Saturday, May 2, 2009

De to the Neece

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Ever since I've known her, my mom has had the same exact hair style: short, thick and poofy. Except for the occasional dye job, she hasn't changed her hair one bit in over 25 years. Crazy, right? 

Well, she's finally getting a new hair style courtesy of chemotherapy. Actually, I don't know if that's true. Not everyone loses their hair during chemotherapy. But if she does, she can look on the bright side and start afresh with a brand new DeNeece from head (hair) to toe. I'm pretty sure you're crying at this point, Mom. Please forgive me

Yesterday my mom had surgery at the Huntsman Institute in Salt Lake to remove a lump in her breast that she found 3 weeks ago (I like this quick turn-around). I've been told that the good folks over at the Huntsman really HATE cancer (which I like to hear) and the doctors working with my mom especially hate BREAST cancer (grrrrr, that cancer). During that surgery, they discovered that the cancer has spread to her lymph nodes which means that chemotherapy, which was previously an option, is now a necessity. 

Let's take a moment to remember the "Do"... 
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The "Do" in Jerusalem. Is Marie taking this picture? I'm impressed. 

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The "Do" next to a SWEET mustache.  Dad, I'll never forget the day you shaved half of it and walked around like nothing was wrong. We thought it was HILARIOUS.  

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"Do," you will be sorely missed. But not really. 

Alright, I'm done being horribly insensitive, at least for this blog post. I can't make any guarantees for the next one. Anyways, it seems like everyone I talk to has a mother, daughter, aunt, grandma or cousin who has a breast cancer story. For the most part, these stories seem to have a happy ending. My only experiences with cancer involve two good friends. One with lymphoma which ended well and one with rhabdomyosarcoma which did not end well. Oh, and my grandmother, Ralphena, who battled breast cancer for 10 years and eventually died from it. But that was many years and many advancements ago so it doesn't seem fair to compare her experience with my own mother's.

So please share your breast cancer/chemo/radiation stories. Good, bad or otherwise. I'm eager to learn more. 

7 comments:

sherry said...

Wendell's mom had breast cancer. She had a double mastectomy at the ripe old age of 30. But she has been fine ever since. I had a friend who died from it, but she was nursing which threw off the diagnosis. By the time they diagnosed it, she was pregnant again , and couldn't get the treatment she needed in time. So luckily your mom won't have to deal with that!

Julia Mar said...

I don't think I need to tell you my experience, but tell your mom to always keep food in her tummy (if possible) because it will feel much worse without it. How many rounds is she doing? I still feel so bad about making Jada's mom cry at your wedding. Sometimes life seams more fair for some than others and it hurts. Your mom is going to do great. How far has it spread into her lymph system?

Diane said...

I'm going to go through my pictures looking for the "do." Will we all get a "do" in solidarity if hers goes?

the coltons said...

that picture of you with bandaids on both knees, hamming it up for the photo - amazing :)

Emily said...

What a great post! Your mom is in great care! My huntsman relatives founded that clinic and she is in good hands! Your mom continues to be in our prayers. Let me know if you need anything.

Petra said...

I think we should all shave our heads in solidarity. I'm in.

Amelia said...

Hi! It is a second cousin here, Amelia Bickmore now Davies. So sorry to hear about your mom. We'll keep her in our prayers. Tell Marie hi.