My Mom is amazing. She is the most Christlike and giving person that I know. She loves nothing more than to be busy making the world around her a better place.
So when she didn't feel well towards the middle of June, she put on a brave face--it was just some digestive trouble after all. By July when she still didn't feel 100%, she went into the doctor to see if he had any suggestions. He gave her a few over the counter ideas and she went off on vacation.
Where she proved that she can still slalom-ski like a pro (July 2010, Oregon)
On vacation, she started to feel a little worse--but it was vacation after all and she managed to have a good time despite needing to take ibuprofen every few hours. She could tell something wasn't right and as soon as they got back, she made another appointment. As they started running labs and ruling out other things, her CA-125 level came back high. CA-125 can be elevated for lots of reasons, including ovarian cancer.
As my mom drove us to the airport for our Utah trip, she casually mentioned that her CA-125 was elevated (she didn't know the number) and that her doctor wanted her to follow-up with an ovarian ultrasound. Then she told me something that made my heart drop--they had asked her to make a special trip to another clinic that could see her that day (Friday, Aug. 20) instead of waiting until her originally scheduled ultrasound on Tuesday.
With my medical background, there are a few things I know. One is: the medical establishment is very slow to move--unless something could be very, very wrong. Sure enough, there was a mass on her ovary. She met with a GYN on Monday, Aug. 23, a gynecological oncologist on Thursday, Aug. 26, and prepared for surgery to come on Sep. 1. Speedy-eh?
Her surgeon is excellent and has a fantastic reputation and best of all, my mom trusts and feels comfortable with her.
After a 6 hour surgery, the official diagnosis we'd all been expecting came--ovarian cancer. The stage was the big unknown--it came back as stage III-C out of four stages. In an effort to see the cup as half full, I like to think great--it could have been worse than it was. The surgeon was meticulous to get any cancer she could see that was 1 cm or greater, leaving the rest to chemo.
It's been quite the emotional ride these past few months. I feel like I go from hopeful and at peace to teary and stressed at the drop of a hat. I at least have gotten to the point where I don't cry EVERY time I pray, but (and I know my parents and siblings agree) my emotions are never far from the surface. I have definitely felt the hand of the Lord through all of this. My parents have mentioned that their strongest feeling as the chips fell was the need to get into surgery ASAP--and that definitely happened. While we were in the Bountiful Temple on vacation, my mom was on my mind and the thought I had over and over again was that our Father in Heaven loves us, more than I can understand. That love includes me, my family, and especially my Mom. So while I have many questions, His love for her is not one of them.
I think part of the reason why I let so many things go for a few months without updating (blog and budget among others) is that if I let those things hang out in August, maybe September wouldn't come. And yet, it came. And went.
Mom has made an amazing recovery. She was out of the hospital in 7 days, and has one session of chemo (of six total) under her belt. Minus the week after chemo, she feels a little better every day and seems more and more like her normal self. I think the overall feeling I have lately is cautiously optimistic.
My mom and one of her angel sisters, Tami from California. 9/12/10
Two more angels, Vicki from Oregon and Tobi from Malaysia. 9/14/10
Mom, two weeks post surgery. 9/14/10
Yet another angel, Penny from Arizona. 10/23/10
*just a note to my sweet aunts: I don't know if any of us (my Dad, siblings, and I) can adequately express how much your presence has meant to us and my mom these past few months. I wish I was at a life stage where I could be at my Mom's side 24-7, but I'm not. And knowing that you all have been there, cleaning, cooking, laughing, loving, and caring for her is the only thing that makes it tolerable for me to not be there all the time. I love you all and can't wait to see you again.
Megan sharing a book with Grandpa and Granny, conference weekend. 10/3/10
Granny gets serenaded, 10/3/10. I feel better looking at those sweet faces, don't you?
Granny agreed :)
Mom at our house, 10/23/10. Don't you love the new 'do?
To my friends who are hearing this for the first time, don't feel bad. It's hard for me to tell the whole story and keep it together, so I don't bring it up very often. Don't be afraid to ask about it either. I love to give updates on how my mom is doing.
