Update from Jessie

Hello!! I just wanted to give everyone an update. I have been feeling very well lately both emotionally, physically, and spiritually. All great blessings for me and my family right now! First and foremost, I'M DRIVING AGAIN!!! Oh my, how great it is to finally have some independence. Luke and Mike seem to be happy about it too!

Luke is as cute as ever. :) He still seems to be doing well with all the chaos in our life. He does know something is "wrong" with mommy. You wouldn't think a little 3yr.old would have a clue, but unfortunately when something like this tends to consume so much of your life it's hard for him not to wonder what's going on. He thinks mommy sleeps a lot and is sick too much. This is hard for me because I want to be the mom I've always been with him, ENDLESS PLAYING!! I have to admit I am glad to get some relief from playing dinosaurs 24/7! :)

Work is going well, too. I missed seeing the girls I work with on a more frequent basis and "my clients" whom are my friends! I wish I had the stamina to work longer hours, but Thank-you to everyone who has been so patient about getting in! I'm happy to see all your names in my book again!

My next treatment is scheduled to start Monday March 10th, this will be round 6. I wish I could say this is halfway but it may not be. I will get my routine blood draw this Thursday to check my platelet count. My platelets have been low almost every month right before treatment which is a side effect of the type of chemo I take. Hopefully this month will be different! My next apt. at Cleveland has been scheduled for April 29th and 30th. This apt. will consist of an apt. with my Doc. who manages all my meds (Dr. Cohen) an MRI, EEG, meeting with a nutritionist, and an apt. with my oncologist whom I absolutely love (Dr. Tekautz) and her assit. (Carla). So already praying for such good MRI scans that my doctors are ecstatic again!! If I haven't said this before, Cleveland Clinic is a great place to be when you're battling something like this!!

For those of you who are not yet aware, my Mom has been planning a team to run/walk in a 5k to raise money for brain tumor research. The 5k is April 26th in Chicago, Illinois. For those of you who are interested in being a part of our team or would like to sponsor our team you can go to the American Brain Tumor Association's website and look up the 5k called The Path To Progress. Our team name is called Fighting Back. This is an open invitation to anyone who would like to be a part of this! If you have any questions you can email my Mom at audreysleep@yahoo.com . FYI, she's a procrastinator (wonder where I get it) so don't be alarmed if she doesn't get right back with you. :)

I've been told that often people don't know what to say to me or are worried about upsetting me. Please don't worry about this. I wouldn't know what to say to me either! :) Unfortunately this stuff is a big part of my life right now and I'm very comfortable talking about it. The first thing I will tell you if you ask is that CANCER SUCKS! Really, don't be afraid of saying the wrong thing. I'm doing good and sure I'm going to have bad days but who doesn't!

Last but not least, I can not THANK everyone enough for the continuous support that keeps pouring in!! We are so blessed!! We have been blessed with such amazing support and will be forever thankfull! We have GREAT family who supports us continuously as well as friends both new and old!! THANK YOU!!!

I hope this finds everyone in good health!
Luv ya, Jess