Happy Halloween!!!!!!

I am happy to report that the biopsy came back benign!  No cancer in this momma.
I can tell you that I certainly was sweating it out yesterday, but so very grateful when I got the call.

Thank you everyone for your prayers. It means so much to our entire family!!!!

All I can do it keep singing this in my head:

Happy Halloween everyone!

Blessings~Katie

Health Update

Thank you to everyone for your prayers.  I am so very grateful.

I had an additional test done to verify that the bumps in my uterus are fibroids.  For now we decided to leave the uterus alone.  Yesterday I had surgery to remove the mass.  It was located outside of my colon in the pelvis, so it is not colon cancer.  The surgeon felt positive about the mass being benign , so we are just waiting for the pathology report to confirm.

I will update as soon as I find out. For now I am resting at home with my family.

Blessings~Katie

Ella 1 year off Chemo/Family Update

Wednesday:
Originally, I wanted my very next post, to be our last.  Ella will officially be out of treatment for one year on October 28th!  She moves to bi-monthly appointments and her counts are back to normal.  All blessings.  All good things.  She is a happy, smart, sweet girl and I could not be prouder of her or Josh.

But, this may not be my last post.  You all know I am a sharer....is that even a word?

A few days ago I started having sharp abdominal pains on my left side.  I went to urgent care one night because they were so sharp they were taking my breath away.  They did a pretty through exam and concluded that I must have diverticulitis. It was explained to me as a soft spot in my colon wall where food must have gotten lodged and now there is an infection.  He gave me some antibiotics and pain medication and I was ordered to see my GP the next day and to get a CT scan. So, bright and early I went to my doctor, who agreed with the Urgent Care Physician's diagnosis and I was sent for a CT scan.  Meanwhile the antibiotics they gave me were making me nauseous and I was not able to keep anything- even liquids down.  Also, the YUMMY 2 bottles of contrast they have you drink for the CT Scan did not help that.

Thursday:
On Thursday morning I called my doctor to get the CT Scan results and tell him I was not able to keep fluids down.  I suspected the antibiotics as the culprit. At first, the nurse said he did not have my CT results yet, then I told her I couldn't drink/eat and she put me on hold. My doctor came back on to let me know he did not have the full copy of the test, but the radiologist had called him and told him there was about a 1 inch mass in my colon. He said not to worry about taking the antibiotics, and he would call me later in the day with the full radiologists report.  This was at 10am, it is now 3:30pm.  That has given me over 5 hours to sit and contemplate what I will do if I have colon cancer.

Friday:
So now it is Friday night.  I have spoken to my doctor and I have been referred to a surgeon to have a biopsy of the mass in my colon.  Mass seems like a big word for a less than 1 inch bump, so lets go with the lesser word they used- Nodule.  Okay Nodule doesn't seem right either- bulge, swelling, wad, okay lets just go with bump.  Along with this "Bump", I have a bunch more bumps in my "girl parts" that I have to go to my OB to have an ultra sound done. So, Monday I meet with the Surgeon and Tuesday with the OB.

So, I've been through this before.  If you have followed our story, you know that one of my best friends was diagnosed with Colon Cancer at age 38.  We walked down this road with her a year before Ella was diagnosed, so all of these terms and all of these procedures are way to familiar to me. I know how this goes, I know what comes next. This is not my first trip to the rodeo.

But, I'm okay. I'm not FrEaKiNg out- Yet.  My mind is pretty clear. I know it will be a "wait and see" for the next week or so and I can't change that. I'm okay because my friends don't suck (I have a great support team), and God's got my back.
"He has the wheel". This is a quote from my friend Leo who passed a few months ago from stage 4 Colon Cancer that spread through his body.  I went to see him before he passed and he told me he was fine with whatever happened because "God has the wheel", and he was right.  I remember looking at him smiling at me and hoping I could handle something that big just like he was.  I know it's not the same- I have No intention of being driven anywhere far right now, but it does help me to have a positive outlook.  Well, at least for today.

So, Sunday we are going to go Celebrate Ella.  Her strength, her joy, her strong will and her life.  I am so excited to see the joy in her face as she gets to go on roller coasters and enjoy her first time at Six Flags. I don't have to worry about anyone coughing around her or too many germs on everything.  I just get to look at my girl and smile because she is still here.

We will keep you posted.
Blessings~Katie

September 3rd, 2013

This was Ella exactly 1 year ago.  Hard to believe this is her today:

Head full of red curls and she always says"Mom, I LIKE my hair CrAzY!".  Still, I KNOW we are the lucky ones.  Ella completed treatment.  The anniversary of her diagnosis came and went this year and I didn't give it a second thought. Other parents, are not that lucky. I see them in the halls as we go for Ella's monthly check ups.  I see it in their eyes.  The tired smiles that are exchanged in the halls between patient rooms, with a glimmer of hope in each. I don't want any child to have to go through what my girl did.  So, this year, we walk.  CureSearch is the organization that designed and researched the treatments that are currently being used for Childhood Cancer.
I encourage you to walk with us if your local, or think about skipping your morning coffee and donating.  Every dollar helps.  This year I am on the committee for the Chicago walk and I will be the photographer again, so I will post photos.  Here is the link to Ella's page if your interested.  Feel free to share with your friends!  We walk this Saturday.  Thank you to everyone that has donated and can walk with us! We are truly blessed for your support!
CureSearch~Ella

Blessings~Katie and Ella!

Update

So, I believe this is the first time EVER, but I cancelled Ella's clinic appointment and re-scheduled it for almost 2 weeks later.  Ella attended a local Theater camp and I didn't want her to miss a day.  In the back of my mind, I kept waiting for the doctor to call me and yell at me for changing it, but they never did!  Then, they went to grandma and Grandpa's for a few days of spoiling and attention that I am so grateful they get! Seeing how much they love their grandparents often reminds me of how much I love mine, and often wish they were still here to talk to. I took this shot at a rest stop on the drive up to Wisconsin.

I also love how much these two love each other!

So, clinic went well.  Ella's counts are looking good.  She is looking good and we continue to pray and monitor every little  ache and pain she has.  For the most part, she is just such a happy kid!  This past weekend, we held a Kid Olympics in our backyard with a bunch of neighborhood kids and friends.

It was a big hit.  We had 10 events and included a 3-legged race with the adults and a mom vs. dad tug of war.  We ended the night with a movie in our backyard, popcorn, and lots of blinkie lights.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again- I love our friends!

Enjoy the rest of your summer! We are!
Blessings~Katie

Loss

It feels like a time of loss in my life.  In the sign wave of life, I feel like there are different sections of ups and downs.  This is a loss time for me.  Today I had to say good-bye to my cat Cole.  A 17 year companion for me.

I don't know if you are a cat person or a dog person, most people seem to choose a side, but Cole was as close to both as he could get.  When he was younger, he would bring me the string he liked to play with and drop it at my feet.  He knew the sound of my Jeep and he would always be waiting for me at the door when I got home.  He also had this keen sense that I was sad and whenever the tears were falling, he would be by my side.  But, he was still a cat at heart. Very independent and purred louder than an airplane!  Losing another part of our family is so difficult.  Death, is not my friend.  It makes me feel uncomfortable and my heart feels a little bit emptier.  I know that we should be a peace knowing that there is a better life than here, but it is hard.  Faith, at times, can be a hard thing.  I like to believe that both Kailee (our dog that passed in October 2012) and Cole are in God's Animal Kingdom.  I hope that right now Kailee is trying to play with Cole and Cole is telling him to back off.

Ella had clinic on Tuesday.  It was a long clinic because things were not going well on the floor- which usually means kids are getting sicker or kids are not making it. When Ella's doctor came in she had a smile on her face, but I could tell that the smile on her heart had been wiped away.  This is why, this is why WE NEED A CURE!  Please, please consider walking with us, or supporting Ella in her fund raising efforts this year.  Our team name is:  Kiddos Kickin’ Cancer – RMCH.  Ella's Personal Page is: Ella Grace- Cure Search.  We have only raised $20,000 and we are trying to raise $300,000.  Kids are not treated the same as adults.  Every fundraiser I hear is for adult cancers.  Even the Relay for Life- less than 5% of the funds raised go towards Childhood Cancers.  CureSearch is the only local walk for the kids. Please consider this very family friendly walk, and maybe we can help there be less bad days on the children's floor of the hospital.

Thanks.

Blessings~Katie

7/11/2013:

I would just like to add that I think Relay for Life/American Cancer Society does a wonderful job.  My family and friends walk this walk each year in support of Ella's Aunt Carrie and Ella.  My comments were only to support Cure Search and Ella and not to minimize the Relay for Life/ACS. I have updated my link to show The Relay's most current data. 
Thanks

The normal.

HI.  Sorry for the delay in my now monthly posts!

Ella had clinic last Tuesday.  It is a different feeling for me to go knowing that she is not having chemo.  It was unusually quiet and we had some time to chat with the nurses and Ella's favorite volunteer- The Craft Lady.  She had some extra bruises on her legs, so I was a little concerned, but all is well and they are just normal every day "I'm a kid that plays" bruises.  Ella has been off of treatment for 8 months and her counts are officially back to NORMAL!  No more looking at her count sheet to see red exclamation points or the words Low or High.  Just nice black letters that say everything is in the normal range.

Ella playing with her cousin Sara.

But, what is our normal range?  Our new family "Normal" is different.  I think we have spent so much time the past few years keeping ourselves "Normal" and "Busy", that now we really have to stop, take a deep breath and figure out what this new normal will look like.  For me, I think I have been trying so hard to keep myself busy and therefore a little numb that I'm not sure what our normal is.

When Ella was diagnosed my doctor suggested a low dose anxiety/depression medication for me.  Knowing what I was about to watch my child go through, his suggestion was made to help me cope.  I also suffered with Postpartum Depression after I gave birth to both my kids, so I had a history.  Anyway, I didn't want to do it because in my eyes, that made me weak.  I needed to be strong and prove that I was strong.  But, who am I trying to prove this to and why do I care? I realized that I am a little too concerned with what others might think about me.  It is each persons decision, but I did take that prescription.  I think it kept my emotions more even during the process, but I think it numbed me a little to the normal.  Normal life does have highs and lows.  It is not all middle ground.  It is not all everything is fine.  I will have times of great strength, like signing the paperwork to add Ella to the National Cancer Registry or giving her chemo as I brush the hair off her pillow that fell out overnight.  But, I think in order to grow, we must also go through times of great weakness.  I will fail as a mom and yell at my kids for not focusing in the morning before school, I will let down a friend and hurt their feelings, I will forget to appreciate my husband, I will eat Oreo's at 9pm even though I know It's so bad for me.  Sometime the weakness makes us stronger, and sometimes it just confirms- hey, I'm human- I'm just normal.

So, I am trying to un-busy myself.  I decided to pass on the trip to Haiti this year, lessen my outside commitments, and I am going to focus this summer on enjoying a normal life with my kids.  Making some plans, but I don't want to be busy. I just want us to find a new normal.

Enjoy your summer everyone.

Ella and Sara- our two ginger girls.

Blessings~Katie