Update...

3rd week of radiation and everything is going good. The bad thing is that Mom gets migraines from the treatments. She has never had headaches this bad, so it is taking time to get used to them. They start after treatment, last all day and keep her up at night. Luckily, you are almost halfway through Mom. Radiation has also made her right breast very sore and sometimes she has sharp pains. According to the doctor, these are normal side effects. Other than that, Mom is staying strong. She is geting tired of wearing the wig all of the time, but her hair is slowly growing back! She has her eyebrows and eyelashes back too! So that's exciting!

Radiation...

Mom has been to radiation for one week now and it is going good. Her chest feels tender and usually burns for a while after the treatment, but that is normal. She also says it makes her tired.

Here is a picture of her at radiation, wearing her "chick fight" shirt Angela sent her...

Negative!

The biopsy came back negative! The tumor was a benign tumor that ruptured and will eventually disappear. She is cancer free! Back to the normal schedule of starting Radiation #1 today and for the next 7 weeks. We wish Mom luck with her new treatments and we are so relieved with the results.

Biopsy...

Today was the biopsy, which was very painful again. Mom said she was glad it was over! The doctor said we will get the results tomorrow. Originally, she was scheduled to start her 1st radiation treatment tomorrow, but depending on the results, she may or may not start. Mom is doing really good right now. She is strong and just taking it one day at a time.

Update...

Last week Mom went to the radiation doctor to get her "tattoos." The tattoos are actually radioactive injections around the area that leave a small dot, like a tattoo. She said it was very painful, which she did not expect.

Her first radiation treatment was orignally scheduled for next Tuesday, but there has been a setback in the plans.

This week, she felt wierd sensation on her opposite breast and it ended up being another lump. She called Dr. Park right away and went in to see him. He agreed that there was another growth and scheduled her for an ultrasound. She waited to tell anyone anything until he sent her for the ultrasound because it felt like she is starting all over again with all of the tests and the anxiety of not knowing if this means more cancer. She picked up Auntie Geri and they went in for the ultrasound. Because there is a tumor present, she will need another biopsy, which is scheduled for Monday, February 16th. Obviously she has been down about this because she is so close to the end of her treatments, but she also said that she has already been through it and if she has to do it again, she will.

Please pray that my mom will keep her faith and that the biopsy is negative.

Tough...

Click on the song "Tough" on the right-hand side. When I first heard this song by Craig Morgan, I could not stop crying because of how much it reminds me of my mom! She is so faithful and strong and it desribes her to the T.

Radiation...

It's time for radiation... Mom and Lina met with her radiation doctor for an orientation about the treatments. She will have 33 sessions of radiation, Monday-Friday for 7 weeks. The doctor explained the effects of radiation, like the burns and fatigue she will experience and also explained why she will have so many sessions of it. Because her cancer was grade 3 of aggressiveness, it will be treated aggressively. On March 3, she has an appointment to have the 'tattoo markings' around the area that will be treated, then her first session will be scheduled. Good luck mom!

Chemo #4!! Yay! Last treatment!

This week's chemo has been rough for mom so far. The first day of treatment were the normal symptoms, but as the week has gone on, she has been feeling worse than the treatments before. She's having hot flashes, a lot of back pain, she is very congested and feels nauseous. At one point, she felt like she was having an allergic reaction because her throat and chest felt so tight, but that feeling has gone away.

We pray that she will feel better soon. This is her last chemotherapy treatment and in 3 weeks, she will begin radiation.

You are staying so strong mom, keep it up! :)

B-day Party...

HAPPY 45th BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!* Today Mom celebrates her 45th birthday! She does not look a day over 20! Because she is not up for partying today, we will be celebrating her birthday on Sunday, January 18th, at our cousin Monica's house. I will post more details as we know them. Have a good day Mom!!! Love you.

Chemo #3

Yesterday was the third round of chemo and everything went well! Mom's friend Naomi went with her for the first time. There are a few different nurses who administer the treatments and they are all very nice and gentle... but this time, mom got a new nurse. Apparently she was very rough and did not numb the port enough, so inserting the IV hurt more than usual and mom was pissed! The good news is that she did not have any new side effects or reactions from the treatment! She said the only think different was that she felt the effects faster this time. An hour into the treatment, her chest was congested and she felt pain in her back. She took benadryl and went to sleep when she got home. Today, we took her in for her growth factor shot and she was feeling weak, tired and dehydrated throughout most of the day. Other than that, she is doing great and as you can see in the pictures, she looks great too!

New Year's Pics

Happy New Year!!

X-Mas Pics

Merry Christmas 2008!!

Uncle Freddy, Lina

Kass, Al, Lina

Auntie Geri, Uncle Kenny, Mommy

Joe, Joe Jr., Fafi



Andrew

Al, Uncle Kenny

Kass, Lina
Uncle Ken, Suki

Mom and Joe's grandkids- Fafi and Kaylee

Auntie Geri, Mike

Pics...

Mom with her scarf...

Albert wearing mom's wig before she lost her hair...

Chemo #2... sorry so late!

This past Monday, mom received her second dose of chemo. Luckily, the iron injections she has been getting, raised her blood levels, which means she will not need the blood transfusions! Aunt Geri and Celina went with her to her treatment which lasts about 5 hours. Everything went well but this time around, mom was more sick. Right after her treatment, she felt weak and sore. All week, she has been feeling very nauseous and she has lost her appetite off and on too, which are new symptoms, compared to the last treatment. Today she looks good, but her spirits are quite low about her hair... about a week ago, she started losing it and she is having a hard time with that. It is almost completely gone now. She says this is the hardest part for her, but we have bought her many wraps, scarves, beanies and a beautiful wig that she has started wearing. If you didn't know it was a wig, you wouldn't even be able to tell. She did well and looked amazing during Christmas and hung in there, but we could tell she was not feeling well. She is still being very strong and we all look up to her for her strength and courage during this time.

Chemo #1...

Mom's first round of chemo went very well. She felt nervous as it became closer, but somehow the death of Uncle Raul gave her the strength. She said after what Uncle Raul went through, she was willing to face anything.

Joe went with her to keep her company. The nurses started by drawing her blood and noticed that her red blood cell count was too low. The doctor approved the treatment for the day but because the level was dangerous, he informed mom that she was anemic (low iron), and that she would now have to receive an additional treatment the next day. Once they started, me and mom talked on the phone through her entire treatment. She was excited that she was able to talk on her cell phone... we gossiped the whole time. :) It was interesting because as time went on, I noticed changes in her voice. She started getting chest congestion, so she kept clearing her throat and she sounded more and more tired. The treatment took several hours, so by the time she got home, she was very weak and tired. She ate soup and went to sleep.

This is how she looked...

Yesterday, I took her in for her second treatment. When she woke up, she still felt very weak but not as nauseous as she expected. It was crazy to see the nurses put the needle in her port because the needle is in the shape of a hook! Mom says it hurts and she cringed as they put it in. The treatment started with benadryl to help with a possible allergy mom would have. The iron treatment, called Venofer, lasted several more hours. Luckily, the benadryl made mom tired, so she was able to sleep. She even started snoring! :) It's very cold in the treatment room so she was all cuddled up.

She will now have to take the iron IV every Tuesday for 3 weeks to help restore her body. The nurses told us that if her red blood cell count did not improve, then she may need blood transfusions. Mom does not want a transfusion, so we are praying the treatment works.

After the iron, mom received her Neulasta shot, the white blood cell injection. She said it hurt a lot but she did good.

For the rest of the night, her symptoms were as expected: weak, sore, tired, short of breath.

Today she looked very good still. Same symptoms, except more bone pain and body aches. We rented lots of movies and relaxed! She has not skipped a meal which is great! :)

Love you mom! You are doing so good!!! Thank you to everyone who called to check on her and who have been here for her.

R.I.P Raul Gutierrez

On November 25, 2008, my mom's brother, Raul, was shot and killed. It was news that devastated the family, especially for my mom, during a time like this. Uncle Raul was the most loving, energetic and hard-working person we will ever know! He leaves behind 5 young children that he will now watch over from above. He will also be guiding my mom through her journey. He will be greatly missed!

This is the article on the internet about what happened...

Phoenix PD: Man arrested in car theft also accused of murder
Reported by: Katrina Wessman Email: kwessman@abc15.com Last Update: 11/25 7:07 pm

The carjacking suspect barricaded himself in this home (John Pellizzari) Phoenix police said a man, who barricaded himself inside a Phoenix home for several hours after an alleged carjacking, is also a suspect in an early morning murder.Police said that 45-year-old Adam Kenneth Swyers allegedly shot and killed a man near 35th Avenue and Buckeye Road at about 4 a.m. Tuesday morning.A report released later said Swyers and Raul Antonio Gutierrez, 42, got into a fight and Swyers shot Gutierrez.Then at about 7:30 a.m. Swyers allegedly knocked on the door of a home near 31st Avenue and Roosevelt Street and when the victim answered his door the suspect demanded the man's vehicle.According to a police report, Swyers threatened the victim with a handgun and the victim then gave him the keys to his Dodge pickup truck.Swyers fled in the vehicle and police spotted it a short time later in a neighborhood near 37th Avenue and Interstate 10. Police detained and questioned up to 11 people from in and around the home, but the suspect hid in the house and officers believed he had a weapon, according to the report. After several hours of negotation, Swyers came out of the house and dropped his gun, which fired a round.No one was injured, according to police.Swyers was arrested and booked on charges of 2nd degree murder, armed robbery, vehicle theft and a weapons misconduct charge.

Here are pics from Saturday's gathering. We are so thankful for everyone who was able to come! There were so many people... He was loved by so many.

In the limo...