It's Not a Country Western Song ....

So, my phone rings in Connecticut on Monday night and I hear my beautiful mother's voice say ... "Your father has shingles, your mother has chicken pox, and this is not the title of a country western song." Yup, on Monday dad was diagnosed with shingles. No sooner did the words "I have never had chicken pox" come out of my mom's mouth that she found spots on her abdomen. The doctor took a look and confirmed she had chicken pox!!!! Luckily, it has been a very mild case, but she's 80 years old, for goodness sakes, and is just now getting chicken pox!!!

Mom and Dad have loved, loved, loved being back home for the summer. They have loved seeing all their friends, and being active again in church work, but now some of that comes to a halt while they recuperate. So, give them a call, honk your horn as you drive by ... but give them a few days to get better before stopping by to see them.

Please also continue to keep them in prayer, cause it's always something .....

Great News!!!

Mom had her scans and tests repeated this past Monday and met with the doctor on Tuesday. The first words out of the doctor's mouth were, "It's all good news!" Her tumor marker was down slightly again, the lung tumors showed measurable shrinkage, and the pancreatic tumor is stable. Mom had chemo on Wednesday, and will now take a two month break! That means......she and dad are home for the summer!!!!! Praise God from whom all blessings flow....Mom is doing so well and has gotten a lot of her energy back.

A continued thank you to everyone for their cards, thoughts, calls, and prayers. God has His healing hand on Mom's shoulder and is blessing her daily. She continues to amaze us, and repays God's blessings daily by serving Him in whatever capacity she can.

Trudie and Jim are doing well. Mom is starting to suffer some of the chemo side-effects that we all hoped she could avoid....mainly fatigue and weakness. It makes her very unhappy that she doesn't have the "get-up-and-go" that she's is so famous for. Her mornings especially are slow-going, but her energy level picks up by mid-afternoon...then she and Sheila are out-and-about getting into all kinds of trouble.

Mom goes for chemo this Thursday (June 17th), then will have all her tests and scans repeated on June 28th. Please continue to pray fervently for healing and a good report.

Mom still continues to cherish all the cards and calls she receives, so thank you for taking the time to stay in touch with her and letting her know she is loved.

Mom resumed chemo last Thursday. She has been experiencing quite a fit of fatigue and weakness, so prayers of healing and messages of encouragement are greatly desired. Mom met with her MD Anderson doctor this past Tuesday and the doctors are still very pleased with how well mom is doing. They say the fatigue and weakness are normal....she has been pumped full of poisonous chemo for five months now, so side-effects are the nature of the beast. She is now back on an every-other-week schedule for chemo, and hopefully that will alleviate some of her problems.

Mom and Dad will be staying in Sugar Land for the month of June. Mom will have all her scans and tests repeated at the end of June and the doctors expect continued good news.

Please keep mom and dad in prayer. Things have been going so incredibly well, but mom is hitting a bit of a "low" spot in her treatment. While she is still so strong in faith and spirit, her body is weary and she needs as much love and encouragement as we can give her.

The Bionic Woman Returns...

Mom took a two week break from chemo, and was able to have a great stay at home in Waxahachie. She went to the doctor yesterday to have her platelet count checked and it had rocketed from 51 up to 314!!! That means she can resume chemo on Thursday...so Dana picked up her and Dad for the return trip to Sugar Land today.

Mom had a great time while she was home....seeing dear friends, having ice cream with Lawson, working the estate sale with Pat, and sleeping in her very own bed. Mom sees her doctor next Tuesday, and if the doctor decides to schedule her chemo treatments for every-other-week, then hopefully she and Dad will be back home again soon. Please pray for continued blessings of health and strength for Mom. She continues to amaze us and make us so proud. To God be the glory.....

Home Again, Home Again....

Jim and Trudie are home!!! And, the good news is, they should be able to be in Waxahachie for almost two weeks!

It was touch-and-go whether they would get to make the trip or not. Mom's platelet count has dropped significantly over the past week and we weren't sure if she could receive her chemo treatment on Thursday. Blood work revealed that the platelet level was too low. So, instead of chemo, Mom, Dad and Sheila hit the road for Waxahachie this morning. The doctors have decided she should take an extra week off to let her body rebuild and recuperate....so no chemo until May 20th. Mom has done remarkably well throughout her four months of heavy-duty chemo. Shows just how tough she is that she hasn't had to take a break from it before now. The doctors are still very pleased with how she is doing, and blame the chemo for the low platelet count.

Please continue to pray for Mom's health and healing. If you are in the Waxahachie area, please just give Mom and Dad a call before stopping by to visit. And, don't be asking Trudie to juggle swords or carving knives......with a low platelet count, it could get ugly!!!!

Mom completed another round of chemo this past Thursday. She now receives chemo once a week for three weeks straight, and this was the second week. Mom will receive chemo again this Thursday, then she and Dad hope to make a trip home to Waxahachie since she will have a two week break before she starts the three week process all over again. Mom continues to do well, and is still tolerating the chemo without bad side-effects. Her white blood cell count had dropped this past week, but the doctor said that is to be expected when you start receiving chemo every week.

Jim's birthday is this Thursday....he will be 84 years young. If you wish to send Dad a card you can either mail it to 3507 Riviera Court, Sugar Land, Texas 77479, or mail it to their house in Waxahachie. Their hope and prayer is that they will be back home by Friday.

Blessings to everyone, and thanks for keeping Trudie in your prayers.