"Light the Night" I am so proud of our team!

Our team raised over $135.00 for the leukemia, lymphoma society! I am so proud of my kids who raised most of the money. Alexa had a lemonaid stand where she raised $20.00. We had a great time. It was so good to be in company of others who have been, or are going through the same thing we have been through. Here are a few pictures from our walk. Enjoy!

I know, I know, it has been a long time...

It has been a while since my last post. We are all well in our home. Shawn's scans have all come back clear. He has another CT scan in September, and then another in December. Oct. is our "Light the Night" walk for the Leukemia, Lymphoma society. Please try to donate to this great organization. 
 On a funny note, Shawn's hair has grown back  curly! I love it!  I keep telling him to grow the Justin Timberlake hair style, but I think he is going to pass on that request. :(  He is feeling stronger as time goes on. He can still tell he is not as strong as he use to be, but he is on his way there. So thank you for all of your continued prayers for our family.
 A is almost 10 going on 15,W is ALL boy, and M, well she is almost two. I think that says it all. I am one year older now, and Shawn has a Birthday tomorrow. I am so thankful for this special birthday. Everyday is so special. 
 So until next time.....

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. << Jeremiah 29:11 >>

Alana

I am starting my website back up....

I am starting my website back up again. www.thecraftygalwebdesign.com  I am offering website design, and much more. SO come take a look around!
Thanks,
Alana

Welcome to our Team's Homepage

Welcome to our Team's Homepage Please take a look at our team page for the "Light the Night" walk. Any donations are greatly appreciated!

Summer is here....

 I am so glad warm weather is here! I can feel the energy in the air! The kids swimming, catching lighting bugs, and bonfires. I am so blessed to be able to spend this time with the ones I love. It wasn't even 6 months ago that I wondered if I would even have Shawn here to do all of these things with. God is so good though. Through it all there was peace, grace, and mercy, in Jesus name.  Every kiss is better than the last, think about not being able to kiss your husband for over a month. Treasure every kiss, hug, bite of ice cream, cupcakes, sprinklers to run through, birthday party's, holding hands walking, cookouts, bonfires, pictures being taken, star gazing in the front yard laying on a blanket hoping spiders don't get me moments. Treasure all the goofy moments, serious moments, life changing moments. These are what make you, you. Suck life up, breath it in, let the small things go. Everything is small in the big picture of life. So make an extra effort to LIVE this summer like never before, I know we are, and will! 

Alana :)

Hurts...

I have wondered if getting your tonsils removed hurt as bad as people were telling me. The answer is: YES it hurts very badly. That is all I have for now.
Alana
P.S. I will be alright though! ;)

Food...

Never take eating for granted. That's all I have to say. Shawn has finally been able to eat a plate of food! Yay!

Tonsil here, tonsil there, tonsil everywhere....

I have to laugh at us, as in my husband and myself. First he has cancer in his tonsil, then I end up having chronic tonsillitis and have to have mine removed May 17th . AHHHH! I hate tonsils. So my title of this blog is kind of how I feel, everywhere I look it seems tonsils are there. LOL! Sorry for my corny humor, but I am so ready for these tonsils to be done running our lives!
Alana :)

The marathon.....

Shawn has lost 30 pounds now, he is still not really able to eat. He is drinking Ensure shakes, I am sure he will never want another Ensure shake ever again after all of this. He is starting to get better, but it is slow. I am hoping by next week he can eat something yummy. Thank you for all your prayers, please do not stop praying for Shawn's recovery. He will go every 3 months for CT scans for 2 years, and then every 6 months for 3 years after that. I am praying and believing every one of those will be 100% clear. Below is a little thought I have had and thought I would share. :)

I have never ran in a marathon before, but I feel like we have ran a marathon of life these last 5 months. Up hills, down hills, in the rain, in the sun, you name it I feel like we've ran through it. 2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. The last part of that verse is what I love, I have kept the faith. It was not easy. This marathon is one that I hope and pray no one I know will have to run. At the beginning your adrenaline is pumping, you have trained your mind for what is to come, you have nourished your body, you are ready. -Go!- Into the first mile or two you are feeling pretty good still, your not breathing too hard, you are good. You still think you have an idea of what is ahead. You trained for it. Then your into mile 5 or 6, your breathing is heavy you are totally and completely in this marathon, you cannot stop, but you keep going, the prize is head. Mile 13 or 14, you are gasping for air, your legs feel like giving out, you have thought about giving up a few times, but there is something deep inside of you carrying you. It is there carrying you to the finish line, it is Jesus whispering in your ear, I am with you, go. Only Jesus knows how you feel. You finish, now what? You collapse. You need water, rest, and nourishment. You need that encouragement from everyone around you. You thought the training for the marathon was the hardest part of all of this, but no it was the finish. The recovery is slow but steady. Your body hurts, you feel sick, you are exhausted for days, you didn't know it would be this hard. BUT you did it! We did it. LIFE is your prize. Life can come at you from left field, when you least expect it. So train yourself to be ready at any time. Keep your faith, Jesus will be there to tell you he is here. I have questioned God "why us?" I have not gotten an answer "yet", but one day I am sure this was all part of a greater plan. A plan I may not understand yet. One day I will know why. :) What does your marathon look like? Are you just starting yours, or are you almost to the finish line, listen for Jesus,- go-.

Alana :)

The treatments are OVER....

Praise the LORD, the treatments are over. Now the healing time begins, hopefully this will come quickly. Shawn has lost about 25 pounds in 3 weeks. He has two huge lesions on the sides of his tongue from the radiation. This has kept him from being able to eat solid food. He is very miserable right now, all he really wants to do is sleep. So please pray for a quick recovery. His hair is slowly growing back as well. It is kind of weird seeing hair again. I had forgotten what he looked like with hair. LOL! I will post some pictures soon. Alana

Spring Break.....

My baby girl and me today.

Spring Break has been like a breath of fresh air. Totally what I needed. My wonderful Mom took my oldest two kiddos home with her for about 4 days, that was great. I love them dearly, but sometimes momma needs a break! Tonight I am taking my oldest daughter Alexa to the movie "Soul Surfer", and dinner. I love getting out and having alone time with my kids. I know they need it more than I do. On another note Shawn has 3 radiation treatments left! I am so glad he will not have to go through this anymore. He has hardly been able to eat or drink anything. He has lost 16 lbs. in a very short period of time. I am sure he will be losing more weight over the next few weeks as well. The radiation has caused two very big lesions to come up on the sides of his tongue, making it very hard to eat. It is like having a canker sore times 10. The doctor said it could take up to 3 weeks for these to heal after his last radiation treatment, so please keep praying for a quick recovery for him. After this we are hoping to get our lives back to a new normal. We are looking forward to that.

Alana :)

Honestly....

This has been one of the toughest, roughest weeks I think I have had in a very long time. I don't even know where to start. I honestly don't even know if I want to share my feelings. I feel like I am spinning my wheels and going no where. Lack of sleep hasn't help either. I am very glad Spring Break is this week. Maybe I can get a break from this circus. Monday started out good, then Mia got vaccines, then a fever, then was up all night. I was worried her vaccines were having a reaction, she ended up having strep again. I haven't felt great, Shawn is in horrible pain and there is nothing I can do for him. I feel helpless......this is a horrible feeling. He has been great at telling me not to worry about him, but if you love someone so much it hurts you can't not worry. We will weather this storm, but right now I feel like it is a hurricane. Sorry to be such a downer, but this helps me to get this all out. It is somewhat difficult for me to talk about all of this with anyone except for Shawn and my close family. People ask me how I am doing and I say hanging in there, but I literally mean "hanging in there". I then brush it off and put the focus somewhere else. This is a flaw in me, I want to be the smile and hope, not the burden for people. I forget it is me going through this with my family. I want to make people comfortable, not make them feel sorry for me. So I suppose these feeling are all normal when you go through a life changing event, but even though they are normal they are tough. We went to the Easter Pageant last night, thanks to a great friend who has been wonderful through all of this. Jesus was preaching the sermon on the mount and he said to a lady Your blessed when your overwhelmed, Matthew 5:3"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. This is exactly the reminder I needed. God I just want more of you! We all need less of us, and more of you. When we take the focus off of us we can see the reward. Thank you for all of your prayers, they really do help us get through the day just knowing there are people that love us and pray for us. Shawn has 8 more radiation treatments, and I pray they go quickly for him, please pray the same. Alana

Day 10 of 20 we are almost there....

And exhaustion has set in at our home! I am ready for Spring Break. How about you? :)

Radiation day #1

Today starts Shawn's first day of radiation. He will be getting 20 treatments. He will go 5 days a week for 4 weeks. This treatment is kind of scary for us because we are not sure of all the side effects. They tell us he could have this and that, or hardly any side effects. So this will be a wait and see kind of approach. We are praying for minimal effects. The oncology doctor told him it could take him months to regain his energy. Radiation will give you fatigue as well. He is ready to get his energizer bunny energy back. If any of you know him well he is a man that never stops. He is always up and going,so this has been very tasking on him. So please just remember to say a little prayer for him over this next month, and that radiation goes very well for him.

Alana

Praise you JESUS! No more cancer!

After our good news this morning!

So today was the day that we have been waiting for. We went for Shawn's follow up doctors appointment this morning. They went over all the post chemo testing and found there was no more cancer. Praise the LORD! The prayers and chemo did the job. He still has to undergo radiation for 4 weeks just to make sure the tumor is completely destroyed and no longer there. Kind of like an insurance plan. We are so happy today! Today March 11, 2011 is a wonderful day! Give special hugs and love to the ones you love today! Soak it up, it is a special gift.

Alana

Post Chemo Testing

Last Thursday Shawn went in for his post chemo CT scan, and in the morning, Tuesday the 8th, he is going in for his PET scan. The doctors are going to make sure there are no "Hot Spots". We are believing there is no cancer in Jesus name! We find out the results of everything on Friday the 11th. Please keep us in your prayers. We know it is because of believers praying that things have went as well as they have. Shawn's cell count was really low on Thursday, so they put him on an antibiotic just to make sure he will not get an infection. We are ready to be done with this, and put this behind us. We really could use a beach, warm weather, and the sound of the water right now. LOL! Couldn't we all? :)

Spring Break 2009

I have a Facebook page up now for "The Crafty Gal"

Just a quick update today. My Facebook page for "The Crafty Gal" is up now. Please "like" my page if you wouldn't mind. Thank you for all of your support! http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Crafty-Gal/193252547361646?sk=wall
Alana

Umm, yeah!

That pretty much sums up our last two days. Umm, Yeah. We are exhausted, tired, run out, at our wits end, and on and on!! We. Are. Drained. Thank God tomorrow is another day ;) We will make it. Ha!

Chemo round #3 ...God willing the last one!

Yesterday was Shawn's last round of chemo. Whew! Thank God! His veins are so scarred it took 3 nurses and 4 sticks before they could get his IV in. They could only use his right arm because of the blood clot in the left arm. Poor guy, he took it like a champ though. I scheduled his appointment with the radiation doctor yesterday as well. He goes in on Feb. 25th to get his mask and treatment set up. He will go through about 4 weeks of radiation. Also they are going to repeat the PET scan and CT scan in a few weeks to make sure there are no more "hot spots" as they call it. So just please pray for nothing to show up on either of those scans.
I had to go the my heart specialist again for my yearly check up with him on Wed. He said everything looks great, but I just have a sensitive heart. A lot of you do not know that I have episodes where my heart rate will jump up really fast at times. I feel like I can't breathe and I can feel my pulse throughout my body. He said normal people can have heart jumps from between 70 bpm to 100 bpm, mine can go from 80bpm to 140bpm. He said that when my brain releases adrenaline my heart is really sensitive to that and cannot regulate It properly. This does not happen all the time, but mostly through times of stress. So lately it has been acting up. He gave me some beta blockers to take as needed and that should help. So I will be fine. I can't wait for things to get back to somewhat normal. So just keep praying! :) The kids are doing great and handling things really good. Thank you for all of your support!
Alana

Quiet

In honor of Valentines, here is my Valentine and me a few years back. :)

Things have been pretty quiet around here this past week. My parents had the oldest kids for most of the weekend, which was very needed. :) Shawn's blood clot dissolved and he is doing better. We had to take him to get an ultrasound of his left arm last week because it started to get hot and swell. The clot was superficial, thank GOD. His veins are pretty scarred from all the blood draws and treatments, so we are hoping we get a good vein when he goes in for chemo round #3. This Thursday will be his next treatment. God willing his last! After that we start radiation. So keep praying for him. It is not always a smooth ride, but Jesus is always there.

Our Story.....

This picture was taken right after Christmas

In June of 2010 Shawn and I celebrated our 12 year anniversary. We had a great summer and enjoyed our kids. In July 2010 Shawn woke up with a really bad ear ache and swollen lymph node just below and behind his ear. He was feeling really bad and went to the doctor. The doctor thought he just had an ear infection and treated him with antibiotics. We thought that would be the end of him being ill. Fast forward a few weeks later and his ear infection was gone, but his lymph node was still swollen a bit. It had went down a lot from the antibiotic, but not all the way. So we thought it was still inflamed form the ear infection. Fast forward again to November 2010 Thanksgiving day. Shawn woke up again to a severe ear ache and his lymph node was still swollen, but it was about the size of a ping pong ball. He missed Thanksgiving and laid in bed all day. He went to our family doctor the next morning. Our family doctor told him that his lymph node was on of the biggest ones he has seen. So he sent Shawn to the ear, nose, and throat specialist. We went to the ENT the first week of Dec. The ENT did his exam and was concerned with the way Shawn's right tonsil looked. It was double the size of the left one, and looked abnormal. Shawn and I just looked at each other like "What!". The ENT sent Shawn to get a CT scan the next morning because he suspected a tumor. On December 10, 2010 we went back to the ENT for the CT scan results. The scan showed a tumor, but not the type of tumor. Our doctor informed us of this diagnosis and told us that he thought for sure it was cancer. He thought it was a squamous cell, or lymphoma. Shawn asked him what his chances were to live from this, and the ENT could not answer us at that time. We were devastated. We held it together while the ENT was in the room, but as soon as he left we held each other and cried. Shawn kept telling me he was sorry. We were numb. The doctor tried to biopsy his tonsil in the office that day, but we were so upset. Shawn kept gagging and was about to pass out. They had to use the stuff they put under your nose to keep you from passing out. We couldn't do the biopsy that day. It was too difficult. We made an appointment at the ENT for a biopsy at a surgical center and a PET scan to see if the cancer had spread anywhere else in his body. We left the office and went out into the hallway and broke down. We cried and just hugged each other, BUT through all of this God was giving me a peace I couldn't understand. I looked at him face to face, eye to eye, and said "you are going to be healed and live a long life with me and our kids". We went to the car and cried more and stay there for about an hour until we were able to drive. The biopsy was a few days later I believe. The ENT did the biopsy and came out to the waiting room to inform me of what he saw. He was optimistic and said the tumor was move-able. That was a good sign. We had to wait a few days though for the results to come back. Those were some of the hardest days of our lives. It was Christmas time and we were trying to enjoy this time with our kids. At that time we did not know if this would be Shawn's last Christmas with us. I had peace and knew it would not be his last one, but we were still scared out of our minds. We just didn't know for sure. I don't know what we would of done if we didn't have our family and friends praying for us, and helping us. It seemed like all we did was cry. The doctor called us with the biopsy results, my heart sank. I wanted to know, but in the same respect I didn't want to know. Life was hard enough at this point. But GOD is good. Shawn called me and told me the doctor was very happy to tell him he had Lymphoma. I know this may seem odd , but the alternative to lymphoma is major surgery, a horrible type of cancer, and maybe death. So we were very happy to get this news. The ENT said this was the best diagnosis he could give us! We could do nothing but THANK GOD at that moment. The next hurdle was the PET scan. Shawn went for his PET scan right before Christmas. We were a nervous wreck. The PET scan was done and we found out the cancer was completely contained!!!! The doctor could not believe it hadn't spread or grow larger since Shawn had this unknowingly since July. You see his is form of Lymphoma is an aggressive fast growing cancer and can kill you in a year. It was a miracle it was all contained. We visited our Oncologist right after Christmas and got the treatment protocol for Diffused Large B cell lymphoma. He is under going 3 rounds of CHOP-R Chemo. It is a pretty aggressive chemo treatment. He has tolerated it pretty good. There are a few things that we expected to deal with, nausea, fatigue, muscle and bone pain. It has been hard on him mentally too. He is not use to being held down by anything, he is always full of energy, but not since chemo. He has completed 2 rounds of his chemo treatments. He has only one more to go, and he will get it on Feb.17th. After that he will undergo radiation 5 days a week for about 4 weeks. Radiation has side effects of it's own. For now we are happy to take it one day at a time. That is all we have. We love each other more now than ever. We have never asked God why. Shawn says" God has already done enough for me, I cannot complain. So thank you for EVERYONE for your prayers. It is only because of those prayers we believe God has already done the healing in Shawn. Our journey seems long now, but it is just part of our story. We believe God has so much more more in store for us that we can't even imagine. There are days where I have anxiety attacks, cry spells, depressed feeling, but they don't last long. God reminds me in those times how much he loves me, and he will be faithful to take care of us. How much more does he love us. He takes care of the birds in the air, how much more does he do for us! Thank you for your support! :)

Alana

New Dresses!

I have listed a couple of new items in my Etsy store go check them out! If you would like a different size or fabric choice please just ask. Thanks , Alana

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftsxCancerxShawn

Chemo Round #2.....God Loves ME!

So last Thursday the 27th was Shawn's second round of chemo. They say that the more rounds of chemo you get the more it accumulates in the body and you have more of a tendency the feel the side effects. Shawn has felt worse this round. He looks run down to me, but he would be the first to tell you that he's OK. We pray for our doctors and nurses before we go in for treatment every time. So that Thursday we get there and he gets his blood count checked. It is lower than the doctor would like but not enough to postpone treatment. He had to go in the day after for a white blood cell booster shot. This is suppose to helps his blood cells build back up quicker so there will be no delay in treatment. So we get to our room and get ready to start his IV. The nurse came in and she looked sort of familiar to me. Then her voice was even more familiar to me. I told Shawn she looked familiar. Then it dawned on me, church! We were in a discover group with her at church once. I had to kind of laugh, because we prayed for her this morning and God knew who we needed. It was wonderful to know her story some and share more of ours with her. Shawn's IV pump kept messing up so we (the nurse too) said a little prayer for it! Ha ha! God is Good! Then the day finished up with no more hiccups.
He has been very tired this weekend, and really has no appetite. I just pray God gives him the strength he needs every day. God has reminded me often this week that he is taking care of us EVERYDAY! He doesn't forget about ME! He takes care of the birds of the air how much more does he love me! Think about it! He loves ME! Little ole me. I was feeling overwhelmed this past week and just prayed to God. I felt like I couldn't really explain how I was feeling. I felt like maybe I was alone at times. Anxiety was starting to set in and then I prayed. It wasn't even an hour later God reminded me he LOVED ME and HEARD ME! He sent at little angel my way and showed me he was there with ME right in the middle of the day. How awesome is it that God will meet you right where you are. I encourage you to ask God to meet you right where you are, you may just be amazed at what he does for you!

A few have asked about donations.....(Edited)

First of all let me just say we have some wonderful friends! We thank you for your support through all of this. I have had a couple people ask us about taking donations. Let me tell you I am not a person who ever expects money. I was raised to be very independent and I like to be self sufficient, but through all of this God has humbled us. I am very humbled that anyone would want to help us. Honestly this is hard for me, and my husband, excepting anything from people, we are givers naturally. So thank you to all of our friends, you are the best. Anything donated will go toward medical bills. If there is any money left in the account after all of this is said and done with it will be donated to a charity for lymphoma or cancer. Again we have been truly humbled though all of this. One way to contribute is on this blog. To the top right side of this blog you will see a donate button. You can donate there.

This is only there because some friends have asked for a place to donate. Please in no way feel like you have to donate. Thank you!

A time for everything...what season of life are you in?

<< Ecclesiastes 3 >>
New International Version

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Time for Everything

1There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

2a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

So we made up our minds....

In my last post we were having to make the decision of more chemo or radiation. We went to the doctor this past Monday and discussed our concerns with him. We knew right away after talking to him the that radiation is the treatment best for Shawn. We feel good about this decision. Sometimes we ask ourselves "is this for real?". We never thought WE would be the ones making these decisions. Life has a funny way of reminding you we are all mortal. Only God knows our future. We are not in control. I will be posting how we found out about Shawn's lymphoma soon. Some have asked and I think it is one of things you always wonder "how did you know?". Thank you for your continued prayers and support. We really do have some pretty amazing friends!

New shop items....

I posted a couple of new items in my etsy shop. Come take a look! :) http://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftsxCancerxShawn

I can't fix this.....

Shawn is starting to feel kind of crappy now. Chemo is crazy! From one minute to the next you will feel okay and then gagging the next. He is starting to get more fatigued too, but he is still going to work. I find myself worrying about him often during the day, I like to be able to fix things and with this I can't. I have to remind myself I can't fix this but God can. I just have to be there for him through the journey. Sometimes a good cry helps too. ;)

I added more things to my esty shop. These are great little Gadget cases for ipods, cell phone and even smaller point and shot cameras. I am selling these for $10.00. Take a look and if there is anything you need in different colors or sizes just ask. you can find my shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftsxCancerxShawn

What should we do??????

Today was Shawn's appointment with the Radiation doctor. We went in thinking we definitely wanted to do this, and left thinking maybe not? This is one of the many decisions you have to make in any cancer treatment. We have brain overload. If we were a computer, our hard drives would of burn out by now. I don't think there is any where to store any more information. LOL! We have to decide whether to do 6 rounds of Chemo total or 3 rounds of Chemo with 3 to 4 weeks of Radiation 5 days a week. The side effects on both aren't great but we have to decide what will be better in the long term. So keep praying for us to have discernment with this decision.

Chemo Treatment #1, 3 to go....

Thursday was Shawn's first chemo treatment. It went really well. At times I was even laughing my hiney off. Reality check though, when we walked through the door to the treatment waiting area there was no where to sit and people were still coming. There were so many people there waiting for treatment. Cancer is no respecter of people, race, gender, age, and more. It is really hard to complain about anything in life any more unless it is life threatening. Our hearts have changed through this process to being more thankful hearts. Just remember if you are having a hard day, think of all the people in a waiting room some where waiting to get a diagnosis, or treatment. It can change your life. Ok now the funny stuff. Shawn was given premeds and that is where the fun started. Ativan was given first and then a big dose of Benadryl. Can you say he was high as a kite! LOL! The humor relieved a lot of nerves. He doesn't remember a thing about those first few hours. They then gave him 4 drugs. He had no reactions to those. So treatment went well. Yesterday was a good day for him, but today he is a bit nauseous and tired. I pray this is as bad as it gets for him. This has been mentally draining on us as well. So if I do not respond right away to any of you I know you understand.

Crafts

Esty store: CraftsxCancerxShawn This link will take you straight to it!

Last night I finished this sweet littledress for Mia, and I have enough material for one more. I want to make these and sell these in my Etsy store. I also hope to get started on some more projects soon. If you ever want anything not listed in my store just ask, different sizes, and more.


Also Thank You to my friends in the sewing community, you all are great!