Arrangements for Chris

Hello friends and family,

The arrangements for
Christine are as follows:

Viewing - Sunday, July 22nd, 2012 from 2-6pm at Perna, Dengler, Roberts Funeral Home, 1671 Maple Rd., Williamsville, NY 14221

Funeral - Monday, July 23rd, 2012, starting at 11am, with a viewing preceding at 10am, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1424 Maple Rd., Williamsville, NY 14221

All are invited and welcome to attend to celebrate the life of our amazing Mother, Daughter, Sister, Grandmother, Niece, Cousin and Friend.

We know this has come as a shock to almost everyone.  We feel your pain and loss as well.  We cannot adequately acknowledge  all of you for your prayers, letters, cards, thoughts, meals, monetary contributions and overall love, but we love every single one of you, as she did.

She is free.  She is home.  She is whole again.  My Heavenly Father's blessings be felt by all of you.

-Christine's Family,

Her Legacy.

Chris finished her journey

Early this morning, we lost our beloved Christine.  None of us realized, including her, that the possibility of having three months left on this Earth, would turn into eight, short, days.  Heavenly Father decided to take her quickly rather than have her linger and suffer from this terrible disease.

We thank you for all your prayers, love and support.  We can report that she went peacefully at home surrounded by all five of her precious children including one Daughter-in-Law, her Husband, her Mother and Sister. 

Services will be posted as soon as possible.  

All our love,

The Family

A new chapter . . .

I had a CT scan last Friday, and went to Roswell for the results yesterday.  Dr. K. informed us that the Votrient is no longer working.  Everything has gotten bigger.  I wasn't that surprised.  I suspected as much. I think Ken did, too.  Dr. K. gently told us that there are really no more options in terms of treatment.  He suggested we think about in-home hospice care.  We really didn't have to think about it.  We had anticipated it would be our next step.  Hospice called this morning and set up a time for a consult.  We'll be meeting with them on Thursday morning.  Everyone tells me that Hospice workers are wonderful.  I look forward to meeting my hospice nurse, Wendy.

I asked Dr. K. how my life would play out from here.  He said that he really doesn't think I'll be in any pain. Mainly, I'll begin to lose energy and want to sleep more.  Hospice will see to it that I'm comfortable and that I'm breathing OK.  I asked him the big question - how much time do I have?  He guesstimates about 3 months, maybe a little longer.  He emphasized the fact that he would still be in charge of my care.  We thanked him for everything he, and the good people of Roswell, had done for us.  He said some very nice things, then left us alone for some private time.  Ken and I both dissolved in tears and just held each other for a few minutes.  After we pulled ourselves together, my 2 favorite nurses came in and gave us both big hugs.  It was a bittersweet moment. I realized how grateful I am for the love I feel from those around me.  That love has helped to sustain me over the last 3 years and will continue to sustain me over these next few months.

We called my mom and our kids and invited them to come over for a family counsel last night. We began with family prayer which helped to bring a feeling of calm and peace.  I then explained what we had learned at the doctor's office and how we were going to proceed from here. I told them that I am completely in the Lord's hands now, and I'm more than OK with this.  I know that I couldn't be in better hands.  All that matters to me now is that we all pull together as a family and love and support each other through this.  I want us to enjoy every moment we have together to the fullest.  I want my family to have joy in this life and to be happy.  That is my greatest desire. There were a few tears. But, ultimately, we ended up in the back yard tossing the football around, watching the grandkids play, laughing and just having fun together.  It was perfect.

One of the tenets of our religion is that husbands, wives and their children can be "sealed" as families for eternity by proper priesthood authority.  Ken and I were sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple on May 26, 1979.  Each of our children are sealed to us.  We may be separated for a time when I go, but we will be together again.  This is my great comfort and my solace.


In John 14:27, the Savior tells us, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  I bear testimony of this peace that comes only through faith in Jesus Christ.  It is real. I am so grateful for the peace I have been blessed with. I am so grateful for His love.


I will continue to update from time to time as long as I can.  Many, many thanks for your love, support and prayers.  Very special thanks to my wonderful husband who has been my rock through all of this.  I literally could not have gotten through this without him. I couldn't ask for a better care-giver or for a better friend.


Until next time . . .

My, how time flies!

I've been remiss again.  I've let too much time go by without updating.  I'm so sorry.

It's been a bit of a mixed bag the last few weeks.  I've had a few "blue" days.  A couple of weeks ago I mentioned to my home care nurse that I was a bit blue the day before. She looked alarmed.  I then realized she thought I'd had a problem with my oxygen level.  I reassured her I did not turn blue, that it was a mood thing. Fun with the home care nurse.

I had quite a few days where my cough was relentless.  And in spite of Ken and I draining my right lung cavity pretty regularly, it took very little exertion for me to feel out of breath.  I was sure that my left lung cavity must be filling with fluid again.  Why else would I have these symptoms?  So, we called Dr. K's office and went to Roswell for an x-ray.  Both lungs looked pretty good.  In fact, the left lung looked better than the right.  I was told to treat the symptoms.  I took Morphine for the cough.  (Who knew Morphine could tame a cough?  I sure didn't.)  It worked although it made me tired.  I made sure to use my inhaler regularly for the shortness of breath.  It didn't help so much.  I was pretty much stuck at home, not able to do much of anything.  I couldn't help but wonder if this was going to be how I lived the rest of my life.

Back to my home care nurse. She's actually very good and very caring.  Her name is Jan.  Jan came last week and noticed that there was some leakage on the dressing covering my catheter.  Even though there didn't appear to be any infection, she thought it would be a good idea to call Roswell and see if they wanted to take a look at it.  She didn't call Dr. K.  She called the thoracic clinic and asked to speak to the doctor that put in the catheter.  She was told they would get a message to Dr. Dexter or Dr. Hennon (he put in the catheter on my left side), and would call if they felt I should come in.  The next morning I got a call from Thoracic saying they wanted us to come in.  Dr. Hennon took a look at the catheter site and determined there was no infection.  But, he wanted to find the cause of the leakage.  He suggested we do a drain even though Ken and I had done one just the day before and hadn't gotten too much.  During the process of draining, he realized that the catheter was clogged from the inside.  He played with the tubing a little bit, and lo and behold, out came about 3 times as much as the day before. Apparently, I had fluid building up that wasn't able to be drained due to the clogged tubing. Since then, our drains have been much more productive.  My cough has improved a whole bunch as has the shortness of breath.  I haven't had to take the Morphine at all.  I feel like my old self again.

I've been on the Votrient for 5 or 6 weeks now.  I go in for a regular follow-up tomorrow and I'm sure we'll schedule the next CT scan.  Oh boy.

I hope you're all enjoying your summer.  Well, I guess technically it's still spring.  It sure feels like summer, though.  I'm loving the sunshine, the greenery, the flowers, the birds.  All, wonderful blessings.  Take care and enjoy.  Until next time . . .

Just enjoying life . . .

Hi everyone.  Not much new to report.  I've been feeling pretty good.  Doing a little gardening, enjoying our incredible weather.  My symptoms have been very manageable.  I'm so grateful for a bit of a respite from the drama that is cancer.  In short, life is good.  I feel very blessed.

Take good care.

Until next time . . .

Pretty good news!

Well, for the first time in a long, long time, I have pretty good news!  Of the 4 large tumors in my lungs, 2 got marginally bigger while the other 2 shrank.  The one in my pelvic lining got quite a bit smaller.  My oncologist was pleased with the results, so he is keeping me on this drug.  I go back for another CT in 2 months.  Woohoo!!  I guess I'll have to get used to living my life in 2 month increments for a while, but that's OK.


Thanks again for all of your prayers.  They really do help!


I promise to update at least once a week.  So, until next time . . . 

My apologies for not updating sooner . . .

I am so bad at this stuff.  Those of you that know me well know that I don't say a lot unless I feel I have something of importance to say.  So, when things are going well or just going, I don't think about updating the blog.  So sorry.

I'm still on the Votrient.  I think it has been going quite well.  Really no side effects to mention right now.  One that I did have for a while has settled down.  The front have of my tongue felt like I had licked sandpaper.  Anything too hot or spicy, even toothpaste, really hurt.  Kind of a pain, but it's much better now.

The catheter is in and is working well.  It's so nice not to have to run to Roswell every time I need a drain.

Last week was a bit of a crummy week.  I just didn't feel very good.  Had some stomach issues, more acute pain on the left side of my upper back, and my cough was out of control.  So, I called Roswell on Friday.  The nurse I spoke with was great.  She went down the list symptom by symptom and told me what to do to alleviate it.  I didn't have to go in - Yay!  However, she asked me to have Ken help me with a drain even though I didn't feel I needed one, and report back if it was a lot.  The drain was pretty routine, only 100 cc's, so I don't think there are any issues there.  She also moved my CT scan up to tomorrow (Tuesday, 5/15), with an appointment with Dr. K. right after for the results.  Ugh.  I was looking forward to a couple more weeks of ignorant bliss.  Not to be I guess.

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  I hope all you mothers had a wonderful day!  I did.  My husband, kids and their families cooked dinner for me, my mom and my daughter-in-law, Sara.  It was very yummy!  After dinner, we gathered together to discuss my situation and what we might hear on Tuesday.  It wasn't easy for any of us. If the Votrient isn't working, I'm just not sure what the next step should be - or even if there is one.  But, I'm truly amazed at the love and strength I felt that evening  Family is the most important unit on the face of the planet.  I am so, so grateful for mine.  I can face anything with them by my side.  I am also so grateful for my faith which tells me there is life after this, and it's more beautiful and marvelous than we can comprehend.  More importantly, our family ties don't have to end at death.  I know I'll live with my family again, if we all stay true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  What great comfort that is.

I'm sure I will update again tomorrow or the next day to let you know my "fate". Gotta maintain a sense of humor, right?

I love you all.  Again, thank you for your prayers, love and support.

Thing are still going well . . .

I'm knocking on wood as I say that.  The little bit of fatigue I had at the beginning seems to be waning.  I'll usually get tired in the afternoon and have a nap.  Other than that, it has been pretty easy.  The one thing that is bothersome has nothing to do with the treatment.  My right lung cavity is filling up with fluid again. I get short of breath pretty easily.  That was my first clue the last time. (I'm learning!)  I have an appointment to go in and get it tapped this afternoon.  Next Thursday I have an appointment to have a catheter put in so I can do the drains myself.  Hopefully, it won't be in for long.  When they put it in on my left side a while back, I only needed it for about 2 months because the fluid dissipated on it's own.  Maybe my right side will follow suit.

Easter was lovely.  After church, we all went to my mother's house for dinner. My brother, Don, was in town.  It was nice spending time with him.  I hope you all had a lovely Easter as well.

It's a beautiful sunny day today.  I love it when it's sunny.  It's a good day for a walk.  However, I best wait until after the tap this afternoon.  It would be unsettling for the neighbors if I were to pass out on the sidewalk.

Enjoy your day!