No News Is Good News....Except When There is Good News to Report!

It has been awhile since I put anything up on this site and that is good news. Sarah is living a great life- key words- living, life! Louisa is growing, walking and babbling some words. Greg and Sarah are in the process of buying a house and making a new home! And soon the Stoner family will all be together for Thanksgiving in Granville- lucky me!!

The good news to report is we'll also get to say thanks to another really good scan for Sarah! Her latest PET scan showed the one nodule left in her lung decreasing. It went from 5.4 to 3.2 to the latest of 3! Hormone therapy is doing what it needs to do. Sarah is enjoying life without chemo and her hair is growing back! I'll share more as I know it after our time together.

My family continues to appreciate how you hold Sarah in prayer and good thoughts- it makes a difference and helps so much!

Ovarian Cancer Awareness/Fundraising Event

Sarah's reply to an email (see below) I sent about a great Ovarian Cancer awareness/funraising event on Sunday!

Yahooo! Thank you Susan and all for participating in this event! I
wish I could be there with you! This year has been a journey for my
family but we are winning! I can only hope that with events like this
the awareness of Ovarian Cancer will increase and help women beat the
disease. I know I could not have gotten where I am today without the
support of my family and all of our friends! Thank you so much! Hugs
to all!

Sarah


From Susan:

http://www.ovariancanceroh.org/Strides_for_Hope_5K_Walk_Run.html

Here is the link to the Ovarian Cancer event on Sunday I will be
participating in with my sister in law, Ann! I love that they have a
"sleep in for ovarian cancer" option- it is a $25 donation! I did buy
a mum to honor my sister and her amazing fight against this disease.
I may have the kids do a picture to place in the honorees place too- we'll
see.

It is a bigger event than I realized- I'm use to simple Granville
runs. I registered on line but will make the kids (and Joe's)
participation a day of event- but we're leaning toward having them do it- such a great cause and they now love these runs!!

Ann- I'm looking forward to running this with you- THANK YOU for
finding it!!! Sarah is thrilled we're doing this!

Any one from Gville who wants to ride over- let me know! There is so
much going on so many ways we can all help with the diseases in our
lives- not just cancer- I thank you all for your involvement in anyway
to us and one another!
Granville is such a special place to live.

Warmly,
Susan

PS- check out my blog with other ways to help fight
cancer.....http://lifeonnewark-granvilleroad.blogspot.com/
it is long- read down to the fun event to help Stefanie's family on
Sunday too!!

Happy Celebratating!

Can't help but simply post a photo of our celebration night- Louisa's 1st birthday and Sarah's great scan.

Pure Joy!

Pure joy was what I heard in Sarah's voice when she called this week to share the results from her last scan! It shows no sign of disease in the pelvic and abdomen areas. There is only one small nodule remaining in the pulmonary lobe (lung) and it has shrunk. This equates to the chemo worked. She will continue with the plan of moving to hormone therapy (she already started) and be watched.

Your prayers and good thoughts are working. I am so grateful for all the support. Please continue to keep Sarah there as her body is still healing this invasion- the drug therapy she continues takes its toll. Saran and I had a fabulous trip to San Diego last week. She had to go for work and I tagged along to assist as needed and because I could!! We're looking forward to celebrating this news and Louisa's 1st birthday in OBX with my family, parents and Sarah's family.

Thanks for reading, praying, thinking, loving, learning, teaching, sharing- it is a heck of a journey isn't it.

Hip Hip Hooray!

Sarah took her 12th Chemo Therapy treatment last week and it went well! Next steps puts Sarah into Hormone Therapy and to a scan in early Auguest. What that means exactly we don't know but we'll keep you posted as we learn and navigate this course. What we do believe is Sarah is getting well, she is fighting this cancer, she is managing cancer in her life, she is working, loving, mothering, being, she is living! She is surrounded by love and support and we're all grateful.

I had a great quick visit with Sarah at the end of June and look forward to some more extended time with her at the end of July! Then our families will vacation together in August and we'll celebrate Louisa's 1st birthday a bit early so the cousins can sing in person! I find it easier to update this blog after visits so look again in a few weeks for thoughts on where things are. THANK YOU for reading and staying in touch with Sarah and our family.

Celebrations

Life gives us so many reasons to celebrate and this weekend we did just that with Sarah, Greg and Louisa. Louisa Clare Christopher was baptised at The Church of the Redeemer, an Episcopal Church USA. It was a beautiful service filled with grace and thanksgiving, commitment and promises that we will carry for inspiration and direction. I could go on and on about this event but won't take up space- email me if you need more details or photos!!

Sarah and Greg were amazing hosts providing a fantastic weekend in Baltimore. Louisa is in an active and darling stage- she goes after life-just like Sarah and Greg! She isn't walking but she is mobile! She isn't talking but she is verbal and above all continues to be happy, happy, happy! She really radiates joy. Clare, Peter and Sally adore her and we were impressed they didn't overwhelm their youngest cousin. It was a full weekend of great gatherings with family and friends in Baltimore- a city we really enjoy visiting- can't beat those hard shells and crab cakes- oh my gosh! I can't wait to go back- the problem is the more we're together and the more we want to return and the longer we want to stay. It is a good thing we all have fulfilling things to do when we are a part from one another and things like blogs, email, facebook and cell phones keep us connected.

The past few weeks have been filled with good focus for Sarah- baptism prep, travel for work and friend fun. She has chemo this week so lets keep her in our thoughts and prayers and support her as we have- she feels the love and it is working- we all have much to celebrate.

From Sarah....sent to me after her chemo of May 21st.

Good Morning! I hope everyone had a nice night! Chemo when pretty well yesterday. I couldn’t sleep the night before, I believe I got a total of 3 hours. At chemo. they gave me my Advent and Benedryl and I became crazy. Greg and I laughed the entire time. I got home and completely crashed. Greg went and picked up Louisa from child care, came home and I didn’t even know it. When I awoke at 7:00ish, and he was feeding her, I thought it was morning. Again, Greg laughed!


During chemo I did get to talk briefly to my chemo Doctor. I do like him, he is funny….however busy busy man. You must get your questions in early or he is out the door. Constantly being paged. He hugs me a lot too. He says these last three are it and then we are going on hormonal therapy. I asked about hormonal therapy. He said it is like chemo but oral. However, there are side effects as well, he said it will be a walk in the park compared to what I am on now. I said, “are the nodules just too big to be finished”, he replied, “Sarah, they are very small but we must continue.” Greg stated, ” we are winning!”

So, 1 down and 2 more to go and then on to a new recovery stage! We are doing well! Updated photo of Louisa.

Love you all! Very busy with work today and next week! Working from home. Have presentations to get together. Planning on going to TN June 8th and 9th!


xoxoxo

Sarah

Success to share and celebrate, work to continue....

Sarah called this weekend to share that her doctors have prescribed three more chemo treatments. Sarah is taking it well, there is disappointment that she doesn't get a break. There is also an understanding that the chemo is working and doing what it needs to do. So Sarah will keep working to fight the cancer, beat the cancer, recover from this illness and disease. She needs as much support, love, prayers, good wishes and thoughts as ever so keep them coming- you've helped so much with the work Sarah has done! You will help her recover and be cancer free soon- it is within reach!

Sarah has had great success from her work and we celebrate that news! Her doctor appointment last week was about that celebration- he is very pleased as we all are. There is still work to do and we'll keep you posted along the way. In the mean time enjoy what the warmer weather and longer hours of daylight bring- life and a great way to enjoy it!

A great phone call!

This week Sarah called to share the great call she received! The nurse from her chemo center informed her that her scan looked good- very good! More details will come when Sarah meets with her doctor next week to discuss what exactly good means and next steps but a big phew, sigh, wooo-hoooo along with some tears occurred when this was shared! I'll keep you posted but for now prayers of thanksgiving and huge smiles and hugs to all of you for your support, love and energy! And here is to my amazing sister who is quite the fighter and has had and continues with a fantastic attitude!

OH- also I can't help but tell you what is happening with the darling Louisa! I saw everyone last week when I was in MD. She is as cute as ever- smiling, babbling and starting to think about crawling! She adored Sally and Clare which made everyone happy.

April Update

Where has April gone? Actually we don't want to wish it away as it is filled with many good things and many things to do. HOWEVER we are anxious to get the last scheduled chemo over and the scan completed and see where things stand with Sarah and her cancer.

I just talked to Sarah. The 9th chemo that was to happen today is being pushed out a week due to low platelets. Her Dr says this is a typical side effect of the chemo and isn't surprising. Sarah has a great attitude and looks forward to enjoying the visit with Matthew and being able to taste food! It doesn't impact her appointments so she is going with the flow very well!

I continue to hear about the wonderful ways people are holding, lifting up and embracing Sarah and her journey with cancer. THANK YOU. There are so many amazing people, events, prayers, opportunities and they all work. They all have an impact in some way, shape or form. The energy and love is all around us and we're grateful.

The sun is shining today in Ohio and Baltimore- Sarah and I are enjoying it deeply. Have a great weekend- I'll keep you posted.

Time Going By = Good!

How is it already March? I apologize for all the time with no update for Sarah! The good news continues, "no news is good news" is true at this point for Sarah. She is living and fighting cancer. She continues with chemo every three weeks and looks forward to another scan at the end of April to determine if/how often she'll continue with chemo treatments.

I will share that she was able to escape and take a wonderful trip! She and Greg were able to really relax and enjoy warm weather, sunshine, great food and good company. Louisa was with my Mom which was a huge treat for Nana! Shortly after arriving home from the trip Sarah had a chemo treatment. The time away had a positive affect- her "counts/numbers" were good/up.

As I share that Sarah is living with and fighting cancer I will say that she does this with amazing strength and honesty. Sarah acknowledges the challenge cancer puts before her and family and friends. She admits the hardship and beauty surrounding this place in life. The key word is LIVING in my mind with Sarah. From the very beginning of this journey, when she was first diagnosed, Sarah said she didn't want cancer to define her or her family. She is doing just that- she is living. Louisa helps in so many ways and continues to flourish. Sarah is a fantastic mother and is having fun with the introducing fruits and vegetables. This is a great age! Louisa adores her parents- and is truly a good baby- good sleeper, eater and mile stone maker! Sarah is working on her baptism which will be a very special day. As this blog is for/about Sarah I won't go into my own focus on baptism, but it is something I take pretty seriously. It will be an amazing time to recognize God's grace surrounding us and helping in so many ways.

I'll update as there is news to share for Sarah. In the mean time certainly email me if you have specific questions or want to chat! I'm keeping this pretty general at Sarah's request. We all have our own communications preferences, styles and perspectives. I'm enjoying the opportunity to connect with you in this way. Thanks for reading!

Good News!

What a wonderful title to type!  Sarah's visit to her Dr. confirmed that the tumors are shrinking and the chemo therapy is doing what it needs to do.  She will continue with the planned four more treatments and then determine what is next based on the results of a future scan.  All this happening with Louisa rolling over, cutting a tooth and progressing as a happy, healthy baby- love is in the air and we feel it!

All along we were told about the 3 Ps- good physician, positive attitude and prayer- we've had all 3  and much more including great nurses and staff, fabulous friends and family! We're so grateful!  Cancer is everywhere too close to home- as the "blogger" I share with you that my early morning exercise class has four women all of us surrounded by cancer- another sister, a mother and two daughter in-laws. Our family also has a dear cousin in Baltimore.  The good news is we're all sharing good news this month and I offer prayers of thanksgiving, tears of joy and sighs of relief.  But the fight is far from over- there are ups and downs and I ask for extra prayers and thoughts for these women and their loved ones who are special unique people I'm lucky to have met!  We all need to stay positive and appreciate what we have and look to the future- keep the conversations about health and diet, support to non profits making differences (medical and places that support learning!!) and stay happy- keep the love in the air!

FYI.....Sarah's birthday is Valentine's Day!  Her next chemo treatment is Feb 12th!  I had a great time with Sarah in Baltimore. Her last chemo didn't seem quite as bad - she was weak and tired but the side affects not quite as debilitating!  Louisa and Greg are good too!  I've included a photo of her charm bracelet- so fun to see this coming together. She wears it and draws strength from the friendly reminders she is loved and not alone in her battle!  

Greetings from Baltimore

Nap time, quiet time, restful, peaceful, still and sweet. I'm in Baltimore helping Sarah with post chemo not so good days- usually the beginning of the week after her Thursday chemo treatments.Right now Louisa and Sarah are both napping.  It is a lovely time of day and all seems well here!

I drove to see my parents last night and then came down this morning to do whatever is needed. So far I've chatted with Sarah, made lunch, given the baby a bottle, walked to the store with the stroller (where I had a fabulous inpromptu meeting with cousins- they are in town with their son, my 2nd cousin- who is battling leukemia), prepped for dinner, played with the baby and put her down for a nap.  

Sarah is doing really good- this past chemo (her 5th) was the "easiest" of them all!  Her PET Scan showed the tumors shrinking. She and Greg are looking forward to discussing results with her Dr in February.  The plan for now is to stay the course- which means 4 more chemos (I believe- I need to confirm.)  I'm thrilled with this news and arrived ready to celebrate!

I'll share more later but wanted to share the latest that I know with you dear readers/ Sarah supporters!

January is off and running

Hello dear readers. I so appreciate your feedback and communications.  As I said January is a big month and we're into it!  Sarah started back to work this week- slowly acclimating. Louisa started at the childcare center and all is well!  We're all proud of Sarah and Greg and wishing them well during this transition time.  Adjustments like this are tough for any parent. 

Sarah did get over the cold with no complications- phew- and is feeling good. The efforts to get child and self out the door are big and tiring- again for anyone but very much so for Sarah.  No doubt she is sleeping well these nights. The next scan/screen to see what is going on inside is this Friday- no idea when results will be shared.  So maybe there are some things causing restless nights.  So keep the Christophers in your thoughts and prayers. More as I know it, enjoy the snow and cold- it makes the warmth feel so good!

Being sick with Chemo is the worst!

Well darn it- Sarah has a crummy crummy cold! To deal with that on top of the low energy of chemo is no fun!  She is hanging in there and still getting things done like sorting clothes that Louisa has outgrown and won't need.  In the mean time I will share that chemo went about like last time including good news on the marker report!    January has a good bit happening, as always I'll report what I can and in the mean time please email or call with questions.  Also if you want to send Sarah anything the best way to do that is through my parents- Mom sees Sarah at least once a week and is happy to deliver letters or packages- 13312 Hickory Hill Rd, Hagerstown, MD 21742!  Thanks for reading.