started!!!

Also, today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day... though we don't need a specific day to be reminded... Esme is with us always...

I will try to update later if I get an opportunity before we leave Tampa... if not... then tomorrow.

Natalia

Not Really What I Wanted for My 36th Birthday...

Can you believe it, 36... yes Foe Foe, you are old enough to have a 36 year old daughter. While my actual birthday was nice, spent going to the zoo and having lunch with my boys, it was the "gift" I received the following day that I could have gone a lifetime with out.
Some of you may already know what I am talking about, but for those of you who do not, I will make a long story short. It involved a phone call from my doctor and the word LYMPHOMA. Yes, I have cancer... there it is in black and white...(or is green... I cannot remember what color my font is right now)... it is Hodgkin's Lymphoma to be more precise.
Todd, Foe Foe and I will be traveling to Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa next Wednesday to meet with Dr. Salvador Bruno regarding my treatment. Me Me will come to stay with Todd and Grady Joe... Little Gant Gant will travel with us and hang out with super cool Aunt Grace and his cute cousins Mason and Madison. We don't know all the specifics yet, but it looks like I will be spending some extended time in Tampa for my treatment and Grammie and Dada have lovingly offered their home there for our stay... Dada, I know one of the reasons for retirement was to spend more time with your grandchildren, but you may be getting more than you bargained for... at least for a little while.
I can't really say I have asked myself "why?" Todd and I know first hand that is a question that is never answered.
So, a big fat thank you to all our family for the love and support and if you feel so inclined to pass a few prayers our way, we would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks... Natalia

Our Weekend!

On Saturday we had soccer and football... of course... The Fireballs won 3-2. It was also Homecoming for the Lynn Haven Raiders and luckily Todd actually got to see some real playing time, as you can see here in this action shot courtesy of Dat Dat...
Later Saturday evening, we went with some friends to Octoberfest in Downtown Panama City....

We had a good time walking and seeing all the vendors... the boys had an especially good time getting their faces painted... Grady was so patient. This is a photo of our two biggest trouble makers and their friend Sean!

Some Pictures, A Reminder, and Maybe Something You Didn't Know!

First, some pictures... as usual, there was soccer and football this weekend. Soccer went really well and Todd Jr had a fantastic assist. We were also very excited to have Grammie and Dada with us again this weekend. The Lynn Haven Raiders played and won again this weekend, but you don't really want to get me started... let's put it this way, Grammie and Dada still haven't seen Todd Jr play!!!! Maybe this Saturday... we will see...
On Sunday, we went to the Zoobilee... the local Zoo open its doors and charges only $1 per person... so, we decided to check it out... certainly no Animal Kingdom, but what is??? Todd and Grady had a great time riding the ponies.
Check out Todd Jr.... a natural... reminding Mommy of when she was little... (Dear MeMe and Foe Foe... I still want a horse for Christmas!)
I know it is a little difficult to see, but there is a HUGE female lion in the background... Grady was so excited... "Lion King!"... Todd and I even decided that after all our time at Disney's Animal Kingdom, we had never been that close to a Lion. All in all, it was a nice weekend!

So, next, I want to give everyone a reminder... it is now October and it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So many of us know people impacted by this form of cancer. It is devastating to so many people, but fortunately there are more and more survivors, like our Me Me... she is an almost 6 year survivor and we are so thankful for each clean bill of health! So, get your mammograms of you need one!!!!

Finally, maybe something you did not know about the month of October... it is also Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. I believe that most of you who read our blog know the story of our beautiful Esme. To be honest, there was much I wanted to say about this, but words have failed me... Just know that watching our daughter fight so hard and then slip away so silently will be with us for ever and that there are more people than you know who have faced this pain and live their new "normal" with it everyday.