Week 7

We had a great doctor’s appointment to start Sharron’s round 3 of chemo last week. We met with her oncologist on Friday before treatment and he had lots of outstanding news to report on Sharron’s progress, based on her recent bloodwork. He said her progress is phenomenal for someone who has only had 2 cycles! The timeline will still be 6 cycles total (or 18 weeks), which is a standard course of treatment. Remission will be determined by a bone marrow biopsy at the end of the 6 rounds. Also, her treatments are only about 60% of typical chemo drugs and even so, her body is responding very well to that reduced amount. Also exciting news: she gained 2 pounds according to the doctor’s scale (our home scale says 4 pounds, even better). Although she’s eating very healthy, we’ve been incorporating some high calorie meals and snacks where we can and they seemed to have helped!

Visibly Sharron is doing amazing as well thanks to lots of beneficial physical therapy, she is walking with little assistance (just a cane for longer distances, but that is it!). She’s vigilant about getting her exercises in daily. There is no pain or struggle accompanying her movements and walking anymore.

Other fun things we did last week included a family birthday lunch at Debbie’s house and watching the Academy Awards at home with Val and the girls. If it wasn’t for the cold/flu season out there, we would get out with Mom to see some of those Oscar winning movies- hopefully soon!

Week 6

Not much to report this past week. This was a rest week so Sharron’s system got a little downtime, which was much needed. Still working on getting her weight back to where it should be (ADDING weight, that is!). She’s still working hard in physical therapy, and cutting down further on pain medication.

Although they didn’t go watch in person due to the stormy/rainy weather, Sharron and Val watched some of the Amgen Tour of California which rolled through Sacramento this past weekend. As many of you know, Lance Armstrong came out of retirement this year to ride in this race. His campaign, “Hope Rides Again,” is dedicated to those living with cancer and cancer survivors, so it was an extra-special year for this race, to us and others. Danielle went to watch part of Stage 1 on Sunday (2/15) near Lake Berryessa. Lance’s campaign supporters handed out chalk for people to write messages on the road, targeting the messages at those affected by cancer. We’ve included some of Danielle’s pictures here, including one of her next to Sharron’s name that she and friends wrote with the chalk, which we hope all the riders saw! Yay!

Week 5

Sharron seems to be making big headway as we check off the days. This past week started off strong but then took a slight turn, as Sharron got a little sicky here and there. As we hear with other types of cancer treatments, there are just good days and bad days as treatment progresses. Without warning she’s becoming nauseous but then it passes just as quickly. We think this is likely due to the medication building up in her system at this point. However, that is also a positive thing because she continues to gain her physical strength back. Luckily week 6 will be a rest week, so her body can recover a bit and hopefully her appetite will return. Not surprisingly, though, she is taking it all very well :)

Week 5 was another treatment week- Friday she had a quick “push” of IV chemo, we were in and out of Kaiser in about 30 minutes. The rest of Friday was spent celebrating Carolyn’s (Sharron’s niece) birthday. We watched “The Secret Life of Bees” (great movie!), had grilled Panini sandwiches, cookies, and opened gifts. Her mother’s 84th birthday was also celebrated with lunch at Crepe Escape earlier in the week. The weekend was nice but the rainy cold weather did not leave much room for getting outside. Sharron and Val had dinner with some friends on Saturday night, which was a nice change of pace.

Let's all send positive vibes for week 6!

More Info from Week 4

We also want to bring your attention to a recent story featured on NPR (aired on January 29, 2009) on the advancements in treatment of this little-known cancer. If you're interested, it is a great listen/read. We posted the link under the title "NPR Feature on Multiple Myeloma."

Week 4

This past week was the first week of Sharron's second cycle of treatment. She had another large dose of chemo on Friday and took it like a champ! During the treament her oncologist updated us on her progress and recent blood tests. Really good news! First of all, she responded so well to her first treatment cycle that the doctor recommended she only have IV chemo once a week rather than twice a week. Reduced chemo is great not only for fewer trips to the hospital but hopefully means less fatigue and increased appetite. Secondly, her red blood cell count is significantly higher (meaning more healthy cells to help fight off the bad ones) which means she no longer needs the red blood-cell stimulus injection she was taking once a week. Third, calcium levels in her blood are much closer to normal, meaning the calcium is staying in her bones where it should be. Lastly, her pain has gone down significantly (almost diminished) so she can go for longer intervals on minimal pain meds.
All of these factors together are outstanding news! We're not doctors but we attribute these things to Sharron's healthy body and lifestyle before the diagnosis :) Keep up the high-intensity prayers and well wishes, they seem to be working!

Big Thanks from Sharron

Hello all, we wanted to post a little message on behalf of our mom:

"I just want to tell you all how much I enjoy reading your comments! I look forward to reading them everyday. You all inspire me so much with your words of encouragement. I feel your positive energy and prayers, and I truly believe it is helping me on my path to healing - I'm feelin' the love! Thank you for taking the time to leave me little messages of support on this blog, and for updating me on your daily lives as well! In addition to the blog messages, thank you for the thoughtful cards and letters. (I find myself re-reading them often!) And a big special thanks to the St. Francis community for the weekly supply of fresh fruits and veggies.

I love you all,
Sharron"