Nine years ago, my dear friend Barnie Trussell...........gave me a copy of Christie Lane's song...."One Day at a Time"............Barnie, that song is still appropriate today. What was great advice back then, still holds true today.
Last Monday marked the completion of week #12 of Leslie's weekly chemo treatments. She also met with Dr. Lee for exam and update.................good news and not so good news. The good news.....while Dr. Lee was examining Les' breasts she asked, "It was the left breast, wasn't it?" I'd say if Dr. Lee wasn't sure which breast has the "issue"............very good news!!! Plus, at this point in treatment, many patients require a blood transfusion.............not needed! Thank you Lord!!
The not so good news...........Les thought she'd now be having treatments every three weeks, only to find out she still has to go several times......the every three weeks was not happening...........but, hey....as we begin the second half of the chemo........what the nurses call the "nasty chemo".....Leslie is a bit scared, nervous and apprehensive............fear of the unknown. But, with God's hand on her shoulder, Leslie will move forward with the treatment........
I'll be with Leslie Tuesday for the beginning of the second half. Please keep her in your prayers for healing......that her body will accept the new process in a very positive way on her way to remission. Tuesday begins what seems to be part two......as we continue this one-day-at-a-time journey.............do your know the song?
"One day at a time, Sweet Jesus
That's all I'm asking from you
Just give me the strength
To do everyday what I have to do.
..........Lord help me today, show me the way....
One day at a time."
Lord, please send my sweet Leslie the strength and courage she needs.....
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Sunday, May 29, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Week 11......No Sugar Coating...........
My friend, Polly, used to always say, "Sometimes you just can't sugar coat it." What a true statement!
This past Monday, Leslie completed Week #11 of the first twelve weeks of the first round of chemo. It was a hard day for her and as Polly would say......you just can't sugar coat it.
These past weeks I've tried to share the good times and illustrate for you the bond of family and friends.......how all these wonderful people have jumped in to help Leslie and Jim as they move through these treatments that are now woven into the threads of their everyday lives..........EVERYDAY LIVES.....not just an occasional visit to the doctor's office for a shot or an x-ray......weekly (sometimes twice a in one week) trips to Tyler to the ETMC Cancer Center where Leslie spends about 4 hours receiving several IV bags of chemo, anti-nausea meds, benedryl and whatever else has been prescribed as part of her treatment.
I was only at the Cancer Center for a short while, but I must say the employees and patients are very special. Bob & Nancy Swain were there for Bob's final treatment and he was all smiles to be in remission. He laughed and told Leslie, "I may just come back up here in three weeks just for the fun of it." He was teasing, of course, but great to see his smile. Such a good man.
Leslie started the day not feeling well and as the treatment progressed, she felt even worse. She curled up on a little sofa with her blanket and tried to rest throughout the long process, but it just wasn't possible that day. As her mother, it breaks my heart to watch my daughter dealing with this horrible disease. With each week, we watch her move through the process.....staying focused on her goal to be cancer-free and get back to some kind of normal life. We know she'll get there, but as we all also know, once cancer shows up we develop such a conscious awareness that invades our lives and never really goes away. ......that same awareness changes us forever and although she will beat the cancer, we'll all be keenly aware of how our lives have changed and how we all now want to join in to help make a dfference for others. How many times have we heard the commercials for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure? ........"So no mother, no sister, no daughter......ever has to go through this." What a statement! Sure rings true now for our family! And folks, let me tell you....whatever you think you know about cancer and the treatment.....it is so much worse than you can even imagine.......
As my emotions continually run the gamut, I know my feelings of helplessness can't compare to what Les & Jim must feel. I'm in awe of their spirits, their love and their devotion to each other and their girls. I am frustrated that I can't be there for them every single day, but as I'm blogged before, so many wonderful people have stepped up to the plate and offered their assistance. In fact, this past week, my sweet sister, Debra, dropped by with food on Tuesday evening after she had worked all day and then drove from Tyler to Mineola.........she provided supper (or do we call it dinner in East Texas?), stayed to feel little Avery, bathed Avery.......then announced to Les & Jim....."Put me down for Tuesday and Wednesday evening. I'll be here to cook, feed, bathe....whatever is needed." What a generous gift.......Debra, you are so loved and appreciated!
Sooooooo, since this is Wednesday, Debra is enjoying bathtime laughter at the Herlocker Household.......Avery can still fit in the kitchen sink and she loves splashing the water.........Note the single tooth shining..........
Such a sweet little girl........now, there's some serious sugar coating!
This past Monday, Leslie completed Week #11 of the first twelve weeks of the first round of chemo. It was a hard day for her and as Polly would say......you just can't sugar coat it.
These past weeks I've tried to share the good times and illustrate for you the bond of family and friends.......how all these wonderful people have jumped in to help Leslie and Jim as they move through these treatments that are now woven into the threads of their everyday lives..........EVERYDAY LIVES.....not just an occasional visit to the doctor's office for a shot or an x-ray......weekly (sometimes twice a in one week) trips to Tyler to the ETMC Cancer Center where Leslie spends about 4 hours receiving several IV bags of chemo, anti-nausea meds, benedryl and whatever else has been prescribed as part of her treatment.
I was only at the Cancer Center for a short while, but I must say the employees and patients are very special. Bob & Nancy Swain were there for Bob's final treatment and he was all smiles to be in remission. He laughed and told Leslie, "I may just come back up here in three weeks just for the fun of it." He was teasing, of course, but great to see his smile. Such a good man.
Leslie started the day not feeling well and as the treatment progressed, she felt even worse. She curled up on a little sofa with her blanket and tried to rest throughout the long process, but it just wasn't possible that day. As her mother, it breaks my heart to watch my daughter dealing with this horrible disease. With each week, we watch her move through the process.....staying focused on her goal to be cancer-free and get back to some kind of normal life. We know she'll get there, but as we all also know, once cancer shows up we develop such a conscious awareness that invades our lives and never really goes away. ......that same awareness changes us forever and although she will beat the cancer, we'll all be keenly aware of how our lives have changed and how we all now want to join in to help make a dfference for others. How many times have we heard the commercials for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure? ........"So no mother, no sister, no daughter......ever has to go through this." What a statement! Sure rings true now for our family! And folks, let me tell you....whatever you think you know about cancer and the treatment.....it is so much worse than you can even imagine.......
As my emotions continually run the gamut, I know my feelings of helplessness can't compare to what Les & Jim must feel. I'm in awe of their spirits, their love and their devotion to each other and their girls. I am frustrated that I can't be there for them every single day, but as I'm blogged before, so many wonderful people have stepped up to the plate and offered their assistance. In fact, this past week, my sweet sister, Debra, dropped by with food on Tuesday evening after she had worked all day and then drove from Tyler to Mineola.........she provided supper (or do we call it dinner in East Texas?), stayed to feel little Avery, bathed Avery.......then announced to Les & Jim....."Put me down for Tuesday and Wednesday evening. I'll be here to cook, feed, bathe....whatever is needed." What a generous gift.......Debra, you are so loved and appreciated!
Sooooooo, since this is Wednesday, Debra is enjoying bathtime laughter at the Herlocker Household.......Avery can still fit in the kitchen sink and she loves splashing the water.........Note the single tooth shining..........
Such a sweet little girl........now, there's some serious sugar coating!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Mothers Day; Special Day.......then on to Week #10
I remember as a little girl growing up in a Pentacostal church, I loved the Southern Tradition of the Mothers Day Corsage.
The tradition went like this..........a red flower honored your mother if she was still living and a white flower honored the memory of her if she had passed on. All the church ladies came decked out in their prettiest outfits on Mothers Day Sunday....complete with a red or white corsage. Although corsages are now thought of as old-fashioned, I think it is still a sweet and lovely tradition.
This past Mothers Day Sunday afternoon, Leslie's kitchen in Mineola was buzzing with wonderful mothers.......my mother, my sister and my daughter. We all gathered in the kitchen to put together a hodge podge of food, share conversation, laugh and just enjoy the afternoon. Later we relaxed on the back porch and enjoyed the absolutely perfect weather. As my Riley would smile and say...."Livin' the life, Baby."
For entertainment, we can always count on Riley. That little 7-year-old has a fabulous imagination and such an extensive vocabulary. I've managed to document some of what LeBeau refers to as "Riley-isms"....but not nearly enough. I could probably write a whole book if I really put my mind to it.
This past weekend Riley sat with me on the porch swing for a while. We were quickly joined by "Whiskers".....Riley's yellow and white cat. Riley commenced telling me that Whiskers has turned out to be a really good cat. In fact, Whiskers had actually caught three mice AND one bird. Riley also shared that she and her Mom have been plagued with barn swallows who keep trying to build nests under their porches. These are such nuisance birds as they make a mess and they seem be dive bombing at your head! Riley then explained that the one bird Whiskers killed was actually a red bird.......BUT she thinks Whiskers accidentally killed the red bird while trying to get a barn swallow. She is absolutely sure it wasn't on purpose......red birds are just too pretty!!
True to form, Riley then shared another story that had never even crossed my mind! She said, "You know, Whiskers has turned out to be a much better cat than Tom." I asked, "Tom? Is Tom one of MiMi's cats?" She replied with such seriousness...."No. MiMi doesn't have any cats now. You know Tom from "Tom & Jerry". Whiskers has caught three mice already and Tom can't even catch one little mouse.....and he has been trying for years!!" Humm......she certainly had a point there.
Today Les & Jim made their usual Monday trip to ETMC Cancer Center and marked off Week #10 of the first 12 weeks of chemo. Leslie sent me a text message at 12:49 p.m........"10 down!!!! 6 more to go! Hope u guys are having a great day!" Yes, 2 more weekly treatments, then 4 of what the nurses call the nasty chemo.......
Tomorrow and Wednesday, Les will have to rest and try to build her strength back up......she is doing great even though each week it gets harder for her to bounce back. I can only imagine what the last 4 rounds will be like for my sweet daughter........but I'm thankful for all the love, the support and the prayers........circulating daily......hourly......by so many.
In spite of everything, Les has a special way of making us smile. A few weeks ago as she weighed in before her treatment, the nurse said, "Well, you lost 2 pounds since last week." Les smiled and said, "Well, yes......I cut off all my hair!" Hummmm......and we wonder where Riley gets it.....?
The tradition went like this..........a red flower honored your mother if she was still living and a white flower honored the memory of her if she had passed on. All the church ladies came decked out in their prettiest outfits on Mothers Day Sunday....complete with a red or white corsage. Although corsages are now thought of as old-fashioned, I think it is still a sweet and lovely tradition.
This past Mothers Day Sunday afternoon, Leslie's kitchen in Mineola was buzzing with wonderful mothers.......my mother, my sister and my daughter. We all gathered in the kitchen to put together a hodge podge of food, share conversation, laugh and just enjoy the afternoon. Later we relaxed on the back porch and enjoyed the absolutely perfect weather. As my Riley would smile and say...."Livin' the life, Baby."
For entertainment, we can always count on Riley. That little 7-year-old has a fabulous imagination and such an extensive vocabulary. I've managed to document some of what LeBeau refers to as "Riley-isms"....but not nearly enough. I could probably write a whole book if I really put my mind to it.
This past weekend Riley sat with me on the porch swing for a while. We were quickly joined by "Whiskers".....Riley's yellow and white cat. Riley commenced telling me that Whiskers has turned out to be a really good cat. In fact, Whiskers had actually caught three mice AND one bird. Riley also shared that she and her Mom have been plagued with barn swallows who keep trying to build nests under their porches. These are such nuisance birds as they make a mess and they seem be dive bombing at your head! Riley then explained that the one bird Whiskers killed was actually a red bird.......BUT she thinks Whiskers accidentally killed the red bird while trying to get a barn swallow. She is absolutely sure it wasn't on purpose......red birds are just too pretty!!
True to form, Riley then shared another story that had never even crossed my mind! She said, "You know, Whiskers has turned out to be a much better cat than Tom." I asked, "Tom? Is Tom one of MiMi's cats?" She replied with such seriousness...."No. MiMi doesn't have any cats now. You know Tom from "Tom & Jerry". Whiskers has caught three mice already and Tom can't even catch one little mouse.....and he has been trying for years!!" Humm......she certainly had a point there.
Today Les & Jim made their usual Monday trip to ETMC Cancer Center and marked off Week #10 of the first 12 weeks of chemo. Leslie sent me a text message at 12:49 p.m........"10 down!!!! 6 more to go! Hope u guys are having a great day!" Yes, 2 more weekly treatments, then 4 of what the nurses call the nasty chemo.......
Tomorrow and Wednesday, Les will have to rest and try to build her strength back up......she is doing great even though each week it gets harder for her to bounce back. I can only imagine what the last 4 rounds will be like for my sweet daughter........but I'm thankful for all the love, the support and the prayers........circulating daily......hourly......by so many.
In spite of everything, Les has a special way of making us smile. A few weeks ago as she weighed in before her treatment, the nurse said, "Well, you lost 2 pounds since last week." Les smiled and said, "Well, yes......I cut off all my hair!" Hummmm......and we wonder where Riley gets it.....?
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