Bone Scan Results

Findings:

There are NO foci of abnormal metabolic activity to suggest active cancer. The sites of presumed prior bony metastases again show NO definitive radiotracer uptake on this exam.

IMPRESSION:

NO EVIDENCE OF ACTIVE CANCER IN THE BONES


Just wanted to share more good news! I still do not have a copy of the bone marrow biopsy, but we visit with the doctor tomorrow and I will get it then.
I am so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

~Kasey

Photos~ Part Deux

Here are a few of Raisa. She did some boggie boarding also, but she was wearing a 2 piece, so I won't post those for obvious reasons. SO, here she is enjoying that great shrimp at Joe's Crab Shack. I think that girl could live on shrimp! They have the best food at Joe's! I got the Mahi Mahi and Calamari (can never pass that up there!).

Here are Raisa and Larson enjoying a nice cold snow cone after swimming.

And, here is a photo Larson REALLY wanted to take of Raisa and I at our apartment.

Like I said in the previous post, I have NO idea how these actually look! I will probaby be embarrassed when I actually see them on a calibrated monitor, but OH WELL! Enjoy!

Photos~Part 1

Disclaimer! These were uploaded to an uncalibrated moniter and I have NO idea how the color actually looks :).

Well, Larson found him a new sport this weekend---Body Surfing! He and Kevin bought Boogie Boards and had a blast in the ocean with them!

Here is Larson getting ready to take his board out for the umpteenth time LOL! And here is one where he is coming to shore after RIDING THE WAVE! Look out, Laird Hamilton!!!!!!!!!!
He is a true surfer dude now HAHA!

PET scan results

Today, I was able to pick up the results of the PET scan I had done this week.

This test showed absolutely NO cancer activity ANYWHERE in my body.

We are still waiting on the results from the bone marrow biopsy and hopefully, we will have those before we see the Doctor again on Wedensday.

This just gets more interesting with every test!

Raisa and Larson got in Thursday night and we have been having fun with them. They were able to go to MDA to my appointments today to check it all out. Tomorrow, we are going down to Galveston (Raisa wants to eat at "Joe's Crab Shack"!) They have been swimming each night in the pool here at the appartment complex. It's a nice pool with palm trees all around it.
It will be sad to have to take them back to the airport Sunday.
That's it for now! It's like 12:30 a.m. right now and I better get some sleep!

~Kasey

Sept. 5th, 2007

First day of testing and all went fairly well. I had a bone marrow biopsy first thing with sedation. That took only about an hour total. I was still a bit groggy from that while I headed off to my PET scan, where they give you a Zanax. So, I was a little loopy most of the afternnoon. We got home around 4:00 and I slept until 9:00. The worst thing about all of it today was before the PET scan the nurse blew a vien in my hand while accessing my IV. I don't know if any of you have ever had that happen before, but it hurts like a SOB! So, they had to pull that IV and start a new one on the opposite arm. That was my first experience with that. OOOWEEEE! I hope it is my last!
One a lighter (and so much bettter) note, we are flying Raisa and Larson here tomorrow night! I can't wait (Kevin either!)! They will stay through Sunday. It will be both of their first time flying solo. They have flown many times with us, just never alone. I am so excited to see them (and it hasn't even been a week yet!). We decided to do this because when we visited with the stem cell Doctor today, he didn't think it was a good idea for us to leave next weekend. I guess they are going to start the Neupegen (may be spelled wrong!) shots next week which will start to increase my stem cells and push them from the marrow into the blood. There are a few side effects from that that they want me here to be able to monitor me. If they wait until the following Monday, we may still be able to come home, but we won't know until next week when we see the Dr. again.
I was talking with the Doctor about the trial I am in. There are only 40 people that will be accepted into this trial. I am #1 to start. I was not aware of this before. There were 2 previous ones that were to start and I would have been #3, but they were both kicked out of the trial for disease progression. I had actually met one of the 2 online. She was do to start right before me (they are only doing one at a time), but had progression (it was in her liver). She passed away the first part of August. It just makes me so mad that there is no cure for cancer.
Tomorrow, I have xrays and an anthesiologist consult and that's it. I will proably not post tomorrow night, as we will be picking up our kids from the airport and enjoying time with them!
Take care!
~Kasey

We are here!

We are in Houston now. We actually got in here Saturday afternoon, but have not had internet access. I am on a computer in the "resident center" now. We should have our internet hooked up in our apartment today, so I won't be able to email until then. We just got back from MDA a little bit ago and will go back at 7:15 in the morning for a bone marrow biopsy (with sedation) and a PET scan. I won't be able to eat until about 4:00!! We will also meet with Dr. Ueno (remember, he's my stem cell doctor!).
Tomorrow, I have x-rays and an anesthesiology consult (for surgery next week----port removal and central line placement).
Friday, our day starts with a CT of the head/neck area at 7:30, followed by a bone scan.
Then, on Monday, I have an echocardiogram, spiromerty and DLCO (heart and lung tests) and an EKG
Tuesday, all I have is a blood draw.
Wednesday, we meet again with Dr. Ueno, sign a "storage consent", which I assume is for storage of my stem cells once they are removed from me. We also visit with a research coordinator and have 2 other appointments that I am really not sure WHAT they are (hosing and PT teaching???)! Sounds interesting!
Thursday, I get sedated and have my port removed, central line put in at 7:30 that morning and meet with some other Doctor that I have not heard of and don't know why yet.
Then, AS OF NOW, there is nothing on the schedule until the next Wednesday morning at 7:45. SO, again, AS OF NOW, we are planning on flying home that Thursday (Sept. 13th) after my surgery and stay until Tuesday. That will be a nice little break!
Anyhoooooo, I just wanted to check in and say HI!
For those of you that knew of the last drain in my side, it came out today!!!!

Take care!
~Kasey

Happy Birthday to me!

Today is my birthday. Never before have I ever made a big deal about it. "Whopee, another year older" I would always think.

This year, that is different.

This past year, I have learned that getting older is not a horrible thing. It is a privilege. An honor. It is not even something guarenteed to us.

So, from here on out, with every passing birthday, I will celebrate getting older!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Love and hugs,
Kasey

Another great blog!

Parents, you will love this lady's blog!

http://mom2my6pack.blogspot.com/

She describes parenting so well in all of her posts! I have been reading it for the last hour, just CRACKING UP! So many of those things are so true, and having ran a daycare for 6 years, if my kids haven't tried it, at least one of my daycare kids have lol!

We are going to be leaving next Saturday for Houston. I hope this week goes by SLOWLY.
Raisa was thrilled to find out that she will be playing Marta in "The Sound of Music" which will run around the 2nd or 3rd of November. Keep an eye on the paper. It will be at FKHS in the auditorium. The directors are Darla Strecker and Mark Gard, so it is sure to be a hit!
~K

Crazy Sexy Cancer

What a title, eh!!! There is a new documentary on TLC starting August 29th, called "Crazy Sexy Cancer". I have been following the story of this girl, Kris Carr, for a couple of months now and am so glad to hear that the documentary is finally going to air on TLC.
Here is the link to it:
http://www.crazysexycancer.com/
You can access her blog from that site also. Such an inspiring person. She has a rare and incurable cancer. She is a great journalist. I encourage you all to take a moment to check out her story.

I have had a bit more good news this week, my tumor markers are down to 47!! WHOO HOO, it just may call for my first drink in, well, almost a year!! I also have a birthday on August 27th, so another reason to celebrate!

We are getting ready to leave for Houston a week from Sunday. We are going to drive down for the first time. I just don't want to be stuck without a car for so long. This way, we can take off on the weekends and drive to Galveston or somewhere else. We may have the chance to fly back for a weekend before I actually go into the hospital, which will be September 24. We are hoping to fly the kids down for a weekend also. We have found an apartment. Here is the link to where we will be staying:
http://www.premiercorporatehousing.com/states/texas/houston
Click on Houston Medical Center, and it is the "Archstone Medical Center Apartments".
It is the very first apartment on on the page on Fannin Street (it's right across from Reliant Park for those familar with Houston). It is a bit more than we were hoping to spend, but it will still be cheaper than the Rotary House where we have been staying. It seems like a real nice place.
For those of you who have been asking exactly what will be done during the transplant, here is the best link I have describing it (it is from the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, but the procedure is real similar):
http://www.cancercenter.com/stem-cell/stem-cell-autologous.cfm

My schedule has been filling up for the next month with scans, 2 more surgeries (port removal and central line put in and also a bone marrow biopsy where I have chosen to be put under), doctor visits, etc. We will keep the blog updated with all the tests and the results (like they will be anything other than great, AMEN!) I think I am now ready for this part of my journey. I hope you all follow me through it! I love you all!
~Kasey

We are home

Just a note to let everyone know that we are home now. I have lots to post about as a few new things have been added to this crazy mix. We were thrown a bit of a curve Monday before I was released to go home. I don't even really know where to begin or if I can really describe it all so that you can follow the story. I will try.
First, to reiterate about the stem cell transplant clinical trial. The trial is to see if lowering the Circulating Tumor Cells in the blood will prolong overall survial. CTC are a fairly new test that the Oncologists are just not too sure what to do with the info yet. They know that the average person without cancer can have up to 5 of these per 7.5ml of blood. You need to have over five to be enrolled in the trial. Last February, mine were 14. I did not even know every time at MDAnderson that I had my blood drawn, they also drew for this. I never received those reports. Dr. Ueno, my Stem Cell doctor however, did. As of this summer, my CTC are at ZERO. Yep, none! That was good to hear, however, I was afraid I would be kicked out of the trial for now being too healthy! Well, Dr. Ueno changed the protocol for the transplant to say that at one time, your CTC had to be over 5. So, I am still a part of the trial! That was great to hear. We leave the Tuesday after Labor Day and will be down there for 6-8 weeks.
Now, the curve that was thrown at us. I was not going to post about all of this yet, as I am still waiting to hear from the Doctors to talk more about it. But, in the surgery I had last week, I had breast tissue removed from both breasts to send to pathology. What they found really surprised us. Not only was cancer found in the left side, but it was also found in the right side. This has went undiagnosed from even MDA for almost a year and that has even included having multiple ct scans, ultrasounds, and MRI. Last October, they biopsied a lymph node on the right side that came back positive for cancer. They could not find any cancer in the right breast and had figured that in order for it to have gotten there, it would have made it's way all through my body. That is what got me the stage 4 diagnosis. Now, we know that the lymph node was positive because there indeed was cancer on the right side. That is actually good to hear. Now, for another curve, 2 types of cancer were actually found in the tissue from the left side, Lobular (which I knew about) and also Ductal. Last October, there were a few suspisious spots show up on my bone scan. These have never been biopsied to make sure that it indeed is cancer. I will be having them test it and also a bone marrow biopy. We do not have the receptor--er/pr (estogen) status or the her2neu-- back from the Ductul. As of now, we do not know for sure that it has actually spread, or if it has, which cancer it was that spread to the bone. The type as well as the receptor status will matter a bunch. They tailor your treatment around it. If there is indeed cancer in the bones and it turns out to be the ductal, with a receptor status of a triple negative (NOT positive for estrogen, meaning not fed by estrogen) and I would have listened to my oncologist at MDA last fall and just started out on hormone therapy, I would be in pretty bad shape right now. My intuition just told me I had to do the chemo, and the hardest regimine I could. Last February, the surgeon only wanted to biopsy the left breast. I also asked the opinion of my Oncologist at MDA as well as the Oncologist here in Coffeyville. They both said only do the left. My intuition told me otherwise and I was pretty adament that both need to be biopsied. Now, I think I should give credit to God here for intervening and guiding my ways this past year. I do believe that is where this intuition has cam from. I know what I need to do. I have always felt that way. I just KNOW.
Now I am not sure what my Doctors have to say about all of this yet. I think I will end up being a text book case for even MD Anderson. They couldn't believe I was misdiagnosed here for a year, yet I was UNdiagnosed there f0r almost a year. Interesting to say the least. I hope you have followed this weird unfolding of events. I know, had I not been the one living it, I probaly would be going "HUH??? WHAT?? I don't understand a word she said!" LOL. Hopefully we will be able to talk with my Oncologist this next week. I am just glad the SCT is still on. I think I will be in the best possible place I could be in to have it done (VERY VERY low tumor load). I do believe with all my heart that I AM THE HEALED. God said, "by His stripes I was healed". If I was healed, then, I am healed. Settled.

Thanks for hanging in there reading all of this! It is sure great to be home! The kids really missed us, as we did them. We added Raisa to our cell phone plan and got her her own Razor with unlimited texting. That was nice for both her and us. She was able to call me or text me any time that she wanted. I think she liked that feeling of being in touch with us at any point. It made it a little easier. We are going to bring them to Houston at some point during our stay there. I just can't go that long without seeing them. I need my hugs and snugglebugs!
~Kasey

EDITED TO ADD: Ok, I am a doofus. I never read the previous blogs from Kevin and didn't even see that he had already posted about the CTC and the SCT. He explained that part a whole lot better than I did HAHA! I should have just had him write this blog to! If any of you have any questions, feel free to post them and I will answer them!

A few more days in Houston

We're here for the weekend. The doctor wants us to stay until Monday. No problems...just precautions. Kasey's still pretty sore, so this weekend will give her more time to prepare for the airport adventure. (And maybe God's just trying to prepare us for the 2 months we will be staying here later. Raisa and Larson: We miss you SO much!!!)

So, we should be back home either Monday night or Tuesday.

Thanks for checking on us, and thanks for the kind words and prayers.

Kevin

Thursday, August 9th

Kasey is still doing well. She was released from the hospital Wednesday afternoon...just in time to go right to the Stem Cell Transplant clinic for a meeting with Dr. Ueno. This was an interesting meeting.

The Clinical Trial (Stem Cell Transplant) that she will be part of is based on Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC). A patient is required to have at least 5 of these cells present in the certain amount of blood they collect. When they first considered her for the trial, she had 14 CTC's. We had not seen these results in the past, but they have been testing every blood sample she has given here. The results Dr. Ueno showed us yesterday were a bit surprising...her CTC's went from 14 to 7 to 5 to 3 to ZERO....no CTC's at all!!!

A CTC is a cancer cell floating around in the blood stream. She is too well for the Clinical Trial...but, it gets better!! They have changed the protocol for the trial, and decided to allow persons that have had at least 5 CTC's, even though they disappear with good responses to conventional treatment (chemo).

This will be a great advantage for Kasey...the less disease present when the Stem Cell Transplant is undergone, the better odds for complete remission.

Praise God!!! The Holy Name of Jesus is all-powerfull!!!

Kasey's still slow getting around. So it may be a few days before she's ready for a flight home. She's better every day though...and we sure miss the kids!!!

Thanks to all for the thoughts and prayers.

Kevin

Day after surgery and all is good!!

Kasey is feeling good. She's eating well, and has been up and around a couple of times today. She's going to stay in the hospital one more night, and should be released tomorrow. Her spirits are high, as usual. She is such a strong woman!!

Thanks again for all the thoughts, prayers and comments.

Kevin

Surgery went well!!

We just wanted to let everyone know that surgery went well for Kasey. She'll be staying a night or two in the hospital, and should be able to come back to Coffeyville either Friday or Monday. (It'll be Friday if we have anything to do with it!!) Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers. Feel free to give us a call. And thanks to all who read and post on this blog. I know Kasey loves to hear from you.

Kevin

Surgery

We talked with the surgeon yesterday and we will check in Monday morning around 8 and surgery will be around 10 or 11. He is going to remove any cancerous tissue that may be left and also take a few lymph nodes from both sides for testing. I should be able to come back to the hotel the next day. We meet with the stem cell doctor Wednesday and we should be home on Friday or Saturday. I am ready to come home. I don't know how I am going to be able to stay here for 2 months. I miss my kids so much, I just want to cry. It's just not the same talking on the phone or text messaging. I need to kiss and hug them. Here's hoping this week flies by!
~Kasey

SCAN RESULTS~Aug. 2

My scan reports were dictated to my Oncologist today. I do not have copies of these yet as they aren't signed off for yet, but she did go over all the results with me.

BIG GRINS! All is either stable or IMPROVED compared to scans in May! Bones are looking good, nothing new and the chest/abdomen is still clear. GOD IS SO GOOD. I thank Him every day for my healing. Thank you all for all the prayers too! The power of prayer is awesome.
As I talked with the Radiologist today he thinks that I should be able to look at all this "through a rearview miror" and get on with life. That felt good to hear.
We did have an appointment with a genetic councelor today and I had about 8 viles of blood drawn for research and to test for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene. We have to get insurance approval before they send it in, but should know the results in about 6 weeks. While it won't affect my treatment, it will be info to know because of Raisa. If I carry it, she has a 50/50 chance of having it and would be tested for it when she is 20-25 years old.
We talk with the surgeon tomorrow and the anethesologist tomorrow and will also meet with my stem cell doctor, Dr. Ueno next week.
I am off to go eat dinner and get in the pool and hot tub!
Thanks again for all the support and prayers and for still hanging in there with me!
~Kasey

Off to Houston

We are leaving tomorrow for Houston. I can hardly believe it has been almost three months! Our flight out is at 7:30 pm, so we should be in Houston by 9:00pm. I have scans starting at 8:00 the next morning, so please keep us in your prayers! THANK YOU!!!
~Kasey

July 26, 2007

Hello!
Wow, this summer has flown right by. I can't believe it is the end of July already! We go back to Houston next Tuesday, July 31st. Not sure how long we will be there, at least a week and a half. I am hoping to be back before the start of school on August 16th. I will be having scans again as well as visiting with several doctors. I have an appointment with a genetics Doctor also. I am hoping to have my central line put in for the transplant while we are there also. As of now, we will be going back to Houston the middle of September for the SCT. That is when we will be down there for 2 months. All is still well with me. I am still a bit tired as my blood counts are still down, but it hasn't stopped me from doing what I have wanted to. Raisa and Larson have sure kept me busy this summer! Tonight is opening night for Narnia and both of the kids are in that and it runs until Sunday. Saturday is the League Swim Meet that Raisa will be in. That will be her last swim meet for the season. Raisa is excited to try out for The Sound of Music next month. That will be the fall musical put on by Darla Strecker and Mark Gard at F.K.H.S. Sounds fun!
Don and Shelly have closed and moved into their new home. Thank you to those who bought them a gift or sent a card to them. I know it meant alot to them. I am so proud of how this town is handled the flood and all the displaced families. Way to go!
That's all that's new for now. We will post next week after we get the scans. Please keep us in your prayers!
~Kasey
(OH, I forgot to add that my tumor markers have went down to 62!)

July 7, 2007

Thank you all for your interest in helping Don and Shelly. I have several of your emails saved and will be calling you! I am making up a list of things they are needing and if anyone would like to help out, PLEASE CALL ME AT 251-8546, or email me at: kaseyhoggatt@sbcglobal.net
They have purchased a new home and will be closing next Thursday, but will have nothing from their old house to move into it. Kevin and I are planning a house warming party (or BBQ) for them in the very near future. Call me if you are interested. If you can't make the party, but still want to help them, call me!!! I will be calling those on my list when we decide a date.

The kids and I have been helping out the shelters around town with donations of food, clothes and toys. We bought a bunch of bubbles and blowpops for the kids in the shelters too. I know my kids have really enjoyed helping out. They even picked out certain stuff they wanted to donate. Larson picked out Dora the Explorer toothpaste for the kids who don't like "grown up toothpaste" and children's character toothbrushes. He also wanted to buy some new underwear (Cars) for the boys and Princesses for the girls. Raisa bought some crayons, coloring books, Rice Krispie Treats and cheese and cracker treats for the kids. They also picked out Chips and dip, Pringles, Peanuts and beef jerkey for the National Guard. Like I said, they really enjoyed helping out. We will check back with the shelters next week to see if they are needing anthing new. I feel blessed to be in a position to be able to help. I am so sorry all these people have to go through this.
Thank you for all the well wishes for Don and Shelly and family. It brings them comfort knowing people are here to help!
~Kasey

~flooding~

Can you all believe this is happening????? Wow. For those of you wondering, yes, my inlaws house is flooded. We are still not sure how high, as there have been conflicting reports. Some say it is over the roof, others say above the windows, but not to the attic yet. They really didn't think they would flood and did not take much out with them. They did, however put some things in the attic, so we are PRAYING it has not gotten into the attic. They are all staying here with us for the time being. Not sure what the future holds yet. I hope the water will recede soon so we can at least get back to the house to check it out. Prayers to all of you that have been affected by this flood and oil spill.
~Kasey

Curious George

Sharing a few photos from the play "The Adventures of Curious George" today. The last one has Larson in it next to Raisa, who played Curious George.

Relay For Life

What an amazing experience it was! I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for all the encouragement and hugs that night! Seeing all the luminaries with my name on them just brought me to tears. Thank you to every one of you that purchased one in my honor. Here are a few photos to share from relay last Friday night:

Thank you, Gay Cornell, for all you did to make it a wonderful night for many!

Last Friday I had my LAST chemo until the sct! Finally, a break! We head back to Houston on August 1st, so I will have the rest of the summer to enjoy! I will be asking everyone who would like to stay in contact with me during the 2 months we are in Houston to post your email address for me, or email me. I will still post updates on this blog while we are there. I know many of you read this blog for updates. It seems everytime I am out somewhere, I run into someone who tells me that they read it almost everyday. I just had no idea so many of you know of this site. (Quit hiding and post a hi--I want to know who all is lurking!)

Please also continue to keep my friend, Terri Hill, in you prayers! She is having a rough time. She was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor a few months ago. Prayers to you, Terri!!!!!

If you all have a free afternoon on Thursday, June 28th, from 4:30-5:00, stop by the College and see the play, "Curious George" that the summer theatre camp is putting on. (Raisa is Curious George and Larson is a brother who loses his ballon--it's his first play!)

~Kasey

June 18, 2007

Chemo brain must really be setting in--------it took me 9 tries to log in because I forgot my username and password hahaha!
All is still well here. I have my LAST chemo this Friday!! (Well, last one until the SCT). After 7 1/2 months, it is finally here! I am so glad it went so well. A year ago, I had no idea what "chemotherapy" even was. I have been blessed in that no one close to me had ever went through it. I am just so happy I made it through it (and with a smile on my face most days!). I have decided to celebrate the ending of chemo at Relay for Life this Friday. I had been going back and forth as to if I was emotionally ready for it or not. I didn't think I could be much inspiration to anyone yet. Maybe in 10 years I felt, then I will have a story to tell. But, as I have shared with all of you, my story began on that awful day in September when I came out of surgery and heard the words "It's cancer". I have pondered what it means to "survive" cancer. Then it hit me, I have already SURVIVED cancer in the fact that it will not steal from me my happiness and my hope. I will never live as if I "HAVE" cancer. It doesn't HAVE me.
I AM A SURVIVOR.
~Kasey

Another "Mommy moment!"

Had to share Raisa too! The Swim Team is in full force now! They had their first meet last night against Chanute and will close with the League Meet the last Saturday in July.

The future "Tiger Woods" of Golf!

Ok, just having a Mommy brag moment lol! (He really is pretty darn good though!)

Monday, June 4th

Hi there! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far! Raisa has started her swim practices and will have her first meet Wednesday at the Country Club. Larson has started t-ball and will have his first game tonight--YA! They are having fun so far! Larson is also in Junior Golf at the Country Club. He is LOVING that! He is really a pretty good golfer for a 5 year old. They will have a tournament in a few weeks. I can't wait to watch that!
As for me, I have been just as busy as ever. Trying to slow it down a bit, but it's hard! We go back to Houston August 1st and will be there until about August 10-13. I have scans and surgery planned that week. Then, we will have to wait 4 weeks and then will begin the transplant. So, we are looking at the first to middle of September to begin now. As long as I am home for the holidays, that is fine with me. This Friday, I will begin my last 3 infusions of Abraxane. After that, I will have a shot to shut down my ovaries and will start on an oral chemo called Femera. I am still feeling great. I had my week off of chemo last week, so this week I am not even overly tired. Good thing, too much to do haha! You all take care!
~Kasey

May 24

HELLLLLLOOOOOO! Sorry again for not posting lately! I haven't been on the computer much except for proofing. Things are going good here. Tumor markers are now down to 70.1! -----insert applause here------LOL! We still have no set date for the SCT (stem cell transplant) yet. I have been talking with the Nurses this week. They are in the process of getting things together. I will keep you all posted.
I can't believe school is out for the summer! Last September when I was diagnosed with cancer I wished the year would go fast as to get my through treatment. It sure has too. Now, I wish it would all slow down a bit! Today was a bittersweet day for me. It was my last day doing daycare. After 6 years of having great kids (and parents) coming to my house everyday it will feel strange and quiet around here. I planned a year ago to possibly quit in May of 2007 and do photography full time. I am just about booked now for the sessions I will be taking for the summer. I have had some real sweet sessions lately, but unfortunately don't have model releases to share, so I haven't been able to post them. I am needing to spend some time updating my photography website (www.photographybykasey.com). It has been about 1 1/2 years. I need to add more current photos. That just takes time, which was hard to find while doing daycare.
We are finally getting our downstairs bathroom redone. The tile in the shower is looking awesome. I love it. Now, I want to redo the upstairs like it! Those kind of projects just never end, do they?
Just a little note to also let you all know that little Daric is home and doing good! He did have to go to OKC after getting home from Alabama to have some fluid removed from his lung, but is doing good now. (I hope you don't mind me posting this MonaGayle, I just know many people were praying for him)
If I don't post much in the next week or so, I will just be busy! Swim practice starts next Tuesday and next Wednesday is Larson's first t-ball game. I am also hoping to have a garage sale soon, if I could just get in gear to get everything organized for it. I may work on that this weekend if it doesn't rain. Awwww, the list of things to do just keeps getting bigger and bigger (and I still haven't planted my new bushes out front yet!).
Until next time,
~Kasey

PS--I am not going to go back and check for typos and grammer so if it bothers you, just close your eyes LOLOLOL!

ROCK ON!

That's what my oncologist had to say to me today! Rock on!!!

Everything is looking great! There has been visible improvement in the bones and all organs are still clear! WHOOHOOO! Tumor markers are down to 78.2 now. Bloodwork has been fine. I don't have to see her until August. We had our meeting with the transplant team, but they thought I was through with chemo and were wanting me to start the process of the transplant now. They are only taking one person at a time for this clinical trial. However, I won't be through with chemo until the middle of July, so they will be starting another person now and I will be next in line, so we are still looking at August/September, which is what we were figuring. The clinical trial is in phase 2 right now. I will be getting the reports from phase 1 to check it out. I am guessing they have had a good response or it would not have made it to phase 2. There is a percentage of women who do real well with the transplant and are essentially "cured" (although with cancer that term is used pretty lightly as you all know, there is no CURE) and I am fitting in with that profile pretty good so far with my excellent response to chemo.
So, we have had a great visit here! We are still in Houston (I have chemo here in about 15 minutes!) and should be back some time tomorrow. Our flight out is at 11:30 am. I think we may stay in Tulsa for a bit and get some Mother's Day shopping (sorry Mom, your gift will be a tad late--but, ya know I love ya!) and some Birthday shopping for Raisa done. I can't believe my baby will be 11!! Time sure flies.
Need to head out, but couldn't wait to share the good news!

~Kasey

Forrest Gump Dies....

The day finally arrived. Forrest Gump dies and goes to Heaven. He is met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter himself. However, the gates are closed and Forrest approaches the Gatekeeper. St. Peter says, "Well, Forrest, it's certainly good to see you. We've heard a lot about you. I must tell you though, that the place is filling up fast, and so we've been administering an entrance examination for everyone. The test is short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven"
Forrest responds, "It shor is good to be here, St. Peter, sir. But nobody ever tolt me about any entrance exam. Shor hope the test ain't too hard. Life was a big enough test as it was."
St. Peter goes on, "Yes, I know, Forrest, but the test is only three questions.
First: What two days of the week begin with the letter T? Second: How many seconds are there in a year? Third: What is God's first name?"
Forrest leaves to think the questions over. He returns the next day and sees St. Peter who waves him up and says, "Now that you have had a chance to think the questions over, tell me your answers."
Forrest says, "Well, the first one -- which two days in the week begin with the letter "T"? Shucks, that one's easy. That'd be Today and Tomorrow.
The Saint's eyes open wide and he exclaims, "Forrest, that's not quite what I was thinking, but you do have a point, and I guess I didn't specify, so I'll give you credit for that answer. How about the next one?" asks St. Peter?
"How many seconds in a year?"
"Now that one's harder," says Forrest, "but I thunk and thunk about that, and I guess the only answer can be twelve."
Astounded, St. Peter says, "Twelve? Twelve!? Forrest, how in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?"
Forrest says "Shucks, there's gotta be twelve: January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd ...... "
"Hold it," interrupts St. Peter. "I see where you're going with this, and I see your point, though again that wasn't quite what I had in mind. But I'll have to give you credit for that one too. Let's go on with the third and final question. Can you tell me God's first name"?
"Sure" Forrest replied, "its Andy."
"Andy?!" exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St. Peter. "OK, I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in the world did you come up with the name Andy as the first name of God?"
"Shucks, that was the easiest one of all," Forrest replied. "I learnt it from the song. "ANDY WALKS WITH ME, ANDY TALKS WITH ME, ANDY TELLS ME I AM HIS OWN. . . "
St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates and said: "Run Forrest, run."

Off to Houston

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we are leaving for Houston again on Wednesday afternoon. I have scans all day Thursday and we are meeting with my transplant Doctor and Oncologist Friday. I have had several people asking me about the stem cell transplant. It is called an "autologous stem cell transplant ". It is basically the same as a bone marrow transplant, except they will be taking my stem cells from the blood instead of the marrow. I will be on medication several days prior to the "harvesting or rescuing" of my stem cells that will push the stem cells out of the marrow into the bloodstream. Then, they will collect them, smack me with an extremely high dose of chemo that will kill all the cells and marrow in me. Then, they will "transplant" my own stem cells back into me. Then I wait in the hospital while my body recouperates and starts to rebuilt the red and white blood cells. I vaguely remember them also talking about whole body radiation also, right before or after the chemo. We will find out more this week. I hope that darn weather cooperates and we get to leave on time. I think our flight is at 7:30 tomorrow evening or somewhere around that. We will be home Saturday. I want to send out a special prayer to my little friend, Daric Voss, who is 4, and just had open heart surgery yesterday in Alabama. May God look after him and comfort him and his parents (you and your family are so special MonaGayle--I just love you all!!). Take care and I will post again this weekend or before with our scan results and any new info!
~Kasey

Insurance Approval!

Our insurance company has FINALLY approved the stem cell transpant! We received final approval yesterday. They declined it first go around, but we, along with M.D. Anderson and Acme/Magic Circle appealed it and won! They are wanting me to meet back with my transplant Doctor (Dr. Ueno--pronounced Way-no) along with my Oncologist, Dr. Green next week in Houston. I will have to have the pre transplant tests done again (heart and lung tests). I passed these with flying colors a few months ago. Hopefully, they will be able to schedule them all next week when we are back in Houston. I love M.D. Anderson. I love how they handle everything for you. We will also start our search for an apartment to rent the 2 months we are down there. Hopefully, that won't be too hard! I have still been feeling good, just real tired. I am glad the weather has finally warmed up though! I have a bunch of new plants to get planted outside, if it would just stop raining now hahaha!
You all take care and Happy May Day!
~Kasey

Life with Larson

I should seriously start this kid his own website! Life with Larson is very interesting! I could go on and on about all the strange things he thinks of and says! Tell him to get dressed and WELL, just see the above photo! LOL! Ask him his favorite Chinese restaurant--Honk Honk Delight of course! A few nights ago we were discussing Baptism and he wanted to know who his Fairy Godmother was! He is so into Star Wars right now you never know when Yoda or Obi One Kanobi will be running through the house. Yes, life with Larson is interesting!

Double Digits!!

My tumor markers are still in double digits! They dropped from 96 down to 85 this week. I still have to get them down to 35, but they are headed there!! 5 of 12 Abraxane treatments down. I will be headed back to MDA in a few weeks. I will be having some genetic testing done to see if I carry the breast cancer gene---BRCA1 and BRCA2. I don't think, for me, it will matter now. I just need to know because I do have a daughter and if I carry the gene, she may also. I thought breast cancer was more heriditary then it is. Only 15% of breast cancers are heridtary. 85% of women just get it. Only 10% of breast cancers are lobular carcinomas like what I have. They tend to be more aggressive and diagnosed at a later stage due to the fact that this cancer grows in "sheets" or "layers" and will present more as a thickening of tissue than an actual lump. That is why they are hard to pick up on mammograms. Like I have stated earlier, I had 2 mammograms in 2005 that did not pick this up. That, coupled with my younger age to get breast cancer, I have been in alot of the minority so far.

You all have a great weekend! Don't forget about the Holy Name School carnival tonight!!
~Kasey

So Sorry!

I am real sorry I haven't posted too much lately! It has just been so busy! I have been feeling alright, just real tired, yet not sleeping well at night, from this new chemo. Last week was my week off, so today started a new 3 week on period. Then I will have another week off, then the next week we will head back to Houston for new scans. I will have my tumor markers drawn next week, so we can see how much more they have dropped!
What I have I been busy doing? Well, this week, I photographed 85 kids, 1 mayor, 1 baby and will finish up with 20 First Communicants! Whew! I still managed to make it to one of my Yoga classes, have chemo, go to bible study and only take one day off of daycare! See, not much time left to post on the blog lol!
I don't know about all of you, but I am ready for this cold weather to move on! I want some warm sunshine. I am ready to take the daycare kids outside more. I think they are all getting a bit of cabin fever. Larson is looking foreward to playing teeball this year. He is quite a ball player if I may say so! He is also great at golf, basketball and soccer. He has made it out to the Country Club a couple of times with Kevin to golf. He will play all 18 holes and be ready for more! Raisa is gearing up for swimming. I am going to enroll her in the fitness club through CRC so she can use the high school pool in the evening to start getting back in shape. I usually do it with her, but will have to pass on it this year. Swim practices will start at the end of May. Larson will be doing swim lessons this year through the red cross. He is excited about that.
You all take care and pray for some warmer weather! I am so done with winter!
~Kasey

Happy Easter!

May Easter bring you a happy heart,

and may your spirit rejoice in the risen Lord!

Have a Blessed Easter!

Chemo at CRMC

Ok, I know there are several employees of CRMC waiting for this post! HAHA! How did it go??? Truth be told, it went alright! It's no MD Anderson, as in, no private rooms with your own tv, no personal waiter to order you some food and NO WARM BLANKETS! How spoiled am I! LOL! They did bring me a blanket though and offered me a drink (Soda or juice, not the kind I really needed haha!). I had to wait for about an hour for the pharmacy to get the chemo, but once we had the chemo, the infusion went pretty fast. It is only about a 30 minute infusion, but I also had my Zometa (a bone strengthener) which takes about 15 minutes. We went in at 8:30 and were out at 11:00. Not too bad. I think my body is finally starting to wear down a bit from all the chemo. I have been pretty tired most of the weekend. We stayed home Friday night and just rented a movie, The Holiday. Cute show. Saturday we had to run to Bartlesville, but I didn't do much else. Kevin took Larson to the races in Humbolt that evening. I think they will both be glad when Mid America opens back up! Today they are watching the Nascar race with those "Cars of tomorrow" or whatever. I am real into it, can ya tell! I think I will go take another nap! I did go visit my friend, Terri this past week. She was still at St. John's in Tulsa. I don't want to post too much about her situation, but just pray for her healing. She is going to MD Anderson on Tuesday and will be under great care there. Thank you!

You all have a great week!
~Kasey
I FORGOT TO ADD MY TUMOR MARKERS TOOK ANOTHER DROP THIS PAST WEEK! I AM DOWN TO 96!!!!!

Scan Results

Well, all the tests were worth it!!!!

I have had an additional 56% decrease in my tumor markers since January!!! I started out with them at 711.1 this past October (35 is normal) and by November they were down to 516.2, in December they were down to 389.3 and in January they were down to 250.9. Right now, they are down to 106.9!!!! On the way to remission. I am beyond ecstatic! It has been amazing watching those numbers drop!

Now, onto all the scan results! All looked good, nothing new and the cancer in the bone is all healing! Hopefully by this summer I will be NED (No Existing Disease). We are headed there now!

I started a new chemo yesterday. Instead of Taxol, we went with Abraxane (it is still a taxane like Taxol). I will be on it for 3 weeks on, 1 week off, so every 4th week I will have a break. I will still have 12 infusions of this. So far, so fine on this! My counts were down quite a bit, but they were still able to start this chemo yesterday. I did have a slight problem with my blood pressure. Not sure what was up with that, but it kept dropping. It went down to 84/54, so they had to monitor that all through chemo. But, they just made sure I felt ok and was able to leave afterwards, thank God! We had a flight home booked for that evening and I would not have wanted to have to miss it. So, were home now and I am feeling good! We are heading to Lowe's tonight to check out some tile as we are getting ready to redo the downstairs bathroom. I would love to put up travertine in that bathroom, but we'll see what they have.

You all have a great week and I am so GLAD to be able to share all my wonderful scan results with all of you! Your emails really keep me going! THANK YOU!

~Kasey

Scan Week

Well, I can't believe it has been almost 3 weeks already!!! We head back to Houston Wednesday to get ready for a FULL day of scans on Thursday starting at 7:30am. We have CT scans, xrays, MRI's, Bone Scan and an ultrasound scheduled. Then, we start the first dose of a chemo called Taxol on Friday. I will have 12 weekly infusions of this. I have it set up to do them here in Coffeyville after the first one at MDA. I won't have to go back to Houston for 6 weeks, so we will have a little break. We will know by the end of May when we will be having the stem cell transplant. I have still been feeling great!

On another note, I would like to send out some prayers and ask all of you to pray for my friend, Terri. I had talked with her on the phone last Tuesday for about an hour about how unpredictable life is and stuff like that. She was telling me how she lit a candle at church for me and prays for me all the time! Then, Friday, I got word that out of the blue Thursday she had a seizure. They took her to CRMC, then transported her to St. John's where they have found a golfball size tumor on her brain. She is going in for surgery to have it removed on Tuesday. They won't know if it is malignant or benign until then. PRAY FOR HER and her family! She is right around my age and has a 10 year old son. Thinking and praying for you Terri!

~Kasey

Back from Houston

Well, we're back from Houston! We got into Houston late Wednesday night and had several tests early Wednesday morning. I had an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart), spirometry and DLCO (lung tests). Passed all with flying colors. Chemo went fine! I was glad to see the last drops of that red devil go in! Felt a little nauseous during chemo. Not sure why. I think I was just thinking too hard about how nasty chemo is! I have tried not to think about how toxic it is, just thrilled with how it is working! I felt fine as soon as chemo was over though, just a little shaky in the legs. My blood counts were the lowest they have been so far. Last time I was borderline in getting my chemo (Neutrophil count at 1500) and this time it was actually way to low (1200), but she decided to overwrite it so I could get this last FAC since I am in such good shape at this point during chemo, very healthy and doing so well. We go back in 3 weeks to be rescanned and have my first dose of Taxol. Taxol is better tolorated than FAC, so I am assuming I will fly through it also. We will know in May when we will be doing the stem cell transplant. I was hoping for August/Sept but it may be as soon as July/August. I just hate the thought of missing swim meets, tee ball games and Children's Summer Theater. So, here is hoping we can do it starting in August!! That's all the info from this trip!
~Kasey

Sunday, February 18

Hello! I hope everyone had a great week last week and a great Valentine's day! I haven't had much to post lately, which I suppose is good! Just busy living life! I posted a couple of photos from sessions I did last week on my photo blog: http://photographybykasey.blogspot.com/
Feel free to check them out!

We are headed back to Houston Wednesday evening. I have several tests scheduled for Thursday to prepare for the stem cell transplant. The need to run tests on my heart and lungs I guess to make sure they are healthy and strong enough to endure a transplant. I also have my last FAC chemo Friday! That is the chemo with the "Red Devil" in it. I thank the Lord everyday for how easy I have went through it! Most days, I forget I am even on chemo! I have had no side effects at all, except for being a little tired the day after chemo. Three weeks after the last FAC chemo I will begin a chemo called "Taxol". I will have 12 weekly infusions of this. The first infusion will be done at MD Anderson as I will be there all week that week for scans anyway. After that, I will have them done here at CRMC. Yep, I am a little scared and hesitant about that! I am glad I will be having the first one at MDA so I will know how it should go. You can bet I will be running the show here! I will know EXACTLY what they should and should not be doing. If anything doesn't seem right, they can kiss my a**! I will just have to have them done at MDA. But, I will give them a try.

I was going to post some photos of Raisa and Kevin leaving for the Daddy/Daughter ball, but I haven't downloaded them yet. They both looked so nice! My Dad is doing MUCH better! Thanks for all the prayers! I have been spending some time reading the pslams this past week and have found Psalms 91 quite inspiring! "My refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust!"-
-psalm 91

I probably won't post again until next weekend. No news is good news though! I will just be busy!

~Kasey

~Happy Valentine's Day~

The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or even touched~
They must be felt with the heart!
--Helen Keller

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!!!

More good news!!!!!

We got more good news from our Oncologist yesterday! After meeting with the transplant Doctor (Dr. Ueno----pronounced Way-No) he wanted to have my mri and cat scans that were inconclusive from 3 weeks ago reread. They had the best of the best Radiologist there look at them and compare and he said it is all activity from HEALING! YAAA! My oncologist has never seen a case of mixed resposne with chemo like this, where tumor markers are going down and tumor is decreasing (BY 94%!) but other areas showing no improvement. Now we know WHY! It's all just healing, but still showing up (or flaring) on mri and ct scans. I am so relieved!
I will have my last FAC chemo on February 24, then we will be reacanned on March 16 and I will start my first infusion fo Taxol (a taxane). I will have Taxol weekly for 12 weeks. I am going to check into having those done here (as scared as I am about that!). I just don't want to make weekly trips to Houston. To much for me!
I am expected to fly through the Taxol also, since my Dr. called me the "poster child for chemo!" I am glad I was able to tolorate it so well! I think it was because I KNEW I would!!! The mind is truly a powerful thing! That reminds me! A friend of mine (thanks Carrie!!) lent me a dvd called "The Secret". Very good show! It basically teaches you mind over matter---quantom physics. I have alway been a been a very driven person and ususlly get what I want. Now I understand why. Have that faith and belief that what you want, you can have!
Take care!!
~Kasey

Thursday, February 1

Hi! Sorry I didn't update yesterday! We met with the transplant Doctor and it looks like I will be a good candidate for a transplant!! I have had an excellent response to chemo. What it looks like we will do is a Stem Cell transplant using my own stem cells. The procedure is the same as a bone marrow transpant, but recovery is a little shorter. We will only have to stay in Houston for 2 months instead of 3. They will give me a drug to increase my stem cells, then "harvest" them. I will be hooked up to the machine for about 3-4 hours a day for 3-4 days. Then they wil give me the maximum amount of chemo they can over the next few days. Then, I will stay in the hospital for about 2 more weeks, for a total of 3-4 weeks actually in the hospital. Then they will release me, but I have to stay within 15 miles of the hospital for the next month.
We will do the transplant after I finish all my chemo and have surgery to remove as much of the cancer they can. They will also replace my port with another type (central line or something?). We meet with my Onconlogist tomorrow and will find out how long we are going to do chemo.
Today, we had a day of R&R and rented a car and drove down to Galveston. We love the ocean! We ate at Joe's Crab Shack for lunch and I pigged out on Calamari. YMMMMM! We drove around Nasa Space Station on the way back and got a little lost in downtown Houston, but we got the car returned in time!
That's all the new info for now! We have chemo tomorrow at 2:30 and will be home tomorrow night. I heard it snowed again! I have not seen it snow once yet this year HAHA! We have been in Houston every time it snowed!
See ya all soon!
~Kasey and Kevn

Monday, January 29

Hello!
Well we are off to Houston again tomorrow evening. We get to meet with a transplant Doctor at 9:00 am Wednesday. His name is Naoto Ueno, M.D., Ph.D. I was reading up on him and here is his description of what he does:

"The primary interest of my laboratory is to dissect molecular events related to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis or cell cycle changes. Further, we translate these molecular events into developing innovative gene therapies, immunotherapy or diagnostic tools for patients with breast or ovarian cancers. Paclitaxel-induced cell death is the event that follows metaphase arrest. Thus, we have investigated the role of mitotic checkpoint in taxane-induced cell death. We have identified CDK1 activity which may allow predicting the tumor response to taxane. So far, we have successfully quantified mitotic checkpoint to develop a novel biomarker to develop paclitaxel sensitivity.

We have also focused on Paclitaxel sensitization of breast and ovarian cancer cells by adenovirus type 5 E1A gene. E1A is a well-known tumor suppressor that can induce apoptosis or downregulate HER-2/neu overexpression in cancer cells. This E1A can effect multiple genes that can allow cells to be more prone to apoptosis when treated with chemotherapeutic agents. We initiated and completed a phase I trial of E1A gene therapy among patients with breast and ovarian cancers. We showed that E1A can be delivered locally (intraperitoneally) to cancer cells by using cationic liposome. Because E1A gene therapy has been limited to locoregional delivery, we introduced a systemic gene delivery system using the cationic liposome LPD. The safety and pharmacokinetics of this cationic liposome are currently being studied, and we plan to open a clinical trial using this delivery system in the near future. Recently, we have initiated phase I/II clinical trials of E1A gene therapy combined with Paclitaxel for patients with ovarian cancer (sponsored by ovarian SPORE). The study design allows collection of samples before and after E1A gene therapy to determine the precise mechanisms of tumor response of E1A combined with paclitaxel."

Ummmmmmmmm. Ok! I think he will be repeating everything he says to me lol! I need to hear it so I can understand. I think I'll be breaking out the big pad of paper for this one!

Ahhhh--It's about tax time! I've been spending time lately getting things in order. I am usually so on top of it during the year, but I guess I slacked this year and am paying for it now haha! I do have all my receipts at least categorized by month, now just to add them all up!

In case you haven't been to my photography blog "www.photographybykasey.blogspot.com"
I have added a couple new photos taken recently. I will add more in February! You should be able to click the link under my photo on the right. The link wasn't working for awhile (someone just pointed it out to me) as I had it coded wrong, but it should be working now!

My Dad is still doing good! Thank you for the prayers for him! Hopefully he will be back online soon posting comments!

That's it for now! Like I said, we are heading to Houston tomorrow evening. We should be home Friday evening as my Chemo is at 2:30, so we should make the 8:00 flight home.
Talk to you all soon!
~Kasey

Sunday, January 21

I am back from Los Angeles! Great news about my Dad! He is doing 100% better! We were able to take him home from the hospital Thursday afternoon. He is breathing great and doesn't even need oxygen. He is a true fighter also! (HI DAD! GLAD YOU'RE BACK UP AND AT 'EM!).
This has been a long, busy couple of weeks! I hate traveling alone. I had an hour and a half layover in Las Vegas going out to L.A and I was just thinking how much Kevin would love to be sitting at those slot machines haha! I got to share the flight from Las Vegas to LAX with the crew from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I also got to go into the hospital where they film Grey's Anatomy while in Los Angeles. Pretty cool! They film it in the VA hospital where my Dad normally goes for his check ups. We went to talk to someone there about options for my Dad and what we should do. Pretty neat being at the hospital then watching the show that night and recognizing it all! I had some delays on my flight back--boarded at LAX, then as we were about to leave, Phoenix pretty much shut down (where I was going through back to Tulsa) because of a storm, so we had to sit on the plane for an hour before we left. Then, when we finally got to Phoenix, they hurried those off who were getting off and borded those getting on pretty quickly, only to get out to the runway and find out we were 25th in line for take off! Blah! Had to sit there for another 45 minutes. But, I am home now and it feels great!
While in L.A. I got a call from Houston and we get to meet with the BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) Doctors starting January 31. So we will have another 3 day visit to Houston the week after next, then another 3 day visit 3 weeks later (for new scans). I will keep you all posted about that. I think I need to go to bed now! I am sure there are many typos here, but again, I don't feel like going back and correcting them. I am the run-on sentence queen also!! I just keep on typing! LOL. Hope it all makes SOME sense!
Take care and THANK YOU for all the prayers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~Kasey

Heading to L.A.

Well, we made it home Saturday. I spent most of Saturday and today just resting. I am heading out to Los Angeles Tuesday morning. Too many flights were cancelled for today and tomorrow that I didn't want to risk having a cancelled flight. Hopefully all will be well by Tuesday morning! I should be back next Sunday. Please keep my Dad in your prayers!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!
~Kasey

Dr. visist and Chemo round 4

Today I had an ultrasound of the breast and heard some awesome news! The "cancer mass" has been reduced 94%!!!!!!! YES! 94%! It is only 6% what it was 3 months ago. The radiolgist was thrilled as was my Oncologist. That coupled with the big drop in tumor markers we made a great choice with this chemo. The mri results were sort of inconclusive because they scanned me using a Tesla 3.0 instead of the 1.5 they scanned me with 3 months ago, so the machine was twice as strong. But it did not show any more involvement, so stable there (or if I would have been scanned on the same strength machine it probably would have shown improvement). We didn't get to get a copy of the CT scan as it had just been dictated, but our Dr. had listened to it and there has been NO SPREADING TO ORGANS! YA!!! We are going to redo the tests again in 6 weeks because it is unusual to have a mixed response to chemo. Bone marrow whould have shown improvement. It is the same type of cancer in the breast, just in another area. She thinks we just need to throw that test out because the one outward sign of the cancer (the breast) that they can see and feel has improved SOOOOOOO much and tumor markers are going down significantly. We know this chemo is working and that is what the radiologist stressed also. So we will do 2 more round of chemo for now. We will be assembling our transplant team for the bone marrow transplant within the next 3 weeks and will get to meet and talk to them in either 3 or 6 weeks. Or Oncologist feels good about having me do it. I was having some concerns just with how severe it is. It would be a tough 100 days! But then, I am tough! I may also get to be enrolled in a clinical trial for a new drug. Will know more about that later.
I hope this is making sense! Forgive any typos, I don't feel like going back correcting them haha!

My Dad is still in the hosital intubated, sedated and now restrained. He keeps building up a resistance to the antethesia they are giving him to sedate him, so he keeps waking up and when he wakes up he is agitaed and tries to rip out the ventilators and IV's. He just doesn't understand what is going on yet. My dad has an iron will like mine. He knows what he wants and it isn't sitting in a hospital bed with tubes coming out of you. That's why they are having to keep him sedated. I am just ready for him to wake up, breathe on his own and hear my good news!

We are going to be stuck here in Houston for a few days because of the ice in Tulsa. All flights tonight have been cancelled and we are assuming the ones for tomorrow will be also. I may trade my ticket in to one to L.A. to be with my Dad. I don't know. I don't know. I just want that call from my Mom or Mark that he woke up, they took the ventilator out and he is breathing fine. You never know when the last time will be you get to talk to someone. I talked to him Monday night and he gave me a pep talk about the week we were going to have in Houston. I promised to call him right after the first test. He also emails me every day. I have missed his emails. I don't think he knew how much our talks have meant to me these last few months. I still need him! Dad, you better get well and read this post! I love you!!!

~Kasey

Good News and PRAYERS NEEDED!

As for the good news, tumor markers went down 36% more these last 3 weeks!!!!!!!!
We are still awaiting reports from the CT scans and the MRI, but going by the tumor markers, we expect good news! Wireless internet has been hit and miss here, so I don't know if I will be able to post the results until we get home Saturday. We visit with my Oncologist and do round 4 of chemo tomorrow.

Now, for the prayers part. As soon as we got to Houston Tuesday I received a call that my Dad was taken to the ER and couldn't breathe. He has COPD (Chronic Obstuctive Pulmonary Disease)and emphysema. They transferred him to another hospital and have since had to sedate and intubate him. He will remain intubated under sedation for a couple of days and then they will try to awake him and remove the respirator to see if he can breathe on his own. Hard news to deal with right now. If the have to reintubate him, I will be going out there the first part of next week to be with him. Please say a prayer that he will be fine! He has been a GREAT support for me through my ordeal right now and it would be hard without him.
I love you Dad!
~Kasey

Sunday, January 7

Hi!
Just a quick update from last week. I had my first setback this past week. BooHoo! I came down with strep throat that landed me in the ER on Thursday morning. My white blood cell count was way down that week (days 7-14 are the worst) and I just couldn't shake the fever or infection. But, after a shot of Penicillan and a long nap, I felt MUCH better! Back to myself by that evening and I didn't even miss our healing prayer/study group that Colleen Perkins is doing every week. That is such an inspirational time for me! If anyone would like any info on it EMAIL ME. We meet once a week.
I am gearing up for scans and chemo number 4 next week! Please keep us in you prayers!
Also, please add a prayer for all people whose cancer has returned or they are newly diagnosed. Several have hit close to home this week :(.

I know the plans that I have for you,
declares the Lord.
They are plans for PEACE....and not disaster.
Plans to give you a FUTURE filled with HOPE.
Jeremiah 29:11

Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, YOU WILL RECEIVE!
Matthew 21:22

Have faith in God! His promises are great!

Until next week,
~Kasey

Happy New Year!!!!

Wishing all of you a Happy and Blessed New Year!
To those of you whom we saw at Casino Night--I love you all! I didn't realize how many of you follow this blog! THANK YOU! (And yes, Missy, those were mighty fine Margaritas weren't they ;) lol!)
It sure was nice having a whole week off of work! Now, to get back into a routine! Usually I am ready for the kids to get back into school, but it has been nice having them here this week. We just messed around most of the week, hit a few after Christmas sales. Raisa had her annual New Years Eve party last night with her friends. I finally told them at 5:oo a.m. to get to bed! HAHA, they were having lots of fun though! Thanks Brit for being a great babysitter!
I have been feeling so great! We don't go back to Houston until next week. We will be flying out on Tuesday, Jan. 9 as we have an early appointment on the 10th. We won't be back until Saturday, Jan. 13, because Chemo isn't scheduled until 5:00 Friday evening. I will have new CT and MRI scans that week. I will keep you all posted!
~Kasey
First Peter 2:24
By His wounds, I AM Healed!

Chemo-Round 3

I am about 1/3 of the way through these chemo treatments! YA! I had another 25% drop in my tumor markers so we are excited again about that!
I do need to get on a little soapbox for a moment, so please forgive me. I have tried not to bad mouth Coffeyville health care too much, even after all they have done wrong to me, BUT all I needed done was to have blood drawn for my counts before I flew to Houston, that way I can make sure my counts are fine to do chemo. They also drew my tumor markers. They had to send that report off and the next day I get a call from the nurse that they came back and were at 15! She was excited and expected me to be also. Normal tumor markers are 35 and under. This would indicate I have NO cancer activity in my body. I kept repeating back the test that was done (CA Antigen 27.29) and she kept saying YES, that's the one! This is the reason we had to get out of Coffeyville for treatment. Things like this. I can't even have them draw my blood with out second guessing them! Needless to say, the test was wrong. I am almost feeling like it is going to be my person quest to tell everyone being treated around here to make sure you get second opinions OUTSIDE of Coffeyville. I won't get into everything else they did wrong (like telling me twice in 2005 that I did NOT have cancer!!). It's just scary the errors they make here and I know I am not the only one that falls through there cracks. OK, off my soapbox!

Chemo number 3 is going great! We didn't get home until around midnight, so I slept in today and am feeling great! Tonight the kids and I are going to bake some cookies for Santa, some fudge and gingerbread. YUM! I can't believe Christmas is here already! What a great time!
MERRY CHRISTAMS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
~Kasey

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's almost here! We want to wish each and every one of you a VERY Merry Christmas! You are all so special to us. This tough time has been made easier by all the kind thoughts and prayers. It is nice to know that we have such a great support system around us!!!
I am still feeling great! I've been a little tired this week, but nothing I couldn't handle. I got my Christmas shopping finished up (now just to get it all wrapped LOL!). I even had several photo shoots this week! I will post some photos from those on my business blog (photographybykasey.blogspot.com) when I get them proofed. I have gotten several emails from people about the link to My Journey not on the other blog anymore. I did remove it, but you can still click on my photo to access it. I want to keep my business blog seperate from my personal blog. Personal updates on me will only be posted here.
We go back to Houston Friday, just for the day, for Chemo Round 3 (out of about 10). I am about 1/3 of the way through! YA! I am taking my MIL with me this time. She has never been on a plane before, so it will be her first trip!
I hope you all have the best Christmas! Just don't forget the real meaning of the Christmas Season!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
~Kasey, Kevin, Raisa and Larson

Flowergirl and Ringbearer

I just had to post these photos of Raisa and Larson! They were SO cute!







Here are 2 from the ceremony:

December 7th

Hello all!
Sorry I haven't posted this week yet, just busy with life! I am feeling GREAT and have quite a bit of energy. I think we all need it this time of year just keeping up with Christmas--decorating, baking, shopping! We got 3 trees up--one in the living room (the gingerbread tree), one in Raisa's room (she has a new white one with white lights decorated in turquoise and hot pink!) and one in Larson's room (mainly sports but a few other misc. stuff). We did not put our tree up in the dining room or the back porch this year. Kind of sad not seeing them, but I won't feel sad when it's time to take them down this year as I will be glad then we only have these 3! All my nutcrackers didn't make it up either, but they will be back next year. Hey, I am looking for a real good sugar cookie recipe to bake with the kids if anyone knows of a great one, email me! Raisa is going to make some oatmeal fudge too. YUM!
I am sending off the last order of Christmas cards this week if any of you had a session with me this past year and would like to order cards, or if you want to order any collages or photos for gifts, get those orders in to me by the first of next week.
Raisa and I started a Yoga class this week! It's very relaxing. I think we are going to enjoy it! I have been walking a few miles each day on my treadmill also. Got to stay in shape (or get in better shape hmmmm!).
I think we are going to head to Owasso or Tulsa Saturday to get some more Christmas shopping done. The weekend after that is Kevin's younger bother Donnie's wedding. Raisa is the flowergirl and Larson is the ringbearer (if we can get him into a button up shirt and if you know Larson, you know what I mean!).
Have a great weekend and email or post those sugar cookie recipies!
Thanks!!
~Kasey

GREAT NEWS!

HI! We had a great visit with my oncologist Friday! She was excited to show me on my blood test that my tumor markers (CA Antigen 27.29) which records cancer activity had WENT DONW 30%!!!!!!!!!!! She was thrilled with that as she said she normally doesn't even see them drop let alone SO MUCH after just the first chemo. What great news! Looks like this chemo combo is working! She was very optomistic about being able to talk to the bone marrow tranplant team in Jan. or Feb. We will finsh off 6-8 months of chemo first.
Thurday I went to surgery and had my port put in and that all went great! They put a patch behind my ear so I wouldn't get sick from the anthetheia. I never did (unlike at crmc haha!) Friday, chemo went great, got to order lunch there. They really make you so comfortable. Just for kicks here are a few photos Kevin took for you viewing enjoyment! LOL!

Monday, November 27

HI! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know we did! After a great dinner, we headed off to Branson for an Old Time Christmas. If you have never been to Branson at Christmas, I urge you to go! It is so beautiful. We enjoyed Silverdollar City and lots of shopping. I loved the water and fire show at the new Branson Landing. Pretty cool! While at Silverdollar City, we caught their production of A Christmas Carol (which we see each year!) and they changed it up a bit this year. New scenes were added that were awesome. Definetly worth seeing. We also saw the Living Nativity. It was about a 20 minute show with great music. You leave feeling what Christmas really is about. Now that we are home I am ready to get all my decorations up! We usually put up 5 Christmas trees, but I think we may only do 3 this year. I love taking picutres of my trees, so I will post some when we get them up. I just love Christmas! Such a special time of year!
This week will be another busy week! Kevin will be making a flying trip to St. Louis Tuesday for work, then we head to Houston again Wednesday morning. Meet with a surgeon Wednesday to talk about my surgery Thursday to put the port in. Have the port put in on Thursday and round 2 of chemo Friday. Then, we won't be back until round 3 of chemo on December 22.
Talk to you all soon!
~Kasey

Happy Thanksgiving!

We want to wish everyone a Happy and safe Thanksgiving!

A 4-year-old boy was asked to give the thanks before Thanksgiving dinner. The family members bowed their heads in expectation.

He began his prayer, thanking God for all his friends, naming them one by one. Then he thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, brother, sister, Grandma, Grandpa, and all his aunts and uncles. Then he began to thank God for the food.

He gave thanks for the turkey, the dressing, the fruit salad, the cranberry sauce, the pies, the cakes, even the Cool Whip.

Then he paused, and everyone waited--and waited.

After a long silence, the young fellow looked up at his mother and asked,
"If I thank God for the broccoli, won't he know that I'm lying?"

Monday, Novemeber 13

GET READY! IT'S TIME FOR "A CHRISTMAS CAROL"! (Is Raisa cute or WHAT!) Opening night is this Thursday. Raisa is so excited! She loves theater. Here are a few photos of her. She has several parts, but the one she likes the most is Fan, Scrooges sister.








Here are a few other photos from the show:





As for me, this past week has been GREAT! I feel GREAT! I am back to doing daycare and a few photos sessions (not many, can't get stressed!) I am looking foreward to the play this week and Thankgiving next week. We are heading to Branson Thanksgiving day to spend the weekend. We usually rent a log cabin, but didn't get our reservation in time for that. We just decided last week to go and get away for a few days. It's so beautiful there with all the Christmas lights!
For those of you that have seen Kevin this week, yes, he did break his thumb! He should have the cast off the last of November. I am just so happy to be doing so well, I feel like I could take on the world! You all have a great week and be sure to make it out to see "A Christmas Carol"!
~Kasey

Chemo-Round 1

(I posted this last night, but I guess it gost lost in cyber space! Here it is again!)

Round 1 is done! All went quite well. They had an "IV Specialist" come to access my vein. She was great. Found a good vein on the top of my left arm, shot me with lidocane and then I didn't feel the IV at all. Total time to administer the chemo was 2 1/2 hours. I had a nice coctail going. First, I had some medication so I won't have an allergic reaction, then a medication to help with nausea, then the first of 3 parts of my chemo (AKA the Red Devil!). The nurse had to stay by my side during that one to make sure it won't leak from my vein--major problemos if it did! Then, we went onto the 5FU or something like that and then the last part which I can't even remember now. (Can't blame it on chemo brain yet, but maybe it was the pill they gave me before all of this to calm the nerves!) Kevin was great! He actually sat beside me and cracked my pistacio nuts open for me for like 30 minutes! We even had room service! They had a menu you could order salads, sandwiches and stuff from (comes with the room too!). Pretty neat. Now that I have this chemo in me, I can just visualize it killing all the cancer cells! We leave Houston at 10:30 tomorrow morning. Ready to be back home again. Now, we won't have to go back until Nov. 30-Dec.1. Then, I will have my port put in and my 2nd round of chemo.
Just wanted to check in with everyone to let you know so far, so good!
~Kasey

Back at MDA

Well, we're back here again. We got in yesterday and had to attend a "Chemo class". We met with my Oncologist again today and had blood drawn. She again seemed real pleased with with our treatment plan. She thinks I will do well with it. I KNOW I will. I was telling Kevin today that I have this really weird sense of absolute calmness about me right now that I can't explain. Here I am in a fight for my life and I am just as happy as I have ever been. I almost feel strange feeling this way. I am not sad or scared anymore. Kevin told me that it was just faith kicking in right now. I KNOW I will come out of this just fine. I told my Oncologist (who likes statistics) that I will be her statistic that will walk back in her office for a 10 year check up. I think I told her that more as a promise to myself.
We start chemo here in about an hour. It should last around 3 hours. Time to sit back, relax and take care care of myself for a few months. This cancer picked the wrong person! I have been reading some books by Charles Capps ("God's Creative Power for Healing" and "The Tongue-A Creative Force (thanks Joni!)). VERY good books! They teach you to call things that are not, as though they were, until they are. When you are sick and confess that you are healed by the stripes of Jesus, you are calling for what God had already given you, even though it is not yet manifest.
That is something I have repeated every day:
"By the stripes of Jesus, I am healed".
And, I truly believe it!

Have a great evening everyone! I am off to my first Chemotherapy!
~Kasey

November 1

Hi!! It sure has been nice to be home for a whole week! Nice to have a few of my daycare kids around too! I hope everyone had a great Halloween! Here is a photo of Raisa and Larson dressed up last night. Raisa was a fortune teller and Larson was an "invisible medival monster!"

Aren't they cute! Well, you can't really see Larson, since he's "invisible" and all! Today is All Saint's Day and Raisa got to pick a Saint and dress up for it for school. She chose Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. Here she is in that outfit today (thanks, Mom!).

Raisa will also be in the upcoming production of "A Christmas Carol" at Coffeyville Community College. Opening night is November 16 and I believe tickets will go on sale next week. Another show worth seeing!!
We will be leaving again in the morning for Houston. Will have my first round of chemo Friday. We are planning on coming back Saturday. They won't be able to put the port in until our December chemo session, so this one will done by IV. Thanks again for all the cards, prayers (and dinners!!) this week! I am so lucky to be surrounded by such great people!

ANGELS EXIST, but some times, since they don't all have wings, we call them FRIENDS.

~Kasey