I'm Home

Hello everyone! Sorry for not posting sooner, I know you've all been wondering how we're all doing. The surgery went well. The surgeon removed about 5 inches of my colon where the cancer originated and he also removed 26 lymph nodes. Of the 26 nodes, 9 were cancerous. They know there is still some mass left that they couldn't remove due to their proximity to my aorta and spinal cord. And before closing, they scoped my colon again and found a polyp so they went back in and removed that and a good margin around it. In all, I feel like I am recovering well.

I was discharged from the hospital yesterday and I can't tell you how good it was to be home. It had been such a long two weeks of uncertainty, fear, and the hardship of being away from Steve and the kids. I owe so much to Steve, the love of my life, who has fought for me to have the best of everything. He hounded the City of Hope until they agreed to see me next week for a consultation and we are looking forward to meeting with the doctor for a game plan.

I feel compelled to share what I have learned in such a short amount of time because it has filled me with gratitude. Before all of this, I was so caught up in my daily routine and just "getting things done" that I forgot about every single thing in my life that was important to me. I never took time to enjoy and listen to my husband and my kids. When I came home yesterday, I layed in the bed recuperating and Ryan came in to chat. He just wanted to be with his mom. For the very first time, I actually listened to my son. He talked about anything and everything that came to mind. When I am well, he wants to go to Chuck E. Cheese, the zoo, Sea World, and Disneyland. He's making plans for us...

Thank you Mom, Dad, Me-mom, Andrew, and Kristen for everything you've done and to everyone who offered help and food and anything they could do. Thank you all for your prayers and for keeping me in your thoughts. Steve, the kids and I are grateful and we are hopeful.