Well, I’m sure it’s not news to you: life is full of twists and turns and the inevitable ups and downs. It’s just not often that you hit both a high and a low in the same day.
Yesterday evening, we found out that Grandmother Nancy’s pathology report came back. It was a good-news, bad-news situation all on its own. The good news is that the lymph nodes that were taken out during her surgery all came back clear, no cancer! This is great, because it indicates that the cancer was localized in the tumor and had not had a chance to spread. YAY for early detection! (Reminder, ladies: do those Breast Self Exams and if you’re of age, you’d better be having your yearly mammograms.)
The bad news is that the tumor was 2 centimeters in size. Surgeons use the size of the tumor to place patients in the “stages” of cancer (Stage 1, Stage 2, etc) and to help them determine the appropriate course of treatment. If you want the long, complicated version of that information, email Chris – he is actually in the midst of a breast cancer research project right now at the hospital, so he knows LOTS about this subject. A tumor that is less than 1 centimeter is the best, lowest stage of cancer and often requires no chemotherapy — so that, of course, is what we were all hoping for. As it is right now, it looks like Nancy’s doctors are going to coordinate both radiation and chemo treatments for her. She’ll meet with them soon and I’ll have more information about the length of treatment and exact dates at that time.
For now, please continue to keep Nancy and the family in your prayers. Pray that she will be free from any anxiety about the treatments and that she will continue to mend and recover after her surgery. (She’s already gone back to work, so she’s feeling pretty good – she’s a trouper, that one!)
So that, dear friends, was our low last night. But then a few hours later, we hit a high! (And I saw it on a certain someone’s MySpace page this morning, so I know it’s okay to post about it. 😉 )
My brother Jason is engaged! 😀 It’s so exciting. He bought a beautiful ring a while back – oh, this boy is so romantic, you just wouldn’t believe it – and had the jeweler ADD more diamonds to it (girls, are you swooning yet?) so it was (a) a completely one of a kind, customized ring, and (b) he had to wait to pick it up. While he was waiting, he hatched his proposal plan (actually there were several and I’m lucky enough to have heard most of them! It was so cute!) and met with Sharon’s parents to ask for their blessing ask for their permission to propose (he corrected me in comments!) (again, with the swooning, right?) Last night, he proposed over a game of Monopoly — he slipped the ring into the bag of playing pieces, and he said Sharon literally did a double take when she saw it. And of course, she said YES! They’re planning an April 2009 wedding, as far as I know. (Which is good for me, because the gift I want to give is going to take some… uh, time and effort. So I need to get cracking!)
Ah. The high point – young love, excitement about a wedding, hearing their voices sound so happy.
I’m hoping for less of a roller coaster today, though, how about you?
5 thoughts on “Rollercoaster Life”
I actually asked for their permission to propose, not their blessing. They actually appreciated me putting it like that, like I wasn’t just announcing my intent, but instead was willing to hear out everything they had to say.
I need to send you the engagement pics (or set up a co-blog with her and I posting Dylan and planning updates and such.
Ohh Chelly we are getting so old, your brother is engaged, you have a near two year old, I have been teaching for five years….crazy! I am so happy for him, please do send me the links to his pages etc!
I just wanted to say congrats on your brother’s engagement. It is so much fun to be in on all the plans, and the excitement, especially when it feels like a LONG time since your own wedding! (I am looking forward to one of my sisters planning a wedding, so that I can enjoy it too) Have fun and tell them congratulations and blessings.
Dearest Michelle,
Thank you so very much for your updates and encouragement for me and our family. We won’t know the complete course of
treatment until Monday, the 28th. We’ll meet with the “chemo
doctor” on that day and hopefully schedule the treatments right away.Of course, I am dreading the treatments, but we are so thankful that there is a course of treatment out there for cancer patients. He (the doctor) could have said, “Well, my dear, there is nothing….” We’re very fortunate to have a course of treatment.
I do feel well…the surgery is healing nicely. I told the doctor yesterday that I needed a “work release” from housework and cooking and he laughed and said “no problem”. I have a strong, supportive, loving husband and family, and a wonderful, loving, supportive church family so I guess I’ve got it made!
I, too, encourage all of my friends to have yearly mamograms. I always have…and still this has happened. But, early detection is the key to a long life to play with great-grandsons!
Love to all of you. We’ll let you know more after Monday.
Love, Grandmother Nancy
I can just do one thing at a time! Congratulations to Jason; can’t wait to see the ring. It sounds like he’s done it right the first time! I tease Ronald and tell him it took him a couple of times to get the damond size right! Nancy