Finally...some down time!

Wow...it's been a long time since I sat down and wrote in my blog! 

May 4th was my last day of radiation, and I can honestly say this leg of my journey took the most energy out of me.  We have had a lot to contend with over the last 6 weeks, but we have made it through and are ready for a little downtime.  I am so very grateful for my friends and family for helping us through - we couldn't have done it without them.

Me getting ready for a radiation treatment

My radiation team of nurses - such amazing, kind women!

Now, I wait for the treated area to heal and meet with the plastic surgeon in the next few weeks to start the reconstruction process.  That involves a weekly visit to Abby Hospital to get saline injections.  The process takes about 4-6 weeks, and then about 3 months after my last injection, I go in for surgery again.  In the meantime, I will start tamoxifen, an oral pill that I will take for 5 years that interferes with the activity of estrogen in my body and helps reduce the risk of reoccurence.  I go for herceptin treatment this coming week, and will be asking my oncologist to get me booked for some tests and scans to make sure things are still "all clear". 

Things with our business are coming along nicely, despite the unpredictable and unreliable weather patterns.  We are specializing in laying sod, and Oliver and his crew do a fantastic job!  We'll be laughing when we finally get some long stretches of dry weather.

And last but certainly not least, our sweet little Keira is growing like a weed.  She officially crawled on May 11th, which ironically is the one year anniversary of my diagnosis so that was really special!  She is very determined and strong, and gets into most everything now!  She is a very independent little thing - and so low maintenance.  She still has only 2 teeth, but she is sure thinning out and getting longer.  We just love every minute with her - she is just the best!

Go Canucks Go!!

...and Go Bruins Go!!

My First Easter!

Can't wait to find Easter eggs with my brother next year!

Hello cheeks!

Hanging with the girls - Aunty Lo and Aunty Lilly

Keeping Mommy company at her last radiation appointment - she's kickin' it!

What are you doing June 4th? As most of you know, we are planning a fundraiser on June 4th at the Cat & Fiddle Sports Bar & Restaurant in Port Coquitlam.  We hope to see all of you there to enjoy dinner and a drink with proceeds going towards my fundraising goal of $2,000 by August for the Weekend to End Women's Cancers 60km walk.  Tickets are $12 and you can contact me by email (klferguson74@shaw.ca) or phone (604.477.2595) for more info or to purchase tickets.  If you cannot make it, but you wish to donate, visit my personal page at http://www.endcancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Vancouver2011?px=3593439&pg=personal&fr_id=1453

What's next? Still going to the naturopath weekly and the hospital for herceptin every 3 weeks until at least October.  Reconstruction and tamoxifin start early next month.  Big weekend walk in August, and surgery after that... Things are coming along!

Hope everyone is doing well and looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the fundraiser!!

Love Kelly, Oliver, Keira and Aidan xo

10 down, 18 more to go!

Well, it's been a few weeks since I started radiation, and it is going as good as can be expected. The first session was pretty emotional as I was not sure what to expect - will it hurt? what is this radiation and what damage will it do to me? and of course, damn cancer! Once I got through that one, and the second one, I started to feel a bit more at ease. Now, when I go in I know the drill - lie down in the body mould, line up my chest with the coordinates from the oncologist - 3 blasts of radiation to my underarm area, 2 blasts to the right side of my left chest, and 2 blasts straight on my left chest and done. In total, I am in the room about 15 minutes - but with the commute from Maple Ridge to Abbotsford, it is about a 2 hour journey every week day until May 4th. Good times!

This week was a bit rough as I had my herceptin treatment at the hospital as well - and I still see the naturopath for treatment once a week so getting in to all those appointments has been a juggling act. All in all, I am feeling pretty good. Glad to have enough hair to finally keep me warm and do away with the hats. I am so excited to pass them on to the women in the cancer agencies who need them. It makes me so happy to give away the hats that kept me warm and feeling normal throughout that time in my journey.

Me & my girl!!

Oliver has been working the business when the weather is good - and he has been doing a fantastic job for his customers! I am really proud of how hard he works, and the pride he takes in his jobs. I love his determination and we are very excited at where things could go with this!

..and now on to our little girl. She is now 8.5 months old, has 2, maybe 3 teeth coming in on the bottom and is rolling over and really trying hard to crawl. It won't be long before she is moving around on her hands and knees - but for now she rolls from one side of the living room to the other to get to where she wants to be. She is a little ham, and is the love of our lives! She takes centre stage where ever we take her - especially to the cancer agency. Something about kids and animals that just make anyone smile so we are glad we can give a piece of our joy to those who need a pick-me-up.



My first St. Paddys Day!



Playing sure makes a girl sleepy!

What's next? continue herceptin and naturopath injections (until Oct); finish radiation; continue with the reconstruction process (next surgery in August/September); start taking tamoxifen (an oral drug I must take for at least the next 5 years designed to prevent the original breast cancer from returning and also helps prevent the development of new breast cancers). Getting that much closer to the finish line!

And last but not least, I am $600 towards my $2,000 goal for the 60km Walk to End Women's Cancers so please visit my personal page and make a donation. Let's find a cure for this thing before Keira grows boobies :)

http://www.endcancer.ca/site/TR/Events/Vancouver2011?px=3593439&pg=personal&fr_id=1453

Take care and keep healthy!

The countdown is on...

...only a few more sleeps until radiation. I am quite anxious to get going with it. It'll be a long 6 weeks, but will be over before I know it!

I am recovered from surgery, and back to doing life as I always do. Super excited as I went out today without my hat for the first time. I took it with me (of course), but I didn't put it on - and it was cool to feel the wind and the back of my fluffy lined coat on my head. Oh, the things we take for granted!

Things are a bit crazy with our business picking up, and all my appointments, but thanks to our friends and family, we have lots of help. Oliver purchased a small dump truck so we will add "dump truck/delivery services" to our menu. If you or anyone you know is looking for landscaping, general yard maintenance, and/or delivery of soil, mulch, sand - visit us at www.mullenbroslandscaping.ca.

Now that I've got that plug in.... :)

Keira woke up with her first fever today, so that was kind of sad to see. She is a trooper and while she isn't feeling 100%, she was in pretty good spirits overall. Aidan is pretty sick too so we hope our munchkins are back to good soon!

Anyways, just a quick update today, and I'll write more after my first rounds of radiation treatment (I start on March 24th!).

Bye for now,
Kelly

Back to good...and on to the next!

Long time no "talk"!  Sorry it has taken so long to write, but I thought I would wait until today as we met with the radiation oncologist in Abbotsford this morning to discuss the next phase of my treatment.

As it stands today, I have recovered quite nicely from my latest surgery.  I continue to receive Herceptin, which is an antibody used to treat a unique form of breast cancer cell I carried, and it is administered by IV every 3 weeks until October.  I am still seeing my naturopath every 2 weeks for IV Vitamin C injections, and I continue with my cocktail of vitamins and supplements - all with the goal to prevent reoccurrence.

The plan as we understand it from our meeting today is to start radiation on March 24th (Thursday) and I will need to go for 28 radiotherapy sessions - that is every business day until May 4th.  I had  CT scan today, and the technicians tattooed my chest to pinpoint where the radiotherapy will target.

Once radiation is complete, I will be back in to see the plastic surgeon to carry on with the reconstruction process - and then my oncologist will be prescribing Tamoxifen, another drug which helps block breast cancer cell growth.  I'm told I will be taking this drug for up to 5 years :(

I can honestly say that today I am feeling pretty overwhelmed with everything.  I'm not sure what it is about today that has me feeling this way - but it is what it is.  I will be happy when this phase of the process is over - and soon after that we will be honoring the first anniversary of my diagnosis (May 11th - time sure flies!).  I am happy that my hair has started to grow back.  It's coming in a bit darker and I am now comfortable not wearing my hats, in fact I much prefer to go without but it is still just too cold!

..and on to the light of our lives - Keira Faith is now 7 1/2 months, and as of yesterday, weighs 19lbs 2oz. She is just a little monkey - rolling over now, squirming around and chatting up a storm.  She had her first PJ party this past weekend with her BFF Anna Marie - and is saying her first word..."HI".  She is pretty clever and just loves everyone.  No teeth yet, but they are trying - and she is loving her solid foods.  She is a great eater and still an amazing sleeper.  We are so blessed to have such a great baby!

I got this eating thing in the bag!

My cuzies

My big brother loves to read to me!

Chillin'

...mmm...beer!

Hanging with my BFF, Anna Marie

Bouncy bouncy

Oliver and I are still working on growing the business - and we are now offering small dump truck services.  Check out our website at www.mullenbroslandscaping.ca!  Slow and steady wins the race - and, while we have had a few snow contracts, we are getting busier with lawn contracts now as we head into the spring so that is exciting.

I am happy to say, with the help of some very generous people in my life, I am up to $550 towards my $2000 fundraising goal for the Weekend to End Women's Cancers.  Click here to check out my webpage and I'd love to have some company on my 2 day walk!

Anyways, I hope you are all doing well and we hope to see you all soon.

Love ya!
~O, K, A, K

Recovering

Hello my friends and family..

Just wanted to send a quick update out to let you all know that I am home after my surgery, and recovering amazingly well. 

I went in early Monday morning, was in surgery around 9am and back up to my room (which I lucked out to have one to myself) by around 2pm.  I had a rough first night with nausea and trying to manage the pain, so I did stay for two nights to make sure I was ready to make it at home - and that was the best thing I could have done.  Thanks to my parents, my friends, and my amazing man, I had a lot of company so the time went by quickly.

I came home yesterday, and thanks to my Mom and Oliver, I am getting lots of rest and spending my time recovering with my little one.  I don't think things could go any smoother :)

Anyways, I will send another update and some recent photos soon, but wanted to let you know how things have been going since my last blog entry.

Take care, and talk soon.
~Kelly

The Calm before the Storm

It's really happening - I'm going in for surgery (again!) tomorrow at 6:15am.

Not only is that an awful time of day to be up and at 'em, but I feel a lot more anxious about this one. There are a few reasons for that - one being this one feels more "elective".  I don't HAVE to do this from a medical standpoint, but I have to do this from a recovery standpoint.  The other, more pressing reason, is I don't know when I will be able to lift my little one.  I'm told "several weeks" and that my range of motion will be quite restricted. That makes me very sad, but having said that, I know my body heals well, and I just don't have time to be down and out so - I plan to be back to good in no time.  I just won't have it any other way :)

I will be sure to have Oliver send out a text to those we have on our contact list by phone, and an email as soon after as possible to the rest of you so you all know how things are going.

I have officially registered for the 2-day 60km Shoppers Drug Mart Weekend to End Women's Cancers walk.  This takes place in August and if you or anyone you know is interested in joining me, or donating to my fundraising goal of $2,000, please click on the following link: Kelly's Personal Page.

This walk will mean a lot to me, and will happen just around the time that I am back to normal, so thank you for your support (and I promise I won't ask for any other donations this year :)).

...and little miss Keira.  She is growing like a weed.  I stood on the scale with her just after I wrote last time, and she weighed about 18.5lbs.  That was a few weeks back now.  Oliver will be taking her for her 6 month shots on Feb 8th so he will get the official weight then... She did go through a bit of a cold a few days ago, but she seems to be on the other side of that now.  Let's just say, she is a very healthy and happy girl.  I have entered her in the Virgin Radio "Cutest Kid" contest so please click on the following link: Keira Faith is the "Cutest Kid" between February 12th and February 17th to vote.

I'll send out another update closer to the voting time so you can all go in and place your vote (or enter your kids age 0-5).

Anyways, enough said, talk soon and take care of yourselves.

Love Kelly

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you all!  Wow, can't believe it has been nearly a month since my last blog entry.  Where does the time go?

Since I wrote we have had a wonderful Christmas - baby got spoiled, as did I!  We decided to bite the bullet and move on New Years Eve, so we could spend our first day of the new year in the new house.  It's good to start fresh - so we worked our butts off to get things in and it was great.  Keira didn't make it past 9pm, but Aidan, Oliver, and I banged pots and pans at midnight.  We learned that very few of our neighbors get involved in that tradition :)

As for me, I did experience some fatigue and numbing/tingling in my hands and feet after the last round of treatment, but my first round of herceptin only treatment was on January 11th and all seems to be going great.  My hair is still working its way back, but still sporting my hats.  It sure is cold without hair, even when it's warm outside.  I miss my long WARM hair! I've been pretty tired overall lately but with the baby, holidays, treatment, the move, and trying to get the business off the ground, it's not much of a surprise.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature doesn't want to deliver the snow so we are stressing out a bit - but doing our best to keep positive.  It'll come....someday :)

I received a call on Tuesday from the Abbotsford hospital to go in for a pre-admission appointment next Wednesday to prep for surgery on February 7th.  I am not really looking forward to the pain aspect - or the fact holding my little one will be very tough for a while - but I know I will heal and it will be behind me before I know it.

Keira is 6 months old today - and growing like a weed.  She is now eating rice cereal and we have tried carrots, bananas, and apples.  She is pretty cute when we try something new out, and so far she has taken it all without any fuss. We haven't had her weighed since December 6th so I'm guessing she is close to 20lbs. She has her next shots on Feb 8th so if not before, we will for sure know what she weighs then.  I know my arms are getting a good workout :)

Well, we hope you are all enjoying the unseasonably warm weather (I say with gritted teeth).  Have a wonderful day and enjoy your weekend - it is supposed to be dry and we may even see the sun.

Bye for now!
Love Kelly, Oliver, Aidan, & Keira

Gramma got me a nice head piece!

Mmmm, my first cereal

All our amazing presents :)

Oh, I could get used to this freedom thing

So fashionable - thanks Aunty Nina!

I've had cereal and carrots and milk..yet I'm still awake