My Mom became a celebrity today. :)

Hi Everyone,

I hope that everyone is doing very well! My Mom became a celebrity today. :) She was asked to share her experience living with Ovarian Cancer on Channel 13 news today. Please take 2 minutes and watch this and please forward to any woman in your life. Awareness and public education WILL make a difference with more timely early stage diagnosis of this horrible, often "invisible" and deadly disease.

Mom, I am very proud of you for sharing your very personal experience for the benefit of so many. I pray that your words and experience help others to become educated and to advocate for their health when they know, as you did, that "something just isn't right".

http://www.wvec.com/news/health/Ovarian-Cancer-Awareness-Month-103163174.html

Love, laughter and health to all. We love you Mom.

Your Gang

Round 2 Begins

June 3, 2010 began my second "Walk on the Beach" journey. Not quite the beautiful blue water, white sandy beach and soothing sounds of the surf that I had hoped for, but a new journey non the less. My cancer has once again decided to try to take up residency ignoring my "no vacancy" posting. God and time will tell how long it will take to process the eviction this time. I have had suspicions for the past two months, but medicine, being a practice took awhile to confirm the diagnosis. I will get my CT Scan results tomorrow to and will begin my new cocktail regimen of Doxil every 28 days for 4 initial treatments. Then we will see how good it's eviction powers are or decide on another course of treatment.

I have been blessed with 9 cancer free months and memories too numerous and precious to count. Broken family relationships were healed and made stronger. Time with my precious son, daughters, and grand guardian angels were many and very dear. Long distance family relationships were rekindled and important things in life are once again important and petty things no longer matter. I became Grammy to precious little Braylon. Friends were so supportive and caring and the list goes on and on. God has proven beyond my wildest dreams how true, constant and faithful He is.

The journey has been rough and this new one in many ways is even more terrifying, but I have already seen glimmers of God's purpose and plan and I willing walk this path with His leading. Many dreams of this summer will have to be put on hold - no time in the sun, stay out of the heat (in VA Beach in the summer??). No Busch Garden trips with the Grands, no daytime swims at the pool or days at the beach. But they are only temporary No's and other joys will take their place. The long weekend trip to Illinois in July and the week at Atlantic Beach in August will NOT be cancelled. We'll just need to take naps in the daytime so we can have energy to play when the sun goes down. More time to take Lindsey, Xander, Jason A. & Sophie to the beach just before sunrise to watch the sand crabs burrow after their all night adventures, early evening walks on the beach at sunset and early morning walks to see the ocean come to life with the sun rise. We'll even be able to enjoy the ice cream cones more slowly in the cool of the evening instead of hurrying to eat them in the heat of the day. See, God doesn't close a door without opening a window - we just have to listen for and feel the breeze.

I thank all of you for your love, your support and prayers as you help me on this journey. God Bless.

Love,
Char

Spring Has Sprung!

Hello Everyone,

It has been quite some time since I have written anything on Mom's "Walk On The Beach". First and foremost, Mom is doing GREAT! She continues to amaze us and inspire us each and every day.

I wanted to take a moment and express to everyone how grateful I am for all of the wonderful love and support that Mom and our family have received from all of you. I also wanted to share a few thoughts.

There are some hard lessons of life that I have learned over the last year. I am not thrilled how I have learned them, but I am grateful that I have learned them. Though my life is busier than ever, I see, talk to, hug, kiss and love my family more than I ever have. If time lapses and I begin to miss these moments shared, I have a pit in my stomach and try to remedy that as quickly as possible. I have found that I have been working hard for "things", just "things". Now, I am working hard for "less stress", "less clutter", "more experiences", "more moments" and "more possibilities". I work too much and on that I must admit I continue to struggle.

I cherish my family and my friends more than I can put into words. I am fighting for a balance of providing what my family needs and experiencing all of the moments and joys of life that we should. It is not an easy balance. I have to remind myself regularly what is truly important in life. I have begun to question things that I previously accepted as "just the way it is". Why do happiness and satisfaction often come in second to the rat race of our days? Why do we care for ourselves, our minds and our bodies only as it becomes a requirement? Why does it feel a luxury to roll on the floor laughing with our children? Why is it a burden to "fit" a couples night in for a husband and wife? Why is it such a challenge to schedule and drive four hours for a weekend with loved ones? Why do we allow these things to accept second place? Why are we programmed this way? I have learned to value more that ever our right and our ability to question these things, to alter our path and create a life for ourselves each and every day. I am far from answering or remedying all of these questions, but I am determined to no longer accept things as "just the way it is" when it is not the way it should be. I am working to make these things "the way it should be".

Mom, every day that I see you, hear your voice, listen to you laugh, or see your smile is a gift. It is a gift that you continue to give to me daily. These are gifts that my wife, children and all of my family give to me daily. This week, a year ago, there was a hole in my heart. It was by far one of the worst weeks of my life with everything that happened in our family. Today is new. That hole is filled with love, hope, inspiration and a burning desire to enjoy the little moments and the treasures that they are in our lives.

Thank you Mom, all of my family and all of my friends for continuing to teach me these important lessons. I am a happier and I hope a better man with each lesson I learn from all of you. I still have a lot to learn...so please be patient with me. ;)

All of My Love,

Jason

Something's Missing...

It's Thursday, September 17, 2009 and something is missing, the day feels strange. It's the first Thursday since May 7th that I have not gone straight to VOA (Virginia Oncology Associates) before work in the morning. it's the first Thursday that I haven't had to go see my friends "the vampires" and have blood drawn, or to see the two best chemo nurses ever to get hooked up to the chemo lines. It's strange how the absence of things that were so foreign and scary four months ago, create such a void and uncertainty now.

Chemo is rough, it causes horrible reactions to your body, but Praise God it destroys cancer cells. When I was first told that I would need 6 treatments, 3 weeks a part, I thought Oh Lord, give me strength. Now that the treatments are done, I pray Oh God, give me peace and sustain my trust. When I was going through the treatments I knew the cancer was being fought. Now that they are done there is this little gnawing fear that maybe there are still cancer cells floating around just waiting to strike out and grow. Will that happen to me? If so will it be right away (chemo resistant cells), will it be 6 months or 10 years down the road (cancer reoccurrence)? Ovarian Cancer is not curable - it is considered a chronic disease. I have been attending a support group for survivors of GYN cancers and have seen first hand that OC really likes to keep a firm hand on one's life. But one of the biggest things I have learned in this "walk on the beach" is that God is faithful, His promises are true and He never leaves us. If you ever feel like He is "missing" - He's not the one that walked away. Can I let the fears of a reoccurence control my life? Yes I can, but I am chosing not to. I am chosing to continue to conquer the hold that OC has on my life and to embrace each new day with faith and trust.

My walk is not complete yet, and won't be until the day I meet my Saviour face to face. But the journey thus far could not have been taken without the love, prayers, and support of my dear children, friends and family. I couldn't have done it without any of you. You are the reason I chose to conquer, the reason I pressed on when I so wanted to give up and you are the reason I will continue this fight. This walk has brought us closer, it has made us stronger and it has shown us how precious our time together is. One of the many blessings that I cherish from this jorney is the reuniting with a very dear "daughter"and all the time we have spent together during this ordeal. My dear friend Sherry, you were with me from the utterance of the first ugly words in the ER " you have ovarian cancer" and have been my confidant and chauffeur. You let me cry when I needed to and made me "snap out of it" when necessary - you have truly won your "angel wings". Thank you "My Gang" for all of the love, support, caring, sharing and sacrifices you have made for me, may God bless you greatly.

The battle's not over, but the enemy is locked up. My scans are good, my blood counts are rising and my tumor markers are shrinking. The effects of chemo will be with me for quite awhile yet, but I can already see the sun shining again along the shore. I will have more scans, clinical trial treatments, doctor visits and blood tests for quite a long time - but the sun is shining!

I covet your continued prayers, not only for healing, but for wisdom in making the best of the days ahead and forever giving God the glory.

Jason, Chandra, Annie, Lindsey, Xander, Jason A & Sophie, may our next "walk on the beach" together be on the shores of Atlantic Beach, NC.

My love and thanks to all that have prayed, helped and encouraged me on this journey.

Blessings,

Char

Sunny Skies Are Coming

Good news is...well, GREAT news! Chemo Round Six is done and gone. Char is doing very well. She got tired very quickly after this treatment, however, she did not have as many of the aches and pains that she experienced with the last treatment. She has been on the move and has barely slowed her pace since the completion of treatment number six.

She took an extra day off last Monday to make sure she was rested and ready to go come Tuesday. As with many people on the central east coast, she seems to be fighting allergies so has had a persistent headache that does not seem to want to go away. It does not seem to be slowing her down very much.

Dr. McCullom and his team gave Mom rave reviews on her overall progress with treatment. He was very pleased with all of her outcomes thus far. Her blood counts were dropping of course on Thursday as would be expected. They warned her that she may still have some slow days in the coming weeks as her counts drop and then begin to improve. She was not too excited about this prospect, but knows that soon much better feeling days are on the way. Hopefully a few more weeks and she will begin to feel more like herself than she has since April. I know that she is very excited about the improving process! She certainly deserves many sunny and GREAT feeling days to come!

The experimental drug protocol will continue for nine more months. These treatments will continue every three weeks but are delivered in less than an hour versus the entire days that she has spent in treatment thus far. Blood tests, scans and follow-up with still be continuous. Her next scan should be sometime next week. We look forward to some fabulous improvements on that front.

Mom you continue to amaze and inspire. You are a true source of inspiration and understanding that a strong mind, strong, heart, strong faith and strong soul can certainly provides a positive impact in the continuous quest for health and well being. You have been and are working so hard. You certainly deserve the many fruits of your labors. Health, happiness, love and joy be with you now and always Mom.

All of Our Love,

Your Gang

All Clear For Number Six!!

Hello Everyone! Just a quick note to let you know that Char was cleared for Chemo for Thursday. This will be her 6th and final treatment for this protocol. She is very happy that this will continue with no delay. Mom knows the coming weeks will be a challenge and not much fun, but she is happy to be getting the show on the road toward better feeling days.

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. They certainly continue to pay off!

You are going to do great Mom, as always! We love you dearly and wish you all of the best and most positive results and minimal side effects from this final round. Looking forward to having you back up in Northern Virginia very soon!

All of Our Love,

Your Gang

Enjoying Some Sunshine And A Bit More Relaxation Time

As often is the case lately, I feel that it has been too long since I have posted an update. I always like to lay eyes on Mom and see first hand how she is doing before I update the blog. Before I get into how she is doing and where things stand, take a look at this picture. A picture is worth well more than a thousand words. She looks great and yes, this is a Sunday afternoon packed with sunshine, grand kids and a journey to Norfolk Botanical Gardens. Not your typical Sunday for a woman nearing the end of a Chemo Protocol. :)

Treatment number five of six continues to prove that each Chemo treatment hits the body a bit harder than the one before. This cycle has been a rough one for Char, the roughest of the bunch. It is to be expected, just as treatment number six is likely to hit harder than number five. This week marks the third week since treatment number five and treatment number six is scheduled for this Thursday, August 20th. For previous cycles, treatment has slowed Mom down for anywhere between five and seven days. This time, she says that she is still not where she would expect to be from previous treatments. It has been eighteen days as of today. She says that she is definitely more fatigued, with more aches and more nausea than before. These symptoms have come on stronger and are lasting longer.

Again, seeing her in action all weekend, you would not know this was the case. We had a wonderful weekend of family, friends, rowdy kids, funny movies and a stroll and train ride through the Gardens. Witnessing her firsthand, she may take an extra break here and there. Knowing her well, I am able to catch a glimpse of an occasional deep breath and look of "Okay, its time to sit down". For the most part, however, she continues moving forward with minimal evidence of fatigue and symptoms. She simply looks great.

Currently, the schedule for treatment number six is in question. Last Thursday's "vampire appointment" showed significantly decreased white blood cell counts. For the first time, she was placed on antibiotics in an effort to raise these counts and to provide extra protection for warding off infection that otherwise her body would have a hard time fighting off. This seems to be having a positive impact. She says that she is able to feel herself getting a bit stronger since the beginning of this weekend. Tomorrow, she will find out if she is able to remain on track for completing treatment number six on Thursday. While her Oncology team hopes to stay on target with her scheduled protocol, it is important that she be able to remain strong and able to fight off infection throughout her treatments. We hope to have more information Tuesday.

As she is in all of our minds and all of our prayers, please send an extra thought and an extra prayer for the continued increase of white blood cell counts to allow treatment number six to proceed as scheduled and without delay. As you can imagine, Char is eager to check this Chemo Protocol off of her "to-do-list" and move on to more energetic, less achy, and less nauseated days. She certainly would not want that to sound like a complaint, "This is something that I have to do. I know what to expect and I know I have to face it and experience it. I will get through it. The next one may pack a stronger punch, but then brighter days are coming. I have five down and one to go. I will get there. I just have to get through this time first. And I am getting through it". I would have to say she is more than "getting through it". She is doing great, pushing hard and making it look quite effortless though I cannot even begin to imagine the effort involved. You are an incredible source of motivation and inspiration Mom. We are very proud of you. Keep up your hard work and keep up your positive spirit and God bless your strong will! Get that red marker ready to put a nice fat line through that to-do-list!

All of Our Love,

Your Gang