The never ending snow......

here are some pictures from around our house.

This morning I couldn't even see the ice chest, so it melted some!!

SNOW DAY

This morning I woke up and it was snowing like crazy here in Marysville and really non stop all day, melted a little and now it is coming down a lot again, than I find out that there nothing in Seattle until this afternoon/evening... go figure... it was a nice day hung out with the girls did dishes and laundry fixed the washer since the drain was overflowing and we woke up to the laundry room all wet, too bad it is too cold to dry in there.
Our backyard

Melanie and Daddy getting ready to go outside

Melanie by her first snowman

3 more to go!

We had family pictures done last week.






Melanie decided that it was time for a hair cut last week


Allison likes to wear my scarf


Ok ok here is the update from yesterday with before and after pictures:
Meet with doc and he explained what a hot spot (active cells) is on the scan. When I had my first scan my hot spot number was 12. and now it is 0.

So here are my before and after scans, remember that the bright colors are the active cancer
Before

After

Before

After


There is a small mass still but it is non active so I will need to do radiation for 1 month when I am done with my chemo. Talked to my doctor about changing my last chemo to the following monday, I am in a wedding on the 24th and my last one should be on the 23rd, I really do not want to feel crummy for the wedding.

8 down

I have had reports that my blog wasn't showing updates. I think that it should be working now. I don't know what the problem was.

Well let’s see, Allison turned 1 on November 6. Here are some pictures


Enjoying her birthday dinner.....Peking House.....yummy.......


Allison the day of her party I will get some pictures of her and her cupcake and post those soon

Thanksgiving was fun we went and had dinner with Vince’s family. Allison decided that she was going to start walking she was going crazy you would think that she has been walking forever. Today on the other hand we couldn't get her to walk but I know that will end.

Had treatment today, this was the worse that it has been ever, I have been pretty sick since about 12 thought that I needed to eat when we got home but that made me feel pretty crummy. Normally Vince and I eat lunch while they are doing my pre chemo drugs but today I wasn't in the mood so I think that I just need to really make sure that I eat something before hand.

My mom has the girls today so it is just Vince and I and we are watching star wars. Well I am going to get going I will check in soon I promise. Sorry again about my blog not posting, hopefully it is working now.

It has been awhile

I know that it has been sometime since I have posted. Vince went out of town to Philly last Saturday and got home late Friday and he took my laptop! Not too much to report on right now. Oh I go for my next PET scan on Dec. 11. A little nervous but I know that it will be ok but still! I will post the before and after scans.

Well it is pizza time!

Six down and six to go!

Melissa has 6 more Chemo treatments to go. We would like to celebrate by offering a $6.00 combo set of the Purple Ribbon items that we have been selling to fund raise for her and Vince.

The Combo set includes -
1 pair of socks
1 bracelet (choice of the cable or the link)
1 charm
1 purple ribbon temporary tattoo

$6.00 each or 2 for $10.00

Thank you everyone for your support, the sales so far have raised $500!

To order please email Valerie at mcjenms@msn.com
Please indicate which bracelet you would like

We are still offering the items individually if interested -



Socks are only available in the combo set













#2 - Charm
$1.00 each
7/8" High Quality Charms
Sterling Silver Plated
Purple Enamel
Each charm comes with silver attachment ring and lanyard hook








#3 - Link Bracelet
$5.00 each
7.5" Bracelet featuring purple intertwined leather
Sturdy silver ornate hardware
Toggle Closure Bracelet
Purple ribbon charm
Silver "Together we can make a difference" Heart charm





#4 Rope Bracelet
$5.00 each
Silver 7.5" Rope Bracelet with intertwined purple string
Sturdy silver toggle clasp
Purple ribbon charm
Silver heart engraved w/ "Together we can make a difference" with impression of ribbon

Coming up on round 6

Well I am approaching chemo number 6.... THE HALF WAY MARK!!!!! Things have been really busy at work nice since it helps take my mind off of this. I am feeling really good, nothing to report on.

Things at our house are going well also.

Our "unfinished" space is getting worked on and we are getting ready to the sheetrock up.

Allison will be 1 on November 6. I can't believe it! So much has happened this year! I think that I say that every year but it is true when you look back on it. She not talking yet she does say "hi" it is cute when you wave to her and say hi she sticks her hand up high in the air says hi and then waves. She started clapping. Not walking either but I don't think that will last too much longer. She loves to play peek a boo with the blanket.

Melanie is as feisty as ever. She defiantly has a mind of her own…. I hear that gets worse with time…. She is ready for Halloween she is going to be a Princess. She was going to be a Mermaid but the costume didn’t last… Got her in the car to go to a Halloween party and it ripped getting in…. Oh well that is life.

Well I will check in and post some pictures from Halloween.

Have a good night all! :)

Some GREAT news!

Went in for round 5 today, we discussed doing a chest x-ray and decided now would be a good time. Did the x-ray and waited for the doctor to come back in the room. He showed us a copy of the scan and said that according to the x-ray you would have never known that there was a mass there. The mass in my chest is gone! My heart has also return to the left side of my chest! We will know when I have a PET scan in 2 months if there are any cancerous cells. My treatment will continue as originally planned, every 2 weeks for 3 more months and then 1 month of radiation 5 days a week.

All is going well

Not much to post all is going well this week. i go in on friday for more chemo, round 5!

Another day

Well on Thursday I had my port looked at and the port was fine but I did have an infected stitch so they did some local anesthetic and removed it. I have to go in sometime next week and have them just take a look to make sure that all is still well.

Round 4 or chemo went well I slept right though and Vince watched gray's anatomy. Today I am pretty tired and neck is really sore.

Doctor says that I am doing well. My counts are looking great. My weight is going up, other than that not too many other symptoms. At my next appointment we will discuss another scan.

Ewwwww......

Well as has been going well until today. Today my port incision started to get infected. Tomorrow I need to go in to interventional radiology and have the doctors there take a look and if needed they may need to remove it. I am started on some antibiotics to help fight the infection.

I go in for round 4 on Friday….. 8 more to do!

Some good news I got a promotion at work and now I am Greeter Supervisor!!!

The girls are doing well.

Well I have to get Allison out of her high chair.

ok so here is one of my wigs.

Thank you!

Thank you everyone for making yesterday even if the weather wasn’t very nice. Thankfully it stopped raining right before the walk started. Melanie crashed in the car before we even started to driving, took Allison a little longer. It means so much to see the amount of support that we have. My Aunt and Uncle took some pictures when we get some copies I will post them. Thank you again it really means a lot to us.

I got my wigs today (well they came yesterday…. We don’t check the mail everyday) and they aren’t really what I was expecting… so I am a little disappointed.

Vince and I are going on a date tonight. I got him tickets to the Counting Crows concert for our anniversary. We are going to be going to the concert with Reece and Kendra who are also celebrating an anniversary. Will be nice to go out with out the kids… going to be a late night though.

Well time to convince Melanie that it is nap time and get ready for Auntie Jessica and Erik to come over and babysit.

9 to go!!

Well had chemo yesterday. Meet with the doctor also. He clarified a few things for us. My next PET scan will be after 4 cycles (4 cycles = 1 month = 2 treatments). We may do a chest x-ray in about a month. The doctor is very confidant that the cancer is responding well to the chemo and that the mass as gone down. My iron levels are going up which is good. I ordered my wigs and they should be here soon. Well it is about nap time here at our house and then we will be heading to the light the night walk. I hope to see everyone there.

WALK UPDATE PLEASE PASS ONTO EVERYONE YOU KNOW WALKING FOR MELISSA

Okay, here is the final walk update, please pass this information onto anyone that you know that may need the update.

We hope to end the sale of the items - charms, bracelets and socks so anyone that has not purchased one that would like to we will have them at the walk for sale. If you are not sure what I am referring to see the fundraiser link on the blog.

Parking is limited, please carpool if possible. Don’t plan to park near Evans pool. There are shuttles -
Shuttle stop the Park and Ride at 65th: 6601 8th Ave NE, NE 65th & I-5
Bathhouse Theater & Aqua Theater parking lots, please use them as the Green Lake Park parking lot is open to the public at all times & parking in there can get sticky.

We have 100 signs that we made to represent the 100 people we wanted to recruit to walk for Melissa, as it turns out we may have underestimated the power of friendship and family and not made enough so we may need to share amongst family members walking together. You can pick yours up at the walk. I am also going to have one sign for everyone to sign that is walking for Melissa to give to her to show our support. So please be sure to find it and sign it at the walk.

Wanted to let everyone know that is interested in meeting up with the group that we will be meeting by the playground by Evans pool starting at 5:30. I believe this is the same place as the registration. It is my understanding that you can register at the walk if you have not already done so. Be sure to mention that you are part of the Seattle Children’s team walking in honor of Melissa Powell.

To get a balloon or T-shirt I believe that $50.00 must be donated.

Everyone is welcome to bring beverages and snack type foods for a snack potluck before the walk if they would like.

It will be really awesome to see the size of our group! Friends, family and co-workers have all signed up to walk in her honor and I think it will really give her the boost of support to go into the next few months of treatment and the courage to stand up to whatever it is that it all brings.

Here is a recent letter from our Campaign manager -
Hello Walkers!
Less than one week to go...keep up the fundraising. If you have not raised any money yet, it is NOT too late, start now. Fundraising goes on through October 31st to apply to your incentives and usually the fundraising deadline is extended through November with some sort of promotion to win a prize. Right now there is the chance to win a BlackBerry this week, get your online fundraising going, remember every dollar raised goes toward the mission: to cure blood cancers & improve the quality of life of patients & their families. Please help us make that possible.
Some things to expect at the walk...good weather? We hope. Other than that, when you arrive please go to registration/check-in first (unless your team captain has collected your envelope-then please find your captain). When you go to check in you will be asked various questions by the greeters: have you pre-registered, are you on a team, do you have funds to turn in tonight, etc. Depending on how you answer you will be directed to fill out some paperwork (walker envelope, team captain envelope or waiver form). Then you will be directed to the registration table to hand in your sealed envelope, they will then ask you some questions: are a survivor, if you have pre-registered for a gold balloon (remember only one gold balloon per memorial), etc. and then they will give you wrist bands that are color coded according to your balloon as long as the minimum encouraged amount has been met. From there they will direct you to the incentive tents (balloons & tee shirts). I hope this clarifies some questions that may be looming in your head. We are trying to streamline registration/check-in, but no matter how much we try there will still be questions to answer & paperwork to fill out. Please have patience with our volunteers.
WOW, thank you for your incredible efforts! Everyone, please keep fundraising.
Teams with the most members:
#1- Seattle Genetics (corporate)- 116 people
#2- Seattle Children's Hospital (corporate)- 113 people AND STILL INCREASING!!!!
#3- J Team (friends & family team)- 60 people
Just to note, the national average fundraising person raises $150.00. Please keep fundraising these 3 teams could potentially donate as a whole $43,350 towards finding a cure.

If you have any questions, will not be attending, need to change from a team to an individual walker or vice versa please email or call. We are here to help you be the most successful you can be.
Seattle's budget $301,500- our goal $320,000. How much is fundraised currently $142,720.07! Keep fundraising!!! As my national manager says: "Raise big bucks!!!" Thank you for your support, we look forward to seeing you at the walk on Saturday.
Jo McNeal
Campaign Manager ~ Light The Night
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Washington/Alaska Chapter
530 Dexter Avenue N., Suite 300
Seattle WA 98109
EMAIL: jo.mcneal@lls.org
Direct Line: 206-957-4594
Toll Free: 888-345-4572 x 134
Main: 206-628-0777
Fax: 206-292-9791
Light The Night! www.lightthenight.org/wa

3 of a kind

I got a nice surprise in the mail today one of the receptionist at my primary care doctors office sent us a present.

Well I took some picture of my hair well the lack of. I still haven’t gotten the pictures that were taken but when I get them I will post them


Feel good, I had labs drawn today nothing too exciting. I don’t know what my counts are yet but when I find out I will post them. I had to stop taking my Allopurinol (taking it for my uric acid) it started to make me feel really weird and I couldn’t focus. Well time to get ready for dinner I will check in again soon.

“It’s beautiful mommy”

Yesterday we were given tickets to the Mariner’s game. When we arrived to our seats we noticed that HairMasters was there doing $5 hair cuts with the proceeds going to the Mariner’s Charity Care. I decided that since my hair was falling out anyways and the money was going to a good cause I would go ahead and shave my head. Definitely a change and something that I need to get used to. Melanie likes to rub my head. I was putting Melanie to bed and she asked to rub my head and said “its beautiful mommy”. There was someone there that took some pictures for us he is going to email them to me and once I get them I will post them.

Well I am still feeling good. I get labs on Friday.

2 down and 10 to go!

Everything went well today, long but well. They said that my counts looked "excellent."

I just started to get a little nauseated but I just took my zofran so that should be kicking in soon.

The girls are with my sister this weekend so we get to sleep in.

The answer to the poll about pokes was 15.

I want to say thank you for everyone’s support it truly helps to know that we have so many people behind us.

Well I am going to get some rest and go to sleep.

Wear your charm in support of Melissa ! Get one today!

Order by emailing Valerie (Melissa's mom) at mcjenms@msn.com


Available for $1 - proceeds to go towards her added expenses of her treatment, parking, gas and insurance deductibles.

All items available listed below

HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY MELISSA!!!

Big day!

We had a big day here at our house!
Allison pulled herself standing on the side of the couch


Feeling good today I had a tough night last night but I am feeling better now.

Thursday and still standing

Well it is Thursday and I am still standing. I am very tired but I will sleep a lot on Saturday, i really think that I am still gettingback in the swing of things. I have a CBC that I need to get done tomorrow, which is routine. I will get CBC every week.

Here is a list of medications that I am taking as of now
Uric acid - Everyday:
Allopurinol

Neausea - As needed:
Compazine
Zofran

Bone pain – As needed:
Ibuprofen

Chemo – Every other Friday:
Doxorubicin
Bleomycin
Vinblastine
Dacarbazine

Raising Funds to help out

We are selling the following items to help raise funds for Melissa and Vince to help out with the added expenses of her treatment, parking, gas and insurance deductibles.

Please email me with your order. Include item number and quantity you would like. mcjenms@msn.com


#1 - Socks
$2.00 a pair
85% Cotton/15% Polyester Ankle Socks
Soft & Comfortable w/ cushioned toes
4 Purple Ribbons adorn the top
Sized 9-11 (fits smaller sizes)








#2 - Charm
$1.00 each
7/8" High Quality Charms
Sterling Silver Plated
Purple Enamel
Each charm comes with silver attachment ring and lanyard hook








#3 - Link Bracelet
$5.00 each
7.5" Bracelet featuring purple intertwined leather
Sturdy silver ornate hardware
Toggle Closure Bracelet
Purple ribbon charm
Silver "Together we can make a difference" Heart charm




#4 Rope Bracelet
$5.00 each
Silver 7.5" Rope Bracelet with intertwined purple string
Sturdy silver toggle clasp
Purple ribbon charm
Silver heart engraved w/ "Together we can make a difference" with impression of ribbon

Back to work, back to work

Well today was my first day back to work. It was so nice to be back! I feel good today, tired but good.

Side effect so far:
Nausea
The top of my scalp hurts
My bones are achy
Fatigue
My hair is already starting to come out, not too bad yet

Check-out time!!

Melissa will be discharged from Swedish today at around 12:00 PM. We will need to pick-up some medications from the pharmacy and then she will get her $6,000 shot before she goes home. She is excited about seeing our girls.

She is feeling a little fatigued, and had some mild nausea this AM. Hopefully her appetite will return soon.

The doctor reports that it is difficult to see if her mass has subsided upon examination, but her blood chemistry results are good enough for discharge.

Thanks to everyone!

Vince

The end of the first round

Today was uneventful, as being in the hospital and being sick can sometimes be. Melissa is feeling a little sick, and is getting some anti-nausea medication for her trouble. Hopefully this won't continue long. On Saturday she may be able to go home. She'll need to get a shot to increase her white blood cell counts (a time released medicine). Then, she won't need to report back to the hospital until next week (as long as everything goes as planned). Thanks to all of the well wishers and visitors from today.

Vince

Melissa's chemo day

Melissa is getting IV fluids now and is preparing for chemo as we speak. She is upbeat and prepared, although a little anxious. Dr. Milder was here to visit this AM and answered questions and put her slightly at ease. We'll be here overnight and hopefully we'll get to go home tomorrow. Before we leave, Melissa will need to get a shot to boost her white blood cell counts. More to come.

This is what we woke up to this morning

Waiting for the nurse to come in

The view from Melissa's room

Melissa's port

Melissa and me just hanging out