Treatment #5

Praise the Lord! Jessie had her blood drawn again this morning, and her platelet count has raised a significant amount in the last few days. She will begin her 5th round of chemo tonight. So while treatment is never easy, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers throughout this week.

Jessie's Prayer Request

Hi there everyone!! For the most part everything has been going pretty well. I will admit I've had a bit of an emotional struggle in the last month or so but feel as though I'm finding my way back! I suppose this journey is going to be like a roller coaster with highs and lows along the way. I find my self relying on my faith more than ever and God seems to be pointing me in the right direction at just the right times. I have made some new friends since becoming a part of the not so cool "cancer club." These friendships have been a great thing for me too. It's nice to be able to share with someone who knows your struggles.

On a much more exciting note, 16 days till I will regain some independence! I'LL BE ABLE TO DRIVE! I can't wait! I've had to rely on friends and family more than ever with not being able to drive. So, THANK YOU to all of you who have been helping get me to work and play dates and whatever else we do. Mike and I have truely tried to realize the blessings all around us. Our friends and family being right there on top of that list! I pray that you all know how much you all mean to us!

Mike's amazing!! Being how I get so tired, Mike has to pick up the slack and as most of you know with a very energetic 3 yr.old, that can be exahausting. Not to mention he pretty much gets no time to himself. If he's not at work then he's usually with Luke and I taking care of both of us! Sometimes I have to remind myself that this is just as hard on him as it is on me. So cheers to Mike!!!!

Today I'm writing you asking for a specific prayer request. I received a call from Cleveland Clinic on Wednesday telling me that I could not start my chemo as planned on Thursday night. Apparently when I had my routine blood draw on Tuesday my platelet count was too low. I won't go into all the details but it can be a very dangerous situation and my focus is on beating this cancer of which chemo is a part of!! I'm going back to have my blood drawn on Monday and assuming my platelet count is up I'm hoping to start chemo Monday evening. In the meantime we're praying that I don't have any unexpected injuries and bleeding. I'm praying that this won't continue to be a problem and that my chemo schedule can stay on track! Above all other prayers, I'm praying still for complete healing of this or any cancer! Our God is a mighty God and I believe he will heal me!! As I've been on this cancer journey I've come into contact with many others battling something similar to me and I also pray for there complete healing. It is very hard to hear of someone else battling this ugly disease. It makes me sick and I just want to fix it for them too! So please remember my fellow cancer pals in your prayers!

I hope you all are well and your families are in good health! Everyday is a gift so enjoy every moment with the ones you love!!
Love, Jess

Happy Birthday Jessie!!!!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to make sure you all knew that Saturday, January 26th is Jessie's 27th Birthday!!! Make sure you post her a Happy Birthday wish!

Jessie- Eat a little cake along with your birthday Ice Cream!! :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

love you to pieces,
Janel

Great News!!

Jessie, Mike, and Luke traveled to the Cleveland Clinic today for Jessie's first MRI in three months. The Dr.'s were "thrilled" with her results! There was much anxiety leading up to this day for Jessie and we are all so relieved to hear such good news. Praise the Lord!!

Jessie's New Update

Hey there! Well it's been quite a long December. I thought I had caught the stomach flu or something but after talking with my oncologist's assistant we've learned that chemo can take quite a toll on your intestinal tract. I've been feeling pretty bad now for over a week plus the week of chemo before this had to come along. I'm counting on January to be much better! My oncologist's assist. gave me the on-call number for the weekend but I'm not sure at what point a should call. I've surely had enough! Apparently they (at Cleveland) think they're going to have to change my chemo a little. They're thinking I'm on too strong of a dose. I'm concerned about them lowering it because I will do what I need to make sure this cancer is gone. One good thing about them lowering my dose is that maybe my treatments would be a little more bearable and not so painful. I thought the intense pain I experience in my abdomen during the end of my treatments was normal for chemo but apparently it's not. I guess that's why they're considering lowering my dose. I'd like to find an alternative to lowering my dose just to be sure we're kicking the possible cancer cells that may be left. Definitely feeling pretty frustrated at this point.

We were able to get out for short periods of time to go to our many Christmas gatherings. Luke had a great Christmas. He and Mike have been so great through these last few weeks and they've definitely been on their own. Mike's been doing quite the job being "Mr. Mom." I've been very blessed with the family I have.
I apologize to those of you who have called and I am yet to return the call. I just have not felt good at all lately. They way I've been feeling lately doesn't allow me to get very good sleep at night so often I'll take a nap later in the day or just whenever I can get comfortable enough to fall asleep. Don't be afraid to call, if I'm up to it I'll answer and if I'm not doing well at the moment just leave a message. You won't be bothering us. I've been using my email more than ever because it's a nice way for me to stay in touch even when I don't feel great. So send your email addresses my way!!

Hope everyone enjoyed the Christmas season!
Much love, Jessie.

Merry Christmas!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!


Well this week of treatment went a little better than the last few. The problem this time was that I started feeling better Thursday afternoon, then must have caught some sort of bug and was feeling pretty sick from Friday night till I ended up in the emergency room Sunday morning. They ran a bunch of tests and so far they think it's some type of flu or something along those lines. We're still waiting on some more test results. They told me to take some meds. and finally by late Sunday evening I'm feeling some relief. Now we're just praying for Mike and Luke not to get it. I'm a little worried Luke may already have a touch of it. He's so excited about Christmas, I'd be so bummed for him if he had to miss any of our upcoming Christmas celebrations. We have been very blessed already this Christmas season. We are so thankful for the generosity we've seen from so many people.

My follow up visit back to Cleveland with my Oncologist in scheduled for the second week of January. I'm looking forward to going and expecting good MRI results! Now a little farther into all of this, I have many more questions for her. I think there was just so much information in the beginning that we didn't even have time to think of the questions we would need to be asking.


Also returning to work the first week of January. I'm excited about this. Unfortunately I won't be able to work as much as before, and will have to have every 4th week off due to treatment, but I miss everyone and think this will help me regain some sense of normalcy.
I hope everyone enjoys this holiday season! Have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and let's all have a safe, and HEALTHY NEW YEAR!!!

Jessie and family.

Round #3

Today begins Jessie's third round of chemo. She will be having her first post-surgery MRI in January. We are all praying for good results and for this chemotherapy to fight off the cancer cells. Keep your chin up Jessie!! We are all praying for you.