Sherryl had blood drawn today and took the opportunity to deliver to all her doctors and nurses gifts she chose specifically for them. And last week she threw her annual day care party, which entailed much work and many labors of love. She enjoyed every moment of preparation and every moment of the party. This coming Friday, she's scheduled for another round of chemotherapy. She's losing her hair again, but she could care less because the treatment is working as indicated by the huge drop in her tumor marker. So for us this year, the lyric in the Christmas carol "Silent Night" is true. All is calm, all is bright.
Our family will gather again at Arleen's house this evening for our traditional Christmas Eve celebration. It's fun to have 4 generations enjoy each other's company. Our Christmas tradition was begun years ago my our parents. Below is a photograph from our early years, and you can read more about our family Christmases here.
We thank each and every one of you for all the love and support you have provided to Sherryl and to our family. It means the world to us. We wish you and those you love a very happy holiday!
Christmas 1962 Left to right: Sherryl, Dad, Arleen, Nadine, Mom
Monday morning: Sherryl received a call from Nancy this morning and learned that her tumor marker has dropped from 283 383 to 127! Her tumor marker has not been that low in a very long time. (To follow the history of Sherryl's tumor marker, click here.) She is thrilled beyond words, and so are the rest of us! And now it's on with our lovely holiday season!
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The following update was written before Nancy's call to Sherryl.
RaRa is feeling so great these days that she just keeps going. In fact, she is wearing us all out! Her level of energy could not be more perfectly timed as there is always much to do during the holiday season. Decorating, gift-buying and wrapping, and food preparation are on the docket for both home and day care this week, and RaRa is on schedule to finish it all in time for the big day. Hurray for her!
Sherryl saw Nancy last Thursday and, after learning Sherryl's experiences over the past couple of weeks, a few options are on the table relative to chemotherapy treatment. The dosage can be lowered or the schedule can be rearranged. For the latter, what is currently 3 weeks on and 1 week off would change to perhaps 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off.
Sherryl and Nancy also discussed Zometa, which is causing some havoc with Sherryl's knees. Based on new information Nancy learned at a recent conference, changes in the prescribed treatment plan are being considered here, too.
As for blood work, tests show that, although she is not anemic, Sherryl's white blood cell count is low. She was told this is not uncommon and she only needs to continue prescribed therapies; there are no related proactive opportunities to improve the count. Sherryl had her blood drawn last week, too, which she has come to refer to as "giving blood." She should learn very soon the most current tumor marker.
She has two appointments scheduled for next week: "giving blood" on Christmas Eve and a round of chemotherapy the day after Christmas. In the meantime, be assured that RaRa is making spirits bright!
Our cousin Marie is doing a bit better, so thank you all for the prayers you're sending her way. They are working and very much appreciated. And, thanks to connections our Auntie Pattie makes with just about everyone in the world, Sherryl received an email from one of our cousins in Ireland!
For those of you visiting from "the old country," lest you think we've forgotten our roots, we've not! We're queuing up an Irish version of our mother Anna Mae's favorite Christmas carol, we're handing out hankies to Auntie Pattie and a few of us cousins who are known to cry at the drop of a hat (ahem, we'll start with Arleen, Nadine, Marie, and Jeanette, then others will join us!), and we're wishing an early Merry Christmas to those of you across the sea!
In honor of our relatives in Ireland, here are the Celtic Women performing "Oh Holy Night."
The holiday season is upon us and Sherryl never looked better than she did on Thanksgiving Day. Happy and chatty and spending relaxed time with people she loves. A far cry from a year ago when she was too thin and wore a baseball cap to keep her head warm. She has come so far, and we are all so glad she has!
As the week progressed though, Sherryl did not felt so great and just seemed to feel out of sorts much of the time. But it was her week off chemo (3 weeks on, 1 week off), and as of this morning, she was feeling much better. If this particular chemotherapy continues with these side affects, Sherryl may discuss other options with her health care team. Sherryl's next appointment with Nancy is this week, and she'll probably hear the most recent tumor marker. We're all hoping the number is lower than it was when last reported.
We celebrated Annie's birthday last night and cannot believe she is 14! And Austin's birthday is this coming Friday; he's turning 8! How is it that children grow up and we don't age a day?
And speaking of the celebrations, special thanks again to Jo-Lynne of DCR Designfor the very cute elf and new holiday decor here at RaRa's Space.com. RaRa loves elves, and Arleen thinks this one represents perfectly Sherryl's Resilience -- yes, with a capital "R." Don't you agree?!
Oh, and about that Countdown to Christmas widget. You'll notice the title above it says "Countdown to The Man Himself." For years, RaRa has referred to Santa as "The Man Himself." And, because the term is used by RaRa so often, many of the kids at day care have called him The Man Himself, too. So, we must be accurate in things such as this at RaRa's MySpace.com!
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