Hi everyone! I just wanted to update the blog with some photos... past and present... and to finish things up.
Alex has had her last round of chemo and is finally done with all her medication. We celebrated all this with a trip to Las Vegas last week. Alex has been wanting to see a Cirque de Soleil show so we figured Las Vegas would be the easiest place to do that. I can't believe the people that came to Las Vegas to celebrate this with us. I have truly unique people in my life. My best friend from Kansas and her husband flew in... Debbie and Richard Folkers. These are two people who flew out to Utah after Alex was diagnosed JUST to give me a hug! AMAZING friends, these two. We also had Dan's son, Mick and his girlfriend, Amanda, with us. My cousins April and Rian were there from California. VERY nice to see them! Rian's father, Bill Medlin and his wife Sue from California were there also. I am SURE you all know Bill and Sue from their constant support here on the Caringbridge site. These two people sent Alex gifts and cards constantly! For the celebration dinner we also had one of Alex's favorite teachers show up, Cynthia Smith. She drove all the way to Vegas for dinner! Amazing woman! This teacher of Alex's would drive down to Salt Lake (where we live) in the beginning and would watch Alex while Dan and I went to a movie... or dinner. She is a great friend! Dan also had his best friend show up for dinner... Cory Chamberlain is a pilot that has flown with Dan for years! He drove all the way from Salt Lake City for this dinner also.
What an amazing time we all had. I wish I could have had more time to spend with everyone individually but there just wasn't much time with Alex and I going to two Cirque de Soleil shows. It was great to see everyone though! Both Alex and I appreciate your support!
What's next???
Well... Alex has two things that have to be done soon. The first is another Echocardiogram. They took one of these the day after she was diagnosed. They wanted a really good look at her heart... to be able to compare it with the one they need to do this month. All of these drugs are so hard on a body. They want to make sure everything looks good and little if no damage has been done to her heart. We really need some good vibes for this please!
She also needs to schedule a surgery to remove the port that they put into her chest in the very beginning. They no longer need to access that for chemotherapy. She still has blood draws every month, but they do not need to use this. This will be a great thing for her to have removed!
Other than these two things, she only has to go into the clinic once a month for blood draws and physicals. YAY!
Alex has also started her second year of college. She is extremely busy but loving it! It's so nice to see her back in her element. She is a history major and loving the college life. She still lives here with us and probably will for awhile longer.
I cannot tell all of you how much it means to me to have all these messages here for Alex and I. I can't believe there have been over 6,000 people that have come to this page to read about our journey through all of this. I have printed out this journal today and have read through from the beginning. I cannot believe Alex has had to go through all this! I cannot believe I have done all this! It's truly a testiment in not knowing what you are capable of until the situation arrives. I wish I would have known about CaringBridge in the very beginning. I wish this journal was complete. This journal was started after the REALLY bad stuff... I wish I had a daily account of my time through November and December. Those were very dark days for me. The only thing that got me through that time was my AMAZING husband, my incredible mother, and a few select friends and family. I have no idea what Alex and I would do/would have done without my husband. I have never seen anyone care for a child that isn't their own, like he cares for Alex. He's held her... he's carried her... he slept many a night in the hospital so I could come home and sleep in my own bed with my dogs... have a cup of coffee in my own kitchen... This man has always said that he wanted to do something with a higher purpose. I think he has covered that. He was also our advocate. In the beginning all I was worried about was Alex. I didn't know the right questions to ask. The protocal of treatment is literally as big as a ream of paper... they stacked notebook after nookbook in my arms the night we were admitted into the hospital. I had NO idea what we were facing. Dan took ALL of this home and read it. He highlighted everything he had a question on. He asked anything that he didn't know. He questioned things I didn't think of. If there really is a heaven... I think he has earned a front row seat. I really do.
Also, I could not have made it through this without my mother. Any of you who know her understands this. She is the most amazing woman that I will ever know. She came whenever I needed her without question... without worry for her job... or herself. She just showed up. I know that she feels so incredibly sad that I have had to experience all of this. As a mother, the last thing you want is for your children to experience this type of pain... this type of worry... BUT... I want her to know how very much she means to me and that all of this would not have been possible without all her help. She is the best mother anyone could hope for!
I have a few others that have been crucial as friends and supporters. I consider them the best people in the world. They know who they are and they know how much I love them! I hope we only talk of happy and healthy things from now on!
And last but not least.... I want to thank all of you that have been a part of this ongoing blog. I have no idea what it would have been like without all of you. I read your messages daily. You will never know what effect you have had on all of this. I wish I could thank each and every one of you in person! I am so grateful to all of you. Thank you all for being a part of our lives!
And lastly from me... there is always the monster in the closet when it comes to leukemia, Alex and how well she is doing. The success rate for leukemia in her age group is good. BUT... as a mother, it's not what I would hope for. With that said... I hope that she continues the way things are... that she only has improvements ahead of her... and that she gets all out of life that she wants. She SO deserves it. And I hope that you never have to read anything else about leukemia and Alex.
Alex has had her last round of chemo and is finally done with all her medication. We celebrated all this with a trip to Las Vegas last week. Alex has been wanting to see a Cirque de Soleil show so we figured Las Vegas would be the easiest place to do that. I can't believe the people that came to Las Vegas to celebrate this with us. I have truly unique people in my life. My best friend from Kansas and her husband flew in... Debbie and Richard Folkers. These are two people who flew out to Utah after Alex was diagnosed JUST to give me a hug! AMAZING friends, these two. We also had Dan's son, Mick and his girlfriend, Amanda, with us. My cousins April and Rian were there from California. VERY nice to see them! Rian's father, Bill Medlin and his wife Sue from California were there also. I am SURE you all know Bill and Sue from their constant support here on the Caringbridge site. These two people sent Alex gifts and cards constantly! For the celebration dinner we also had one of Alex's favorite teachers show up, Cynthia Smith. She drove all the way to Vegas for dinner! Amazing woman! This teacher of Alex's would drive down to Salt Lake (where we live) in the beginning and would watch Alex while Dan and I went to a movie... or dinner. She is a great friend! Dan also had his best friend show up for dinner... Cory Chamberlain is a pilot that has flown with Dan for years! He drove all the way from Salt Lake City for this dinner also.
What an amazing time we all had. I wish I could have had more time to spend with everyone individually but there just wasn't much time with Alex and I going to two Cirque de Soleil shows. It was great to see everyone though! Both Alex and I appreciate your support!
What's next???
Well... Alex has two things that have to be done soon. The first is another Echocardiogram. They took one of these the day after she was diagnosed. They wanted a really good look at her heart... to be able to compare it with the one they need to do this month. All of these drugs are so hard on a body. They want to make sure everything looks good and little if no damage has been done to her heart. We really need some good vibes for this please!
She also needs to schedule a surgery to remove the port that they put into her chest in the very beginning. They no longer need to access that for chemotherapy. She still has blood draws every month, but they do not need to use this. This will be a great thing for her to have removed!
Other than these two things, she only has to go into the clinic once a month for blood draws and physicals. YAY!
Alex has also started her second year of college. She is extremely busy but loving it! It's so nice to see her back in her element. She is a history major and loving the college life. She still lives here with us and probably will for awhile longer.
I cannot tell all of you how much it means to me to have all these messages here for Alex and I. I can't believe there have been over 6,000 people that have come to this page to read about our journey through all of this. I have printed out this journal today and have read through from the beginning. I cannot believe Alex has had to go through all this! I cannot believe I have done all this! It's truly a testiment in not knowing what you are capable of until the situation arrives. I wish I would have known about CaringBridge in the very beginning. I wish this journal was complete. This journal was started after the REALLY bad stuff... I wish I had a daily account of my time through November and December. Those were very dark days for me. The only thing that got me through that time was my AMAZING husband, my incredible mother, and a few select friends and family. I have no idea what Alex and I would do/would have done without my husband. I have never seen anyone care for a child that isn't their own, like he cares for Alex. He's held her... he's carried her... he slept many a night in the hospital so I could come home and sleep in my own bed with my dogs... have a cup of coffee in my own kitchen... This man has always said that he wanted to do something with a higher purpose. I think he has covered that. He was also our advocate. In the beginning all I was worried about was Alex. I didn't know the right questions to ask. The protocal of treatment is literally as big as a ream of paper... they stacked notebook after nookbook in my arms the night we were admitted into the hospital. I had NO idea what we were facing. Dan took ALL of this home and read it. He highlighted everything he had a question on. He asked anything that he didn't know. He questioned things I didn't think of. If there really is a heaven... I think he has earned a front row seat. I really do.
Also, I could not have made it through this without my mother. Any of you who know her understands this. She is the most amazing woman that I will ever know. She came whenever I needed her without question... without worry for her job... or herself. She just showed up. I know that she feels so incredibly sad that I have had to experience all of this. As a mother, the last thing you want is for your children to experience this type of pain... this type of worry... BUT... I want her to know how very much she means to me and that all of this would not have been possible without all her help. She is the best mother anyone could hope for!
I have a few others that have been crucial as friends and supporters. I consider them the best people in the world. They know who they are and they know how much I love them! I hope we only talk of happy and healthy things from now on!
And last but not least.... I want to thank all of you that have been a part of this ongoing blog. I have no idea what it would have been like without all of you. I read your messages daily. You will never know what effect you have had on all of this. I wish I could thank each and every one of you in person! I am so grateful to all of you. Thank you all for being a part of our lives!
And lastly from me... there is always the monster in the closet when it comes to leukemia, Alex and how well she is doing. The success rate for leukemia in her age group is good. BUT... as a mother, it's not what I would hope for. With that said... I hope that she continues the way things are... that she only has improvements ahead of her... and that she gets all out of life that she wants. She SO deserves it. And I hope that you never have to read anything else about leukemia and Alex.
