Update and some tidbits...

Hi family and friends! It's been a bit since we've posted, but let's consider that a good thing. Kimmy is rockin and rollin with her treatments. She has had two infusions so far...number three and four are coming up on March 1st and March 22nd. 

Today, she had an appointment with her Oncologist. My dear mother flew other there yesterday morning, returning today, to go with her. She's great at moral support and it's good to have another set of ears to translate information. More on my mom's trip in a bit.....

The news is inching it's way towards being great news. The doctor said that the mother lump (gosh, when I say those words, I giggle...no disrespect Kimmy. It just sounds funny. It perfectly describes how I feel somedays) is getting smaller! (Insert high kick here!)  The report is that everything is going smoothly, her white blood cell count hasn't been affected, she is handling the treatments well, and has been encouraged to stay the course that she is on. I believe the prayers, great emails, care packages, cards, loving notes and humor are really helping Kimmy out. Thanks to you all...big group hug everyone. There certainly is more to come, but for now, we celebrate small victories! This is a blessing to surely be counted.

Next up, Erika will be heading out for a week starting on Leap Day, Veronica will be visiting as well, and an early birthday celebration for Nathan will take place. His birthday didn't line up well with treatments but Kimmy and Duane will find a way to celebrate.  As any kinder child would naturally be concerned, he was worried that not having a party meant that he wouldn't actually turn 6. Kimmy has assured him that March 9 is still a date on the calendar, he will absolutely turn 6, and most certainly receive presents. If you can, post a birthday note to Nathan to make his day extra special!

I'm looking forward to my visit for her 4th treatment in March. On my own personal note, I learned a big lesson the other day. While we all try to shield our children from unpleasant and hard to deliver news, sometimes the best route is to be honest and upfront.  I finally told Megan (8) and Mia (7) about Tante Kimmy. Megan has heard tid bits here and there and was persistent in asking "What's wrong with Tante Kimmy?" I wasn't upfront with her and feeling guilty. On Valentine's Day, as our family sat around a fire for an evening pow wow, she asked again. My simple explanation wasn't cutting the mustard so I finally said "What Kimmy has is a big word. It's called cancer." Megan gasped audibly, Mia just stared.

Megan:"She has cancer just like Teddy?" (a child that was in her kinder class, had cancer, doing great now, by the way)
Mia: "Mom, how long have you known about this?"
Megan: "Is that why you've been sitting at the computer and crying alot?"
Mia brought me tissue for my tears, they both leaned in to give me a big hug. Wow. I underestimated them big time. There is freedom now, to talk and share. Feels good.

Guess who is excited about getting their pink shoes? I will make sure to post theirs when we get them!

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Back to my mom. As Kimmy puts it, this was technically mom's shortest trip to Phoenix but it felt like the longest. Apparently, the drama started on the plane ride over. Sitting next to a seemingly harmless individual, mom engaged in conversation. He asked her where she was from and she said, "Originally, Chihuahua, Mexico". The response from the old, white man from Kansas was, "Are you here legally?" HAHAHAHAHA! Sorry mom, I can't stop laughing. Stick to, "The Long Beach Area" when next asked!

Yesterday afternoon, she kindly picked up a lunch shift at school. She passed a child who needed to throw out his trash and he yelled "Old lady, come back!" That's almost as bad as calling her Abuelita.

THEN,  clearing a group of boys by about 8ft., she got whacked in the back, square between the shoulder blades with food! As her daughters or co-workers can attest to, don't tick this woman off! She turned around, saw the boys turn back to their food, and picked out the most scared looking child. As Kimmy tells the story, mom interrogated the scared one, who quickly pointed the finger and ratted out the culprit. Mom told Angie the Cafeteria Lady (she deserves caps), and Angie told the VP Ms. Carrol.

7:30 am this morning and Duane answers a knock on the door. VP Ms. Carrol made a personal delivery of a bag of bagels as an apology to mom. Kimmy loves Ms. Carrol, even more so after the delivery. She says she works SO hard. 3 Cheers to Ms. Carrol!!!

The cafeteria boys were 6th graders....back in so cal, Megan told me yesterday she didn't want to ride the bus anymore because the 6th graders are mean to the little kids. What's up with 6th grade? I have a new favorite quote from Steven Tyler's American Idol last night that seems fitting...."We are all posers on the bus until we find a way to express ourselves". Love it. Best thing he's ever said. Whether the bus or the cafeteria or in life, we are all trying to find our way...

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Thanks to mom for being a roving Where's Waldo?! She has taken a few pictures sending great messages to Kimmy!

This is at an event in Long Beach with 3 members of the Marine band. She got the clarinet player in the picture in honor of Nikki! The note says Best Wishes Kimmy! (make sure to log on to www.ournewpink.blogspot.com to see the pics!)

Next up is Mom, Dad and Supervisor Knabe. Now, that is some professional sign! It's a beautiful picture, except for the obvious. heehee...sorry dad!

From the same event, "Dancing for Our Stars!", the entire 4th district offers up the following:

Let it be known that Don and Julie Knabe won FIRST place! This event was held for Long Beach Memorial, benefitting the Heart and Vascular Institute. Hard work and training paid off. They danced to victory in an event that brought in hundreds of thousand of dollars. Way to go Supervisor and way to go 4th district for delivering a prize winning photo. Mom, you look great in that pink!

Sunshine, sunshine everywhere. Off to Cerritos College for a baseball game. Pray for a victory, they aren't doing so hot in preseason, otherwise I'm going to have to bring in Kimmy for some motivational speaking or bring in the cafeteria boy to do some pitching.

Love to all,
Jessie

Definition....and a defining moment.

Greetings everyone....thank you for still being on board and following updates on Kimmy! Today, she had her second infusion and all went well. In fact, she went to the grocery store and got some errands done right after. Her attitude is to get things done while she can. Smart thinking!

I think she fully expects to have the weakness, feeling tired, thing come back on the 3rd day after. Therefore, this time around, my parents are going to take the trip to Goodyear on Sunday to help out.  Kimmy already said mom is going to have her hands full helping Nikki put together a 3-d model of a kidney! Oh the joys of 5th grade projects. Like I said earlier, this is a silver lining folks...

Speaking of silver linings, I spoke to Kimmy this evening and she said something that made me smile. She told me that since I wrote about finding the silver linings in her new reality, she has really tried every day to find something that would be just that. She found one....she said that the hair on her legs where she shaves is just about gone. Woo hoo! No shaving! And just in time for spring and summer!  Yep, ladies will attest to the fact that this is a true silver lining. Please accept this is as SL #3! There may be more, but some she may keep close to the vest, this one she shared with me.

So, on the topic of hair, I decided to look up it's definition.

Hair: Any of the threadlike pigmented structures that grow from follicles beneath the skin of mammals and consist of layers of dead keratinized cells.

ewwww. That sounds kind of nasty. Who wants dead keratinized cells on their head when you really think about it? Not Sinead O'Connor, Not Charles Barkely, Not Michael Jordan, Not Kelly Slater, Not Demi Moore in G.I. Jane, Not Howie Mandel, Not The Dalai Lama, Not Kevin Youkilis, Not Kim Nelson.

Get the picture?  Well, you aren't going to get one here yet.

Kimmy isn't ready to share her new look sans tresses and I respect her wishes. She took matters into her own hands. After the loss of hair chunks and pain on her head that was driving her mad, she said Enough! She started with the clippers thinking she would attempt the Ellen D type hair, but the clippers weren't doing the job. She said she then took the scissors and just started whacking away. At one point, she had to sit on the edge of the tub because she was laughing so hard at how she looked...random hair pieces here and there made her look like a mangy dog. She said it, not me!  Next, she took the clippers and went for the straight buzz cut. She did it all on her own. Sitting here thinking about it, I think it would be quite the liberating feeling to do what she did. I'll have to ask her about that.

This is a defining moment.  You hit one out of the park here Kimmy. Considering the fact that you told me a few days ago you wouldn't do a short cut in transition, you can imagine my shock. I'm proud of you seester. You took the bull by the horns.

So, for now, she's wearing baseball caps. There is comfort with no hair when visiting the docs office today but out shopping around is going to take some getting used to. She said it's hit or miss if people look at her for a tad too long. I suggested to get some of the tattoos our kids like to wear, the kind you wet with a sponge and apply. Maybe a few of those going up her neck combined with her doc martens, and folks will just think she's part of that new era metal militia.  I thought I was pretty clever.

P.S. Kimmy herself said she has a pretty round head!

Public Sevice Announcement: Don't stare at bald women. Bald men are accepted in society, a bald woman means there is something wrong. So what if there is? Just offer up a smile. No hidden meaning attached, not laced with pity, because she will be able to tell.

To steal the closing of my favorite Mark and Brian...

Be good humans.

Jessie

Tomorrow...

is Kimmy's second chemo treatment.

Say a little prayer for her and send her good vibes and thoughts as the next week will probably bring new challenges for her.

As she goes through these procedures we will all learn new things with how the chemo treatments affect her, how to help the family, how to help her cope and how to make her laugh...

I'll have to come up with some good stories or silly jokes. If anyone has any... please forward them or tell her yourself! I know she'd love it!

Erika

p.s. wear your pink tomorrow! Shoes, hats, shirts, bands, pins... anything that will let her know you are thinking about her.