In the Book of Mormon, there is a record of a family who traveled from the Tower of Babel to the American continent. The family of Jared soon received their first glimpse of a vast, stormy ocean, having been required of the Lord to crawl into some mysterious air-tight vessels they were promised would carry them safely to a better place. As they gazed into the deep, moving water, they breathed the unfamiliar sea salt and felt the ice cold water lap at their feet. "What will become of our family?" "Can we do this thing that God requires of us?"

These were the questions we asked as our family stood on the edge of a new journey in February 2011. Before Cathi was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, we saw the waves of an unfamiliar storm brewing and felt the fear of anticipation. When the cancer was certain, our family was required to wade into the cold water, crawl into a mysterious vessel and trust the Lord would be in charge.

The family of Jared was given stones touched by the finger of the Lord that provided light inside their vessels "that they might not cross the great waters in darkness......and it came to pass that...(they) set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God. And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind. And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea, because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, and also the great and terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind. And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters. And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters; and thus they were driven forth before the wind. And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord, and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord. And thus they were driven forth; and no monster of the sea could break them, neither whale that could mar them; and they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water." Read the rest: http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/ether/6?lang=eng

This blog is the captain's log of our family's journey. It will serve to keep all of you updated on Cathi's condition but also be a place where I can express the lessons we are learning so that it might be a source of strength for others who are going through difficult challenges. We are certainly not unique in this regard. I hope to continue trusting in the light we have been given and to lead our family when we are encompassed by the dark ocean or tossed by its waves. We sincerely seek for your faith in asking the Lord to calm the water, give strength beyond our own and lead all of us of us to a better place.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Miracle #8

(from Cathi)

I'll admit that as a youngster, I had a bit of an obsession with medical shows and the "coolness" of being a doctor or a nurse.  I absolutely loved Marcus Welby,M.D. and Medical Center and thought that all of the doctor/nurse excitement was very glamorous. I even loved reading books about young girls who volunteered as candy stripers in large hospitals.  Oh, what an exciting life!

Later, as I got older, the glamour began to fade for me, and I was just happy that I didn't have to see a doctor or nurse very often.  I appreciated people who worked in medical professions (including my three great sisters-in-law, who are all very skilled nurses), but I really didn't give them much thought.  As an adult, I've appreciated  good Ob/Gyns, good pediatricians, and various specialists that we've gone to as we've had kids, raised kids, and just gone through the basics of life.  I've been disappointed and frustrated  at times with those who have treated me or our kids like just a bunch of body parts (or maybe just one specific body part) rather than an actual person.  Those kinds of people should be working in laboratories, rather than dealing with people in need! 

But today I'm thinking a lot about the many compassionate, skilled, WONDERFUL medical professionals who have helped me a great deal during the past couple of months.  I've been blessed to have many good people help me through this cancer journey, and I know I'm just getting started.  I'll mention a few...


Kristyn Everett is a physician's assistant here in Castle Rock, and she's the one who discovered the lump in my breast during my well-check in late-January.  I'm grateful for her thoroughness and skill and for her great, comforting demeanor.  She told me later that she's always very grateful when she's part of an early-detection experience.  Cancer is yucky, but early-detection is good!

The wonderful staff at the Sally Jobe diagnostic centers, who helped me with mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies, and a breast MRI.  Every single person was kind, caring and helpful.

Dr. Jodi Widner, the surgeon who perfomed my mastectomy, is such a great doctor!  When Jerry and I first met her, she immediately put us at ease with the way that she explained things and the way she treated us.  I'm so grateful for her skill and for the way that she listens to me and to Jerry when we visit with her.  To me, she's all that a doctor should be.
The good folks at Littleton Adventist Hospital, where I had my mastectomy.  With the exception of one slightly loopy nurse named Bob (who tried to put a blood pressure cuff on my right arm--the arm with the nineteen lymph nodes removed--despite a bright pink reminder bracelet), I received excellent care and kindness during my stay there. Gratefully, nurses like Bob are the exception, rather than the rule. 

Dr. Michelle  Basche, my oncologist.  I don't relate to her personality as well as I do to Dr. Widner's, but she is an excellent, smart, caring doctor.  She has to explain a lot of yucky stuff in order to educate us well (so her job is very hard, in my opinion), and I'm grateful for her skill at what she does.

Dr. John Propp, the cardio-thoracic surgeon who performed my biopsy surgery last week.  When we found a mass of "something" on my PET scan two weeks ago, it was a pretty nerve-wracking time.  Of course, we tried to be optimistic and patient, but it was not easy.  So when Dr. Propp's office called and said that he'd meet me on a Monday, rather than a Friday, that was so nice--four less days of waiting.  And when we met him last Monday, it was a real blessing.  The way he treated us, answered questions, and spoke openly with us was just what I had been hoping and praying for.  He told us that if it were his wife in my situation, he would want answers FAST, that waiting is the worst possible part of medical challenges.  So true!  As you already know from this blog, Dr. Propp made room for my surgery the very next day, and the news was great--so much simpler than it could have been.

The wonderful staff at Medical Center of  Aurora, where I had the second surgery.  Every single person who helped  me (us) that day was top-of-the-line!  From the insurance/admittance person to the x-ray techs, EKG person, surgery prep nurses, recovery nurses, the anesthesiologist (who had a fabulous sense of humor), and my surgeon, Dr. Propp, I really

liked them all.  That morning, as I sat waiting in my cute little hospital gown, I thought about what a blessing it was to have skilled, compassionate, good-humored people helping me that day.  No, it wasn't fun to be having another surgery just twenty days after my mastectomy, but if I had to do it, what a great place to be.  Blessings like that are not to be taken for granted!

Kristy Hippe, my physical therapist.  Kristy is a lymphedema specialist, and she knows a lot about how to help people recover from mastectomies.  In just the two times that I've been able to visit her, she's helped me so much!  My range of motion is improving greatly!  She's helped me a lot in person, and she's also got me doing exercises here at home, and I'm grateful for what I can now do.  I look forward to visiting her a couple more times before I start chemo.

Here's a nice little note about Kristy: During my first visit with her, we  found out that we were both from Castle Rock, had daughters in 8th grade at Mesa Middle School, who were on the same academic team and in the school musical together.  Fun coincidences!  Yesterday, when I saw her again, she told me, "Now I know that my daughter and yours are quite good friends. Weeks ago, when Danielle came home and told me that her friend Emma's mom had breast cancer, I started praying for you.  I didn't know who you were, but our family prayed for you, and know I know you!"  I have no idea of her religious beliefs, but that really touched me.
The staff at the Rocky Mountain  Cancer Center at Sky Ridge Medical Center,especially the nurse who took Jerry and me through our chemo training the other day.  Wow, she was great!  Chemo is a complicated beast, and there are lots of things to learn and discuss, and this nurse was a breath of fresh air.  We talked about some scary (and wacky) side effects and how to monitor things in the coming weeks and months, but we didn't walk away feeling bleak and full of gloom and doom.  This nurse (and I wish I could remember her name) gave us good information, but she also was full of good humor and optimism.  She assured me that while she has to tell us about every side effect (like those crazy medicine commercials on TV), I won't have every single one.  Despite the challenges, chemo is definitely worth it, and she reassured us of that.

I'm so grateful for good people who have helped and will continue to help me in a challenging time of my life.  They're such blessings to me!  I can't forget all of the many doctors and scientists who keep making strides in the area of cancer research.  I don't know their names, but I'll give them a big THANK YOU, too. And to my favorite male nurse (one who didn't go to school for this but is learning quickly), Nurse Jerry:  THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!  I couldn't do it without you!

Cathi
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