Kenleighs' 1st Birthday

Cleo and I flew to SLC last Friday (9/27) for Kenleighs' first birthday party and so that Cleo could meet our newest granddaughter Ellie. It was a really quick trip, we only stayed until Monday morning, but it was so fun. And, best of all, I didn't get sick this trip..YAY!!! The last 3 times I've been to SLC, I've ended up pretty sick so I wasn't really looking forward to going just for that reason. Maybe because we only stayed for less than 72 hours, the Gods were good to me!!!

Sara and K picked us up at the airport Friday around 10:30 am and we grabbed a quick bite then went to her house and took naps! Cori and the girls came over that afternoon as did Kyle and Brayden for a quick visit. We went to bed pretty early that night as we'd been up for about 21-22 hours! Saturday I helped Sara make Ks' birthday cake and cupcakes for the party on Sunday. Cori, Brandon and the girls came over in the afternoon and then we all met Kyle, Mikell and Brayden for dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant. We had a good time with all the kids and grandkids...wishing Jarod and Lindsey would've been there ...but hopefully we will all be together next spring at Kyles' wedding!

On Sunday Sara and I ran a few errands to pick up the last few things for the birthday party and then we headed to the park to set up for the party. Ks' cake turned out SO CUTE...Sara did a great job decorating it. Kenleigh wasn't too sure what to do with it when they put it in front of her, but she got the hang of it after they dipped her fingers into the icing! It was a nice day, little windy and cooler, but a nice day for the kids to play outside.

Little Miss Ellie is the sweetest baby...she is so quiet and just chills most of the time. There were times we forgot who had her because she is so quiet! She is a very happy baby and of course all the girls just love their Grandpa, as he does them. It was fun to be around Brayden and get to know him a little better as well.

Thanks to Sara and Zach for their hospitality...and to Cori and Kyle for spending time with us too. We sure do love and miss y'all so much and wish we could get together more, but it just makes the times we do more special. I apologize for not getting better pics...my camera is about ready for the landfill and I had to steal some from Saras' FB...not many of the indoor ones turned out at all. Guess I need a new camera...hint, hint Cleo ;)

Good thing this is the last "monthly" pic Sara needs of K...she doesn't enjoy sitting still!!

Is that not the Cutest Cake???

One of the many gifts...think K enjoyed the paper more than the opening of the gifts.

Cleo holding Ellie, and Cori...

Grandpa and Kenleigh...she really did Love being with him!

Grandpa and his girlies...they just Love him

Kyle, Brayden and Mikell...the camera can't be blamed for this shot, it was the photographer (i.e., ME) note to self...don't take pics into the sun!

Teiha, Cori, Ellie, Launa and Brandon

Sara, Kenleigh and Zach...again the photographer took pics into the sun...what can I say??

Nana, Grandpa, Teiha, Kenleigh, Brayden, Ellie and Launa...hard to get 5 kids all to look at the camera at the same time!!

Transplant Time...

Well, as most of you know, Cleo has chronic kidney disease due to a rare disease he had years ago and we were told 2 yrs ago that he was getting close to needing a new kidney. We found out on Wednesday that his latest lab values have dropped low enough to put him on the transplant list (pending ins. approval). He has gone through all the req'd tests for transplant eligibility and is healthy in every other aspect, so that's a good thing. He still doesn't feel any different, just tired but he's pretty much always felt that way :) His kidneys are still functioning and he does not require dialysis, so the goal would be to get a kidney transplant before that happens.

There are 2 reasons to go ahead and list him...#1 so that we can start the donor kidney testing for anyone who might be interested in that...#2 so that he can build up time on the transplant list so that if we don't find a suitable donor he has time to move up the list.

We are so blessed to have such a big family and a great network of loving friends and I believe that when the time is right, the right match will be found and Cleo will live a long and healthy life. Many of our family and friends have expressed an interest in being tested for possible donation, so for those of you interested here is that information. You need to contact Leanne Whitehead who is the Living Donor Coordinator @ Piedmont Hopsital in Atlanta 404-605-4605. There is a short phone interview and she can give you any other details.

Please understand that Cleo and I are not asking any of you to do this, but are strictly keeping our family and friends updated on his status, and giving donor info to those who have expressed an interest.

We love & appreciate each of you...Cleo & Marcy

He Really is THE BEST!!!

I just have to give a "shout out" to my wonderful hubby...Cleo. He really is THE BEST hubby ever. He works so hard (well, he works every day..LOL!!) in this stinkin' hot heat here in Georgia, then comes home to find that I've bought all new hardware for the kitchen cupboards (22 knobs & 8 drawer pulls)...and then proceeds to put them all on before he even showered or ate dinner!!! I know, right??? When we built our house and moved in , I specifically told the builder NOT to put any knobs or drawer pulls on the kitchen cupboards...thought they looked sleeker and cleaner without. Well, here we are 2 1/2 yrs later and now I want hardware on the cupboards & drawers. It seems that opening them without hardware tends to scratch the wood over time when your fingernails constantly scratch the wood.

He really is such a great husband and also my BEST friend and I would be so lost without him...plus, he's pretty cheap labor!!!

I have such a hard time making "Big Decisions", but I do know that marrying him was the BEST
decision I've ever made. I sure do love you Cleo Cheney and look forward to growing really old with you

HOME...at last!!!

Most of you already know about Jarods' latest surgery, but for those of you not on FB, here's a brief summary. Jarod, Lindsey and I flew to Indianapolis on June 29. After settling into the Embassy Suites (right in downtown Indy), we changed clothes, freshened up and walked to St. Elmos for a wonderful "last supper" as Jarod put it. This restaurant was amazing and I would highly recommend it if you're ever in Indy. We were all under the impression Jarod wouldn't be able to eat much on Wed. night before surgery, so wanted to make sure he got a good meal. The city is really cool, very clean and where we stayed was within 1.5 miles of the hospital and there was pretty much everything you would need within just a few blocks of the hotel.

On Wednesday, we walked to the canal and enjoyed the scenery. We ended up eating lunch right on the canal in a cute little restaurant before walking over to the IU campus to meet with Dr. Beck at 2:00. We met with him (surgeon) and he explained in detail what the RPLND surgery would entail as well as drawing a diagram to show us. We all liked him a lot and felt that Jarod was in very capable hands. The surgery was on Thursday morning and went pretty well. After the surgery, but before Jarod was awake from anesthesia, the anesthesiologist gave him an intrathecal epidural which was to help with the pain for the first 12 hours. It took her 4 tries to get it into the spine, so needless to say when it wore off, not only was he in a lot of post surgical pain, but his back was really sore from that...poor guy. Lindseys' Mom arrived about an hour before surgery was over and stayed at the hospital with us the rest of the day. Jarod was finally put into a room about 6:00 that night. It was decided that I would stay at the hospital with Jarod as Lindsey wasn't sure she could handle seeing him in pain. So after staying with him for a short time, Linds and her Mom headed back to the hotel to get some much needed rest. Jarod wasn't in a private room the first night, so I headed down the hallway to find a bathroom to change into shorts and a tshirt so that I could settle in for the night. The cleaning crew "caught me with my pants down" as my niece would say...but it gave me a good laugh! Not sure they knew what the heck was going on. It was a really long night as Jarods' epidural wore off and he was in a lot of pain...needless to say, there was no sleep that night.

Janice (Lindseys' Mom) brought Linds to the hospital Fri am and took me back to the hotel to get some rest. I had just settled into bed and was almost asleep and all of a sudden the smoke alarms started going off...so after figuring out what it was, I called the front desk and they said someone would come right up...15 minutes later and no help arrived and the damn thing was going off again. I called the front desk and was frantic at this point wondering if there really was a fire...they said someone came up to check but since I had the Do Not Disturb Sign on the door, they didn't come in...REALLY, I mean come on people. So anyhow they finally came to the room, figured out the battery was low on the smoke alarm and changed it for me. I had gone back to bed at this point and again, just as I was drifting off, I heard a ringing (thought I'd turned the ringer on my phone off) and thinking it may be an emergency at the hospital and not having my contacts in to see caller ID, I answered the phone. I'm pretty sure it was Tom (Cleos' brother) but I don't remember much about that conversation...LOL...just remember Tom, paybacks are HELL!!!

Jarod was moved to a private room on Friday and it was decided that I would just continue to stay with him during the nights. I feel pretty comfortable in a hospital setting after working in the medical field for so long and Lindsey really needed to try to get rest. She has a long haul ahead once they get home. On Saturday, Jarod really wanted to watch Chris pitch (he plays for the Brewers), but we kept telling him that it was on the MLB channel and the hospital only had basic cable. Well, he was convinced that if I got up on a chair and "messed with" the cables that he would be able to get that channel (man IV pain meds are good stuff..haha) so at this point we would've done anything for the kid, so I pulled a chair over near the tv and proceeded to "fix the cable"...Linds and I were laughing so hard and Jarod was oblivious! Well, after about 10 minutes we finally convinced Jarod that he would not be able to watch Chris play...he was so disappointed.

Jarod has had a hard time with pain control and is still not able to keep anything but mostly liquids down, but he was released on Monday. We heard from the dr. on Tuesday morning that both tumors were benign, necrotic tissue...no more chemo!!!! If you read Lindseys' blog (jarodandlindsey.blogspot.com) there are many more details about the surgery, etc. so I'm not going to repeat all that---you can read for yourselves.

I flew home Tuesday night and after sleeping for 12 straight hours last night, I'm trying to play catch up with laundry, unpacking, paying bills, etc. before picking Jarod and Lindsey up at the airport tomorrow afternoon. I know they are both very anxious to get home and for Jarod to feel better. His healing process may take awhile, but at least he is cancer free and the chemo is behind him. We are so grateful as a family for all your prayers, thoughts and concerns over these past 4 months. Jarod and Linds aren't done with this process yet, but the end is in sight now.
Lindsey and Jarod sitting on a bench by the canal

Mama and Jarod on the canal

View looking down the canal...it was so pretty!

A cool mural under a bridge on the canal

Spoke Too Soon...

So, as is pretty typical for me, I have spoken just a bit too soon about Jarod being "out of the woods". He had his follow up CT scans this week and the results came back with some abnormal lymph nodes in his lower abdomen...DAMN!!! His oncologist, Dr. Filip, has reviewed the results with Dr. Einhorn (Indiana Univ) and because of the rare type of germ cell tumor that Jarod had and the precise nature of removing these lymph nodes, they both feel he needs to head to Indiana Univ to have a urology surgeon who specializes in germ cell tumors remove them. We are headed up on June 29, will have a consult with Dr. Einhorn and the surgeon on June 30th and then he's scheduled for surgery on July 1st.

There is a chance they are benign...but the only way to know is to remove them. He will be in the hospital for about 4 days and can fly home 36-48 hours after he's discharged and do the follow up care back here in Atlanta. My head can't even begin to wrap around the idea of them being cancerous and the whole chemo regiman again, so I'm choosing to believe they are all benign and it's just a setback. But, nonetheless, your prayers would be greatly appreciated once again for Jarod and his beautiful wife Lindsey.

I will try, once again, to update the blog as things progress as most of our family is back west and it's just a good way to let everyone know what's going on. Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers.

Looks Like We (Jarod) Made It!!!!

Ok, so technically Jarod did all the hard work, but we really all did make it through the last 2 1/2 months of hell. Jarod had his last chemo treatment this morning...YAY...and now it's time to heal (both literally & figuratively). He will go back to see the oncologist in about 2 1/2 weeks at which time they will schedule his follow up CT scans, schedule removal of his port and give them the protocol for his particular follow-up regiman for the next 2-5 years.

We, as a family, are so grateful for Dr. Filip, Nurse Kim, Nurse Tina, Nurse Robin and the entire staff at Atlanta Hem/Onc for the wonderful care they gave to not only Jarod, but our whole family. They are ANGELS and there was never a day or time when they didn't go above and beyond for Jarod. They have made this journey a little easier, especially for Jarod and Lindsey, and for that I am so thankful. We are also extremely grateful to all our wonderful family and friends for all the well wishes & prayers sent Jarods' way. He will continue to heal in the months ahead and he and Lindsey will figure out where the next path will lead them to. Life will never be the same for them after this experience...it will be better because of it and he will do all this CANCER FREE!!!

Jarod and Mama 5/24/10...last day of chemo!!!

Jarod and Nurse Kim...she truly is an Angel!!!

Lindsey and Jarod...last day of chemo 5/24/10

Jarod, Lindsey and Mama...last day of chemo 5/24/10.

We decided to celebrate with lunch at Front Page News after Jarods' short chemo today and while Jarod and I were putting money in the meter (yeah, it took 2 of us to figure it out!) Lindsey was walking onto the sidewalk and all of a sudden says, "Did a bird just crap in my hair?" Sure enough, it did!!! We laughed (Jarod and I) til I thought my sides would split and she was gagging and practically running to the restaurant to wash her hair out in the bathroom sink! Anyhow, supposedly that's good luck so before we got back to their house we stopped and bought lotto tickets...I think today might just be our lucky day!!!

Although he doesn't look it in this picture...he was VERY happy today was his last treatment. He's looking forward to not being bloated from all the steroids, not having bones/joints ache til he feels like crying, not being nauseous and just looking forward to Life. God I love this kid...

Mothers Day 2010

So this post isn't just about Mothers' Day, but also about family and what a great support system they always are for us. My sister, Pam, was able to fly out from Wyoming for a week and spend some time with us. She is my only sister and we NEVER get to spend enough time together but we always know each of us is there for the other, especially in tough times. I was SO happy she was able to come and to see Jarod and Lindsey and just "hang out" with me for a week.

We had a great Mothers Day weekend with Jarod and Lindsey spending the entire weekend (as well as Georgia Pooch) down here in Newnan. Jarod was feeling pretty good coming off the end of his 2nd cycle of chemo. He and Cleo just hung out on Saturday while Pam, Lindsey and I went shopping. Lindsey got her cartilage (ouch!) in her ear pierced and we just walked around Ashley Park and then to Old Navy. It was fun to hang out with the girls. That night, Cleo cooked turkey tenders, mashed potatos and gravy (technically I did that part!) and rolls for dinner. It was so yummy...there's just something about fresh turkey and the way Cleo cooks it is so yummy! On Mothers' Day, Cleo and Jarod got up early and went turkey hunting...no luck this time. It was such a beautiful day and we were able to be outside all day, playing some cornhole and enjoying the sunshine...especially Pam who came from a temp of 29 in Wyoming the morning she flew here!!! Jarod cooked Gouda stuffed pork chops on the grill that were absolutely fabulous!!! It was so nice to spend Mothers' Day with those I love the most...just wish my other kids could've been here :(

On Tuesday, Pam and I got up early and drove to Atlanta and took Jarod to chemo. This was the start of his third (and hopefully last) cycle of chemo. We spent the night and took him again on Wednesday. He didn't do too bad, but by the time we left Wed. night and started to head back to Newnan he was feeling pretty crappy. He had a bad night Wed and again on Thursday so they gave him IV ativan both Thursday and Friday to try to sedate him and allow him to sleep through the nausea. Cleo was able to be with him on Friday and even though there's nothing any of us can really do for him at least he's never alone and I think that helps. We will know for sure next week, after his blood levels come back and Dr. Filip confers with Dr. Einhorn @ Indiana Univ, if he will only require the 3 cycles or possibly need a 4th. Lindsey has been having her own struggles with her oral surgery...she had the stitches out on Wed and there's still infection so she's on another 10 day round of antibiotics...I know the stress of all this isn't helping and I pray that she will get over her infection soon.

I have always LOVED being a Mama, but this year was more special because I realize just how precious life is and you should always embrace life and show and tell those you love how much they mean to you...not just on Mothers' Day, but every day and live your lives to the fullest. I will always strive to be an inspiration to my kids and laugh more and love even more if that's possible...

Pam and Marcy...May 2010

Pam and Marcy...May 2010

Lindsey getting her ear pierced...ouch!!!

Jarod and Mama on Mothers' Day 2010

Aunt Pam, Jarod and Lindsey...Mothers Day 2010

Lindsey and Jarod...Mothers' Day 2010

Pam and Marcy playing cornhole...

Jarod and Lindsey playing cornhole...

Jarod grilling stuffed pork chops.

As you can see, Cleo wasn't in any of these pics...guess he was the official photographer this weekend..haha! I guarantee you, he was there and supervising us all :)

My Wish...

This song by Rascal Flatts...My Wish...is the song that Jarod and I danced to at his wedding to Lindsey in November 2006. The words are more powerful to me now than ever and I just wanted to share one verse.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

Jarod...you are so strong and although my heart aches every moment of every day for the struggles you are facing right now...I know that this too shall pass and ALL those dreams Will come true.

I Love you my son....

Matt & Kaitlyn Visit Georgia

Matt (Cleos' nephew) and his daughter Kaitlyn came from Texas this past weekend for a quick visit. I picked them up at the airport Thursday night...what a fiasco...and we headed down to Newnan. Poor Kaitlyn was so exhausted but she was a good sport about the whole airplane trip and then another 30 minute car ride to the house. Friday morning Matt, Kaitlyn and I headed up to Atlanta to see Jarod. After visiting at his house for a little while, we went to lunch at a great BBQ place. Jarod came back down to Newnan with us and spent the night Friday (Linz had to work late so didn't come down until Sat. morning). Cleo got home from work late in the afternoon and took Matt down into the woods to show him our property and where they hunt. We just relaxed and ordered pizza that night.

Sat. morning they got up early and went turkey hunting over by the Peachtree City airport...no luck there so they went to breakfast and headed back to the house. When they pulled into the driveway, they saw turkeys in the woods behind the house so Jarod and Matt got out and "snuck up" on them and Jarod shot one!!! That's a whole other story for Jarod and Matt to tell so I'll just leave it at that..LOL!! Kaitlyn had fallen asleep at like 7:00 Friday night and didn't wake up until around 9:30 Sat. morning so her and I didn't get much time to hang out alone before the guys got home but it was still fun to have her by myself for a little while. She is such a good little girl and I just love having kids around...they light up my day!! Jarod and Matt went to town to get fixins' for turkey poppers and then to Dicks and Walmart...funny they got some shopping in over the weekend and I got NONE...bunch of skirts anyhow!!! Linz and I ended up running back to town later to exchange a Braves tshirt but that was the extent of our shopping :( We all just relaxed and watched the Masters and hung out on the patio that afternoon to enjoy the warm sunshine. Matt fixed turkey poppers with the fresh turkey breast meat and Jarod grilled filets...it was all super YUMMY. Cleo and I always love it when Jarod comes down because we know we won't have to cook :-) Anyhow, thanks you two for fixing a great supper. Jarod and Linz headed back to the city around 7:00 as Jarod was exhausted and we just chilled for the rest of the evening.

Cleo took Matt and Kaitlyn to the airport this morning and now the house is SOO quiet again! We miss them already but are so glad they got to come visit. Jarod and Matt were very close growing up in Wyoming and have always been more like brothers than cousins. Thanks Ashley for giving them up for a few days but next time you and Kyle need to come with!!

Jarod, Kaitlyn, Matt and Lindsey

Matt and Jarod...

Look at all them turkey poppers...too Good!!!

Marcy and Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn was "watering my grass" for me

Oops...guess this one made it twice and I don't know how to delete it!!!

Before the big hunt...I LOVE my boys!!!

The turkey kill...I just love the grins on their faces!!

We had a great weekend and I was so glad that Jarod was feeling good. He has another chemo tomorrow then has the rest of the week off before starting his second cycle. He will probably get weaker and feel a little crummier after the second cyle so it was a good time for Matt to visit. I will keep y'all posted on his progress, but so far he's doing pretty good.

Love to y'all...

Path Reports, Chemo Schedule, Etc.

This week started off with a visit to Jarods' oncologist for the path reports and to set up his chemo schedule. Although it hasn't been confirmed yet from Indiana University the path report from Piedmont showed it to be Embryonal Carcinoma and this is a pretty rare form of testicular cancer. Of the men who get Testicular CA, only 10% get this with only 3-4% being a pure embryonal carcinoma which is what Jarods' turned out to be. It doesn't change the treatment plan other than he will definately have to do 4 cycles of chemo rather than 3. The prognosis is still just as positive with a cure rate of 85-95% with surgery and chemo. This was caught so early and although it showed in some lymph nodes, this chemo is so effetive in treating this cancer that Dr. Filip expects the tumor markers to drop drastically within the first wk of chemo...Yay!!!

Jarod, Lindsey, Janice (Lindseys' mother) and I all met with Dr. Filip and his nurse Kimberly and we all just felt such relief to hear this news. We were very concerned after reading on the internet, etc. and thinking because this was such a rare, aggressive cancer that this would change things...but very glad to hear it didn't. They are still waiting confirmation from Indiana Univ to confirm this diagnosis, but they don't feel their will be any conflict with Piedmonts' path report. Our daughter in law Lindsey has updated their blog as well (jarodandlindsey.blogspot.com) and she has put many other details into her blog so please feel free to read that for more details. She is great and Cleo and I are so greatful for her and her strength. Jarod is still in for a long and sometimes grueling 12 weeks of chemo starting the 29th, but he is young & strong and has a very positive attitude. Jarod also saw his surgeon for a post op appt. after the oncology appt. and he said everything looked good and that Jarod could start driving again. Jarod and Lindsey have lots and lots of friends as well as many family members praying for them and that has meant the world to us all.

Jarod and Lindsey are coming down here on Friday night for dinner and then Cleo and Jarod are going turkey hunting Sat. morning. I was concerned this might be too much for Jarod after surgery and all, but Cleo told me last night that basically all you do is sit in a spot, use your various turkey calls to try and "call one in" and that's pretty much it. Imagine that...I always thought it was kind of a strenuous thing to hunt, no matter what you were hunting! Guess the truth is out now and Cleo can no longer tell me how tired he is after a day of hunting...LOL!!! I am glad the kids will be able to come down and enjoy some "normal" activities before Jarod starts his chemo on Monday.

Once again, we are so blessed to have so many friends and family pulling for Jarod. Your prayers, phone calls, emails, cards and FB messages have not gone unnoticed and if I haven't had the chance to personally thank each of you that sent them to Cleo and I in particular, I'm sorry. It's been a crazy 2 weeks but we do appreciate you all very much!!!

Kenleigh Comes to Georgia

Sara and Kenleigh were able to fly out to Georgia on Sat the 20th to spend a few days with us. Sara really wanted to spend a little time with Jarod before he starts chemo and she also wanted Kenleigh to meet her Grandpa and Uncle Jarod. Lets just say...she was a big hit!! Both Grandpa and Uncle Jarod absolutely loved hanging out with her. She is at such a fun age and would just smile and laugh all the time. She was a little fussy a couple nights but as it turns out, she got 2 teeth buds coming through...such a big girl!!!

We were so happy they could come spend a little time with us but fear they will never fly out again due to the fact they spent the night in the Denver airport last night after what should've been just a short layover. Guess they had a typical spring blizzard there that pretty much shut down the airport. I felt so bad that Sara was stuck there all night with a baby, but sounds like she made the best of it and they did arrive safely in SLC yesterday afternoon.

Here are just a few pics of their visit...don't know why I didn't get any of Aunt Lindsey with Kenleigh...maybe Sara has some on her camera and if so, I will get them and post later.

Thanks for coming Sara...we sure do love you both so much. And a BIG thanks to Zach for giving up a weekend with y'all. He's the BEST!!!
Sara and Kenleigh Mae at Jarods' house

Mama, Jarod and Kenleigh with Georgia looking on...Kenleigh LOVED the dog!!!

Sara, Jarod and Kenleigh Mae

Uncle Jarod and Kenleigh...she is hanging on his shirt for dear life!

Grandpa, Nana and Kenleigh...looks like she was waving for the camera

Kenleigh knew the only way to get Grandpas'attention at night was to sit with him and play on his computer!

Bath time...looks like Nana needs to buy some bath toys for the poor little girl :-)

Kenleigh and Grandpa after he went turkey hunting. He was sad Sara didn't bring her camo outfit that he bought for her...LOL!!

LiveStrong...

It is 1:30 Tuesday morning and I just couldn't sleep so thought it a good time to sit and reflect on the past couple days in our life. As most of you know by now, our son Jarod was diagnosed with testicular cancer this past Thursday. On Friday Cleo and I were able to meet Jarod and Lindsey and go with them to meet with the surgeon and oncologist who will be treating him. They have found a small tumor in the right testicle that has spread to some of the surrounding lymph nodes. Although they feel it is in the early stages it is aggressive due to the fact it has spread already. They recommended surgery ASAP followed by 3-4 rounds of chemotherapy. We were all in agreement that this was a good plan.

Jarod and Lindsey have had so much to process in such a short time but they are both such strong individuals and they have such a positive outlook. Although this will be a hard battle, it is one that can and will be won with the love and support of their many friends and our wonderful family. We have all felt your prayers these last few days and know they will continue.

So Monday afternoon was the day...Cleo and I, Lindseys' mother Janice and Jarods good friend Chad were all able to be at the hospital with Jarod and Lindsey. Their minister came and led us in a prayer before Jarod was taken back which made us all feel very peaceful. Jarod did wonderful right up until they were ready to take him to the o.r. and he got pretty nervous, but he has never had a surgery before or gone under anesthesia so that was to be expected. The surgeon and anesthesiologist reassured him that all would be good and they promised to give him good drugs...which did make him smile :)

They removed his right testis and tube but did not touch the lymph nodes as they feel the chemo is a more aggressive way to treat them. They said the tumor was small but definately malignant and they have sent the pathology slides to Indiana University for a second opinion. This is the hospital which treated Lance Armstrong so we feel pretty confident they are top notch. Jarod was able to go home and although he is in quite a bit of pain, his spirits are good and we all know he will get more rest there than at the hospital. He will go back to the hospital Friday morning for insertion of a port-a-cath which is how his chemo will be administered. He had an appt. Monday (22nd) with the oncologist to go over the final path and get his chemo schedule...but he is tentatively scheduled to begin on the 29th. They will know for sure after they receive the final results which chemo drugs will be used, but it looks like he will have 3 kinds and be on a 3 week cycle...wk #1 will be Monday thru Friday 8 hrs a day of treatment...wks #2 & #3 will be only Mondays with a short 1 hour infusion and that will complete cyle 1. He will need 3 to 4 cycles depending on how he responds to treatment. This will be grueling for him but he knows this is what has to happen to cure him.

Jarods doctors are all really wonderful and we all feel very confident in their abilities. The support staff, i.e. nurses, office staff, etc. have all been really great to, not only Jarod, but to the whole family and this can only make this process easier for Jarod and Lindsey.

Once again, thank you to all for your prayers, phone calls and emails over the past couple days. It is so reassuring to know that we all have someone to lean on when we need it. Between Lindsey and I, we will try to keep our blogs updated as things progress so keep checking back.

Meeting Miss Ellie...

I recently spent a week in Salt Lake City meeting our newest granddaughter Ellie Quinn. Of course I'm prejudice, but she really is BEAUTIFUL!!! She seems to be a pretty good baby but Cori is nursing so I couldn't be of much help to her...she is a Mamas' girl. Her 2 big sisters LOVE her so much and are always wanting to hold her and play with her...sometimes a bit too much but it is so sweet to watch them interact with her. I thought Teiha might be bent out of shape a little with not being the "baby" anymore, but she's just so excited to be the Big Sister that nothing else seems to really matter.

My sister was able to come down from Rock Springs for 2 days and hang out with us which was really fun. I sure miss her a lot and wish we lived closer, but I will take what I can get when I can get it. She spoiled the girls rotten...as usual...and we all had a good time together. On Thursday Sara was able to take off work and we went to meet Brooke and Michelle (Cleos' nieces') and have lunch with them...it was so fun to see them again. Brookes' little guy Luke is about 8 1/2 months old and he was completely infatuated with Kenleigh who is 6 months old. He wanted to hug and "kiss" her and all she wanted to do was play with his zipper...it was so cute!! Thanks Brooke and Michelle for meeting us...it was good to see you.

All in all it was a great week except, once again, I caught the "CRUD" about half way thru the week. Went to the dr. when I got home and was put on steroids, an inhaler and cough syrup with codeine (amazing stuff!). I'm not really sure what it is about SLC...maybe the poor air quality...but everytime I go I get sick and not just the sniffles sick, but full blown, kick your butt sick...it really is annoying.

Anyhow, thanks to my girls for a great week. I love you both so much and wish we were closer and could do these things more often but...It is what it is....and makes me appreciate our times together so much more. Was fun to see Kyle and Mikell also on Friday night..just wish we could've spent a little more time together.
She is changing so much in just her few short weeks here!!

Sound asleep...their couch makes such a great backdrop for pictures!

Me and My Girls...Love them so much

Sara, Kenleigh and Nana

Luke and Kenleigh...kissing cousins

Launa and Teiha playing hairdresser...they really are close sisters and besides the occasional argument, get along great!!