Ann's Blog
9-3-08 This is way over due...so sorry.

I am on my second cycle of chemo. I go every Tuesday for 4 hours of chemo. I go for 3 weeks and then get 1 week off. It makes me tired and I am losing my hair but I can't complain about things since I can breathe. Just this week I was able to go 3 days without oxygen!

We can feel a tumor above my left collar bone has gone down from the size of a silver dollar to the size of the lymph node. Now we just need to get the liver on board with tumors getting smaller. We don't know how big they were when I started chemo about after a month my original (back in Feb 08) tumor of 5 cm had grown to 8.9cm and the one 1 cm one on the right is now 2cm and there is an additional 2cm one with multiple smaller ones on the right. That wasn't good to hear but I am hoping that those are smaller then when I started chemo. I will go next month for another MRI and we will see if they are any smaller. I guess that is why I was losing so much weight and was a lovely shade of yellow at times.

I am very grateful to have many parts of my life back. I have the second floor of my house back because I can get upstairs now. I can put the kids to bed at night. Pillows aren't heavy anymore. I have the energy to play with the boys. I am not stuck in my bedroom all day long.

I had been fighting a cold while on my off week of chemo. Chemo lowered my defenses and I have the cold full blast now. Praying it won't turn into anything else.

I have been using the Budwig diet to help fight the cancer. Now I am ordering a new supplement program that claims cures of late stage cancers. The food runs about 1000 a month (which is down from the Gerson diet of 2000). The supplements will run 1000 a month so it is a wash on costs. Oh well, at least I will have MRI's to see if this one is working.

Now I have to make a decision about taking a drug to make my bones stronger since my sternum bone is so eaten up with cancer. It is really hard on your kidneys and if I have to have any emergency dental work while on the drug....it can cause jaw bone destruction, yikes. Even though I know I might not be here right now without the chemo...I am still not used to all the BAD things the drugs do to you. How do people find this acceptable??

So on to find my cure. Thanks for your prayers.....they are the best!

Ann

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7-10-08 Surgery went fine.

It was suppose to be at 11am. Had to be there at 9am. Doctor had emergency surgery come up and I know Thursdays are the only day he sees patients so my surgery didn't happen till 6pm! Hey nothing better then sitting starving and thirsty in a hospital gown and bed ALL day long.

I have to say though I was praying for Dr. Cai emergency patient. I keep forgetting he is a heart doctor so that person was waaaay more important. I know Dr. Cai felt bad about the wait but he did get it done sine he knew how important it was for me to get treatments tomorrow. He even wrote me a love note on my dressing...says "good luck love Dr. Cai". No doctor has every done that before. I would almost say I have a groupie. hahahah.

Tomorrow will be 5 hours or more too. Hoping for NO side effects but first day on herceptin doesn't normally go like that. But GOD can do anything so here is praying for it!

Love you all, thanks for the calls.

Ann

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7-7-08 Today was seriously 12 hours of doctors. I can't do that again. I am too old and my kids too young for that non-sense.

First was an EKG-Sonogram of the heart. Everything there looked good.

Then to the oncologist to drill him with questions again and to inform him...nope, I didn't start chemo this morning. :-)

Then to natural path office for 5 friggin' hour test. Things are about the same. New drops to take and new supplements. She is ready to support my body thru chemo.

Yeah, you chemical people don't get too excited (Marcy) but it looks like we are at a point that needs some serious help to stop this cancer (or get rid of it would be nice) so the natural stuff has time to work.

I realized from email responses that I got that I only like to post the good stuff. I hate complaining, writing about that bad. The concert was Tuesday. We went to the bounce house with the boys on Wednesday. Follow up appt with lung Doctor (Dr. Cai-love him!) was Thursday and since Thursday I have been on oxygen pretty much non-stop. Spasms in my diaphragm make me throw up in the mornings and after naps. My pain pills don't help me sleep at night now (Ann without sleep - warning...run for the hills-NOT PLEASANT and I need to stop losing weight. Did those words seriously just come out of my mouth?! Yep. I am losing my hair naturally because my body is fighting other stuff. I am losing muscle mass and have very little energy. So time for the BIG GUNS to slow/stop this stuff while continuing all the natural stuff to kill it and keep it away.

So, I am calling all my prayer warriors for this week (and the next few). I have surgery Thursday to put in a port for chemo access (general anesthesia). Friday morning I start chemo. 5 hours the first day-hard day. I will get chemo once a week for 4-6 weeks and see how things are. If my body can handle the chemo and it is working...we continue. Prayers that the drug combo the Dr. choose will work first time for me and side effects be minimal and that we can keep the healthy stuff healthy.

I will know in two weeks or so if I can handle the chemo (blood tests) and 4-6 if it is working. If I can't update my blog, I will ask Harry to give the facts. You know you all will miss my humor :-) but at least you will be in the know. Thank you for your love and support.

BIG PRAYERS!!!!!

Ann

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6-26-08 Thank you Lord for the good news today.

I had my follow up appointment from my surgery. I was very concerned that the talc powder procedure didn't work because I am still not breathing well and I can still hear fluid in my lungs with my stethoscope (you know- Dr.Ann) Dr. Cai said my lung looked great on the x-ray. The lung is open and the diaphragm is located where it needs to be.

Even though he believes the reason I can't breath is from the cancer, it is soooo nice to not have to worry about doing this procedure again, being in the hospital for another 4 days away from the boys and the strain of the drugs on my liver. I really feel blessed that GOD led me to Dr. Cai. His whole appointment with me today was more like a mental check of how I was doing. He really does care and that is just amazing (shouldn't be since he is a doctor but unfortunately that is more the way it is now-a-days.)

I got to share good news with him from my own research about the talc procedure that he hadn't heard of. University of Florida (GO GATORS!) Shands Hospital does a lot of cancer research. They have found that cancer patients that had the talc procedure lived 18-24 months longer than patients who did not. The reason is that the talc powder causes scarring and cuts off some of the blood vessels that feed the tumors. So Dr. Cai has helped me beat some of this cancer!

He has referred me to an oncologist that he really admires. I have promised to go listen. At some point I may need to do these things to give the natural a little more time to work but right now I am just going to gather more info.

Nathan is sitting right here on the chair with me and he says hello to you all. He also wants you to know that he is handsome. He can't help it, his mama tells him that all the time.

Ann

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6-25-08 Here is a little story about Mildred and Edith. Mildred and Edith have been friends for years. Mildred is married to a man who likes the band Styxx. Edith liked the band Boston. Just so happened the bands were performing together 20-30 years after the were first popular.

Edith had been needing a lot of help around her house lately and Mildred was the one to help. So Edith decided to take Mildred and her husband to the Styxx/Boston concert as a thank you.

Mildred's husband had to help Edith up the two flights of steps to the front door of the theater. Luckily, for the old lady Edith, there was an elevator to the top floor where their seats were located. Mildred's husband had to again help Edith up 16 steps to their seats, fourth row from the top. The concert was great and the two old ladies rocked out. Edith even stood twice for songs she really liked.

At the end to the concert, Mildred's husband helped Edith back down the steps to the elevator. Mildred's husband saw how tiered Edith was and got a wheel chair to wheel Edith to the car. Edith looked so funny being wheeled out to the car with her arms in the air with the "I love you" rock and roll symbols being displayed by her hands. Edith never thought she would be at a rock and roll concert in a wheel chair but she sure was glad she was there!

Now replace all the names Edith with Ann. And the names Mildred with Robin and all Mildred's husband with Jeff and you had what we did the other night.

Also know, Mildred did not willing take her new name so I had to make sure mine sounded worse than Mildred. :-) Love you Robin!

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6-24-08 This past Saturday my wonderful neighborhood had a spaghetti dinner fund raiser for me. I was so happy have enough energy to get a shower and attend. If you noticed my "furry" legs well, I didn't have enough energy to shave but I thought it was more important to be there furry then home alone. :-) I can't tell you how wonderful it was to feel somewhat normal. It wasn't completely normal to me because it was all about me but it was normal and wonderful to see my friends from the neighborhood. Mainly moms from the Providence Playgroup that I have gotten to know over the past 3 years. The best was giving Anne a big hug. She has put so much of her time and energy into my fundraisers, it is just amazing.

The dinner was great. Everyone seemed to be relaxing and having a good time. Well, everyone was relaxing but the kids. My boys were so happy to be playing with the other kids. Nathan is still talking about how much fun he had playing with Major. The silent auction turned "live" at the end. The tile back splash donated by North Star Tile was a coveted item.

I really want to thank everyone who donated. Community signs were donated (thank you Army family), paper goods were donated (thank you Ihopper), food was donated (thanks families) and auction items (North Star Tile, Huffines, Creative Memories, Mandy Nabors Photography...and sooooo many more I don't even know about). They raised over $1800! Harry and I were just amazed and so grateful for the help.

Ann

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6-19-08 I got out of the hospital on Saturday the 14th, late afternoon. I was grateful to get home in time for Father's Day because my man has been amazing and I wanted to be home to celebrate him.

The surgery went well. We will find out if it worked in about another week. The goal is to have the lung scar to the chest cavity. There was some fluid at the bottom of the lung on the chest x-ray but nothing they were too concerned with yet. That can be worked out with breathing exercises.

The bummer part is that after the drain tube was removed Friday night, I got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and had troubles breathing again. I told the nurse, she listened and said it sounded like congestion in my upper right lung but everything else sounded okay. She checked me later again and said the sound had gone away. Well of course it had, I was breathing okay again. :)

I put myself back on the oxygen that was still running from the wall (oh, I am sure the little meter running on the wall wasn't charging my insurance or anything like that, wink,wink). It made me sleep better and I know oxygen kills cancer cells. So bring on the oxygen!!

My surgeon was nothing but the best. He came into speak with me the night he pulled my drain and was so sincere and concerned for me. This man said "when he sees me in pain he wants to cry, when I am working on a 50 year old man with open heart surgery...that is one thing but your pain makes me want to cry." Wow, is he really a doctor, really a surgeon. They are usually so cold. He hugged me for must have been 3 minutes - not kidding. Just the most caring doctor I have ever met. He gave me advice like I was his family member. (still didn't like it cuz it was aggressive chemo)

So we are wait and see. I really think the breathing problems are from the tumor on my chest pushing on my airways combined with the lung cancer. He showed me pictures from the scope surgery - NOT PRETTY, big areas and little ones (like teenage acne) all over the lungs.

So with that being said, I have decided that Gerson is not working for me or at least fast enough to help my situation. I finally was able to articulate the words last night to my dear husband during a long chat....I really think chemo will take my weaken body down quicker, I think natural is the answer. The problem with natural is that you have to find the "right" natural that works for you. The are so many different natural cures out there that have really CURED people as advanced as my cancer is. One worked for this person and not for the other. I think it depends on your body state; what your body needs to fight off what you have (cancer with fungus? with virus? with whatever nutritional deficiency? whatever). So the prayer is that GOD will grant us enough time to find the right cure for me.

Of course, I am all ready on to the next cure to be! Working with magnesium protocol now. Still juicing but changed that up to be much more green juices (o my favorite- not!) and less carrot. Adding some supplements to the routine I was all ready on. Also adding raw natural foods (no I don't mean meat -veggies and fruits silly!) Still trying to place an order for a Beam Ray machine that I will add to the protocol.

The magnesium protocol is called Miracle....I was looking for one last night as Harry and I were trying to have one of those not fun (what if things don't work out) conversations to make sure they are ready, I had a headache (which I don't get). I took of the Miracle solution after just reading how it cures headaches and I am not kidding the headache was gone within minutes. Plus since taking the solution I have gone off the pain meds cold turkey. I had been having to take them and anti-nausea med every 6 hours. So here is to GOD working a Miracle in me!

Tomorrow night, my wonderful neighborhood has organized a spaghetti dinner and silent auction. All these people who have busy lives, have taken so much time to organize this event for me and my family. I am so thankful and blessed to live in such a great community. People have donated tons of food, people have gotten there employers to donate, people are home cookin', they are amazing. I am so praying tomorrow is a good breathing day so I can stop by and express my gratitude. So if you are looking to live in a community that really cares....you need to move to Providence Village, Texas. The people here are AMAZING!

Another note of thanks to friends and family for all the wonderful emails, cards and gifts I received for my 37th birthday. It was wonderful. All my Stewart Title friends, from a job I haven't worked at for almost 6 years, sent emails and cards. I was touched. And the great thing is we all just picked up where our conversations left off years ago. I have the best friends in the entire world. I love you all!

Prayers for health and happiness to you all.

Ann

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6-10-08 Today is my birthday! So grateful to be here, home with my boys. Nathan is so excited. He wants me to have balloons and streamers. Too cute. Kid are just the best. Sam was playing "frog" under the table this morning. In his little deep voice he would say "mama", I would look down at him and he would smile from ear to ear and say "ribbit, ribbit". This went on for 5 minutes and just as funny every time.

I have been so blessed with so many emails and cards from my dear friends for my birthday. The few moments it took you to send those enhanced my life so dearly.

I hope you all enjoy the little things of your day today.

Ann QA

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6-6-08 I just have to give thanks to GOD for the good news I got yesterday. Good news has been so hard to come by so I am most grateful when GOD shares some with me. The two liters of fluid taken from my lung did NOT have cancer cells in them! Thank you Lord! That does not mean that there is so cancer in my lung but it does mean that it isn't so nasty that all the fluid was filled with cancer.

I met with a surgeon yesterday to see what we can do about the fluid build up. He was the nicest surgeon, understood my point of view, great smile and was most helpful. He had concern that my lung did not re-inflate after the fluid was drained. If the lung does not re-inflate the talc powder surgery to stick the lung open to the chest cavity wont work. He found an x-ray right after the drain that DID show the lung re-inflate. I was so grateful. I really don't want to have this surgery and still pray that GOD will give me a birthday (6-10) miracle that the fluid drains on it's own before my surgery date (6-11) but at least I am a candidate and should be able to breath better when it is done.

I met with my natural doctor in Texas yesterday too. Mixed news here but she was the one who showed me the fluid results from the hospital. I was on my knees in her office thanking GOD. Natural test shows there is some breast cancer in the lung that is active (just recently). She said this could be because I was in the hospital (not completely on my protocol and the drugs). I am not too alarmed because I knew that from the CT scan in Feb. I had stuff on my lungs. The good news at her place was all my fungus and bacteria levels have decreased. Not gone but decreased a lot. That is good, less for my body to work on. More good news is that she could not find any breast cancer cells actively dividing in my liver. It doesn't mean they are not there but it means they are not growing. This is the goal, STOP it all, then work on reducing tumors. I am alive with all the tumors I do have...so we just have to STOP them from growing.

I am most grateful that I will be home this weekend and for my birthday. When things get this crazy, you just long for "normalcy". We were given tickets by our good friends the Mapels for the IRL race this weeekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Nathan just loves race cars and I so wanted Daddy to be able to take him. Now that my surgery is next week, they can go. I will be getting a sitter for Sam and I. See what I mean, long for normalcy. What 36 year old woman needs a sitter for her and her 2 year old. I do. Help changing Sam, getting him in the crib and help juicing. Oh well, I am just happy to be here. Plus, I am trying to spin it as a friend coming over to scrapbook. She is bringing her stuff, I am going to try and get mine organized and she will help out while we have some girlfriend time.

I am so happy that I will be home for my birthday. All I want to do is spend the day with all my boys. Funny thing, is I am not even bummed about not having cake. Sounds gross actually. Wow, I guess GOD has worked a miracle on me there! I don't want sugar??!!!! Now if I could just get over longing for pizza. :-)

I hope you all have a great weekend. Love and blessings,

Ann

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6-3-08 I just spent the last 5 days in the hospital hoping I had pneumonia. Of course, it doesn't look like it but the medical community had no problems pumping me full of drugs like I did have pneumonia. Arghh. Of course I was not the model patient just taking every drug they gave me. There is still an outside chance that in 4 weeks the culture could grow fungal pneumonia but it looks like the outside of my lung was filling up with fluid from the cancer.

They took off 2 liters of fluid that first night. Wow, that is a the same as a two litter bottle of coke. The procedure was not fun but done in my room. Unfortunately, by the time I left the hospital the lung had filled back up with 1300 ml of fluid. They will wait till my breathing symptoms get bad again and then schedule surgery to blow talc powder in my lung to make it inflame and scar to the lung cavity wall so the fluid can't accumulate again. Nothing like putting a carcinogen (talc powder) in your lungs. Argghhh.

I am just hoping I can breath well past my birthday. That way I don't have to be in the hospital for my birthday and have some time with the boys. Nathan really verbalized every time how much he missed me and always had a plan of how momma can get home. "Momma you get in the white car and come home to Nathan's neighborhood right now." My sweet son. Today, he has been in my lap all day with love, hugs and kisses.

We really have to step up our treatment plans. After the lung thing, I may have a double mastectomy to remove what tumors we can there. At least some of the cancer would be gone. Then once recovering from that, I may be off to Mexico to the Oasis of Hope treatment center. I just feel a real urgency now to get these other things going as we haven't seen any positive results so far. I just really need one thing to go my way to pick my spirits back up.

I ask for your continued prayers for God to heal me.

Ann

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5-29-08 Well, my breathing got worse the last two days and I had to go to the doctor. I have no breath sounds in my right lung. We are praying this is pneumonia (if you would to, I would be most grateful) as for pneumonia is curable. If the lung has succumbed to cancer.....this is NOT good.

I started an inhaler tonight (those of you who know me know that I am not happy about taking a drug let a lone a steroid) but it did seem to help me breath for a few hours. The doctor also gave me an antibiotic to take. I had a chest x-ray done today and of course results wont be sent to the doctor till tomorrow. The tech asked if I had pneumonia so I am really hoping that is a good sign. Who else in this world do you know is seriously on her knees praying she pneumonia?

I really feel like a need a break with some good news. Keep me in your prayers please.

Ann

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5-26-08 Thanks to my best friend Marcy, I now have a laptop. It has been such a huge help with ordering supplies and keeping in touch. Now I hope to keep my blog updated weekly.

I feel the bronchitis is over but I now have breathing problems. It is very hard to get upstairs without having to sit and catch my breath for about 5 minutes. This is where my old, slow desktop computer is located. It feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest and I feel for anyone with asthma. It is a wheezing, cant get the air into your lungs feeling. Talking can be difficult.

I have started two new therapies to help the Gerson. I have started ozone sauna. This really helps the tightness in my chest. I breathe so easy in the sauna box. I have also started the Telesar machine. I had to research this one after being introduced to it at the sauna place. It uses electricity to get cells to behave normally. It is suppose to help "buy time" for stage 4 lung cancer. I do have to admit the pain I was feeling in my neck went away! when I started these therapies. Most grateful!

My ph is FINALLY getting to a 7 and staying around there. It is not dipping down to a 5 that often anymore and it got as high as a 9 two days. 9's are not needed....just 7s. 7s make life for cancer cells hard :-)

The good: I have had energy this week!The most energy I have had in 2 months of being home. I have been able to help with kids, have a play date for the boys and help with some cooking. The play date was soooo cute. Nathan was so excited for his friends to come over and play in the sprinklers. I had bought a take and bake pizza from Whole Foods for the kids. Nathan was calling it his pizza party and wanted balloons and streamers. He kept interrupting conversations to say "thank you" and "I appreciate the party mama". Sam was not interested in food and just wanted to play in the sprinklers. He is my water boy. I have the greatest boys in the world!

Sunday we were invited to Cleburne State Park by our friend Mary Mapel. Bill and Mary Mapel and Jeanne and Joe Selby have been friends for almost 20 years. Our friends Mark and Laura Webb were also there using their fun new camper. We have known this group of friends for almost 15 years. We all love to go to the races together (NASCAR and IRL). The Mapels and Selbys are "pro" campers. It was really fun to have all the kids running around playing. It was so wonderful to sit around the campfire with all my friends just talking. It felt so great to "feel" normal. Getting out of the four walls of my house, sharing stories with friends and watching all of our kids play was just so wonderful. Saying goodbye was hard. Not that I really wanted to camp but I didn't want to leave our friends. I truly have been blessed with wonderful friends who love me and my family. You really can't ask for more in life.

It was great to hear about what is happening in their lives. Joe has started playing trumpet again and has a big concert at the Myerson (big deal here in Dallas) at the end of June. Lord willing and my energy holds, I am looking forward to attending. It is great to have something to look forward too.

Well, between the juice breaks, coughing fit, and kids...it has taken me almost an hour to write this. I hope you all are enjoying your holiday weekends and just lovin' on your friends and family.

Ann

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4-22-08 Wow, it has been a long hard 12 days. I have been sick with fever and bronchitis now since I got home just about. I have been bedridden and coughing to the point of bone and lung pain. I haven't been able to make the trip upstairs to the the computer to update. My best friend is working on this situation for me so I can keep you updated more often and keep in touch.

Your gifts have been so generous. Please know thank you cards are coming if you haven't gotten one all ready. I got about half my thank yous done before going to California then just too sick to do anything beyond my health program. That just sounds sissy to me to even as I write it but that is where I have been.

The joke in my head lately is that GOD will let anyone who can do this schedule for two years live just because it is so hard. :-) I know that isn't the way GOD works but it gives me a little chuckle.

The nicest thing about Texas is the month of April. The weather is just wonderful. My best friend Marcy came over yesterday with a hammock stand (smashed in the back of her Corvette -what a trooper!) and we sat out in the yard with the boys while Marcy put the stand together. I have a beautiful hammock that has sat in my garage for 6 years or so that finally is seeing the light of day. So far, I haven't been in it yet but Nathan is lovin' it. Just good to see the boys so happy.

God always seems to know when I am as low as I can go because he sent Marcy to spend the day (really helped me mentally) and had an old high-school/college friend from Florida call today (Tom Bristow). It is just so wonderful to hear from old friends and feel the warm fuzzy feelings you can only get from high school buddies who did all those young, foolish, fun high school/college things with ya. You know back....back when you were invincible. Thanks for the call Tom and Happy Birthday Maria!

Off to put the boys to bed. So grateful to be able to do little things like that again.

Love to all,

Ann

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4-17-08 Sorry for the delay in updating the blog. First we had some political issues that made me unable to post any information and then I have been sick. Sick from treatments and a viral infection.

The Gerson plan is very intense. The schedule at this point is really almost too much to keep up with. It requires 13 organic fresh shredded and then squeezed juices a day. This process alone is a full time job. Then I have 3 coffee enemas a day to do, supplements with every juice and injectables.

By day three on the program I was sick from detoxing. The idea is to flood your body with juice to kick start you metabolism and start your immune system up again. Who knew you could vomit from drinking carrot juice???? I did. I had all the same symptoms I did on chemo 7 years ago. This program is really just amazing. Nausea, chills, fever, diarrhea, body pains...this is just a few of the highlights. I started feeling better before we left only to come down with a viral infection 2 days after getting home.

This viral infection is really bad. It takes away from the program working on the cancer and limits how much of the program I can do. The first 6 weeks is pretty exhausting. It is supposed to get better after that. I can eat nothing but oatmeal for breakfast and mushy veggies for lunch and dinners plus my juices for the next 2 years. My joke is, I guess GOD thinks if you can do this for 2 years you deserve to stay alive.

My mom was here to help with the boys while we were out of town. She was an Angel in getting things set up in the house to start this program. It really is a 12 hour job on top of taking care of the boys. Harry's mother is here now to help. I help out where and when I can. I never know how my energy or sickness level will be so it makes it hard to really get a schedule going.

The center suggested hiring people to wash veggies. That sounded funny to me but now I know it is necessary. We wash and juice 13 lbs of veggies a day! I will also be looking to hire help for the mornings. There is so much to do to get the juices ready that it is too much for one person. So if you know a responsible teenager, retired person or stay at home mom looking for low-pay, great satisfaction job (helping heal me of cancer!).....send them my way!

Ann

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3-19-08 So I am working on getting my ph levels balanced at home. Long story, but I am getting it done.

Next step will be to have surgery. We still haven't decided what kind. Either a mastectomy or just a tumor removal on the sternum. Either way we will send it for chemo testing to see if it is even worth doing chemo. If the chemo can't kill the cancer in the lab, it won't kill it in my body. It is a great thing to know because most people die from the chemo or complications from the chemo rather than the cancer. And this is SERIOUS chemo we are talking about.

After recovery, I will go to the Oasis of Hope in Mexico for natural chemo therapies. We are praying that with the active cancer removed from surgery and my ph in balance, that we will have stopped the cancer and started killing it off. Then the natural chemo in Mexico will kill off the rest.

There is another clinic in Houston that I am looking at the has done great work with cancer patients in regards to a protein cancer patients are missing. I'll post more when I know more.

There is a traditional oral chemo therapy that I am looking into also. It will have some side effects but shouldn't be life threatening and I should be able to keep a good quality of life with the family while on it. I will go this route if the natural chemo does not work.

Ann

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3-16-08 What a week it has been! My uncle's website was put into action and I have just been humbled by family, friends and complete strangers that are donating for my treatments.

Thursday morning, I get emails from one of my credit card accounts that I have requested a password change and that a payment has been made. At first, I am still on the bliss of yesterday and everyone's help, thinking someone has paid my card for me?! After 4 hours on the phone with the unhelpful credit card company...come to find out someone has hacked into my on-line account and paid this from our checking account. Which of course did not have the kind of money needed to pay off this balance. So now they had some info about us, to get into the on-line account and now they have more from being on the credit card site. We are now getting ready to change all of our banking. Argghh.

Friday we decide to have some fun. After Harry gets home from work we will drive South of Dallas to Ennis (80 miles) for the drive-in movie of Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss. We decide to take my girlfriend Robin and her two boys as a thank you for all the help she has given me with watching the boys during medical appointments. Well, the power steering pump (that we have had worked on twice all ready) gives out and we show up at the theater SMOKIN'. I am not sure it will even start again to get us home. It does and I am thanking GOD. We get to Addison (about 30 miles from home) and the van overheats and has electrical problems. So we pull over with 4 sleeping kids and try to decide what to do next. We call a cab, transfer all the car seats and kids over and head home at 11:30 at night. So now it seems we have lost our second car - which also could have been collateral for us for a loan.

Saturday was a beautiful day here and we bought second-hand an ozone air purifier to help my lungs and body fight off cancer and allergies that would keep my body busy from fighting the cancer. Great bargain, saved over $300 buying it second-hand! We came home and Harry and the kids played soccer in the back yard while I went to a Dani Johnson spiritual night and conference on raising children. That night was meant for me! Thanks GOD. I had a lot of emotions to get out from the week. I think I cried the first two hours of her spiritual services. Then ALL the information about raising children pertained exactly to where we are right now with our 4 year old. I left feeling loved, prepared to fix my ways with my 4 year old and exhausted. All good.

I thank and love you all.

Ann

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3-14-08 Hello my name is Ann Campbell. I was originally diagnosed with breast cancer in August of 2001. I had a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiation treatments to rid me of cancer. I was cancer free for 6 years.

In February of this year, I was diagnosed the breast cancer metastasis, grade III. Meaning the cancer has spread from my breast to my bones, lymph, liver and lungs. Getting cancer again is never good when you are playing with statistics. I started doing research on line and had to stop when I read only 20% of recurrent metastatic breast cancer patients make it pass the 5 year mark. This is not acceptable to me as for I have two small boys.

I have to remember that GOD has done miracles in my life all ready. Taking the cancer from me for 6 years is miracle number one. Miracle number two is that I had children at all. The treatments were to leave me sterile and unable to have children. I know GOD can do this again and that is where I lay my faith. My family is the most important thing to me. I retired from my 10 year career with Stewart Title North Texas in 2001. We made this decision to start our family. Three months after my retirement I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I want to share with you why I will be fighting this cancer with courage beyond my means, you will understand when you read about my wonderful family.

Harry and I attended the same high school in Naples, Florida and really got to know each other in college at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. I swore off men from my home town, so excited to be somewhere new. Of course, I meet Harry first thing and dated him our entire time in college. It was meant to be. We were married in Naples with all of our family and friends in attendance on January 23, 1993. We have been married 15 years now and I am so grateful I have married my best friend. We can talk about nothing for hours. We have joked since we met, that we are going to be the best retired people sitting out on our porch talking all day.

In January of 2004 we were blessed with the birth of our son Nathan. He just turned four years old and is the spitting image of his daddy. It warms my heart to see so much of my husband in him. He loves Lighting McQueen the race car and Buzz Lightyear. Most days, I believe, he believes he is Buzz Lightyear. Especially if he is wearing his Buzz costume that day. He is a little boy of many words and loves to go fishing with daddy.

In April of 2006 we were blessed again with the birth of our second Samuel. He is so much like his mommy. He loves Nemo the fish. One of his first words was "ish". He can count to 10 all ready (he is not even two yet - wow!) and was walking at 9 months. He has an incredible sense of balance and the best smile. I can't wait to see more of his personality this year.

There is a little understanding of why I will be frighting so hard.

I have met with an oncologist who was honest enough to say there is no traditional medicine cure. They have chemo therapies that can help reduce or eliminate some tumors but will devastate the rest of my healthy body. I told him I would rather die of cancer then the chemotherapy (which is how so many patients with cancer die -complications of chemo or radiation- they don't die of the cancer - now that is just wrong) So with much prayer, research and help we have been putting together a protocol that combines natural therapies that have been proven to work with traditional treatments. I learned a lot about cancer the last time around. That was a great starting point for all I have been learning this time.

Of course insurance won't cover alternative therapies and the insurance adjusted costs for the traditional therapies are sky high. This is where you can help me. The estimated out of pocket expense for the proposed therapies are running between $70,000 and $100,00 depending on how well I respond to the therapy. This is way beyond the means of our family. If you feel moved to donate, your donations will go directly to my treatments. I feel strongly that the people who donate know where their money is going. I have asked my sweet Uncle ,who has created this site for me, to have a page where we can list donations and you can see what treatments they paid for. It is important to me you know your money was only used for treatments. For those of you who know me.....you know I hate to ask for help. I am asking for help for me and my family. My only desire is to have a good quality of life to raise my sons while they are in our home. I would pray for years of retirement fun with my husband but I am focused on my boys now.

I thank you in advance for your prayers and willingness to pass this website on to others. Happiness, Health and Blessings,

Ann Campbell and Family

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