tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52064828937616168582024-03-12T21:34:37.134-05:00Love is Louder than CancerLove Is Louder Than Cancer Foundation’s mission is to spread love by providing emotional and financial support to families battling cancer.
dbaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14421452507372172923noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-14311820378170192542018-09-07T06:51:00.002-05:002018-09-07T06:51:47.992-05:00God has you covered in ALL seasonsHave you ever felt like God was calling you into a new season in your life you weren't sure you were ready for? I feel like that lately. The girls are back in school and we're all getting back into a routine. I'm trying to be more productive, maximize my time better, so I've started getting up at 5am. Yes y'all, AM, like when it's still dark out. Let me say, when I heard about this idea from multiple people/sources about getting up an hour before everybody else to have some 'me' time, I was NOT a fan. See, I like sleeping in, I like hitting the snooze 5 times and setting my clock 15 minutes earlier than I need to really get up. Also though, I like staying up late, that's usually my 'me' time. After the kids go to bed and it's quiet, that's my time.....or it's supposed to be. Somehow though, I found other undone items for work and usually spend that time just working more. <br />
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I know I was desperately craving time in my schedule so I could put me first, but the only person that was up to, was ME. I've heard several people call it different things, the Miracle Morning, Setting your day for Success, there's a long list. The one that really jumped out to me though was Rachel Hollis when I saw her movie recently called Made For More. She just released one of THE most epic books ever and if you're a female, click directly over to Amazon and buy it RIGHT NOW, actually buy two copies and give one to a friend. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Wash-Your-Face-Believing/dp/1400201659" target="_blank">Buy Girl Wash Your Face</a> In the movie though, she said something that resonated so much to me. She said, if you can't give yourself one hour out of 24, I mean, c'mon sisters......ONE HOUR. <br />
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I know God is calling me back into a season of writing but I wasn't sure I was ready for it because lately each time I sit down to write, I think, "What do I have to say now that I've been in remission for 4 years and Lainey for 5 years?" See, I felt like when I was in the middle of that storm, I had a lot to say, but now I struggle if there's still a message for me to deliver. But I also think that's a little bit of the devil trying to talk me out of what God has called me to do, how do I know though?<br />
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Here's what I know. Our family has been through a lot y'all, like a whole, WHOLE lot and somehow we made it through without falling apart. Looking back sometimes and remembering, it's like I'm watching a movie with someone else in it. How in the world did I find the strength to get through that? Then I'm reminded, I didn't, HE DID. God gave me what I needed in that season to make it through and I really believe if we listen closely to him, He will continue to give us what we need to make it through every season. We also though, have to set aside time to pray and listen. Doesn't need to be you getting up an hour before everybody else in your house like I do now, what about 15 minutes? Just grab a cup of coffee, read a 5 minute devotional and listen before the rest of the house gets up. I actually love the First 5 app too by Proverbs 31 Ministries, it's a great quick resource to start your day.<br />
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My heart is heavy today because one of my girlfriends lost her mother to cancer earlier this week after a long battle and today are the services. I really got up this am to focus on praying for her and her family but I also know that God called me to write this and now I know why. Each of our seasons will have their battles, some seasons we are battling others and some we are just battling ourselves. Whether it's negative self talk that you're not enough and God can't use you, or something as devastating as losing your mother, no matter the battle or the season, God has you covered. He's there to hold your hand and walk you through it.<br />
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Join me today and say this prayer, "God, this season I'm in is hard and I don't know the plans you have for me but I'm choosing to trust in them and most importantly you because I know the love you have for me. Please meet me where I am God, in this moment, right now and fill me with your love and joy. I need you now and ask your guidance to help me find my path in the days and weeks ahead." Also, say a prayer for my sweet friend Christy today. Ask that God lift her up and her family during this very difficult season and that she know and feel God surrounding her with love today. Love is Louder friends, always louder.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-19323169150188826782017-09-28T07:36:00.000-05:002017-09-28T07:38:09.526-05:00Why avocado tastes like bacon and more from a 40 something survivorAmong other things, I've decided avocado tastes like bacon, hear me out people. I looooooovvvvveeeee bacon, I mean serious love affair. I eat bacon, real bacon, not that fake turkey bacon and ps, why should turkey EVER try to be bacon? Bad plan. Anyhow, I know I can't eat bacon all the time like I would like to. I know avocado is good for me and one fine morning, I toasted my piece of wheat bread, spread on my avocado, added a little salt and pepper, bit into it.......y'all, I don't even know how it happened, I SWEAR it tastes like bacon to me. I do have to close my eyes and think about it for a minute, but it's good, you should try it!<br />
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So, I'm two days away from my 43rd birthday. That sounds REALLY old to me, I always think, how'd I get this old?? At the same time, I'm so thankful for age. I remember shortly after I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I'd look at older women in their 70s/80s and I would envy them, a life well lived. I wasn't sure I would ever get there myself, cancer really messes with your brain in every way possible. I just wanted to be a grandma one day, who dreams about that?? I did and truth be told, I still do sometimes. Although, I have to say, as a cancer survivor I think a lot of my filter has already disappeared anyhow. I'm not quite the old lady who will say anything without a care in the world, but I'm not far from it either!<br />
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It's been 3 years since I celebrated my 40th birthday with a double mastectomy. Gosh, I look back on pictures from that day and the days after and it's so surreal to me. It's almost like I'm watching a movie of someone else's life. I wonder how I had the strength and wisdom to feel so confident that everything would be ok, then I remember that I really didn't, I was scared to death but handed it over to God when I was too overwhelmed to think about it anymore. I also wonder why in the word I took some of the selfies I did during that time and shared them on social media.....WOW. Note to self, if you're ever on a morphine drip, you probably aren't using your best judgement (YES, that is an awesome pic, I'll put that on Facebook right now!) This is my PSA, if you're on a morphine drip, hide your phone!<br />
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I remember getting diagnosed with cancer and thinking there was so much stuff I still wanted to do. How had I wasted 39 years doing what I didn't really want to do? How do any of us do that? Truth is we all do it, but I'm still not sure why. I guess we're all so arrogant that we think we have plenty of time. Or, it's the 'it would take me years to write a book, finish college, etc." This is a news flash to anyone who has that lofty goal of something you've always wanted to do but never could find the time to do it. JUST START. It's really simple. So what if it takes you 3 years or 5 years to finish? Because THE TIME WILL STILL PASS. The only difference is, it will pass and you will have that goal completed, or you won't. It's like losing weight, we all want to lose 20 lbs in 2 weeks when it took us 6 months to gain it. Who cares if you only lose 1 lb/week by making small changes that are sustainable, in 5 months you'll be where you want to be.<br />
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I struggle every day with finding the balance of doing what I know I have to do and trying to find the time to do what I want to do. And PS, I really AM writing that book, but it might take me years to finish and I'm ok with that :-)<br />
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It's probably time to re-evaluate some things in your life, relationships, goals. Don't let those "suckers" in your life continue to suck the life out of you, there are some relationships that are meant to be set free. You have to make a constant decision to surround yourself with joy, nobody else will do that for you. Make plans, do things, share love, experience joy daily. Tell a grandmother you long to be her one day. Eat avocado and decide it's bacon. Change one thing each week that you want to do different, or even one thing each month. Time is finite, not endless, treat it that way.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-54109339059970740222016-03-18T14:36:00.000-05:002016-03-18T14:36:17.433-05:00A note of Thanks & INSPIRATION!<div class="MsoNormal">
Thank you and all the great folks at Love is Louder than
Cancer!! What a blessing this organization is to our family. </div>
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Joseph was diagnosed with a very rare bone lymphoma on
August 8th 2014 at the age of 15. Treatment commenced immediately and continues
until December 8th 2016 (over 2 years of treatment and daily chemo). <o:p></o:p></div>
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Joseph's spirit and resolve has not faultered during these
days of chemo, spinal taps, nausea, blood transfusions and hospital
stays. Over the last year Joseph has battled severe pancreatitis (and
pancreas shut down), temporary diabetes, shingles and chicken pox and now,
severe bone necrosis from the steroids. Again his strong spirit has carried
us. <o:p></o:p></div>
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He is supported by his 18 year old sister Anna and 13 year
old brother Michael.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Joseph hopes to get back on the golf course and back on
track at the high school where he is a junior. He enjoys sports and
hopes to become a sports agent or announcer one day for ESPN. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Again we truly appreciate the gifts from heaven your
organization is providing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Love to you all,<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Shawna</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i>THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for this note of thanks, Shawna! Prayers continue that Joseph will not allow this awful disease to break that of his strong spirit and aspirations! Wishing your family blessings upon blessings... </i></span>Love is Louder Than Cancerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132068535863395030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-26015294611895505082016-01-08T09:40:00.001-06:002016-01-08T09:40:44.732-06:00LILTC Community, Meet Vickie<div class="MsoNormal">
My story actually starts back in 2001 when I was diagnosed
with a spinal cord disorder. Since 2001,
I have had 7 spinal surgeries, more CT scans, myelograms, and tests you can
imagine. I was “unofficially” diagnosed
with Spinal Multiple Sclerosis after a CT scan in 2006 showed several lesions
on my cervical spinal cord. In 2010, I
underwent 2 surgeries – one was to remove my gallbladder that failed and was
becoming gangrene; the second was to place a SCS (spinal cord stimulator) to
help with the pain in my lumbar spine.
With the SCS placement, I am not allowed to have MRIs; otherwise, due to
the magnetic nature of the SCS, I can explode in the MRI process.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fast forward to October 2014 when I was diagnosed with 2
types of breast cancer. My official
diagnosis is IDC Stage IIA, Grade 3+, ER+/PR+, HER2,- BRCA1-/BRCA2,- Ki-67
(95%), Oncotype 18, 0/5 LN and DCIS aggressive Grade 3+. On November 14, I had surgery with 5 lymph
nodes biopsied. On January 2015, I
started 30 rounds, 6 weeks of radiation.
During week 4, I began to have complications with my rib cage and left
lung. Since then, I have had pneumonia
which later resulted in the need for a lung biopsy. The biopsy determined I had a pneumonia and
radiation related condition known as BOOP (bronchiolitis obliterans organizing
pneumonia). I will always be prone to
lung disease, pneumonia, pleurisy, broken ribs, heart problems, and LOTS of
pain and fatigue due to the treatment. I
currently continue my active treatment with oral chemo-preventative medications. I am scheduled to remain on the medication
for at least ten years, maybe the rest of my life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am employed full time; however, I take time off when I am
in too much pain or too tired. I rarely
take time off because 1) I don’t like missing work and staying home; and 2) I
cannot afford to stay home. I am out of paid time off and sick leave which
means when I need to take time off, I am unpaid. If I am unpaid, I have to pay a portion of my
medical benefits premium back to my agency.
It is difficult enough to have a life-threatening illness, but to have
to pay your employer back for the health insurance provided by your employer,
just causes so much stress and anxiety.
I also was told to reduce my stress by removing myself from a graduate
program I was ¾ of the way through. I
may never finish it, it was a goal of mine years ago, but my health needs to be
my priority.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My insurance was covering a good portion of my cancer care,
but things have changed since insurance changed in July. Many tests that my cancer clinic recommends
are not covered by insurance, even with the cancer diagnosis. I must come up with the extra to have the
much needed tests that are recommended by my cancer clinic for the on-going
care. I also continue medical care with
gastroenterology oncology, pulmonology, medical (hematology) oncology, integrated
oncology which includes dietician, counseling, and medication management. I have had to give up acupuncture to treat
the pain, neuropathy and other cancer symptoms because of the cost.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My cancer team and neurology/neurosurgeon team advises MRIs
be completed in order to monitor not only the cancer, but the spinal cord
lesions/MS. One thing, I currently have
several CT scans a year, these come with a high risk of radiation exposure which
is not recommended in place of a MRI. In
order to have MRIs, the neurosurgeon must surgically remove the SCS, a major
surgery with a six week recovery. Once
that has been removed, my cancer and spinal condition can be monitored more
closely and safely.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am a single parent trying to make ends meet, but having
difficulty meeting medical expense obligations.
My medical bills are piling up and I am worried about eventually being
declined medical care if I have too many outstanding medical balances. I cannot have contusing care to monitor the
cancer for recurrence or the spinal cord lesions if I do not have the surgery
to remove the SCS. I, then, cannot have
the MRIs that are recommended by all medical teams involved in my care and
treatment. Thank you for taking the time
to read this and helping any way possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Diagnoses:<o:p></o:p></u></div>
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<i>Invasive Ductal
Carcinoma (IDC) <u>and</u> Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS), Stage IIA, Grade
3+, ER+, PR+, HER2-, 0/5 nodes, BRCA1-/BRCA2-.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Vickie, our prayers will continue throughout the coming months, that our Lord will present a way for you to meet the costs of the tests necessary for your on-going care and monitoring. May 2016 bring you MANY, MANY unexpected blessings. </i></span></div>
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Love is Louder Than Cancerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132068535863395030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-2504228619427569462015-12-17T12:59:00.002-06:002016-02-05T09:07:24.970-06:00Merry Christmas Daniel!<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"We really appreciate
the blessing that the Love is Louder than Cancer foundation has blessed us
with. Daniel has been hospitalized four times within this past year with
complications from Medication and procedures from his diagnosis of PreB ALL
leukemia. This has caused major financial strain on our family as we have
missed work due to the hospital visits and stays. Daniel has an upbeat spirit
and keeps us looking to God for all kinds of miracles. Your organization has
been that for us as we have been praying for months for help with Christmas for
Daniel and to have food on the table. His Medicaid ran out in October and I was
hospitalized that same month as well. We have mounting hospital debt from both
stays and I have been unable to return to work as of yet. Please keep our
family in your prayers and we pray God's blessings on your generosity with this
organization. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sincerely, Erica (Daniel's Mom)"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>The folks here at the organization will INDEED be lifting your family up in prayer!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>We wish you a <u>VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS</u>! </i></span><br />
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<!--[endif]--></span>Love is Louder Than Cancerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132068535863395030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-60809633222802060622015-12-01T09:55:00.000-06:002016-02-05T09:07:01.701-06:00Meet Sydney!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddWBqygCGFwpluEjDIR1Xce6oN8SSH2FzKLCkXfvsrH2P23SvrIog-p0agwflfce4p1QAITgkiLmtTkb0xlxttqBdE68uxOuhKb5Od4uoL3MUF29WjNCm11emPa9F7IHD6ZXY_d_Ocruz/s1600/Sydney+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddWBqygCGFwpluEjDIR1Xce6oN8SSH2FzKLCkXfvsrH2P23SvrIog-p0agwflfce4p1QAITgkiLmtTkb0xlxttqBdE68uxOuhKb5Od4uoL3MUF29WjNCm11emPa9F7IHD6ZXY_d_Ocruz/s320/Sydney+2.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HFcHe-cUQtVNac_7Ti8IqwNh1JVSQVxX44QQ2ZiopgEfQk_eI16xHAUQbmWQdguywvfXbZpldUg892w6-3vElCptF1FtTxuFLm2els38fPic_zIGK7kasBEVbDMyWG9okeyu7Uodijhp/s1600/Sydney+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HFcHe-cUQtVNac_7Ti8IqwNh1JVSQVxX44QQ2ZiopgEfQk_eI16xHAUQbmWQdguywvfXbZpldUg892w6-3vElCptF1FtTxuFLm2els38fPic_zIGK7kasBEVbDMyWG9okeyu7Uodijhp/s320/Sydney+1.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"My name is Kivon and my daughter's name is Sydney and we were recently
diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer, called Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor.
It only effects about 0.05% of women that range from 13-35. She's only 6. These
last three months have really been an eye opener!! We have been truly blessed
throughout the whole experience! And we are so grateful! Her older sister
hasn't taken it so well, but we have a really good support system at home. Unlike common cancers, we don't have a support group for our
type, so our family as been amazing and so have the wonderful doctors at
children's! Our oncologist is the best doctor at that hospital if you ask me.
She ended up losing her ovary, which was the size of a softball. So I thank you
all so much!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>We sincerely appreciate you having shared your story with us AND our community. We believe that by sharing one another's stories, H O P E is offered to other families also fighting! May you enjoy a CHRISTMAS filled with JOY! </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
#sertolileydigcelltumor #ovariancancer #pediatriccancer #loveislouderthancancer </i></span><br />
<br />Love is Louder Than Cancerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132068535863395030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-30175946149011022172015-11-20T09:31:00.001-06:002015-11-20T09:31:42.955-06:00Sweet Angel<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">"Hi thank you so much
it helps in so many ways! My sons name is Angel he was diagnosed with leukemia
on June 15th of this year he was only 4 months old. We went through the whole
process of waiting to see if he had a bone marrow match we knew that was the
cure for is cancer. The type of leukemia he as diagnosed with was jmml. It is a
really really rare kind doctors say out of the whole world there have only been
15 cases of it. It was hard for my husband and I to know that our baby had
cancer. Doctors said that we were going to tests his sister and brothers to see
if they were a match it would be the best for angel. But only 1 out of every 4
sibling are match. We were scared that none of them were a match. We are
Hispanic and hardly any Hispanic donate so angel being on we thought we would
never find a match. We tested his siblings and are blessed that both of his
brothers were a match for him. We went with his older brother Luis who is
5. Luis was so excited to be able to help his brother not be sick anymore and
for him to be home with him. We did transplant on the 19 of August. Luis was so
excited and happy that this day he was going to give angel his blood to help
him feel good! When Luis back for his bone marrow he did not cry he was excited
and happy. When he came out from procedure and woke up he didn't cry or wasn't
scared all he wanted to do was see his little brother his wish came true and he
went and saw his brother. On the 18th of September we got the good news that
there are no more cancerous cells and were discharged. We went home that day
but a week later we were back in hospital he got an infection in his central
line and we count out that we were going to have to remove his spleen we got
all that token care of and now we are home and have 2 doctors appointments a
week in Dallas witch is 2 hours from our house but we couldn't be more happier
to be home. Again thank y'all so much." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i>God Bless this family. Luis, you're an AMAZING big brother for being so STRONG as to donate bone marrow to your baby brother! Family, enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving together at home! </i><br />
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<!--[endif]--></span>Love is Louder Than Cancerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17132068535863395030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-8758976805379412252015-09-22T22:51:00.001-05:002015-09-22T22:51:04.605-05:00Meet another strong survivor, Trevor<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">"Trevor was diagnosed on July 4th </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">with Hodgkin's lymphoma stage 3b . He has put up a good fight. He just finished his 4th round of chemo. The next one starts September 30th</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">. He is a brave 13 year old. He will have 14 straight radiation treatments after chemo is finished. We are very hopeful that he will make a full recovery.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Let's all come together to pause for a moment today to pray for sweet Trevor and his family. Thank you to everyone who donates to make our Wallets of Love program a success so that families like this who need us can reach out to help.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-64884133827251496032015-09-22T22:37:00.000-05:002015-09-22T22:38:12.621-05:00Introducing Jeanie.....<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">"I am a 42 year old mother of 3 that was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia on April 1, 2015. I was in Dallas for daily IV chemo for one month of inpatient and then daily outpatient iv chemo up until the end of August. I have returned home to Abilene to my family and it is wonderful to see my children daily. I will be on oral chemo for 2 years. I have monthly follow up appointments in Dallas and your gift cards will be very useful during this time. I am an RN and was the director of a Home Health Agency up until the day of my diagnoses. I am no longer employed. Finances are a huge struggle, but I am very grateful to be alive and here to worry about them! Your gift will definitely help so much! Thank you again!"</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Another wonderful survivor who is receiving a Wallet of Love today from our program and who needs your prayers today, please join us in lifting her up today with healing thoughts! Thank you for sharing your story with us Jeanie, we are all praying for a FULL recovery!</span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-75864003827432892682015-09-18T09:00:00.000-05:002015-09-18T09:16:30.533-05:00Meet this beautiful survivor Nicole!!!<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">My name is Nicole & I am a breast cancer survivor. I am a 41 year old single divorced mother of 3 & I have custody of my 1 year old great nephew whom I have been raising & taking care of since he was 2 months old. I went & had my very 1</span><sup style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">st</sup><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;"> Mammogram on September 26, 2014 after I turned 40. I put it off a little while but one day when I was taking a shower that’s when I felt the huge lump. After my mammogram appointment I was sent for a biopsy & that’s when I was told I had Invasive Ductal Carcinomia. Everything went crazy for me! I cried & was afraid. I prayed a lot. I was told I had to have a mastectomy. I had my left breast removed & had to go through chemotherapy. I have had 4 surgeries so far & I still have one more to go on. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px;">My life has truly changed a lot. The good thing about my diagnosis is that it gave me a closer walk with God. Its been hard for me because I am a single parent, but I won't complain because I’m just grateful to be alive. If I had to give any advice for others going thru this, I would say trust God, remain positive & enjoy every single day that God gives you! I pray nobody has to endure this & I pray that they find a cure. God bless you!</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">We see you and hear you Nicole, you WILL beat this and be so much stronger because of it. Nicole is one of our Wallet of Love recipients for September!! THIS is what we do with your wonderful donations! Everyone, please lift Nicole up today in prayer, what a wonderful, STRONG woman she is and a great example of my favorite verse, Proverbs 31:25 "She is clothed with strength and dignity and laughs without fear of the future." You have an army of prayer warriors going to work for you today Nicole, be ready to RECEIVE today!!</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-71025502750863601232015-05-06T00:47:00.001-05:002015-05-06T00:47:34.786-05:00Another sweet family we are helping, meet the lovely Emma<div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: small;">
This family particularly touched our hearts because of how young Emma is, she will turn 1 this month and in January was diagnosed with AML Leukemia. Please keep this sweet family in your prayers, they certainly need lots of positive energy flowing their way! Sweet Emma's smile is certainly a big part of that! These are a few words from this amazing little family who we helped last month through your generosity:</div>
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"Thank you so much for your generous gift! All those gift cards will come in handy and go to good use! Our little girl is Emma and was diagnosed on January 5th 2015 with AML Leukemia. We are still at the Childrens Hospital in Dallas 130 miles from home after 4 months and 4 rounds of Chemo. We are praying that we can start the Bone Marrow Transplant next month and be home back to a normal life by September! We look forward to keeping in touch with your organization and being a future donator and supporter.</div>
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We attached a picture of my family and one of our daughter Emma!</div>
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Thank you so much for you support!</div>
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Jason and Hailey"</div>
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We are helping an average of 6-10 families each month, but can only continue to do this through your generosity. Please consider donating online at www.liltc.org , all donations are 100% tax deductible, we are a registered 501c3 charitable organization and it just feels good to give, doesn't it?? Please pray for this family in the days/weeks/months ahead! Keep fighting baby girl, you've GOT this! Love is LOUDER!!!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-6899960332856230042015-05-03T19:56:00.000-05:002015-05-03T19:57:45.664-05:00Life is all about perspective<div class="MsoNormal">
Life, I’ve discovered over the past year, is all about
perspective. Our Lainey started losing
her precious hair again back in March when she was hospitalized. This isn’t necessarily “normal” during this
stage of treatment, but it’s also not abnormal, at the same time, it was
definitely an unwelcome surprise. This
time though, she was older and when we suggested cutting it all again, she
said, “No way Mommy, my hair is beautiful!”
Who was I to argue with her? So,
for the past couple of months, she has held on to that last bit of her hair,
literally. She pulls down the little bit
left on each side all the time, twirls it around her fingers and says, “Mommy,
my hair is getting SOOOOO LOOOONNNNGGG, LOOK!”
Each time, I say, “Oh yes, it IS getting long and how beautiful!” <o:p></o:p></div>
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You see, on the very back of her head, all of the hair came
out though. I was standing behind her in
the mirror one night recently, helping her brush her teeth and she pulled on
those long strands and commented about how long her hair was getting, I looked
at her reflection in the mirror and that’s when it hit me. All she sees when she looks in the mirror is
two long sections of hair on each side.
It does, in fact, look like her hair is much longer, from her
perspective. She doesn’t know that those
two long sections on each side are all of it and she doesn’t have any in the
back. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s when I realized, life is all about perspective. Tomorrow will be my last Herceptin drip at
the cancer clinic and I hope, the last time that I will have to get anti-cancer
drugs through a port. It’s hard to
believe that I started this journey a year ago.
When I did, I thought this would be the most awful year of my life. A year later, I have a different
perspective. It has definitely been one
of the hardest years of my life, but awful, I don’t think so. I’ve been given the gift of perspective that
few of us attain in life. I’m crystal
clear now on what’s important and what’s not, who I want to share my space and
time with, and definitely who I don’t. I’m
so thankful for that perspective and the blessing it has been and will be for
the rest of my life. I’m a better wife,
mother, friend and Christian because of it.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
So, my Lainey and I are a lot alike, we both see life
differently than everyone else. From her
perspective, her hair is growing a mile a minute and from mine, life is abundantly
full of hope, people are good and I am blessed beyond measure for all of the
things that have happened to me over the past year. What would somebody else say? Doesn’t matter to me, from my perspective,
simply put, Life IS Good!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-14834777039073265492015-03-31T23:41:00.000-05:002015-03-31T23:41:32.243-05:00A whole lot more than just a chalk paint projectOk, so just before I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, I decided to start this refinish project for our table and chairs in our breakfast nook. Unfortunately the black leather seats had some tears and the finish on the table top had been well "loved" by our girls, lots of fork marks and glitter glue that would never come off, you get the idea. So, after a late night on Pinterest, I had this "vision" that maybe instead of selling this gem on Craigslist and buying a new one, I could actually turn it into something I would love again. If y'all knew me, you would know this is not something I would typically do, but I was on this "I can do anything, I'm running a half marathon soon for the first time in my life" high and decided it was a good idea. March 22nd of last year, I posted this picture on Facebook of the first chair that I refinished and reupholstered. I was SO excited and so proud of this project, I couldn't WAIT to finish the other three and then tackle that table, this was gonna be AWESOME! And then, on Good Friday last year, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer, 9 months after my youngest, Lainey, had been diagnosed with leukemia. Needless to say, my project was put on hold......<br />
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That one, very lonely, very pretty chair kept the other three "old" chairs and that pitiful table company for many months in our breakfast nook. My husband thought it was a lost cause and would always comment about it, saying how he wanted to bet me $50 that I would never finish them all. The truth is, every time I looked at that dining room set with one finished chair, it was a reminder for me that I had cancer and my life had been abruptly interrupted, just like my refinish project. There were days I was going through chemo and I would sit at that table to eat and wonder if I really would ever see it finished. Not because I didn't want to finish it, but because maybe I wouldn't be around to finish it. Doubt and worry are a devil to fight when it comes to cancer. There were definitely times I felt like it was winning, but I always relied on my faith that God had a plan and everything would be ok. At some point after I finished chemo, I slowly started tackling one chair at a time. Fast forward to two weeks ago when my parents were here helping while Dave was traveling for work, I decided it was time. God love my dad, he never has been able to tell me no, so I asked for some sanding help/advice for refinishing the table top and dug right in. <br />
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Well, drum roll please.....I would like to introduce my BRAND NEW dining room set that I absolutely LOVE now!! Y'all, I have FOUR matching chairs, count 'em, FOUR! I have a beautiful refinished table top that will probably take my kids 3 days to destroy again, but I don't care, I will savor this moment! This Friday is the one year anniversary of me being diagnosed with cancer and as I sit here and type this, I am CANCER FREE with only two more sessions of Herceptin ahead of me and have reconstructive surgery scheduled in June!! Life is good friends and now I have this super duper, fantastic, do it yourself project under my belt and can't wait to enjoy it with my beautiful little family. I'm already looking around the house for what else I can redo! Oh and to my lovely husband, you get paid this week and I'll be looking for a nice, crisp $50 bill laid right in the middle of this shiny table top for me, ha, love you Babe! Blessings to all of you for not just a Good Friday, but a GREAT Friday, because I know that's what I'll be having this week!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-87123885498996290912015-03-16T00:59:00.001-05:002015-03-16T00:59:36.354-05:00We need YOU to run with us for an AMAZING cause!<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Ok, so for ALL of my Dallas peeps, May 31st is calling your name! We are all coming together to run the Disco 5K/10K run with Dallas Athletes Racing AND raise money for Love is Louder at the same time. WE NEED YOU!!! Click the link below to start your own fundraising page and signup. For my non-runners, it's only 3.2 miles for the 5K folks, you CAN do this! Our goal is to sign up 50 people, we have 4, so yes, I'm talking to YOU! I will be making my running comeback that day too, let's all be INSPIRED, run, celebrate life and HAVE FUN!! Click the SHARE button to recruit your friends! 100% of the money you raise goes to our Foundation to help families fighting AND you can win cool prizes the more $ you raise!</span><a href="http://loveislouderthancancer.myevent.com/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://loveislouderthancancer.myevent.com/</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-51281224771192374442015-03-16T00:56:00.000-05:002015-03-16T01:00:24.359-05:00Presenting sweet Charlotte, another wallet of love recipient!<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Some of you might remember this sweet girl from a while back when Lainey had chemo, she met Charlotte and they were fast friends! Here is her story, courtesy of her mom, "Charlotte is 3 years old and will soon be 4 in June. Back in April 2014 Charlotte had developed a knot on her head. We had taken her to many different doctors trying to figure out what was wrong and how we could make it go away. All we got was the run around with everyone. We weren't getting any answers. In October we were finally referred to a plastic surgeon that did an MRI and a biopsy of the bump. We still received no results but they referred us to an oncologist just in case. The oncologist told us from what he saw in the MRI and the abnormalities of the biopsy that Charlotte had Pre-B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. We had already prepared to be in the hospital for 4 days to get her started on her chemotherapy in her induction phase of her 3 year treatment plan. Our 3 years started October 16th, 2014. She's been strong through all the treatments so far. She will be 6 years old before we are 100% done with treatments. We have a long hard road ahead of us but we are survivors. Our love keeps us strong."</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Thank you mom, for sharing Charlotte with us and know that we are all here, praying for you both! Don't forget friends, visit our website at www.liltc.org , and click on the Donate link to make a tax deductible donation to allow us to continue to help families just like sweet Charlotte's!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-22642264666595063732015-02-18T10:04:00.003-06:002015-02-18T10:05:08.439-06:0040 Day Random Acts of Kindness Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lent
is a season where Christians focus on simple living, prayer, and fasting in
order to grow closer to God. But in recent years some have taken Lent in
a different direction. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333;">We
would like you to consider participating in our </span><span style="color: orange;"><b>40 Day Random Acts of
Kindness Challenge</b>.</span></span><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: orange;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">There are so many different things you can do to
put a smile on another’s face and HELP SPREAD LOVE – and we want to see our
followers do just that!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you want to be held accountable? Consider printing our <b>40 Days Random Acts of Kindness log sheet</b>.
If you complete all 40 days you may post the completed form on Monday, April 6
to our LILTC Facebook page and receive a <b>free LILTC cotton t-shirt.</b>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, here are a few other
ways you can kick off Lent this year if you are looking for something a little
different:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><strong style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #2f2f2f;">Try an electronic “fast”</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"> -
</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #2f2f2f;">give up electronics for 1 full day each week or go further &
give us social media for the entire 40 days (but we will miss you at Love Is
Louder Than Cancer!)<br /></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><strong style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #2f2f2f;">Start a prayer rhythm - </span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #2f2f2f;">b</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">efore you text someone…pray for them<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><strong style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #2f2f2f;">Give up Starbucks, Sonic or
whatever your choice of drink is</span></strong><strong style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"> - c</span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">onsider giving the money you spent on this item to
your favorite charity : )<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><strong style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #2f2f2f;">Create a daily quiet time</span></strong><strong style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"> - s</span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">pend 30 minutes a day in silence and prayer<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><strong style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #2f2f2f;">Be kind to someone each day </span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #2f2f2f;">–
surprise your neighbor, friend, coworker or even a stranger with a small act of
kindness each day<br /></span></span></li>
<li><strong style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #2f2f2f;"><b>Volunteer </b>- </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #2f2f2f;">one
hour or more each week</span></span></li>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Always remember...LOVE IS LOUDER!</b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-64865937176459358072015-01-28T15:31:00.000-06:002015-01-28T15:31:00.101-06:00Another fighter who was sponsored in January, meet Dilon<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxedANjpH6dZxPY95Hf9xlHaZC6QxKaFIeqSMwpwTB0bGj1nZ5WCI-u_ETfcSN2wyToOua2OfuPrIQznr9Zw9o-7o6yv0cFBZTR754MXE6cyuBLduzyM7-TZEKAyeZcFZMEiZK9T6rh1_r/s1600/Dilon+Mason+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxedANjpH6dZxPY95Hf9xlHaZC6QxKaFIeqSMwpwTB0bGj1nZ5WCI-u_ETfcSN2wyToOua2OfuPrIQznr9Zw9o-7o6yv0cFBZTR754MXE6cyuBLduzyM7-TZEKAyeZcFZMEiZK9T6rh1_r/s1600/Dilon+Mason+2.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dilon and his brothers on transplant day</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYr6vUBF1P_cfJg12zr4CVGIv83PqWx0Ka9hm1sCWIE83proal-qboHrAvj4IzJYcJhH3uoAS5WYLW1jfcKx2fH8AK5ngSeOIhKRg15oxUOLA7-xivQMV1b766qj4XCJgK1Fvotqoo2XWk/s1600/Dilon+Mason.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYr6vUBF1P_cfJg12zr4CVGIv83PqWx0Ka9hm1sCWIE83proal-qboHrAvj4IzJYcJhH3uoAS5WYLW1jfcKx2fH8AK5ngSeOIhKRg15oxUOLA7-xivQMV1b766qj4XCJgK1Fvotqoo2XWk/s1600/Dilon+Mason.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dilon and Emily (Spouse)</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"We cannot thank you enough for your generosity! Dilon has been out of work for treatment for two years so this is an incredible blessing! Dilon was initially diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma at the age of 17 years old. It has been an ongoing battle with a few relapses over the course of his early adulthood. On January 8th 2015, he received the most incredible gift of his identical twin brother's stem cells. He is currently in remission and is being discharged from the hospital this week! Dilon has been such a fighter and now looks forward to many years of health and happiness thanks to his loving brother. I have attached a few photos of Dilon, his twin brother, and family throughout the stem cell transplant process over the past month."</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Dilon and Emily, we are so excited to be able to help and are celebrating fantastic, CANCER FREE days ahead for him!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-81206390215492459102015-01-27T23:05:00.000-06:002015-01-27T23:05:28.751-06:00Meet Franchesska, one of our January Wallet of Love recipients!<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
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"My name is Franchesska. I am 39 years old. I was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast cancer on July 11, 2014. After being diagnosed my world turned upside down. I had a whirl wind of medical appointments and a lumpectomy in September. Unfortunately, I lost mobility in my arm and had to stay out of work an additional two weeks. I'm sad to say that in October my company felt that it did not make good business sense to keep me on because I had missed so many days with medical appointments and they knew that more than likely I would miss more, so they stated it was better to lay me off. I found myself unemployed on top of having to deal with cancer. I filed unemployment, but they denied my claim based on the fact that the state of Georgia requires that you are able to work full time without illness to collect. So I was a cancer patient and unemployed with no income. I was the only income in my home because my mother had previously lost her job due to her own medical issues. </div>
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My time as a cancer patient has been very difficult. I have experienced horrible side effects so my doctor told me I would not be able to work anyway. I am sick for 9.5 days after chemo. My mother was ignoring her own pain to care for me. She recently was in the hospital December 30th and was diagnosed with stomach and ovarian cancer. Her pain is so severe that she can no longer help me. So now we have two cancer patients in the home and zero income. </div>
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God is teaching me to walk by faith and not by sight. This journey is truly a faith walk. Being without income since September (I used all of my medical leave on doctors appointments so I had to go out on leave without pay for surgery), God has provided for my house through the kindness of many. Though this journey is extremely difficult, I thank God for people or organizations such as Love is Louder than Cancer to help me continue the fight. I look forward to see what the Lord has in store for me. This battle cannot be for nothing. I feel the journey God has my mother and I on is for a greater purpose."</div>
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What a beautiful, strong woman, who is putting her faith in God to lead her path. Franchesska, we are all here, praying for you and your mother and do believe God most certainly has a plan for this trial in your lives. Love is always louder than cancer and we are certainly sending a lot of love your way today! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-4454749404678461532015-01-13T23:54:00.001-06:002015-01-13T23:57:22.319-06:00Celebrating a lifetime of love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cccwWVMYNVx1SeCaWLMlMDrHYbHVkmLSQG3yRHvb_5n1Fa5aNS2fJAEP13XqnDFHZ5ClwcXImWehwZwxJziMbdnqTNV39LY_dCqnSoolPJ31ge7UCr4twF0OAO2dnQU_9s4HPbmAOtgE/s1600/2014-10-12+22.06.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cccwWVMYNVx1SeCaWLMlMDrHYbHVkmLSQG3yRHvb_5n1Fa5aNS2fJAEP13XqnDFHZ5ClwcXImWehwZwxJziMbdnqTNV39LY_dCqnSoolPJ31ge7UCr4twF0OAO2dnQU_9s4HPbmAOtgE/s1600/2014-10-12+22.06.34.jpg" height="258" width="320" /></a></div>
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I’m writing with a heavy heart tonight, as my Mamaw, that I
introduced many of you to a while back on her 100<sup>th</sup> birthday, is
about to be on her way to her heavenly home.
Of course, we’ve known this day was coming for some time, but as my mom
said, “It doesn’t matter how old you are and how old they are, you never want
to lose your mom.” She’s surrounded by
her children and medicated to try and make the transition easier, she’s been
quiet today. I’ve had a range of
emotions lately, memories from my childhood about growing up on her old farm,
sleeping upstairs with her handmade quilts piled on top of me and remembering stories my
mom told me about my mamaw’s childhood. She
grew up in Martin County, in rural Kentucky, the eastern coal field region. She had two brothers and six sisters,
growing up and working on the farm where her family raised tobacco, vegetables
and her Pa boarded horses. My mamaw was
quite the looker in her day and honestly is still a beautiful woman today. They had pie dinners back then in her small
country community where single girls baked a pie and the young men bid on the
pies just to get a chance to sit and eat pie with the girl. My mamaw said she always had plenty of
bidders on her pies <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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She married at 26 and went on to give birth to 10 children,
yup, I said TEN y’all. She has outlived
four of them, which is incomprehensible to me, to think of losing one of my
children, let alone four. She taught
herself to play guitar and played in the evening on the front porch of the old
farmhouse when my mom was growing up, singing Jesus Loves Me, Clementine and
other songs. She was a very hard worker,
raising her children on a farm and was a wonderful southern cook, her fried
chicken and biscuits were the best. She
was what we would call very “resourceful” in today’s world, which really meant
that she somehow fed all of her children with little to no money, living off of
the land. She has always been kind, loving and generous to us all. I asked her one time how in
the world she could have raised all those kids, when I felt overwhelmed with
just two. She said that at some point
the older ones started helping take care of the younger ones and they just
figured it out. My mamaw grew up in a
time where you didn’t give up, you didn’t expect somebody else to take care of
your family and times were very hard, but you made the best out of it. Without a doubt, that’s where I get my
resilience from. <o:p></o:p></div>
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She has always had an amazing, unshakeable faith in
God. I think it would be hard for most
people to have lived her life and still be so bold in their faith, but not my
Mamaw. I have no doubt that the gates of
heaven will be wide open to welcome her in, with her children meeting her at
the gate.<o:p></o:p></div>
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None of us know what really happens when we die. Sure, lots of folks have reported about their
near death experiences, but nobody really knows. When you’ve been diagnosed with a life
threatening disease, I think it’s only natural to think about dying. As a Christian though, I am comforted because
I have no doubt where I’ll be going and I know this life is only
temporary. Still, your mind wanders when
you think about it. For some reason the movie
from the ‘90s, “What Dreams May Come” with Robin Williams comes to mind. I do think of it that way, “A whole human
life is just a heartbeat here in heaven.” It’s a place where anything is
possible and you feel overwhelming joy that never ends. I had this conversation with a good friend
recently when I said, “I’m not afraid of dying, I’m only afraid of leaving.” My fear has always been leaving these sweet
baby girls, but never for me, not what I would miss out on, but what I feel THEY
would miss out on. I would never want
them to live the rest of their lives without a mommy, without having that
person who knows you like nobody else does.
When you’re 16 and you think the world is ending because your boyfriend
broke up with you, that one person who can hold your head in their lap, stroke
your hair, brush away your tears and tell you stories about when you were a
little girl and cried because we took your bunny/lovey away for good, all to just
get your mind off of the heartbreak you’re feeling at the moment. Then, that same one and only person who will
tell you stories about when she was a teenager and then follow up with
something like, “Who cares about some dumb boy, let’s go shopping, get our hair
done and eat ice cream!” Those are the
things I think of and don’t want them to miss out on, I so badly want to be here for all of that. I also feel pretty solid that I’m not going
anywhere anytime soon, but what I know is that I’ve been given a gift by seeing
life in this way that many folks never have the opportunity to see.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As I sit here tonight, praying for peace for my Mamaw and
our family during this difficult time, I can almost see the preparations that
are being made in heaven at this moment for such a bold, life-long servant of
God. I don’t know what happens when you
die, but I do absolutely know what happens when you LIVE. If you truly embrace your family, your
friends, your gifts, your struggles, your faith, I think that’s what happens
when you really live. To honor her best,
I’m celebrating all of those things today.
What an incredible blessing that we have all been given to have her with
us for 100 years. I feel like I won’t
need to wait for the phone call to know that she’s gone, I’ll simply have to
listen for the sound of an old guitar with the sweetest voice singing, <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Jesus loves me still today,<br />
Walking with me on my way,<br />
Wanting as a friend to give<br />
Light and love to all who live.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yes, Jesus loves me! He who died<br />
Heaven’s gate to open wide;<br />
He will wash away my sin,<br />
Let His little child come in.”<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-51649490990460841792015-01-11T00:51:00.000-06:002015-01-11T00:51:09.692-06:00We're all cheering for Kaitlyn today!Happy Sunday everyone! As you're heading out to church this morning, I have a wonderful story about an amazing girl fighting cancer that can use your prayers. We are so excited that we were able to spread some holiday cheer to brighten Kaitlyn's day this Christmas!!Remember, share our website and story with others so we can continue to raise money to help fighters just like brave Kaitlyn!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqs9snF1-dlfdphm5hIZSURjuVwv3NIeDkidr8_CClLQDFQ7oLYX3tTBBozFKYzYImXFRIPDfSRFZOSK5xUZQMnBF6HH4Ex5vioNKCDuKYPD_iXGr0o1AHbThdjwvnPw2WHsGqdLoX1H3/s1600/Kaitlyn+Pepper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqs9snF1-dlfdphm5hIZSURjuVwv3NIeDkidr8_CClLQDFQ7oLYX3tTBBozFKYzYImXFRIPDfSRFZOSK5xUZQMnBF6HH4Ex5vioNKCDuKYPD_iXGr0o1AHbThdjwvnPw2WHsGqdLoX1H3/s1600/Kaitlyn+Pepper.jpg" height="400" width="283" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">From her mom, "My thirteen year old wonderful daughter Katilyn is on the drill team and an AP honor roll student; she started having trouble with headaches to the point of tears. Her pediatrician sent her to a neurologist where she received an MRI of her brain because of these headaches, from there she had a brain biopsy and on July 25, 2014 ironically “the same day in 2001 Katilyn’s father died”, she was diagnosed with an inoperable High Grade Glioma, stage 3 brain tumor “Anaplastic Astrocytoma”. I was told the cancerous tumor is located in the center of the left thalamus, and couldn’t be surgically removed. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Katilyn was immediately fitted for a radiation mask and began radiation therapy in <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span class="aBn" data-term="goog_843832286" style="border: none !important; cursor: inherit !important; position: static !important; top: -2px; z-index: auto !important;"><span class="aQJ" style="border: none !important; cursor: inherit !important; position: static !important; top: 2px; z-index: auto !important;">August 2014</span></span>.</a> She will be treated with radiation five days a week for a total of 33 visits at UT Southwestern, in conjunction with an oral chemotherapy 3 times a day. The Neuro-oncology team hopes this will shrink the tumor.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Katilyn had a MRI and we found out that her tumor had swollen much more than they had expected, two days later we ended up in the ER and admitted to the hospital for 6 days during that time, she lost feeling in the right side of her body enabling her the use of her hand or to walk without the assistance, and the doctors decided to start her on infusion chemotherapy in October,a month early,in hopes to help with the swelling of the tumor. <br />The day after she was released from the hospital her drill team dedicated their performance to her and presented her with flowers. She was so excited and overwhelmed she forgot about the pain and she was so happy. I was so amazed and humbled by the generosity of all of our friends and community, Zahid Arab from FOX4 and even strangers that don't know us. Thank you!"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Kaitlyn, you have an entire community of people praying for you! We are all asking God to give you and your mom strength, courage and faith to know that He is working in ALL things, even this trial. We are all most definitely in this together, thank you for continuing to be a light shining brightly for all others to see,so that in you they might see Him.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-9601797009753727272014-12-31T12:34:00.001-06:002014-12-31T12:37:58.126-06:00Goodbye to 2014!!!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NKT9M8IEFRaRuztkqCvdUlNJetzi8lcOYaZdNM5WCW56GmIyPZQhcENeqkrESi5ZQod-sy-kY8VlBmrV5MJzlKPy10kmX7pTdso_Vqzlf7sD2co4v6Jq1kqjtDNcOzLgojYhwXBhAnGG/s1600/IMG_1140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5NKT9M8IEFRaRuztkqCvdUlNJetzi8lcOYaZdNM5WCW56GmIyPZQhcENeqkrESi5ZQod-sy-kY8VlBmrV5MJzlKPy10kmX7pTdso_Vqzlf7sD2co4v6Jq1kqjtDNcOzLgojYhwXBhAnGG/s1600/IMG_1140.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're screaming, "GOODBYE 2014!!"</td></tr>
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I feel like with today being New Year's Eve, I had to write something. The problem is though that I have given this a lot of thought and really couldn't decide what to write. 2014 has been a year of the highest highs and the lowest lows and I'm not too anxious to relive any of it to be honest. If you've ever had a child with a serious illness, you can understand the stress that brings and 2014 started out scary for us as a family. Lainey was about to enter into the hardest phase of her treatment and we didn't know what to expect. I was training for my first half marathon and finding strength I never knew I had. Just as Lainey was entering the maintenance phase of her treatment and we were exhaling a little, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. It was the ultimate sucker punch that I never saw coming. I finished my half marathon (Go Team Lainey 9:16 and many thanks to Tricia, KP, Cindy, Sarah and Emily), then started chemo, followed by double mastectomy and radiation. Somewhere in the middle of the biggest fight of my life, I decided starting a non-profit to help others was a GREAT idea! (Must have been the meds, ha!) Couldn't have done it without Dianna Bacon being my partner in crime. Over and over again though, God showed up and gave us all everything we needed at just the right time. Suffice it to say, it's been a LOOOOONNNNNGGG year! I am not gonna lie, it's been a LOT and at times I was exhausted and past exhausted. My husband and family will tell you that I heard over and over again, "Stop doing so much, you have to take care of yourself first, everything else can wait." But I just felt like God had given me this opportunity to share my story and I needed to do it. I have no regrets, but boy am I READY to put 2014 behind us and move into 2015 with a bang! We still have almost another year of Lainey getting chemo and lots of surgeries for me but that's ok because by God's grace we're both HERE! I will be starting some contract work again to finally make money again, along with focusing on building the Foundation, but most important of all, focusing on my family. Loving on these beautiful babies God chose me to be the mother of and spending time with my husband, who unfortunately through all of this really got the short end of the stick but has been incredibly supportive. I don't just love this guy, I LIKE him, like really, really LIKE him. He's my favorite person to hang out with in the whole wide world, seriously. I'm not a fan of New Year resolutions, but I am of new beginnings. This is a new beginning for us ALL, not just my family, but yours too! Take stock of your life, learn new things, break out of your comfort zone and make a new friend, go back to church, just shake things up, listen to some new music, it feeds the soul! I love the old saying, "If you keep doing what you did, you'll keep getting what you've got." It's really that easy, we make life so much more complicated than what it really is. Start a bucket list because you want to, not because you NEED to. <br />
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Every night after I say prayers over each of the girls, Lainey always insists on saying her own prayers too. It goes the same every night, she's very dramatic about it, throws her head back, closes her eyes tight and says, "Dearw Gawd....." she inserts the most random things in there, sometimes it's Cheetos, a dog she met at the park, but she always says a couple things, then stops abruptly and says loudly, "WHAT ELSE?" Then I'll say something she might have forgotten, and again she says, "WHAT ELSE?" This will go on forever if I let her, she's a great bedtime staller :-). So today I say to all of you, "WHAT ELSE?" What else in your life do you want to do or learn, what relationships do you want to fix? Find out what your "WHAT ELSE?" is and just like Lainey, don't stop asking yourself that question until somebody cuts you off with "Enough already!" and then just like her, you can say, "I'M NOT DONE YET!!" Oh, the lessons I learn from these kids. Thank you all for following us, praying for us and believing in us. My prayer for all of you is that 2015 is full of excitement and most of all, LOVE. Love for yourself, for others and most of all, for God! AMEN!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxgAu7E90rvHp8XKCIPJhyub6lX32Q53dqEBSieU97gEp4SlfoNguloAD-XpKjNYbzsgdwwEIktN1qkkEE29-xxLlkh9xRgeOP11_eo7VEoO_m7jUjNH8xbYOA5SlXHk82mg_cQOrTje-/s1600/IMG_7235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxgAu7E90rvHp8XKCIPJhyub6lX32Q53dqEBSieU97gEp4SlfoNguloAD-XpKjNYbzsgdwwEIktN1qkkEE29-xxLlkh9xRgeOP11_eo7VEoO_m7jUjNH8xbYOA5SlXHk82mg_cQOrTje-/s1600/IMG_7235.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're all looking straight AHEAD to 2015 (Sorry, I couldn't resist, AHEAD :-)</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-55642672005732785112014-12-29T16:07:00.001-06:002014-12-29T16:08:08.789-06:00From have to HAD<p dir="ltr">Today I moved from a have to a HAD. I've  gotten so used to saying I have breast cancer that it feels weird to say I HAD breast cancer. Weird for sure but FANTASTIC at the same time! I had my last follow up apptmt with my Radiologist at UTSW since my radiation therapy is complete and she said, "Congratulations, things look good, I'll see you in a year for routine follow up." I also met a woman in the waiting room who was just starting radiation today. She complimented me on my hairstyle. I actually have enough hair to start having one of those again too! I was telling her how many rounds of chemo, surgery, radiation and then I said, "I had Stage 3  breast cancer." HAD, that single word echoed in my head right as I said it. I HAD breast cancer, wow, as in past tense! I walked away from that conversation with a different perspective, I'm now officially a HAD instead of a have. At the same time, any survivor will tell you that cancer is always in their review mirror, every day they glance up, knowing it's there and hoping it stays right where it's supposed to be, BEHIND them. I'm sitting here now at the cancer clinic getting my Herceptin drip, which I will continue to get every 3 weeks through May. I also start the long process of reconstruction soon with multiple surgeries scheduled in 2015 to become my new normal. All of this AHEAD of me though, new and exciting things on the horizon for me, Lainey and this wonderful Foundation God has given us the opportunity to help others through. So today, when I look in my review mirror and see cancer back there, I just put the pedal to the metal, and give this life all I've got, moving full steam ahead. If it catches me again one day, so be it, but I've got odds on me and the one riding shotgun with me. He's brought me this far, so I'll keep trusting in HIM and know that "it is well with my soul!"  Happy New Year! </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbbOtDxP1YbiFnDLdP9pJNEndQcP2wdFpOOj-0EWJqMUHKaIrow9yudxUOGK5K8pcDL24oJtWnGGv9stEtncfmNP6MVxp8ygOzsFCANd_mpArnP_9wyLF2IqDCLL4-AQk3nzs9-moKqU9/s1600/20141229040130-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbbOtDxP1YbiFnDLdP9pJNEndQcP2wdFpOOj-0EWJqMUHKaIrow9yudxUOGK5K8pcDL24oJtWnGGv9stEtncfmNP6MVxp8ygOzsFCANd_mpArnP_9wyLF2IqDCLL4-AQk3nzs9-moKqU9/s640/20141229040130-1.jpg"> </a> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-63497446816463380892014-12-12T09:09:00.001-06:002014-12-12T09:14:23.057-06:00Introducing the fabulous Ms. Eliza<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiH07HKIICvHZfLapOofowKdcPh9y5iTrD8UChWBQ3ZFFj6IwP5VoeFNeDxTh-BZ6mj3MPEiNRSKAfnlVRpaOa1V8NNhHTnTgtOKegSJid83O6pFQlPrFbNMliKwa_yQpMLnWD4_UqBTmD/s1600/Ms+Eliza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiH07HKIICvHZfLapOofowKdcPh9y5iTrD8UChWBQ3ZFFj6IwP5VoeFNeDxTh-BZ6mj3MPEiNRSKAfnlVRpaOa1V8NNhHTnTgtOKegSJid83O6pFQlPrFbNMliKwa_yQpMLnWD4_UqBTmD/s1600/Ms+Eliza.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have had the incredible pleasure of spending a few minutes of every Monday through Friday for the past six weeks at radiation with Ms. Eliza. It's amazing what happens when you talk to people and hear their story. First of all, she takes public transportation to get to radiation and is never late, which was astonishing to me since I drive myself and end up late :-). When I first met her, she walked in with a bright smile and I said, "How are you today?" she answered with a simple, "Blessed to see another day Honey, God is good!" and for the past 28 days I've seen her after that, always the same answer. When you start your day off that way, it makes the rest of the day so much easier, doesn't it? I think many of us are guilty of checking Facebook or grabbing coffee before we take a moment to say a prayer over the day that is before us, but not Ms. Eliza.<br />
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Over the course of radiation, I've met several strong women who I've traded stories with but hers is a very special one. Ms. Eliza at the age of 69, has survived more tragedy in her life than most of us could comprehend. She's lost her mother to breast cancer, lost two grown children suddenly, and currently has three remaining children, one of which is in the hospital with heart issues. Through all of this though, she has a STRONG faith in God and continues to help others in her community. She told me they call her 'Soup Kitchen' because if you're hungry, you come to her house and somehow she'll find a way to feed you. She said, "They call me Annie, Granny, Momma, you name it, I answer to it."<br />
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I'm not sure why God brings everyone into your life, but I do know that each person you meet is meant to teach you something. When I gave Ms. Eliza her <span style="color: red;"><b>Wallet of Love</b></span> this week, I also gave her a note with it, explaining how much of an inspiration she is to me and how blessed I am to have met her. Women like her are few and far between, when you hear the term 'it takes a village', Ms. Eliza is definitely a part of that village that steps up to raise those that 'need some raisin'. She doesn't have a computer, doesn't know about social media, but when I explained to her that I wanted to share her story, she looked me in the eye and said, "Please Baby, please do." She's battling breast cancer with courage and grace of the best kind, straight from God.<br />
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This wallet was given in honor of the very special father of one of my best friends who we lost this week to cancer, we'll miss you Dad aka Bill Tweeden. Thank you Ms. Eliza for being who you are and inspiring so many of us with your faith. She is, quite literally, Love Personified.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-89248662699196363842014-12-10T18:07:00.001-06:002014-12-10T18:09:57.952-06:00Our Avery bird<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-G_DDXZsQeQk/VIjgUwM4lAI/AAAAAAAAECU/GoYEPqHhJjs/s2560/1418256463188.jpeg' onblur='try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}'><img border='0' src='https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-G_DDXZsQeQk/VIjgUwM4lAI/AAAAAAAAECU/GoYEPqHhJjs/s640/1418256463188.jpeg' style='display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;'/></a><br/>
THIS kid, my shining star, Avery. Y'all hear so much about her little sissy but never enough about her. It's hard for me as a mom at times knowing that Lainey and I share something that I hope and pray that Avery never, EVER has to share. I can only imagine how hard it is for her though, watching her baby sister go through all of this only to have it happen a few months later to Mommy too. As parents, you try to do everything in your power to protect your kids and there are days I struggle, knowing I couldn't do that for these sweet babies. I know it's not my fault, but still, it's hard. She is smart, kind, FUNNY, curious, loves to sing and has a beautiful voice. She's a SURVIVOR too though, not many 5 year olds have weathered the storm she has. We have challenging days sometimes explaining why Lainey is getting away with a little more than she should since she's on her "bad medicine" (steroids). Does she fully understand that, no, but one day she will and my prayer is that like us, she'll become stronger because of all of this. She's our "Bird", that's been her nickname since she was a newborn. She's also my little nurse when I'm having a hard day she'll bring me a blanket, crackers or just want to hold my hand as I walk down the stairs. For every moment I curse her defiant spirit of 'I can do IT!!', it makes me a little sad, knowing she's right. I want to savor every moment with them because time sure does pass fast. I don't care what my kids grow up to be or how much money they make. The only thing I want them to be is kind, respectful and good human beings. If they become millionaires but are arrogant and rude, I have failed as a parent. But THIS precious bird, I just know is going to SOAR one day and I'm so lucky to have a front row seat!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17551385966948605900noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5206482893761616858.post-40545217697510497452014-12-08T09:49:00.002-06:002014-12-08T09:49:27.364-06:00Wallet of Love Recipient - Ms. Betty is Shaping Little Minds<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyjqe2YaQxZf4eVT2FMrKmv9mLfi0Tb3_EzJaAo9vc5E8_DkS2mvs7xQtrs1Oco8Yaz1jFWxvIeiQtpKmgaqMuEhV0FKugtN0jyABXZNbWblkLJqfBRmOSMFhJfDRbfBHph-_cEXz4TWH/s1600/IMG_1183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyjqe2YaQxZf4eVT2FMrKmv9mLfi0Tb3_EzJaAo9vc5E8_DkS2mvs7xQtrs1Oco8Yaz1jFWxvIeiQtpKmgaqMuEhV0FKugtN0jyABXZNbWblkLJqfBRmOSMFhJfDRbfBHph-_cEXz4TWH/s1600/IMG_1183.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ms. Betty & Dianna, Board President, LILTC</td></tr>
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It takes a <b>BIG HEART TO SHAPE LITTLE MINDS</b> and that is what Ms. Betty does on a daily basis! <br />
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She is a teacher of children ages 18-24 months <i>(that's the age Lainey was when she was diagnosed with Leukemia)</i>. I've personally known Ms. Betty for 7 years and when I learned she had breast cancer this year my heart broke! Ms. Betty helped me raise both my babies years ago just like she does for so many other families.<br />
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I was personally able to deliver her <b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: magenta;">Wallet of Love</span></b> and visit with her briefly. She is looking strong and back at work full-time. During radiation she was only able to do half days most of the time...she said she knew exactly how Kelly must be feeling these days...<i>"it can make you exhausted."</i> But she said her energy is starting to come back as well as her hair : ) You wouldn't know it but Ms. Betty is in her 70s...can you believe she spends her days running around after toddlers?! Bless her!<br />
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The look of surprise on her face when I delivered her <b><span style="color: magenta;">Wallet of Love</span></b> was of absolute gratitude and beauty. It is the very reason that I know God led me to meet Kelly and be on this path with her and this Foundation. <br />
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<b><span style="color: magenta;">LOVE IS LOUDER!</span></b><br />
<i>-Dianna, Board President</i><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #4c4c4c; font-family: 'Century Gothic'; font-size: 14px;">"Let all you do be done in Love."</i><br />
<br />dbaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14421452507372172923noreply@blogger.com0