Eric has started training for triathlons!! I am so proud of him!! He has done so well. He began in January really training and has done 7 races since then (mixture of 1/2 marathons, duathlons, and triathlons). You can catch up on his training/progress at his website (see my sidebar). We have learned a lot about the sport and he has definitely been bitten by the bug!
Back in March my mom was having a lot of trouble breathing and she went to the emergency room and Brookwood Hospital. They took x-rays and discovered that she had fluid on her right lung. She was in the hospital for a few days while they drained the fluid and then tried to figure out what was going on. To make a long story short (email me if you want more details) we went from she has some fluid on her lung to my mother's diagnosis of Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer.
Life was hard for several weeks while we were in a hurry up and wait game with doctors and tests. She had a full hysterectomy with exploratory surgery. Her surgeon, Dr. Barnes, felt that he had gotten 90-95% of the cancer. Praise God! Dr. Barnes is a fantastic doctor and we feel blessed that God allowed us to be under his care. As mom was healing from surgery in the hospital we met her oncologist, Dr. Yeilding. He is also an amazing Godly man who puts his patients first in his practice and you feel loved and respects by this man. He reassured us that my mother was going to get through this fine. It was during this time that we found out that we were going to have a little boy. Looking back God's timing is always perfect.
We have had some ups and downs with all of this of course, but my mother is a pillar of strength. She is 1/2 way through with her chemo treatments and is doing amazing. The doctors use the CA125 marker to indicate how active the cancer is in the body with ovarian cancer. Prior to mom's surgery her CA125 was 225 and the doctors want the number to be below 35 so we had a long way to go. I am so proud of my mom because she is only 1/2 way through with her treatments and she is already at 38!!! Just 3 more points and we will be on the high end of normal!! The treatment is working!!
We have been so blessed throughout all of this. Let me just say that I don't know how people can get through something like this without God. There is no way we could have gotten through day one. There have been many low times, but never once have any of us turned from God. He is the only thing that has gotten us through this. It is very scary to think that you could lose you mother and believe me I have prayed for complete healing of my mother every single day. He hears our cries and the wants of our hearts. He knows our desires. We do not always get the desires of our hearts, and we have readied ourselves for that possibility, but God has too much work here left for my mother to do. She has been so amazing through all of this. She has run toward God when it would have been so easy to run from Him and to feel abandoned. We have all prayed that God would not allow our hearts to harden to Him through this and he has been so faithful to us.
God has blessed us with so many friends and family to care for us. Thank you so much for your prayers!! As I said God's timing is perfect because at first we were wondering why now of all times? Not that there is every a more appropriate time to get cancer, but we had so much joy going on in our family (my brother was graduating from college, I was pregnant, my cousin was getting married, etc). There were too many things going on that mom wanted to be a part of, well let me tell you she hasn't missed anything. How silly we were to question His timing. This was a perfect time for all of this to happen because it has brought such joy to a time when could be a lot of sadness and despair. Not with my mother though. Our family has laughed so many more times that we have cried (if you know my family then you know how we can get). Thanks again to all those that have prayed. My mom has a Caring Bridge website just go to www.caringbridge.com and type in Toni Keyes and it will take you to her site.
God is good all the time and all the time God is good!!
Heather, I had no idea all this was going on with your family, and did not know you had a blog until you commented on mine! Please know that you guys are in my prayers. I'm glad all is going so well for your mom! Now I can keep up with you through your blog! Good luck with your upcoming sweet baby boy! What a BLESSING!!
ReplyDeletehey heather, i just have tears rolling down my cheeks right now! i'm so relieved to hear how well your mom is doing. my parents keep me up to date on her status, but it's so much more meaningful to hear about it from her daughter! i'm so sorry i missed your shower! my mom told me you got a lot of great things and that you looked wonderful. good luck... only a couple more weeks!
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