5........

5 more infusions to go....I don't think that's any consolation to Kimmy. This is getting tougher.

For a few days prior to Mother's Day, Kimmy wasn't well....at all. She had quite the date with the toilet, if you know what I mean.  All I know is the Friday prior, she sounds like crap on the phone. Saturday, she didn't even make it to Nikki's last volleyball tournament, which is a true indicator of how lousy she's feeling. Sunday, my dad delivers his Mother's Day gift....himself....on her doorstep, wearing a bow. Monday, he takes her to the doctor and then by Wednesday I get a call from Kimmy.

"I'm ALIVE!" she says and sweet lord, she is a whole new person. She highly recommends that we all let our nose hairs grow long, until we can at least braid them. Blech....but that IS what she said.

Apparently, having no nose hairs allows all the junk we normally collect up in there, to travel down into her throat and stomach. That is what was making her sick, not the chemo itself. She had a feeling and told her doctor, received some medicine and had a nice recovery from this random setback.

Dad has been out there since Mother's Day and I know this has helped lift everyone's spirits. Having another person around really does make a difference when the going gets tough. We are all so grateful that he is able to make these trips. My mom left yesterday and will return on Sunday. I know she was anxious to get back to Goodyear and see Kimmy.

Kimmy thinks she might lose her nails, they are still painful to the touch and really red. Her hair is starting to grow back. Just a little.

Most often, when I ask how she's doing, she simply says "fine"...like when we were in high school and mom asks how your day was. That kind of fine. I don't really like being relegated to the one word answer corner so I try to remind myself that my role in this is not to be that person. I think my role is to talk about just everyday normal stuff. I think. So, in our normal fashion, Kimmy texted me to tell me that she LOVED Phillip Phillips last song of the night on Tuesday. (He is the newly crowned king of American Idol, who I love. period.) Anyway, when she says those kinds of things, I sit on the edge of my seat waiting because I know Kimmy, and she only expresses like that when she really really digs something.

Here comes the song, and I'm a bawling mess. It was just so beautiful, the artistry, the production value, the words. Wow. He just sang it to Kimmy....

"Hold on to me as we go...as we roll down this unfamiliar road...and although this wave is stringing us along...just know you're not alone...cuz I'm gonna make this place your home...settle down it'll all be clear...don't pay no mind to the demons they fill you with fear...if there's trouble it might drag you down...you get lost you can always be found...just know you're not alone, cuz I'm gonna make this place your home."

Thank you Phillip. I've watched it twenty times.

Kimmy, I know you feel like giving up and taking a break from the weeklys, but just hold on. Keep fighting and like Phillip sang, know you are not alone....YOU. ARE. ALMOST. HOME.

http://www.americanidol.com/videos/season_11/performances/phillip_phillips_home/


All my seesterly love,
Jessie

39th rotation of the sun...

Hi friends!

Today, Kimmy completes her 39th rotation of the sun....IT'S HER BIRTHDAY! Shoot her an email or a facebook message if you can because today is unique day.  It's her birthday.....it's Thursday, and we all know what that means. It's chemo day. Not one of us can relate to the highs and the lows of the emotions behind celebrating a birthday with a chemo cocktail.

In true Kimmy fashion, and despite not feeling good, I am positive she is going to find a way to laugh. I already got a few HA HA's in response to some silliness I posted on facebook. We all just want to make her smile today.

Kimmy hits halfway today....I'm sure I am missing some details, but what I know is that this round is harder than anticipated. Her hands hurt to the touch and she just feels constantly sick. She isn't sleeping well at all, is very very tired and her tastebuds are shot. Everything tastes bad, except for a few random food items.

Two mornings ago, I called her and she sounded terrible, exhausted. Yesterday, I called her at dinner time and she sounded so much better! I told her so and she said "That's because Duane made me laugh!". Apparently, corn is on the list of cravings, an item that gets past the tastebud duel. She asked Duane for corn, he prepared it, she dug in and SPIT it out! "What IS that? That's not corn!". Welp, Duane actually prepared hominy and didn't realize it. She didn't get her corn but she got a great laugh out of it and that seemed to make up for it.

Kimmy, just keep remembering that today, on your 39th birthday, you sit at the top of the chemo mountain. You are halfway there.  Look at how far you've come in what we all call a battle, a word that I now truly understand.

I close my eyes and see you as my little sister, sitting atop of a park slide, anxious to get to the bottom. After today, you get to slide down. Slide, slide, slide....it's not fun, it's not exhilirating, and it certainly may not feel like it's all downhill, but you are almost there.  Soon, you will be able to plant your feet firmly on the ground.

In an effort to continue to make you laugh today, I offer this image that I KNOW will make you laugh to tears.

Thanks to Anne Bergeron for sending this picture of her daughter with the Tennessee mascot Smoky! The Vols baseball team is rooting for you too!

To all of our family and friends on this journey with Kimmy, keep praying for her, Duane and the kids.  Add an extra prayer for the LA Kings to continue winning too. Kimmy would appreciate that!

Support, listen, and love.

Happy Birthday Kimbawick! We all love you!!!!!!

Jessie

Treatment 4 of 12.

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to let you know that today marks the fourth treatment out of twelve.  The first treaments came and went with little difficulty.  Minus the occasional numbness of the foot and her not sleeping well at night, she was doing great. 

Last week was her first side effect of the chemo treatment.  They had to stop the infusion of Taxotere and had to administer a saline solution and then benedryl.  Kimmy said "After my friend experienced her reaction I thought 'Would I know what to look for if I started to have a reaction?' and then started feeling very hot and my skin around my face started tightening up".  Yep, that will do it!  Along with that, the treatment went longer because once they started the chemo infusion again, they had to do it at a slower pace. 

So, this week let's hope she doesn't have another reaction and she's done a little sooner.  Her treatment just started... I'm praying everything goes smooth and with my mom there, I'm sure she will make sure everything DOES go smooth. :) 

BIG HUGS to Kimmy!

Hope everyone has a great Thursday and rest of the week,

Erika

Round 2....

Hi everyone,

Kimmy starts Round 2 of the next chemo treatments tomorrow (Thursday). 9:30am.  Remember, these are the ones that will be every Thursday through mid June. Entering the world of the unknown again as there is no telling how this will affect her.

We'll know in a few days and we will let you know.

Thanks again for all of your support.

Chemo 2.1, better watch out. Kimmy's in a fightin' mood.

LUUUUUUUUCCCCCC!

Hi everyone!

As you know, an ongoing mission has been to collect fun photos for Kimmy....random moments of inspiration! Kimmy texted me a couple of days ago and said Luc Robitaille, NHL Hall of Famer, was going to be at Living Spaces in La Mirada for an autograph signing. Sweet lord, I couldn't contain my excitement.

If you don't already know, Kimmy's love for Luc spans back into the 1980's. Her room was purple, she knew every statistic for every player and Luc Robitaille was her favorite player!

Late '80's - Jessie attends a Tip-a-King event with Kimmy. Mom drove us and got into a bidding war with some big company over a signed hockey stick. Apparently mom knew the woman in charge and got the secret notice when to add her final bid before the sheet was pulled at the auction. Mom's tigress silent auction ways were in full effect back then. She loves the drama of a good silent auction!

In between, Kimmy watched a zillion games and was at the game when he retired! The best full circle moment came when I was offered the chance to work at his retirement gala event. I said "I will do it for free on one condition...my sister Kim needs to be here too!" And wouldn't you know, Kimmy had the BEST job! SHE was Luc's personal contact for the event. SHE was his greeter, making sure the family knew where they were going, where to sit for dinner, make sure they were ok, etc. etc.  I watched and cried like a baby from the shadows. I was so happy. It is a moment we both will never forget, for different reasons.

Feast your eyes on this! 20 years later...

Here are a few more fun pics to enjoy from this glorious evening!

SO, when I get the call that he is going to be at MY Living Spaces, I have to be there!!!  Actually, it was a text that sent me all aflutter. I threw Sammies sock in the trash and put the trash in the laundry basket....

The online notes said only one autograph, so I printed my before and after shots seen here and my Kristin Chenoweth picture as proof, and armed with my planned speech, we were off! I took the girls with me, Megan taking cell phone pics, Mia taking video and while in line, trying desperately to teach the girls about Luc and why we love him so. Truly, this is Kimmy's love, I consider myself collateral damage.

Funny enough, last week, I made this picture, taken from his retirement party, to provide Kimmy with a boost in spirits! (you can click on the picture to enlarge and read the text)

Little did I know, just a few days later,  I would get THIS!

I am at peace, I can now relax. I got the only shot I ever wanted.

 It's April Fool's Day, make sure to trick someone today....GO KINGS!

Jessie

The Three -ing's...

Good evening family and friends!

I was fortunate enough to take the trip to Goodyear for Kimmy's last chemo treatment of this first round.  Leaving Friday and returning Wednesday afforded me quality time with my sister and her family. I am going to write a separate post about my experience but suffice it to say, my brain is fried.  As I told my husband last night, I virtually spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in silence, except for the voice of my new tv pal Rick D'Amico, who does a whopping 4 hour telecast on the channel 10 news (I thought GMA was long!) I came home to 3 children wrapped around my legs and a dog jumping on me. The welcome committee was heartwarming and so precious, but 5 hours post-return with 3 children under 9 all talking to me at the same time was mind numbing! So, in an effort to bring to life my almost 6 day, humbling yet inspiring trip, I'm taking a moment to reflect just a tad....

I am writing tonight to serve up the latest news on Kimmy's progress. Today, she had an appointment with her Oncologist. I left yesterday afternoon and tag teamed with mom. She flew in last night to go with Kimmy to this appointment. With Duane keeping to the daily grind, it's nice to have a second person with Kimmy.

So, drumroll please.......

As stated to me by Kimmy, the doctor said the tumor is 

Shrinking

Softening and

Dissolving

in that order. KABAM!

He is so happy with her progress, everything is really going great (easy for me to say, right?)

Let's say it one more time, the tumor is shrinking, softening and dissolving. I know when I spoke to Kimmy on the phone today (she was shopping with mom), I could hear the excitement in her voice. It think she may have done a little soft shoe up and down the store. This fight is not over, but as I mentioned in a previous post, we celebrate all victories along the way and this is surely one of them.

I could also hear the lightness in my mom's voice after she and I spoke a bit later. Mom, I'm sorry I can't remember exactly the way you said it to me, but whatever you said, conjured up some images in my head.

From the first day we learned of the cancer until the recent past, I offer up this photo of Mike Wizowsky to explain how I think everyone was feeling....

At this point in the journey, I think Kimmy (and the rest of us) probably feel like Buddy the Elf when he sees Santa in the mall.....

Again, this is clearly not behind her yet, but those three -ing's were the best three words I've heard in a long time.

So, what's up next you ask?

Starting next Thursday, and for 11 Thursdays after that, she will be going through her second round of chemo, same type of process, in a chair for three hours, etc, but a different drug with different side effects.

I think there was definitely an UGH moment to hear 12 Thursdays, but the alternative was to do less infusions of a stronger dose which meant she could be down for the count alot again. Given the choice, she opted for the 12, apparently might have numbing in the hands and feet and unfortunately might get stung by the big D (not Bee, D, if you know what I mean...and if you don't know, it has 4 syllables and kids will often add cha-cha-cha to the end).

The good news is this takes her to mid June, and god-willing, she'll have a recovery period that will allow her to fully enjoy our niece's wedding in July. If there ever was a gift to get, that's the one folks.

One last thing, remember how I mentioned the significance of some of these big events falling on family birthdays? Well, this next round begins and ends on the birthdates of two of her good friends. Kind of crazy.  She is surrounded by so much love. Keep lifting her up, our collective force field is working! Incredible....

Don't forget to buy your Mega Millions ticket,

Jessie

4th Treatment in the first round.

Hi Everyone,
Tomorrow is a big day. It marks the last treatment in this first round of chemo Kimmy has to go through. The following week she has her follow-up oncologist appointment and will hopefully get the schedule for her second round of treatment she'll be starting in April.

I'll be wearing my "I WEAR PINK FOR MY SISTER" tshirt. I hope you will join us in wearing some form of blush and bashful (pink or pink) tomorrow!

Have a great day!

Erika