Dear Friends and Family,
I just returned from Salt Lake City.  I had a very good result from the Cat Scan.  Both my brother oncologist and my sarcoma oncologist said I had a very good result.  I am continuing with a little more chemo therapy in pill form and another couple infusions.  I should be done with all the chemo by mid May. 

I look forward to resuming my life.  Thanks for all of your support.

Love,
Terry

We are back in Durango after finishing round 4. It was a little quiet this round.  Sara and Zane and Lorrie and Dave kept us company. I had a new room that was quite nice. The weather was so so. The Huntsman has a lovely patio on the fourth floor.  I enjoyed spending some time outside until the wind and rain broke through.

I am so grateful to my extended family for keeping me company all those weeks.  Maebie dog had a visit at the Huntsman as well.

Tim has been amazing.  There is no way I could have maneuvered myself around without Tim's help. He was always there for the paperwork, planning and comforting me. He initiated  labs here in Durango (when we were not in SLC.)  He spent a lot of time with me that was precious.  It is not easy to stay in a hospital for an extended visit.  He was with me most of the time, and I really appreciate our time together.


Next step.  Catscan in 2 weeks.  I will keep you posted.

Love,
Terry

Greetings from Durango.

I will be starting my fourth round of Chemo this Wednesday,  April 10th.

I have been in Durango for a little over 2 weeks.  Thanks to my wonderful friends who have fed me, walked with me, gave me flowers, books and videos, and visited with me.

Thanks to my husband (Tim) and children (Sara and Patrick) who have taken such good care of me.  Thanks to all my 6 siblings (Claire, Kathy, Barb, Dave, Hugh and Tom) who have visited me from Kansas, California, Colorado and Utah.  Special thanks to Dave and Lorrie for arranging accomadations for our family and many wonderful meals.

My sister, Barb has been visiting with me for 3 nights this weekend.  We had a wonderful time reminiscing.  Thanks to all of you near and far that have shared your love.

Onward to Chemo 4!

Love,
Terry

Good News From Utah

(Written by Sara)

A quick update. My parents are back in Salt Lake City. They arrived yesterday with Maebie and my Uncle Hugh in tow. My mom had her first CT since starting chemotherapy yesterday evening, and she received the results today.  We are happy to report some good news. It appears the chemo is doing its job. The SOBs are starting to shrink.

She is settled in to the Hunstman Center again. We had a great dinner at the little hospital diner. They have a killer salmon salad that's served only on Wednesdays. I joked about coming to the hospital diner on Wednesdays even when my mom isn't here. It's really a good salad. We even sneaked in some wine and had a little celebration.

She's really looking great. I saw her wig for the first time the other night and thought she did a great job picking it out. She also has some cute little hats. During her first round of chemo a nurse told her that she should expect to feel pretty crappy when she gets home after chemo, but just as she starts to feel normal again after 2 weeks, it starts all over again. It turns out that is true.

Patrick and Aunt Claire, and possibly Aunt Kathy are flying in to visit this weekend. We are looking forward to seeing them. I hope to play some banana grams and doing some knitting with my mom.

More later!

A Weekend at Mercy Hospital

Dear Family and Friends,
I returned from Salt Lake about 2 weeks ago.  During my stay in Durango was very tired.  My blood count became low and I had a fever.  I ended up in Mercy Hospital in Durango for 3 days.  I was not very happy about spending my time in the hospital rather than at home.  The staff at Mercy was very professional and helpful even if I wasn't the happiest patient.

We leave for the Huntsman Cancer Institute for round 3 of chemo this Tuesday.  The type of cancer that I have is called a LeioMyoSarcoma, which is a soft tissue cancer that are from a soft tissue part of the body.  The soft tissues of the body include fat blood vessels, nerves, muscles, skin and cartilage.

My brother Hugh is coming to visit us in Durango tomorrow.  Hugh lives in Sacramento, and has two teenage sons (Sean and Michael) with red hair, a red golden retriever, and a red headed wife names Anne.  Alas Hugh is not a redhead.

Thank you to my friends in Durango who have made delicious food for us, and also had us to their house for dinner.  I am overwhelmed with the your generosity.  Also, thank you for the many cards, telephone calls, and other kindnesses such as walking with me, wig consulting, knitting help, and sharing books.

Thank you also to my family.  I also thank David and Lorrie Gaffney and my daughter for opening up their homes to my large family and providing many wonderful meals.  I also thank all of my family that have flown in wintertime to visit me at the Huntsman Cancer Center.

On to Round 3.

Love,
Terry

Good morning to family and friends. I have completed the second round of chemotherapy at the Huntsman Cancer Center.  I returned to Durango about 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately, I had some trouble with low white cell count and fever. I was pretty tired the last 2 weeks.  I ended up in Mercy Hospital for a 3 day stint to revive my blood count. I must say that the staff at Mercy was excellent....even though that was the last place I wanted to be!

I am so appreciative of all the warm wishes, yummy food, cards and your loving thoughts and prayers. I am blessed with such wonderful family and friends. My Durango friends have been awesome with visits, dinner invites, knitting lessons, walking buddies, (did I mention delicious food), and even wig consulting.

The type of cancer I have is called LeioMyoSarcoma.  It is a rare form of cancer of smooth muscle cells. Smooth muscle cells make up the involuntary muscle, you cannot make these muscles move by thinking about them.

Tim, Maebiedog, my brother Hugh and I will be off to the Huntsman Cancer Center on on Tuesday, March 19th for another 5 day stint.  My brother Hugh lives in Sacramento and is coming for a short visit to Durango and then Salt Lake.  Hugh has 2 red headed teenage boys and a redish golden retriever and his wife also has lovely red hair.  Hugh is the odd guy out.....no red hair:(

Working on knitting and view from the room.