Disneyland.. Our second home!

     Since we had an extra week off between chemo rounds, due to low platelets, we decided to head to Disneyland one last time. Our passes expire on Saturday.. My birthday and our anniversary. So we headed out witht the wheelchair that used to belong to my dad's mom. I definitely got a workout pushing Darren all around!! We had a nice time... Walking around, going through the shops, having lunch at the Carnation Cafe. We didn't ride any rides just enjoyed our favorite place.

We will miss out on the 60th Diamond Anniversary kickoff starting at the end of May, but we look forward to being able to renew our passes when Darren kicks Lymphoma's butt to the curb for good!!

It was a great day to be together as a couple and celebrate my birthday and our anniversary together!! 

I love you baby!! 

Caregiver-one of life's hardest jobs

     Being a caregiver is a hard job. It is 24/7. You are wife, mother, cook, maid, nurse, driver, gardener, errand runner, grocery shopper...etc. Most of this stuff is normal mom stuff... True!!  However when you are faced with cancer and your mind is always on that...throw in all those other things...and it changes your mental focus... You want to fix things, make them right... I know I can't but I want to! 

     Being off of work... Being home most of the time... Stir crazy... When things are going good you dare to not think about cancer and why you haven't worked in 6 weeks..but then you remember ... You pray a lot... You take care of your loved ones... You try and keep strong and always put up the brave face... Sometimes you can't... You have to cry... You have to let that out and give it to God and then remember it's okay to do that.

     Being a caregiver is lonely.... You get stuck in your new routines... While everyone around you are doing their normal lives. It's hard to ask for help, especially when most days you are just hanging at the house or trying not to be out in public too much when those crucial low immune days are at hand.

Sometimes you don't have a need to ask someone for... Sometimes it can just be spending time with someone to get your mind off what you are living 24/7. 

     It's hard to put in words... I am extremely grateful for all the prayers and love we have received, it really does help!! Sorry for the rambling... I think I am all over the place with this post... Oh well, next post won't be so scattered!! 

March 17th .. No longer just St. Patrick's Day

     March 17th will not mean green, leprechauns and St. Patrick's Day anymore. It is now D-day
(diagnosis day). The day we found out my husband has lymphoma.  The day everything changed...the life you were used to now turned upside down.  From that day on we have both been off of work. Lots of doctor appointments, lab work, and beginning 6 rounds of chemo. First round of chemo was on Good Friday, April 3, 2015. Thirteen days later we are in the hospital for 5 days with extremely low white blood cell counts. Lots of antibiotics and shots to boost white blood cells.
     Second round of chemo was to be April 24, 2015, however platelets were too low. Good news was the white blood counts were good!! So we get an extra week of recovery and chemo rescheduled for April 30, 2015. Nice for the extra week and Darren is feeling good!
     Feels like forever since we found out and it has only been 6 weeks... Life before diagnosis seems so far away. We have a new normal, a new countdown of time.. Every 3 weeks is chemo... Seems like we are always looking at the calendar and counting down til the next set of appointments and chemo... The new normal..
      With lots of prayers, lots of love and lots of essential oils we will combine that with the meds and chemo and we will beat this thing!! 💜

My husband's sister started a Go Fund Me page for us to help with the medical bills and with our day to day living. Feel free to share and thanks for taking the time to read!

Nicole

#Lymphoma

http://www.gofundme.com/s8z8z8r98