I did it!  Got the tattoo I talked about in my previous post.  Love it alot, didn’t hurt nearly as much as I thought it was going to.  Don’t know if I’ll ever get another one though lol.  Great work by Jess at Art n Body in Williamsville.  PS It’s not nearly as big as it looks in the picture.  It’s only about 2 inches tall by about 1.25 inches wide. 

I went to the doctors today and finally got the ok to do something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time; get a tattoo.  My blood counts are finally at a level where I can safely get a tattoo as long as I’m extremely careful in taking care of it afterward.  The ribbon above is very very similar to the tattoo I want to get.  A basic orange ribbon with a cross in the middle and in the lower part of the ribbon have the year 2006 with a dash.  Then when I’m in full remission I will go back and have that year inked in on the other lower part of the ribbon.  Simple and symbolic; exactly what I’m looking for.  Thinking about going Thursday to get a price quote and hoping maybe to have an appointment next Thursday to get it done on my birthday.  I know everyone has their opinions on tattoos but this is something I’ve wanted to get done for about a year now.  Don’t worry it will be in a tastefull location to.  Upper left arm covering an old scar of mine.  Can’t wait to get my ink!

A few weeks ago at a church picnic I found out about GeoCaching.  If you don’t know what it is, unfortunatly I don’t have enough time to sit here and explain it in detail but you can get more information at http://www.geocaching.com/  Basically it is treasure hunting using a GPS and coordinates.  Anywho, tonight I went looking for my third Geocache; the first two hunts were unsuccessfull due to rain.  Today I went for a short walk, my physical therapy for the day as I like to call it; with my roomates mom.  We walked up the street from our house to the riverfront and using the coordinates from the website and my GPS we found our very first GeoCache!  What made it even better was our cache contained a Travel Bug.  You can also read about Travel Bugs on the GeoCache website.  Basically they travel to caches all around the world.  The one we found originated in Guam and had been to various places in Hawaii then to Connecticut then all over New York before heading to Buffalo.  Jeffrey and I plan on taking it to Niagara Falls, Canada with us on our vacation next weekend and hiding it in a cache there to keep the adventure going on!  If your an outdoor person or looking for an activity to do as a family, I urge you to check out the GeoCaching website.  It’s an amazing adventure and you never know what your going to find or what cool things you will learn about others from the log book (read the website LoL)!

Stephanie and I are recovering slowly.  Steph is doing much better now; able to eat solid food and you can actually understand her when she talks now.  My biggest problem is trying not to sneeze and bending down to get my shoes on but it’s coming along.  Just wanted to say thank you for all the prayers and well wishes and cards.  Again, much appreciated and loved.  Will post more on my next round of chemo on/after Tuesday when I go in for results (and to get my stitches out!!!). 

My best friend Stephanie and I are both having surgery tomorrow.  Stephanie is having her tonisils and adenoids removed at DeGraff hospital and I am having part of my spleen removed at Roswell.  Please pray for the doctors and nurses that will take care of us and that our surgeries are successfull and our recoveries quick.  You may want to pray for Stephanie’s mom and dad (Mark and Cathy) too.  Stephanie and I are also roommates which means her parents will have to deal with both of our post-operative crankiness as well!

I did it! Again LoL. I’m officially in induction remission (stage 1 remission). After only 4 weeks of an 8 week clinical trial, my cell counts are at a normal level with a 3% amount of cancerous cells (the average, well person can have up to 5%). This is the 3rd time since my initial diagnosis that I’ve been in induction remission. I’m hoping after more treatment this will be the last time I have to say this. They pulled me out of the clinical trial so they dont destroy my immune system any further and I start the second round of a three part chemo on Tuesday after a bone marrow tap. Will keep you all posted on my progress. Thanks for all the prayers and support, they are working!

Someone once told me that it’s harder being the person watching a person they love be sick; than it is for the person being sick. I didn’t believe that person until today. My dad called me in a panic today while I was at work.  My sister who had been sick for a couple of days was taken to the ER at Children’s Hospital.  By the time I got there at 4:00pm she was already on IV fluids for dehydration and antibiotics for a blood infection.  My poor little peanut was hooked up to all these tubes and machines.  Made me want to cry!  Turns out she has an ear infection (just like me) and also a bacterial infection in her blood (most likely caused from putting an icky toy in her mouth at daycare).  I just got off the phone with my mom and she is already doing much better.  Eating for the first time in almost 3 days and talking a bit more and a little more active.  Praise God for the great staff at CHOB for taking such good care of my little peanut

Many people in the midst of parades and picnics and parties tend to forget the reason they have a day off to do all those fun things.  This year I was supposed to march a color guard in a parade to honor brothers and sisters who have made the ultimate sacrafice for my freedom.  Instead I have to work 9-5, my company hoping to make a few extra bucks.  Seriously?  Who wants to buy pens or office furniture on Memorial Day.  Anyways, proves my point.  Amidst the fun and celebration this weekend, don’t forget to take a moment or two to remember why you have the day off.  It’s because of the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for your freedom. Since the beginning of the war on 3/19/03 there have been 4,082 American deaths in the War on Terror.  Remember them this weekend, as well as past warriors who have died for our freedom and our right to hold parades, picnics, and parties this weekend

So I got angry and frustrated today while at Roswell with some news my medical team had given me. Nothing drastic just a slight elevation in my counts and an infection brewing in my respiratory system.  I went to the bathroom and just started crying.  It was like a flood of emotions all hit me at once.  Then I did something I’ve done before and apparantly didn’t learn from, but I punched the wall in the bathroom.  I didn’t punch hard like I usually would, but with the chemo I’ve been on before and now, my bone density is messed up and my bones are very fragile.  So I hit just hard enough to break 3 bones and now I have to wear this stupid immobilizer thing that makes it really hard to type.  I think this time I learned my lesson

Hey everyone, sorry I haven’t updated in a while.  I’ve been very busy/sick the last week or so.  I started a new clinical trial on Thursday.  It’s an 8 week trial and it’s pretty much my last hope before a bone marrow transplant is my only option.  The trial consists of intramuscular and spinal shots, IV treatments, and daily pills.  It’s been pretty rough on my body.  The two worst side effects are the extreme fatigue and the chronic bone pain.  I was so tired and sick feeling on Sunday that I actually had to leave church early and went and fell asleep in the car.  After arriving home, I slept the rest of the day as well (except about 45 minutes for dinner and a little “family” chatting).  I’m back to work after a 3 week “vacation.”  I took the time off to recover from my last round of chemo but can’t afford to take any more time off so my job is working with me on a flexable schedule.  3 days, MWF, and if I can’t work any days they have extra coverage so it’s cool.  They are being really great working with me and I’m so appreciative for that.  My manager said, as long as I want to work I’m welcome to, if not, take all the time I need.  But that’s all I have for the night.  Will write more as things progress.  Continued prayers are appreciated and thank you to everyone who has sent Get Well cards, they are posted on my dresser drawers as inspiration when I get up everyday