update

To all of our friends and family. We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all the love and support you have given Sara and Joe during these hard times. They are helping each other to cope with their loss and send their best wishes and prayers to all during this Christmas Season.
On another front Linda is now going through a second series of chemo with added radiation. We hope that this will work so that she can have the operation around the first of the year and we can be done with this nightmare. Take care of yourselves and Merry Christmas.
Sara's Mom and Dad

Sara & Joe

I have some very sad news to pass along to our family and friends. Sara and Joe lost their little boy this morning. His name is Matthew. Sara seems to be doing good, but will stay at the hospital until tomorrw just to make sure. Sara and Joe would like to send along their heart felt thanks to all of you that have prayed and kept them in your thoughts. Your support and love through out this has been wonderful.
Thank you
Barry and Linda
Sara's Mom and Dad

Linda Update

Linda had her second and we hope last chemo treatment today and is now resting at home. The next step is to have another cat scan in two weeks and then we are off to the Tumor Board at Stanford for an evaluation. If this thing has shrunk then they will schedule the surgery to remove it. She will be at home but has to go back for three days to be hydrated and receive meds for nausea and low white cell count. We are taking it as it comes and standing strong.
I will have more to say about Sara and Joe as the week goes on. Please keep us in your prayers.
Barry

Sara

Sara had to go back into the hospital early Sat morning. She was having contractions and they had to stop this and stabilize her. After a hard Saturday and night today she seems to be doing better. She is probably going to stay in the hospital for awhile until they are certain that she is stable. She is at Emanuele in Turlock. She has a good attitude considering all that she and Joe have been through this past week. All indications are that the baby is doing fine, just have to get mama the care she needs now. The nurses at the hospital have been fantastic, really helping Sara and Joe get through this on the emotional side as well as the physical. Hopefully if all goes well Sara will be able to go home this week, but if not she is in the best place possible. So please keep sending those prayers and good thoughts their way.
Sara's Dad
Barry

Sara & Joe

Today Sara went into emergency. She was having contractions and as a result she has been told that she has to have total bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy. She is on medications to stop the contractions. The baby seems to be doing fine. All the tests indicate that all is well but that bed rest is the key for now. Linda will be going down tomorrow to stay with Sara for the rest of the week, Joe will be home tomorrow. I know this is just another test for the family and we will get through this along with all of the other things we are dealing with at this time. So for the next few days if you want to reach Sara or Joe please call them on their cell #'s as their home phone is not working very well. Also you can reach Linda on her cell 925-368-4471. I will keep you all posted through this blog.
Barry (Sara's Dad)

Hi to all!!

Hi everyone...Mom is doing substantially better today...she has a bit of an appetite and some side effects are going away. I came back to see her today because she didn't sound very good yesterday and Sunday she was in some obvious pain, so we are working through it all. She is being a good sport and is still resting a lot! She has finally given in to the idea that she needs the sleep...she has loved all the fun presents in the mail...thanks so much, she gets so excited. And she loves the phone calls too...just be forewarned that she usually sleeps between 11-3 and is pretty groggy if she answers. Other than that she is doing ok. CJ brought her some lunch yesterday which was really nice and she has had a number of friends checking in on her which has been great!! Thanks for all the goodies and dinners...a huge help to dad :) Will keep you all posted.

Leaving my little chick :(

Hi Everyone,
Well today I will leave my little chick to fend for herself this week. I hate to leave but I think she will be fine. There have been a lot of people asking what they can do to help and one big thing anyone could do would be to make some small dinners for Mom & Dad. It wouldn't need to be much, something they could freeze, something pretty bland for mom's tummy. I have them set for the next couple of days but if anyone local would be willing to drop off something I would (and Dad would) be eternally grateful! Mom is fairing pretty well today, she is really drowsy and falls asleep at the drop of a hat...which is fine! She is so surprised that she falls asleep during the day and then again at night...it still hasn't registered with her what her body is going through. It hasn't even been a week since the treatment...and she is hanging in there! Nausea seems to be a bit worse today but she is keeping it under control with saltines and medicines. Hopefully it will pass. She loves your cards and phone calls, thanks Sue for the visit! Visitors are always welcome, please make sure you wash your hands b4 coming...she's very sensitive and immunities are WAY down. Dad and I scrubbed down the house with bleach and cleansers to make sure she has a safe environment. Again...thanks for all the support...we love you guys, even those of you far away...we feel ya!! If anyone needs me...my cell # is 209-485-4302...Call anytime, her next treatment is November 11 and I will be setting up a schedule for those of you who would like to come sit with her...it's a long 9 hours and it helps to have people there to pass the time :) Also my email is smichelena@patterson.k12.ca.us let me know if you would be interested in sitting with her...Roberta and Patty, let me know what times you would like to come! Thanks so much everyone...will write more next week...so far still so good!!

HI Everyone...
Just a quick post about mom's progress. She is still hanging in there, real drowsy but not too much nausea. She has been resting and eating really well. We have been trying to hydrate the heck out of her but she is not liking all the water...think it upsets her stomach a little. She is being a real trooper and loves all of your well wishes and prayers. The phone calls are wonderful, gives her something to get excited about. A big huge THANK YOU to all the high school sista's who put together the wonderful care package for her...she cried :) Which is a tough thing to make my strong Italian mama do :) Every time I pulled another goodie out of the bag she shed another tear...she sure loves you gals!! You are so lucky to have each other, the support is felt!! So thank you for making her feel loved...also to everyone who has sent cards and what not...thank you sooo much...she gets teary over those too! I will be going home tomorrow night, leaving my little duckling to fend for herself...( I hate to leave!!) But I think she will be great, if she has any problems I will come rushing back for her...I may be asking some of our local buddies to check in on her from time to time if that is ok...just want to make sure she is taken care of. Not too much else to report...will sign in one more time before I fly the nest...Thanks again!! Love, Sara

Lin had another infusion of anti nausea meds and hydration today. As she was walking around the nurse's station with the meds on the rolling pole she told the nurse she was "pole dancing". Have to love that sense of humor. She is doing well but is really tired and sleeping alot. Sara has been with her all of the time and cooking us some great dinners. CJ stops by after work to check in on her. So we are working through this and appreciate all of your support.
Barry

Mama the Stud!!!

Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to let you all know that mom is doing great! We took her in yesterday for her treatments and she was a rock star! The chemo went fine and she has yet to have any real nausea from it. I took her back to the office today to get some fluids, per their request, and again she did great. The only thing that was tough was that they couldn't find a vein yesterday...they poked her like 5 times! The nurse felt real bad but I thought my dad might rip her head off. Mom was tough and we decided to leave the IV in for the hydration today...we also decided to go back tomorrow for more. I guess with the Cisplatin they say hydration is key so I made an executive decision to go back again tomorrow... So after she was done there today she wanted to have lunch...yeah can you believe it!! We went to a little deli where she got some chicken and rice soup and a half of a sandwich...she also wanted me to go to the mall to get a Cinnabon and some Mrs. Field's cookies...yeah I know!!! Did this woman just have major chemo yesterday??? She is very tired and falls asleep a lot...but that seems to be the extent of it. I think we are keeping the nausea under control with the anti-nausea drugs...she's also taking Ativan which makes her a little loopy...it's pretty cute! She is really easy to take care of and very happy...so now she is resting/sleeping on the couch with her cookie...doing and looking great...amazing what a little hydration does for the skin...I asked the nurses if they could hook me up too so I didn't have to drink all these fluids..but no luck :) I am trying to update this daily and you can send her messages this way too...but the phone is ok too! So..so far so good...hope everyone is well...we send you all our best! Love, Sara

I know everyone wants to know how Mama did today so I am posting this as soon as possible! She was a real trooper today during her treatment. She is such a skinny thing that they had a really hard time locating a vein for her IV. They poked at her like 5 different times, human pincushion! Finally they got it and it began...she got tons of fluids, chemo, steriods, anti-nausea medicine and again tons of fluids. She is doing great right now...even talking on the phone. If she is going to have any real side effects it will be in the next few days...however I have high hopes that she will be great! She was at the treatment center for 9 HOURS and is still up and going!!! CJ brought dinner over, chicken noodle soup, which she ate down, and is now on the couch watching the wheel...She even kicked Dad and I out so we could go get lunch...so, so far so good...I will post again tomorrow, we go back to the treatment center to rehydrate her and give her more anti-nausea medicine. Hopefully all will continue to go well! Thanks for all the well wishes and cards and messages...you guys are all fabulous friends and family and all your positive thoughts are really helping her a lot!!!
On the baby front: lots of kicking and movement...I think :) 2 weeks till we find out boy or girl!!

Big day tomorrow...Mama will be going in for her first of hopefully only two chemo treatments at Valley Hospital in Pleasanton. Dad, CJ and I will be tag-teaming at the hospital to visit with her as she will be there for 7-8 hours. If anyone wants to come visit with her during her treatments please let me know. You can call me at 209-485-4302 to let me know if you want to take an hour or so. We are trying to have someone there at all times. Please keep her in your prayers...she is ready to fight this monster...She is feeling better and is ready to get this mess over with! Will keep you all posted!!!

So Mama Bird's treatments have been delayed. She went to have a chest x-ray yesterday and they found pneumonia. So her chemo has been pushed back to Tuesday. She is resting at home.

Mama Bird

So here is an update on our Mama Bird. She will go in for her first round of chemotherapy tomorrow morning (it will last pretty much all day). She goes in for a chest x-ray and some ultrasounds of her heart today to prepare. She is in high spirits and is very anxious to start this process. She has a wonderful team of doctors who really seem to know what they are doing. And the prognosis is good! So I will keep you all posted and let you know how she is fairing. Please keep her in your prayers...anyone have a good recipe for chicken soup :)P.S. I will be there Thurs-Mon if anyone wants to call!

Latest news

Well our latest news about my mom is that she has to undergo some major chemotherapy to shrink the tumor so they can remove it. Her exact words were "It can be cured I just have to go through hell to get there" So the next six months will be a test of strength and courage for us all. Please keep the prayers coming!! I think maybe a pink wig will be flattering for her :)

October 7, 2008

We have had some drama in the family lately. My mom had been coughing fiercely for a couple of weeks and come to find out has some sort of a tumor in her chest. After the initial shock wore off we were able to find out that this rare (of course) condition is referred to as Spindle Cell AB Thymoma. She is going to Stanford today to plot a course of action, she will probably need surgery to remove the mass. We have been pretty much all consumed with this and baby and C.J.'s upcoming wedding. Prognosis looks good for mom so far so please keep up the prayers and good energy! Will keep you all posted!

Getting Started

Hi All,
I have decided to start this site to keep everyone in our lives in the know. We don't get the opportunity to keep in touch with everyone as much as we would like to as we are so busy. I thought this would be a good way to do so.