Yay for Family!

My beautiful sister and her family arrived safely last night for a visit to Michigan!!! They were slightly shocked at the cold temperatures, being Florida Folk, but we're managing! When I found my sister and my nephew at the airport, Solomon (who hasn't seen me in a year) ran up to Aunt Manda and gave me a big 'ole hug and snuggle!! It was so very heartwarming!!

We had a nice drive home - even getting stuck in traffic due to an accident - and then went out for dinner. Bethany and I talk just about every day, but it's much nicer having her home for a bit!!!

Today Aunt Bethany and Big Josh are babysitting Joshua and Logan for us - they have lot's of fun plans made in Grand Haven! Tomorrow, I get to spend the day with my Solomonkey because Bethany and Big Josh are heading down south for Papa Fest.

On Tuesday, we plan to go to Michigan's Adventure if the weather holds. And then they leave on Wednesday and Joshua and I have to go see Dr. Dickens at the Hem Onc Clinic.

Yup. It's that time of year again... Joy... Literally my LEAST favorite time of the year. Joshua goes in for Labs and a pre-MRI physical on Wednesday, and then his MRI is scheduled for June 30th. I'm not expeciting anything to be wrong with the scan, but that doesn't stop me from worrying like crazy... the same as I always do, even though MRI's have been part of our life since September, 2003.

But, Joshua hit 4 years post-diagnosis in April and in December, we'll hit 4 years post-treatment. Getting closer and closer to that magic 5 year mark. Now, if only we can manage to keep any secondary cancer from developing, we'll be good to go. Boooooo for leukemia, yaaaaaay for "cured".

Yeah - I have cancer on the brain again. We need to have a RFL carwash. We have a whole $65.00 raised which is ridiculous. But, it's my own fault - since our scan is so late (it's supposed to be late May/early June) and I can't quite get past that to focus on the Relay. And then after scan we have only like 10 days until the Relay itself, so it's not looking to be a good year for Team Joshua.

But, any donation is better than no donation. And we will still be at the Relay - doing our part for the whole 24 hours. I just wish we had been able to raise more money. Oh well... not really anything much I can do about it today. Maybe those days between scan and Relay will be HUGE money-makers for us. Probably not, but who knows. You never know what might happen. Anyways - enough with that. There's no point in stressing myself out at work. There will be plenty of time for that later!!!!!

Thanks for reading - we might have a photographer willing to do a free photo shoot with our family thanks to: http://www.littlestheroesproject.org/

This is so awesome to me, you don't even know. I am floored that such an organization exists, and I wish I would have known about it during treatment, but I didn't - and really, what better way to celebrate healing then to do it now that we've (well, Joshua, really) made it so far!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, I'll keep you posted on that.

Anyhow, off for now. I'll post again soon. I have a million pictures I need to get uploaded to photobucket so I can show off the boys. I'm on vacation from work next week, hopefully I'll get to it then.

So Sad...

My dear friend Aimee's hubby Jim passed away early Saturday morning, thus ending his very courageous fight against cancer - there it is - that dreaded "C" word again...

So, yet another name to add to the "In Memory" luminaria for the Relay for Life. It seems like our "In Memory" list gets longer and longer every year, as people from last year's "In Honor" list earn their angel wings and make the switch from one list to the other....

Needless to say, today is hard. Now add to that the fact that it's now June, which is the official start of "summer scan month". Joshua has labs and a Pre-MRI physical on June 25th, and then his scan is June 30th. Ugh. Blech. Yuck.

Anyways, send up a prayer for Aimee and Brianna if you get a chance. Lord knows that they need it right now...

Ugh!

I hate cancer. I mean, I REALLY hate cancer. It seems like my life is full of it right now. I always get this way when it gets to be Summer MRI/Relay For Life time. It brings everything I've successfully buried (for 9 months out of the year) bubbling right back up to the surface.

Joshua has an MRI next month. Not that I'm expecting anything to be out of the ordinary with it, but I still always worry. And freak out. And cry when they sedate him. It literally drains all the life energy right out of me and I have to "recover" from it.

I have a very dear friend in Philadelphia. Her name is Aimee. Her daughter, Brianna, is literally 2 weeks younger than Joshua. She has a brain tumor. Her's is benign (not cancer), but a brain tumor, none the less. Her husband is Jim. He's a police officer. He has PMP, a rare form of cancer. Hospice has been called in and he's dying. They expect it to be over in less than a week. He's suffering and in pain, and is still holding on like hell because he doesn't want to leave his family.

I hate cancer. It's not fair. It takes good people away from their families. It strikes down innocent children. It has no regard for your circumstances in life. It doesn't care if you're a baby, or a father, or a mother, or a young child, or a grandparent. It doesn't matter.

Ugh. My stomach feels sick. I want to curl up into a ball and cry for a little bit. I'm having an actual physical reaction to it all... I just don't want to remember. Sometimes I think the Relay for Life is the worst kind of therapy for me. It's so very stressful and brings all that garbage up to the surface, and yet I can't stop doing it - I won't stop doing it. My son is healthy. It's been 4 years since his diagnosis! Our life doesn't revolve around cancer anymore, like so many others do. Well, at least not all year long. The next few months are going to be tough for me. But I'll be a stronger person because of them.

If you pray, please pray for Aimee and Miss B. I can't imagine how they will make it without Jim. I know that they will, but it won't be an easy task. Aimee is great. She was a Godsend when Joshua was sick. We have a lot in common, since our kids are so close in age, and it hurts my heart that she is going through this....