Prayer Thanks & News!

Dear Family & Friends,

WOW! I really felt your energy last Saturday night with the thoughtful group prayer. What a warm and magical feeling to experience so much loving energy! I am very touched and truly blessed. Your prayers are working and I cannot thank you all enough.

I had a very fun 60th birthday celebration at home with Dick, Carrie, Tom, Kristin, PJ, James, Courtney and John. The kids decorated the dining room, with pictures taken throughout my life, pretty balloons, candles, and beautiful flowers. Tom and PJ were master birthday chefs, what a treat to have the guys cook! They do it so well and put on a great show! James of course entertained us with his cute two-year-old ways , he is in to absolutely everything and is saying lots of funny words. He's such an active boy and loves to laugh and play with everyone. The girls organized family movies and put together a slideshow. We watched old 8mm family films never seen before (or at least not for 20 years), they were hilarious and we laughed hysterically for hours which was so fun and felt so good. What great times we've had!

In medical news, last week Dick and I met with my oncologist, Dr. Friedland, who is a really caring and compassionate doctor. We are very pleased to have him on our side. During the meeting, we reviewed the PET SCAN taken one week prior to our visit. We reviewed the new scans on the computer next to the CT SCANS taken 3 months ago and compared them. I am happy to report that the primary tumor has diminished considerably, with the lymph nodes and rib mass showing marked improvements too. We were so thrilled to learn that these last months of treatment have been working! I will continue to receive chemotherapy every three weeks as long as I can handle it or until the cancer disappears completely. I feel strong with my "Army" of family and friends behind me, thanks so much for all of your help. Prayer is extremely powerful and with all of you rooting for me, it really does make a difference. I think of you often and pray for the very best for each and every one of you too. May God please keep you safe & healthy!

Love & Thanks,
Ginny/Mom

Prayers for Friends

Happy Thanksgiving Season!

We're so grateful to our family and friends for your good thoughts and great energy! We're hoping you can please keep in mind the names of some of our other friends and family who are currently affected by cancer. We know many of you are involved in prayer groups so if you will please add these names too, we really appreciate it!

Kathy Doehner

Joanne DeTorre

Patty Unger

Wanda Kelly

Rita Lemole

Melissa Waller

Cliff Johns

(Please write to carrierost@gmail.com if you would like to add a family member or friend to our list).

Ginny-Mom goes in for chemo tomorrow (Wednesday) and then expects a visit from Courtney, Kristin, PJ, James, Tom & Carrie for Thanksgiving. We're so happy to have the opportunity to be together! We're very thankful to you for being in our lives and will give a special blessing to all of you this year. Tremendous thanks, great happiness, and good health to all!

With much love,

Team Ginny-Mom

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month!

Dear Family & Friends,

What better way to show your support for Ginny-Mom than to help us raise lung cancer awareness!

Throughout the month of November we'll post information and lung cancer facts to help spread the word and lead to a cure! In the meantime, some of Ginny's friends have designed a terrific bracelet we are all so proud to wear. It says, "Ginny's Army Fighting the War Against Lung Cancer". (It's similar in style to the yellow Livestrong bracelets created by Lance Armstrong's Foundation, but ours is done in an opaque white color as you'll see in the attached photos.)

We are happy to send bracelets out immediately to anyone who is interested. Donations are being made to The American Cancer Society and will be earmarked specifically for Lung Cancer Research.

To place a bracelet order or for more information, please contact:

Kristin Doehner: krdoehner@gmail.com

Carrie Rodgers: carrierost@gmail.com

For more information on lung cancer, visit The Lung Cancer Alliance website:

http://www.lungcanceralliance.org

A very special thank you to the "Card Club" for helping to spread the word and raise awareness, and to all of you who've already shown your support....WE THANK YOU!!!

Love,

Team Ginny-Mom / Ginny's Army

Chemo Day!

Today Mom received chemo again at UPMC's Hillman Cancer Institute. She's doing great and spirits are high! Thanks for all of your kind thoughts and well wishes!

Your Prayers Are Working!!

We all know that Ginny-Mom is a strong woman, but she is proving it to us all once again. The chemo is working and it's working even better than the doctors expected. Specifically, the primary tumor has shrunk to 1/3 of its original size. My dad sketched out the dimensions so we could have a visual aid. We decided that it went from a roma tomato to an olive, kalamata perhaps. What great news! In addition, the CT scan showed the cancer is diminishing from other areas (i.e. lymph nodes, pleura/lung lining) and has not spread to any new areas. Hip Hip Hooray!

Needless to say, the doctors (and Ginny-Mom) have decided to stick with this chemo treatment plan for the coming months. We are reminded that there is still a tough battle ahead, but the exceptional progress brings much hope and motivation.

After the appointment and chemo yesterday, Ginny-Mom returned home with relief and a renewed energy. She feels so grateful and attributes her progress to the prayer, love, and support surrounding her daily. She told me she feels blessed to have so many people cheering her on and she can actually feel your prayers working. So please, please, please keep them coming. There is great strength in numbers!

Thank you for helping my mom fight this battle.
Cheer! Cheer! Cheer!--Kristin

Chemo Day!

Ginny-Mom is getting chemo today and meeting with the doctors. Please check back on Thursday for a full report from Kristin. Thank you everyone for all of your care, concern, and special wishes!

GREAT NEWS!!!

What a day!

Well, ask and ye shall receive! Never ever forget that!

We expected to wait a long time before hearing about today's test results, but Mom just got word that her condition is improving and that the chemo treatments are working!!! It really is such an enormous gift and an overwhelming blessing. This news is so good and we have God's grace and all of you to thank for your prayers!

Thank you for sharing in this journey. Thank you for your caring thoughts. Thank you so much for believing!

Of course, there are more meetings with doctors and more treatments to undergo and we'll keep you posted on progress. But to hear that it's working is the best feeling in the world!

Love to ALL and thank you so very much!

- Show quoted text -

Hello Everyone! Please keep Ginny-Mom in your thoughts and prayers as she undergoes an important round of testing today. We are hoping and praying for the very best.

"Expect a Miracle!" as Aunt Cherie says!

Our Love & Thanks to All!

Florida R&R!

It's been a wonderful and relaxing week for Ginny-Mom in Florida!

Highlights have included celebrating their 37th wedding anniversary with Pete & JoAnne Shirk at home on Tidy Island. They also went to the beach on nearby Anna Maria for sunset with Tom & me and we had a fun adventure aboard Tom's boat visiting some of Sarasota's beautiful destinations! As you can see in these photos, we stopped for lunch at The Old Salty Dog, home of the famous beer-battered deep fried hotdog! If you don't believe us, watch The Travel Channel's "Man vs. Food" Sarasota episode on Saturday night (9/18/09 at 8:30 PM Eastern) where the host of the show visits The Old Salty Dog for this delectable treat. Wanting in on the action, we boated to the 'Dog, and Tom and Dad requested the now-famous version of the deep fried hotdog with cheese, mushrooms, bacon and sauerkraut. Mom stuck to the original version and she loved it!

Then we cruised around Sarasota Bay and enjoyed a breezy, beautiful, sunny day. Dad and Tom had fun rafting in the water before we stopped at another one of our favorite places: Mar Vista. This too is one of those old seaside Sarasota establishments, and when we were there last time with Mom & Dad on New Year's Day, Mom and I each decorated a dollar bill and hung it on the wall. As you can see, they are still hanging! After enjoying some grouper, oysters, and other delicious items we headed home in the dark and got to appreciate the peaceful waters and beautiful bright stars.

Aside from a few small adventures and several games of Scrabble, it's been an extremely restful getaway with much needed relaxation and heavy emphasis on healing. Florida sure is great for much needed R&R!

We're heading home to Pittsburgh on Sunday before Ginny-Mom's next chemo treatment on Tuesday, September 22nd. Please be thinking of her and sending lots of good energy her way! Mom is doing a FANTASTIC job and we really thank you for all of your prayers. Please keep it up!!

Our Love to All!!!!!

-Carrie

A note from Ginny!

Hi Everyone, It's Ginny!

I want to thank you all so much for your prayers. I really do feel like I'm on the road to healing! 

 

On Tuesday I went in for my second chemo treatment, it's been 5 days and I am feeling quite well, just a little tired. But my appetite is good and I'm resting a lot. Dick has been by my side at every appointment and of course for the treatments. He's been a fantastic support! When we were in Shadyside at the hospital on Tuesday we actually met a few wonderful people who were also getting treatment and really enjoyed talking to them. 

My daughters have been here practically around the clock. They love to cook, work around the house and make me laugh. We had baby James here for 3 weeks and he has taken to calling me "Ghee-Ghee"--sounding very French! PJ and Tom have been here a few times too and we really enjoy having their personalities around, Dick especially! Tom made bacon the other day and normally that would smell really delicious but this week smells are really bothering me, I'm so sensitive now but that should go away in a few days.  Carrie's extensive collection of sanitizing products can be a little much, even if you're not undergoing chemotherapy, but it is a sterile environment here and I appreciate not being around any germs. My white blood cell count is getting low, which means no raw produce unfortunately, but they have been cooking everything fully and we're enjoying the delicious summer flavors nonetheless. Keeping weight on is really important of course so that I can keep getting the higher doses of chemo!

Courtney, John, Kristin, PJ & James will be here in a few weeks and I look forward to their visit. I will get to spend extra time with all of them too which is great!

If I'm feeling up to it, Dick and I are thinking about going to Florida next week for our anniversary! Even though the weather has been beautiful here, it would be nice to have a change of scenery and relax in Florida for a few days before my third dose of chemo on September 22nd. I will of course wear a mask on the plane and will get on early with the special needs passengers.  Carrie wants me to wear rubber gloves onboard and is wondering how we will get enough ounces of Purell hand sanitizer through security!

I cannot thank you enough for your prayers. I feel strength from you all of the time and I really appreciate it so much, please keep it up!!! God bless you all and keep you happy, healthy and safe. 

 

Happy Labor Day weekend,

 

Love and Prayers,

 

Ginny