Saturday in the Park

Saturday was the first day of Fall and the weather was perfect for eating outside and going to the park. Anne’s grandparents were in town and her cousin was home from Clemson. We ate outside at a new restaurant in Fort Mill, then walked to the park. Anne’s appetite was back for the most part and she was able to enjoy the food at the restaurant. It was nice to get outside. It was such a good day.

On Sunday Anne cut her hair shorter. We are hoping this helps as she deals with some of the side effects of the chemotherapy. Anne’s grandmother was able to be with her to help support her. Bre Stokes at Sabina Hair and Spa has done my hair and Anne’s hair for several years. She opened the salon for us on Sunday and took really good care of Anne. We’ve known this was coming for a while, but it was a hard day.

We are hoping for a smooth week for Anne. She had some side effects that lingered late in the week last week, but she feels good now. She has her next round of chemo scheduled late this week. If you are interested in bringing a meal, you can sign up here. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Round 2

Anne successfully finished chemo round two late last week. It went smoothly. We had some wonderful meals brought to us over the weekend and Anne had some great friends keep her company all day Saturday. Saturday was Anne’s worst nausea day, so Lillian and Cassie made sure she didn’t think about it. Apparently USC didn’t need their marching band on Saturday, and we got to spend time with Cassie instead!

Lillian and Anne have plans to go wig shopping next weekend. We aren’t sure when Anne will need it, but we feel like it will be soon.

Thank you to everyone who sent Anne care packages this weekend. You really brightened her spirit. The village supporting Anne has truly been a blessing – from bringing food to help giving Anne a shot! Thank you!

This weekend we learned that cold, liquid food is easiest for Anne when her nausea and mouth sores are bad. She had apple sauce to get some meds down and smoothies this weekend. The cold seems to be easiest on the mouth sores.

Anne felt “normal” for the three days leading up to this second round of chemo. So we are encouraged that she might have some “good days” during the next six months.

Clark had his nose cauterized this week so that it would stop bleeding when he wrestles. The first couple of weeks of wrestling have been exhausting for him, but I’m glad he has something to focus on. Stephen was able to go riding this weekend. I got back to jiu jitsu some the past couple of weeks. We are all finding a way to do things that we have always done.

Friends and Fidelity

Anne’s friend, Lillian, came home from the military and surprised her last Thursday! What a welcome and needed boost to her spirits! I haven’t seen Anne smile like this in several weeks.

Friends really do help heal our spirits.

I wanted to give an update on Anne since she went to the ER last Wednesday. The medicine that the doctor prescribed worked well, and Anne is doing well. She had a really good day yesterday and today. She ate with almost a “normal” appetite today. We are going to be encouraging her to do some productive things before her next chemo at the end of this week. Thank you to everyone who asked about Anne and how she was doing after her ER trip.

Several of you have sent Anne gifts and care packages the past few weeks. These have really brightened her days. She has a great attitude, but it has been hard on her to defer starting at Clemson this year. It has been a little bit lonely here at home. Thank you for remembering her and making her feel like she matters.

If you are looking for some ways to help:

A friend at jiu jitsu started a meal train for us. The link is here.

If you would like to send gift cards for Anne’s favorite restaurants, she especially likes Chick-fil-a, Jimmy Johns, Smoothie King, Topper’s Pizza, Dominos, Culvers, Panera, and Zaxby’s. There is a Chick-fil-a and a Starbucks inside at the Children’s Center, and they are especially convenient on days when Anne gets infusions.

We also started an Amazon list for Anne for those of you who would like to send her something. We will continue to update this as she thinks of things or needs things. Here is the link.

Ups and Downs

Anne started chemotherapy late last week. She was brave and tough. It went really well, and we know that Anne is in the right place. They took great care of her.

Anne’s first weekend recovering from chemotherapy wasn’t too bad. She slept a lot and had a good bit of nausea. She had a great attitude as she worked through the nausea. She had some visitors, and that made things a little sweeter. Cassie came home from college for the weekend and took her out on Monday. That really brightened her spirits. Friends and Family really do make all the difference.

We had an unexpected trip to the Emergency Room yesterday with a complication from chemotherapy. Anne’s blood counts are good, but her issue is still not resolved. She is on a medication that we hope will help. We have a clinic visit tomorrow and we hope to have some more answers at that time.

Our big news today is that our issue with insurance finally seems to be resolving. They have been radio silent for the past week, but saying that the hospital is out of Network for their “specialty pharmacy”. They have not returned phone calls or worked with us or the financial navigator at the hospital. Today the case manager called us and said that the drug that is considered “out of network” would be allowed to be given to Anne at the children’s center and that they would allow her to continue to receive all of her care at the children’s center. This has been weighing very heavily on us for the past week, so we are glad to be able to just focus on Anne and her care.

Anne gets chemo every other week, so her next treatment is late next week. We appreciate all of your prayers, thoughts and good vibes. Those of you who pray can pray that Anne’s new medicine will work and she can stay out of the ER. You can also pray that the final details with insurance get ironed out smoothly. You can also pray for Clark who has a wrestling tournament this weekend and has felt a lot of emotional turmoil at home this past week without a lot of support.

Week of Waiting

It has been a difficult week of waiting for us. Anne’s PET/CT scans that were scheduled for Wednesday were cancelled due to miscommunication between the insurance and oncology office. We have been pretty frustrated by this and the resulting delay in Anne’s treatment. Anne has scans rescheduled for this coming Monday and we are hopeful that everything goes smoothly.

Anne did get a new dragon onesie that she has enjoyed wearing around the house. It is soft and a lot of fun. That has been a highlight in the week. Anne’s neck has been swelling and hurting this week, which has woken her up in pain most nights. This has been difficult for all of us because it makes us feel helpless as we wait.

We have had several friends reach out to people who know things in the world of cancer treatment on our behalf, and we appreciate your knowledge and insight. We feel like we have a good plan as we move into next week.

Thank you to all of you who have reached out to text and with messages of support. The fear can start to close in around us – especially when we are just waiting – and the encouragement from your friendships has helped us to not give in to that fear.

First Step Finished

Yesterday was a success. Anne had her port placed so that she can receive chemotherapy. It was a long day of waiting, with surgery not starting until 4:30 pm instead of 1:30 pm. Anne was HUNGRY and THIRSTY. The long wait also made everyone a bit more nervous, but the procedure went well. Anne was able to get home by 7:00 pm.

Anne struggled a bit with nausea and stomach upset in the night, but today she had a GREAT day! She ate normally and took minimal pain medication. We are thankful to have this procedure finished.

Anne decided last night that she will be collecting medical/hospital wrist bands as part of her “scrapbook from when I had cancer”. She has always enjoyed collecting interesting things. She has quite a collection started. She was given three yesterday of varying colors, and I think that helped inspire the idea.

We have a restful weekend planned. Clark will be preparing for the start of the new school year on Monday, and Anne will likely be playing Baldur’s Gate 3. She has been playing this nonstop since it dropped on August 3rd. Her dad and uncle are playing with her. It is strange the things you can be thankful for – like video games – because they can give your daughter and family some needed mental escape.

We need a restful weekend because next week we have a lot planned. Anne has more tests and we will find out what stage Anne’s cancer is in. Then we will meet with Anne’s oncologist and make a plan for treatment.

An Unexpected Fight

Anne was supposed to move into her dorm at Clemson today, but instead she is having a chemotherapy port placed tomorrow. The last week has felt like a whirlwind of bad news and disappointment, but we have some reasons to be hopeful and positive too. 

I’ll start with what happened. The week after Anne’s graduation she felt a small lump in a lymph node. We assumed it was a swollen lymph node from a virus that would go away after a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, the lymph node didn’t get smaller.  After various tests and biopsies, Anne was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – the Friday before she was scheduled to leave for her freshman year at Clemson. 

We don’t know what stage she is in yet, and we don’t know how long she will be in treatment. We do know that Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is considered VERY TREATABLE. 

Anne has several tests scheduled next week to ensure she receives the right treatment. Then she will begin chemotherapy.  

I know many of you have asked about online classes for Anne and other learning opportunities. Anne is an engineering major at Clemson. It is a rigorous program, and the oncologist has told us that her treatment will be difficult.  I know Anne and Stephen are planning some other ways to keep her mind sharp over the next few months. We are hoping she is able to start classes in January at Clemson for the second semester, but it depends on how she responds to treatment. 

Anne has shown courage and composure beyond her years. Clark is strong right now, but we know it will be difficult for him to see his sister sick. Stephen and I are busy with appointments and managing things with Clemson – busy seems good. Our 24th wedding anniversary was Monday night, and the four of us went out and had tacos to celebrate. We are in this strange space where it seems wrong to be happy or to celebrate anything normal, but we are finding our way together. 

We will post another update soon. Thank you for your warm wishes, good vibes, prayers, love, kindness, help at work, support at home, and overwhelming faithfulness to our family. You are all so appreciated.