Happy Birthday!

Today is Matt's birthday. He is 39. He has to work on his birthday but he does have plans to go to Florida with his brother Wes this weekend to see his dad. That is exciting since he has been trying to work that out for some time now. He may even get to stay for a whole week. I really hope he does, not because I want him gone but because I know he loves his parents and they are going through some tough times physically right now and he would like to be with them. When they lived in Ohio and we had the first and then the second child, we visited them often. I have lots of pictures of the kids at Grandpa and Grandma Crockers but then the third and fourth child came along and the other two were in school so it became harder to get away.

If you would like to wish Matt a Happy Birthday today you can email him at crockermusic.comcast.net

Visitors from the South

Tonya and Michelle came today from Salisbury, NC to see mom. Michelle is contemplating going to Penn View next year so they are here for the campus days. We would hopefully see alot more of her if she comes that close! John, my foster brother, is facing surgery and was unable to come this time.

Austin and Katlyn have a Spring Program at their school tonight so I am headed there with all but Phillip. He called Grandpa and asked if he could come there instead. I'm telling you that new house has the kids fighting to go over there. Austin and Katlyn are not real enthused about going to their concert. We will be making a change in their schooling next year. Lebanon Christian Academy has been a big disappointment to us this past year. Pray for us as we make decisions on where to send the children next year.

Ups and Downs

Saturday night was a very restless night for mom and Sharron as well as she stayed up with her. They talked and walked around the house through the night. One of the side effects of the chemo she's taking is burning in the stomach and mom has had alot of that which makes it difficult to sleep. She also is just plain restless. She was offered medicine to help her sleep from her doctor but she feels she is taking enough medicine now and doesn't want any more. Hopefully we can get some relief from the burning she's feeling.

Sunday she was able to relax some with a visit from Jamie and his fiance and also Sharron and Tim are still here.

Sunday night brought some much needed rest and now I hear mom is up and doing laundry! Dad called and said she is wanting to do some things around the house and unpack some of their boxes so I may pop over there to help carry some things to her and allow her to do it from her chair. She has waited a long time for her own house in Lebanon and now she is ready to settle it. They still have their home in NC and would like to sell that one but it is needing some TLC since they have not been down there in quite a few years now and it is filled with tenants most of the time.

Thanks for your comments and prayers. Mom and Dad's new address is 415 E. High St. Lebanon, PA 17042. I may have posted that already but I can't remember.

First Treatment Has Gone Well

Mom had her first chemo treatment and has been home this week with lots of people looking after her needs. She of course has alot of aches and pains and is not eating a whole lot but each day seems to be improving. We have taken turns spending the night with her and Friday night Katlyn asked if she could stay with Grandma so she did. We have done this to try and help my dad get some sleep as well. Today Katlyn stayed a good share of the day doing housework for Grandma and didn't want to leave when I came to pick her up. She said she had worked all morning on housework and didn't want to come home and do any. Grandma asked her why she wouldn't want to help at home and she said it was because when she cleaned for Grandma, things stayed clean but when she cleans at home the boys just mess it right back up! Those stinkers. Sharron and Tim have been a HUGE help this week in moving mom and dad. They worked for hours moving, unpacking and cleaned out the house they were in in record time. Now mom and dad can take their time settling in. Our church really rallied around them as well and brought help to unload the truck and some brought food by for the workers =). Hopefully the biggest battle is behind us and we can concentrate on getting mom through the next 5 months of treatment.

Matt's father is home from the hospital but continues to have health problems. They have had hospice in already. Matt has still been unable to get down there to see his father. Since he has not gone like I had hoped he'd be able to, I planned a little birthday party for him tomorrow. He doesn't have a clue since his birthday isn't until Wednesday. It is just a small one with my family. Next year will be the big 40 and maybe I can pull something a little bigger off.

Thanks for all of your continued prayers.

Home!

We were surprised by the doctors today. They had the results from the biopsy and mom's lymphoma is a type that is very treatable and she will do 6 treatments of chemo one every three weeks. They told her they would give her first round tonight and then she could go home. She did very well and Dad and I helped her pack up and took her home. She has a port in so they won't have to stick her with needles all the time. The kids were very happy to see Grandma walk up the sidewalk and into the house. Today was mom and dad's 41st anniversary. Sharron and I will continue to help move them into their home and try to unpack what we can. Mom is feeling a little weak and tired but we're hoping she get's some energy back soon.


On another note, Matt's father continues to be in the hospital with complications with his liver.

So many procedures

Monday was a busy day for mom. They started her off with the echocardiogram to see if her heart was strong enough for chemo treatment. The rest of the day was full of more tests. I arrived at about 8 am and found mom very upset. The doctors come in throughout the day delivering these scare o grams and gets their patients all worked up. Several ladies from the church came yesterday to help clean the house they are moving into and I will be able to be there today to help complete the work. It is looking so nice. There is some painting to be done and the carpets are probably clean by now. We are hoping to have some things moved in for them tonight. I don't know when she is coming home yet but I want things set up for her. I haven't' mentioned my dad much but truthfully we are doing this moving just as much for him as he is very stressed right now and needs this larger house to come home to. He is getting very little sleep and has been unable to get his work done. He has a very flexible job but you do have to spend hours at the courthouse and at appointments and he just hasn't been able to do that. It is a part time job so he is hoping to catch up some hours the rest of this week. I don't think he has even told his boss what is going on yet. I know God is in control and he has unlimited resources. He knows what lies ahead and He will see us through this. We are also so thankful for God's family and the support they have given us. Keep us in your prayers and keep in contact with us. We are very busy but you don't know how much of an encouragement it is for all of us to check our blogs and emails and see how many people are praying and sending words of encouragement. Anita, Mom was flattered that you would even remember her and would email from England. We have been able to have a computer at the hospital and try to read all of the emails to mom. She also has had us use the computer to help her shop! Can you believe it? She had been going to look for furniture for their new place and now she is kinda stuck but she did think of a way to still be able to shop.

Sunday

I arrived at Hershey to be with mom for the day and discovered the doctor had just been in and told her they now know she is at least a stage 3. She has lymphoma in the chest and stomach. Monday they will check the bone marrow to see if it is a stage 4. We are still waiting on the pathologist to see which type of lymphoma and the treatment plans. They were unable to positively determine from the sample they took on Friday. She will probably have to have another biopsy on Monday so they can gather a larger sample. We are remaining optomistic and praying God will guide the doctors in their decisions concerning her treatment. Mom has been in pretty good spirits this afternoon and had some good visits with the grandchildren. Hershey has a nice family room that is very large with a fooseball table, a Thomas the Tank Engine table and a piano so the children have things to keep them occupied while grandma takes turns talking to each of them. It makes for a nice visit and gets mom out of her room for a while.

Keep mom in your prayers. She will be facing more tests next week yet and then face a treatment plan. If you would like to send a card you may send it to 415 E. High Street, Lebanon, PA 17042.

Still At Hershey

The biopsy was scheduled for Thursday instead of Monday so I rushed back to the hospital after planning to stay with Nathan and let mom's sisters visit with her. I spent the night Thursday night, with my mom so she would not have to be alone. I have had help with getting my 4 children to and from school and babysitters and I really appreciate it. Mom was up alot in the night needing this or that and mostly just keyed up and wanting to talk. Her arm had swelled a little yesterday so they took her for a biopsy and a scan on her arm thinking it could be a clot or something. They were concerned about a stroke for a little bit but it turned out to be clear and we think what happened is her IV slipped out of the vein and the meds were going in causing her arm to swell. I got some heat pads on that spot during the night when they came to give her the antibiotics. She was in alot of pain.

Today her sisters are with her and she is in good spirits. She got a preliminary report back from her biopsy and she does indeed have lymphoma and is being transfered to onocology now for treatment. They are still going to wait until the full report comes back before she will start anything. We will be getting a second opinion at the Cancer Center in Philly. She says she will set her mind that what is, is and she will just fight it and do whatever they tell her!

I am home today cooking up a storm for our Spaghetti Fundraiser meal that we had scheduled for Saturday. I wish I could have just cancelled it but we had advertised it some (not as extensively as we had planned) and we're afraid some will come and wonder where we are so I am making the sauce and baking goodies today. I will probably have a ton of leftovers and we will use it all on all the company that is coming to see mom. Her 2 brothers and 2 more sisters will be coming on Saturday. Sharron and Tim will also be here sometime in the night Friday night and Jamie, my younger brother, is on his way back from Utah and should be in on Saturday. I feel like they are coming from all over. =)

Keep us all in your prayers. My dad didn't get to work at all until Friday and he will need to keep up with work as much as he can as they are in the process of moving to a bigger house. Our plan is to try and move them in while Mom is in the hospital so she will have a nice place to come home to. She has been packing and ready to move for a month now and it would be depressing for her to come home to all the boxes she has stacked in every corner. The people that are moving out of the place they are moving into are having trouble getting things moved.

Update

Mom is still in the Hershey Medical Center but should be coming home tomorrow. They were unable to schedule the biopsy until Monday so she will come home to wait and then go have it done as an out patient. She is understandably on edge. Apparently she has had symptoms for about three months now but each symptom could be excused for one ailment or another and she never thought a whole lot about any of them until the excruiating pain in her side and back came. I thought it could be kidney trouble and she thought she had pulled a muscle. Regardless, my mom has a very high tolerance for pain and when she said it was unbearable I knew it was serious. My mom doesn't complain of pain. Thankfully she did agree to go with me to the ER even thought she kinda fought it the whole way. She hasn't been in the hospital in over 30 years.

The doctors will not give any kind of treatment plan until they receive the biopsy back and that could be the end of next week at the earliest. The wait will be hard on mom. Thanks for your prayers.

Urgent Prayer Needed!

My mother went to the ER today with symptoms of kidney stones and after numerous tests we were told she has lymphoma. They admitted her tonight and she will meet with a team of doctors in the morning to discuss a plan. A biopsy will need to be done. She is very nervous and anxious but confident she is in the best of care. Please remember her in your prayers today.

Soo Excited!!!!

Dino Kartsonakis and I April 5, 2008

I have been sooooo excited all day thinking about tonight's concert with Dino. We hired a babysitter (a very rare thing for us), went out to eat (even rarer), and then off to the concert. I wore a bright salmon colored sweater so I would be noticed and hopefully get to go up on stage and play a song with Dino. He always invites someone from the audience to come play a song with him. Well, I tried but he asked for a grandma and I guess he didn't see my gray hair.

His music is awesome! I don't even care that I can't begin to play like him. I just enjoy playing along with a CD. Music ministers to the soul. The way he brings the words of a song to life will make you just sit there and cry. The second half of the concert was mostly singing hymns and then the Hallelujah Chorus in which I thought you should stand for that and so did my husband who did but out of the 1000 or so people he and one other lady were the only ones standing.(I didn't stand right away and Matt sat down)

We had a wonderful time.