An Update 2

I am excited to write this because for the past weeks I have been comfortable, energetic, and was able to do a lot of things. I don't know if they can be called work, but I have been doing things that mean a lot to me.

(Isn't it so much better to write about our victories than our pains and frustrations?)

First thing in my agenda is to get well. I have been consistent in taking my meds, and I am seeing good results! When I started taking the vitamins shown below, I have felt more energetic than I ever was. I think it's also the combination of things. These vitamins plus my other meds for iron, pain, and liver care are all helping me. Thank God for modern medicine!

I am not suggesting that others take these vitamins. I am simply writing about my personal experience. If you are interested in taking these, please ask your doctor. I consulted my doctor before taking these, and she said yes to it.

This morning, I had to thank my husband again as I always do because I really am grateful for him. I told him, my life is prolonged because of the care he is giving me. Isn't that true?

If a patient is secure in the care she is receiving, there can be more peace and joy in her that leads to more life.

Speaking of life, these are the things that occupied MY LIFE for the past weeks:

-We had a fund-raising event called, Great Cuts to Fight Breast Cancer. Some of the hairdressers I know gathered together to support this event. Not only do they love and care for me, but they remember the relationship they had with my mom. They think so fondly of her that they supported our cause wholeheartedly. They are friends and family who are fun-loving and full of life. Not only did we receive funding that's more than we expected, but we also had a lot of fun! There was dancing, singing, and crazy photo shoots. It was a break from my quiet life. I definitely needed that fun time. It was also great to see some of those who care for our family in person. It is life-giving for cancer patients to receive that kind of love. There is nothing like having real connections, apart from the internet that largely occupies us.  

I am truly grateful. Enjoy these wacky shots!

 

We are currently planning to have fundraisers every month. We'd like to make these gatherings fun and worthwhile to remember as family and friends come together. 

We are thankful for everybody's constant support.

-Scrapbooking. I have collected all our albums that are falling apart, and decided to work on one family scrapbook. It will show our wedding pictures, both our civil and church weddings, the birth of our girls, and their growing up years. I am not sure if I am doing a good job. I try to copy the ones in Pinterest but I am just a scrapbooker wanna-be. It's my first time to do this, so I expect improvements later on...hopefully. Here are some samples, 

Yikes! I really hope to be better at this.

-My happy art continues! Not only does this keep me busy, it has also been something I do with my kids. It is a good bonding time with them as we all work in my bed, being comfortably creative. :) Truthfully, I can't draw (Wow, this is brand new information! Not! Haha). What matters is I am having fun, and it keeps me away from negative thoughts and emotions.

Joey's work (ten years old)

Toni's (fourteen years old)

Andi's (seventeen years old)

-Lastly, I have been doing some work with my husband by pitching in ideas for our fundraisers, making a list of things that need to be done, and helping him organize by communicating with persons involved. It doesn't sound much, but I'm happy I am able to do more now. It feels good to be productive, but admittedly, I still can't do a lot of physical work as I still get tired easily. I am not expected by the people around me to work. They're actually doing a good job  in spoiling me. :) But for the season I am in, to do some work feels right. It helps me look forward to things, and therefore, gives me more strength.

November 5 is my third cycle of chemo. So far the new chemo drug, CMF, has been effective. I've been feeling lighter and a lot more comfortable. Please pray that it continues to be effective. 

I am grateful for everything that is keeping me here with my husband and children. It is not yet my time...there are still things to do and say, more love to give, prayers to be prayed, bible verses to read and learn from, and more moments to be touched and encouraged by others, seeing in them the goodness of God.

An Update 1

So many things have happened before this post. Generally, the past few weeks, have been like what I would always say, a roller-coaster ride. There were bad days, but there were also good days. Oh how I savor the good days, like how I would with a plate of juicy and saucy baby-back ribs. 

This will be a recollection of what I've been going through before this. Hopefully, I can impart some lessons. 

I couldn't write because I had so many things in my mind to post that I couldn't decide on the topic. So I decided to just calm down and enjoy the pause. 

We attended to mostly my condition, changing my chemo drug for the fourth time, blood transfusions, injections to increase my red blood cells, observing some new lumps, dealing with self-esteem, got my hair shaved off, dealing with open wounds, three-day visit to the hospital consecutively, dealing with pain....pain, pain , pain.......emotions, emotions, emotions......a roller-coaster ride indeed. 

So I was not able to write. What I have been doing are these,

-I call them my "happy art" 

Art is very calming for me. It brought fun and calmness into my pain. It brought out the kid in me too, which I have not seen in a long time. Thanks to a friend, I didn't know was a friend.(Cancer leads you to meet wonderful people). 

-Bible reading. I have been in Proverbs 29 and Philippians. Now, I am in Colossians. These are some of the wise words I have seen, 

Proverbs 29:23, "A person’s pride brings him down, but one of humble spirit has a firm hold on honor and respect."

Philippians 3:7-12, "But all these things that I once thought very worthwhile—now I’ve thrown them all away so that I can put my trust and hope in Christ alone. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have put aside all else, counting it worth less than nothing, in order that I can have Christ.....I don’t mean to say I am perfect. I haven’t learned all I should even yet, but I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ saved me for and wants me to be."

Colossians 1:20-21 , "....through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you WHO WERE ONCE FAR AWAY from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself....."

-Home school. To be with my girls, and see how joyful, sensitive, and caring they've become gives joy to my heart. This relieves my pain too. It makes me forget about cancer. Home school gives me purpose, to  be hands-on with their education, to not just be concerned with the academics but more so, the building up of their character. I agree, academics are highly important. With the one-on-one lectures with their tutor and myself, my girls do understand concepts better. I learned that education, in its truest sense, is the building up of the mind, heart, and spirit. (Now I wish we have photos of our homeschool sessions.)

-Selfies. Please don't hate me for this. I know some, maybe many, associate this with mental disorder, and so many other negative things, and I agree, there are so many selfies that should remain private, or should not even have happened! But, hey, I was just having fun. I'm stuck at home, and I used to work as a photographer, hence, the self-portraits, aka, selfies. Plus I enjoy my photo apps so much. Good excuse? Here's my latest selfie....haha

-Lastly, (but not the LEASTLY...just a side joke that's obviously corny) my relationship with Doods gets tested......and strengthened. I won't elaborate on this, but I'll say this, we won it. In Jesus' name, we got the victory! We are sweeter and STRONGER together than ever. 

Blessings to all, in the name of my Savior, Jesus, amen.