Sunday, October 21, 2012

A little post-chemo shopping

Madeleine’s Blog

October 21, 2012
So do not fear, for I am with you
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God
I will strengthen you and help you
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
Isaiah 41:10


How do you go shopping when you love to shop...but you're extremely exhausted from all the taxing rounds of chemo? 

How do you adjust to the current reality that means you're easily winded from taking even a few steps (when you're used to walking, running, and swimming with energy to spare)?

Well, you just find another way around. 

Costco shopping in style!
Yesterday, Madeleine managed some back-to-back shopping at Costco, Target, and Best Buy ~ but she did have a little help. 

All she needed was a Costco-provided mobility scooter, and a little bit of...

Swallowing her pride...

Climbing aboard...

Finding the right place to sit so the seat would register enough weight to allow the motor to engage (hard to do when you have lost so many pounds from chemo...and you weren't heavy to begin with!)...

Ignoring all the funny looks and whispered comments...

and then it was off for a day of shopping with her mom! 

Thanks to Costco & Target for providing the mobility scooters, and to Best Buy for providing the wheelchair that enabled her to cruise around and explore the store. :)

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Happy 18th ~ home again!

Madeleine’s Blog

October 18, 2012
So do not fear, for I am with you
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God
I will strengthen you and help you
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
Isaiah 41:10


We made it home on Madeleine's birthday yesterday (after a long drive), and walked into a house full of balloons, decorations, stacks of cards, and flowers. Thanks everyone for the encouragement & support!







Getting ready to leave Riverside the morning of her birthday...








Arriving in Santa Rosa eight hours later - tired, but so happy to be back home again!






Now, it's time to rest up and gain strength again. Madeleine's next PET scan will be on November 9th, with results coming a few days later. Thank you for your prayers in the meantime!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Saying goodbye to Riverside

Madeleine’s Blog

October 16, 2012
So do not fear, for I am with you
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God
I will strengthen you and help you
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
Isaiah 41:10

Dr. Gailani with Madeleine
Madeleine has just achieved a very important milestone: she has made it through six rounds of bio-chemo, which is quite an accomplishment! As she finished up the last of her infusions today, it was also time to say some thank you's and good bye's to many of the people here at Kaiser who have helped make her treatment time a little more bearable. 

There are many people who I could name - the tech who always accompanied Madeleine for her central line; the special social worker who developed a relationship with Madeleine over the weeks and stopped by today with some chocolate muffins for her; the patient care assistant who helped meet our practical needs (and who would even bring by hot towels in the morning for our comfort); many nurses who stand out as being exceptional in their caring and their skill;  our favorite nurse - who drove over to see Madeleine last night (on her own time) in order to say good bye; and I honestly could go on and on. There really are so many people who have been helpful that there is no good way to list them all without leaving someone out. If you have to have difficult treatment like this, then it really helps to have some quality people around to help you through. 

Of course, there is also so much we could say about Dr. Gailani. He has the perfect combination of expertise, sincere care, dedication, and a sense of humor that has kept us laughing even with everything that is being faced. We are really grateful that he has been here to help us make it through all of this.

Madeleine's Facebook post from tonight really sums it all up:

During these past five months, I've been through six rounds of bio-chemo treatments. That's 42 days in the hospital (24 hours a day), 30 days of treatment, 6 central-line placements, one too many pills to count, shots to my stomach, lots of tears, and WAY too much nausea.

It still hasn't hit me that I have managed to stumble, trip, and climb my way over this hurdle. Although this is not the end of the journey, I am so glad I will finally get a break!

I owe so much to my doctor, nurses, parents, aunt, and friends who have helped me during these 5 horrific months.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

Monday, October 15, 2012

Last round - update

Madeleine’s Blog

October 15, 2012

So do not fear, for I am with you
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God
I will strengthen you and help you
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
Isaiah 41:10


Madeleine has made made it through day #3 - it hasn't been easy, but at least she's on the home stretch! Her oncologist (Dr. Gailani) has been working with her and adjusting some of the medications in order to help make it more bearable. It is still difficult, but at least the medications that have been giving her the most trouble have been adjusted. 

She needs to make it through today and tomorrow, and then...
 Wednesday will be her eighteenth birthday!!!
We will be making the 8-hour drive home that day (which won't be the type of thing most people look forward to on a special birthday), but just getting to be at home will be something to celebrate.

Keep praying for endurance, and grace to make it through. Her fellow melanoma-fighter friend, Amanda, is also here (just a couple rooms away) and is also in the midst of her own battle fighting through this treatment. We are praying for her and her family as well.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Biochemo - final round!

Madeleine’s Blog 

October 11, 2012

So do not fear, for I am with you
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God
I will strengthen you and help you
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
Isaiah 41:10


Reluctantly leaving for Riverside  :)
Madeleine and her folks flew down to Riverside last night, and she is now checked into the hospital and gearing up for this next round to start. Tomorrow morning, she'll get her central line put in early, and then treatment will begin. At her appointment with Dr. Gailani today, they decided that this would be the last Biochemo treatment - which is a relief! She'll have another PET scan in early November, and those results will help determine where to go from here.

Please keep Madeleine in your prayers over these next days - especially between now and Tuesday afternoon. As I've mentioned before, this treatment is quite grueling. It takes endurance and guts, as well as lots of prayer, just to keep hanging in there. 

We are really grateful for your prayers and all your encouraging posts - thank you everyone!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Fight on!

Madeleine’s Blog 

October 3, 2012

So do not fear, for I am with you
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God
I will strengthen you and help you
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
Isaiah 41:10


Madeleine gets a little support from her brother, Max...

My sister's a cancer fighter - Fight on!