No Hair Days

In line with my eternal sunshine philosophy, here are my top 5 reasons why "no hair" is the way to go:

5. Think of the money you'll save on hair care products-no shampoo, conditioner, gel, mouse, hairspray, and all that other funky stuff people put in their hair. Plus no cuts every 8 weeks.

4. You'll gain at least 20 minutes a day that you would otherwise spend shampooing, blow drying and styling your hair.

3. Your natural beauty will shine through.

2. With winter just around the corner, no need to worry about messing up your freshly styled hair with your stocking cap!

1. No more bad hair days!

Here is another one courtesy of my 14-year-old: A sleek, aerodynamic design.

Plus, Nicole knows that her hair will grow back (unlike some guys I know)!

Well, here it is-the long awaited photograph of Nicole's new hairstyle (courtesy of her oncologist & Bryan)! Sitting on her lap and sporting the same hip hairdo is Miss Karlye Deutsch.


Karlye is my cousin's daughter on my husband's side-are you following me? She needs lots of prayers also as she is embarking on the next step in her battle against Ewing's Sarcoma. She was diagnosed with cancer in her femur just over 3 years ago on her 3rd birthday. She had a recurrence in her lung this spring and finished more chemo. Monday morning she goes into the hospital for 4-6 weeks to undergo a bone marrow transplant. Her mother, Denise, keeps a great blog for her at www.caringbridge.org/visit/karlyedeutsch. Add the website to your favorites and pray her through the next few months!





We had a birthday party for my husband, Brad, on Saturday and had a chance to see Nicole & Bryan and the kids. When Karlye's family arrived, Nicole was wearing her wig. She took it off to show Karlye how her head looked the same. The look on Karlye's face was so precious. She kept sneaking glances and smiling! Later, she was surprised to see Nicole has a port under her skin just like hers.





Nicole looked great, and other than a runny nose from chemo, feels good. Brock had fun playing outside with his cousins, dad and Uncle Shawn. I got my Griffin fix for the week & took lots of pictures. Nicole has labs drawn tomorrow afternoon. Her PET scan and MRI are going to be this Thursday. She will meet with the oncologist the following Monday and review the results. Her next chemo is scheduled for Wednesday October 8th which is the week she was going to return to work. So, she is actually going to work this Wednesday and Friday. That will be a nice way to ease back into it and she won't feel so bad missing a day or two next week. I think Brock will love being back at daycare and Griffin will be in good hands.





Here are some more pictures from Saturday:

Uncle Shawn & Brock playing tennis-

Lab Results

Nicole's lab appointment was late yesterday afternoon so she didn't have results until today. Everything looked good! Her liver function test remained the same, probably because it is now within normal limits. Her ANC was 3.1. Her platelets have continued to drop but she was told that was to be expected. She was feeling achy and tired today but nothing too severe.

Believe it or not, Nicole's baby leave will be over in 2 weeks and she is planning on returning to work! I think she is looking forward to putting some "normalcy" back into her life. I just can't believe how quickly the past 6 weeks have gone!

Griffin's infection is almost completely healed. Nicole said he is getting much more attentive and likes watching his big brother. He is also smiling and laughing. I can't wait to see him this weekend-and take lots of pictures!

The follow-up PET scan and MRI will be in about 2 weeks. Continue to be in prayer for excellent results!

The Lord is Near

Nicole is feeling much better than last time I updated. On Friday, she even made her first "public appearance" with her newly bald head. She wore a hat to the park and while running a few errands with her mom and boys. It wasn't nearly as bad as she had anticipated! Linda left yesterday and I know Nicole loved having her help.

Poor little Griffin has been dealing with a skin infection that has gone into his ear. Bryan brought him in to the doctor's office on Thursday night and they put him on an antibiotic and ear drops. It sounds like the swelling and redness in his ear have gone down quite a bit so the medicine must be working. He is still up about every 3 hours at night but hopefully once his ear is completely healed, he will start sleeping for longer stretches.

Tomorrow is back to St.Cloud for weekly labs. I'll update when I hear the results from Nicole.

This is one of my favorite group of verses. I think it's a great reminder to all of us no matter what our circumstances.
Philipians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

Dropping tumor markers

As anticipated, today is the day the chemo side-effects hit the hardest. Nicole feels tired and sore. Her mom, Linda, is up until this weekend to help out. The hard part is getting Nicole to rest instead of getting up to help when the boys need something (hint, hint)!

Her scalp has been feeling weird and her hair has thinned, so Bryan shaved her head on Tuesday night. Brock said he was scared and wanted to stay in his room while they were using the clippers. Afterwards, he asked Nicole why she wanted to be a boy now. I guess in the eyes of a 3-year-old, hair is what makes the difference between boys and girls. Also, he thinks her wig is a Halloween costume!

Tumor marker is a substance found in blood and can be elevated when cancer is present in the body. The normal value should be below 30. Doctor's monitor the quantity of tumor marker to make sure treatment is working.
On August 21st Nicole's TM (tumor marker) was over 700. On Monday, it had gone down to the low 200's! That is a huge drop and shows how well this chemo is working. I was soooo excited to hear that!

Keep the prayers coming!

Where Two or Three Come Together...

Today was a long, busy day for Nicole and Bryan. She started out getting labs drawn this morning. The results were great! Her ANC went way up. Hemoglobin and liver function test stayed about the same. Her white blood count and platelets were also normal. They then met with the oncologist who was very surprised and pleased to see her ANC had gone up so much. He told them he wasn't even sure she'd be able to get chemo judging by last week's results. He discussed her PET scan results more with them. There are "more than 4" spots on her liver measuring about 1/2 inch each. The mass on her kidney didn't light-up during the PET scan which is a good thing. It could very well be a cyst but he wants to do an MRI on it in 3 weeks and will continue monitoring it. She also asked about a lumpectomy or mastectomy. He said they never used to do it with stage 4 but lately studies have shown it to be beneficial. Once she is in remission and stable for one year, he will do the surgery. Nicole and Bryan said he sounded positive and happy with her progress.

She was able to get her second chemo treatment following the appointment. Other than a 2 hour wait for the meds, that went well. Tomorrow afternoon she goes back to St.Cloud for an injection of Neulasta. Neulasta is used to help fight off infection in chemo patients. It boosts white blood cell production which helps prevent infection. The down side is the main side-effect which is body aches. Her next scan will be in 3 weeks. I am confident it will show that the chemo is working and her tumors are shrinking!

Thanks to Shawn & Erin for taking Brock again today! He is getting a lot of time to play with his 2-year-old cousin, Weston, but I know it isn't always easy to keep 2 toddlers from arguing over toys!

Keep praying for the chemo to do its job and for positive, peaceful thoughts to surround their family.

Matthew 18:19-20
"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them"

You Made My Day

To all of my wonderful coworkers you are the best! What a great surprise! Of course I cried tears of happiness when I saw the picture. I am truly blessed to work for a company that is standing behind me, supporting and fighting with me. I'm looking forward to returning to work and seeing you all soon. You made my day!

Real Men Wear Pink

Nicole has such awesome coworkers! Here is a picture they took yesterday to show their support for her. Thanks for sending this, Tenille!