Move Over Jimmy!

My man Jimmy Fallon thinks he’s got a monopoly on Thank You notes. If you have no idea what I’m talking about….google “Jimmy Fallon thank you notes” and enjoy the laugh. My generation knows what I’m talking about, soooo I’m mainly talking to you, MawMaw……You’re welcome! Well you know what? I’ve got some thank you notes I’ve been meaning to write……

Thank you……..Nurse Javier at the Moffitt Center. Bringing Abby a bedpan at her extreme time of need was a priceless gesture. Sure, she told you a pig would climb out of her belly button before she’d ever use it…..but hey, the gesture was much appreciated.

Thank you…….DirecTV. After three months with your service, I have yet to memorize your complicated channel system. I’ve watched a steady rotation of the same three channels for the last 90 days. On the bright side, it’s really hard to find The Real Housewives.

Thank you…….Dr. Blah-Blah (I forgot the last name) for non-chalantly adding that the puncture from Abby’s lung biopsy could COLLAPSE HER LUNG (10-25% of the time). You certainly woke me up, so instead of spending $5.47 on coffee, I was able to opt for a Nachos Bell Grande…..Majestic. 

Thank you…….Spell Check…….for Nothing. You’re underlining “chalantly” in my last paragraph yet offering no solutions. What a waste of a right-click.

Thank you…….Steve Jobs……you told engineers that their ideas were "Crap!" just enough times to cultivate the worlds greatest phone. A phone that allows all of us to have a camera available at all times. Times like these…..

Thank you……to me…….for somehow not screwing up and convincing her to marry you.

Thank you…….Power Windows……the drive home from Moffitt was much easier thanks to your services. I’ll be sure to lay off the French onion soup on the next visit.

Thank you…….Rest and Recuperation………it was great having almost 10 days off between Abby’s appointments for some “normalcy”. Abby is fresh with fully charged batteries.

Thank you…..Friends and Family……thanks to your meals, donations, and prayers; we’re sleeping pretty darn well at night and awaking with few worries in the morning. You’ve made it easy. You’ve made it tolerable. In some ways, you’ve made it incredible. We’re undeserving. We hope that somewhere along the way we truly brought some sort of joy to your life to earn such generosity.

This is certainly not an appropriate forum for our official thank you letters. Honestly, for all of the great things that have been provided to us, at this point we just don’t know how to thank you the right way. BUT WE WILL, and I promise it won’t be with fruitcake.

Abs should get her results from the lung biopsy early next week. Our money is on negative! If so, we’ll get that kidney out of her body and then go to chemo. Lets do this already!

That’s all for now…..time to watch the Sweet 16……..Go Gators!

How I Met My Cancer!

(In honor of Ross’ Favorite Show)

Many people have asked me since my diagnosis, “How was this found?” Well, it’s quite simple……about 7 years ago, my mother’s youngest sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since then, I’ve been paranoid that I was destined to also get this dreaded disease. I also have a strong family history of breast cancer as well as other cancers on both sides of my family. So yes, I was paranoid and gave myself breast exams often.

About 5 years ago, I found a mass in my left breast that alerted me to have my doctor check it out. They told me it was most likely nothing, but referred me to have a breast ultrasound for my peace of mind. The radiologist deemed the mass in my left breast a fibro-adenoma without doing a biopsy. The mass was movable and appeared to have no change when they re-evaluated it 6 months later. At that appointment they also noticed I had several cysts in each breast. After they checked the 2^nd time, they told me I did not need to come back until I was 30 years old for routine care. (Since I have a strong family history, they wanted to see me younger than the typical 40 baseline.)

When I was pregnant with Juddy, of course my breasts were tender. It’s a common “side effect” of pregnancy. You moms out there can understand! However, after I had Judd, and finished breastfeeding (which wasn’t long because I didn’t produce enough milk), I noticed my breasts were often tender. Last fall, I started to notice a mass in my right breast…. Actually, right in the same area that I had mastitis when I was breastfeeding. Then, I noticed that every time Judd would lay his head in a particular spot, it would be painful and I would have to move his head.  I kept this worry to myself and kept telling myself that I would wait to have it checked when I went for my annual appointment in the spring. After all, I knew I had fibro-adenomas and cysts in my breasts already and told myself it was probably just one of those causing soreness.  Well, then I started to see “signs” (EVERYWHERE!!) in the beginning of the year. To name a few, I saw cars on a daily basis that had breast cancer survivor flags on them, my mask box at work is pink for breast cancer awareness, people would post random things on facebook about breast cancer, and of course the Nightly News always has some story about the controversy of mammography.  So FINALLY, I caved and made an appointment. My annual was scheduled in April, so I called and asked to be seen sooner for a breast exam because I was concerned. They moved my appointment to the end of February. THEN I called ONE last time and asked to be seen ASAP to have my breasts evaluated to get a referral for a breast ultrasound. Since I’m only 29, Radiology and Associates would only see me if I had a referral from my doctor (which I think is stupid!). I know my body better than any doctor and should be able to have an ultrasound or mammogram if I want to! But that’s a rant for another time and I’m certain it’s insurance driven anyway.

Anyway, I got a referral, and got in quickly to have an ultrasound. After the ultrasound, the radiologist came in and told me he saw 2 concerning areas, one in each breast, and wanted me to have a mammogram. Great…an ultrasound is easy….but now I have to have my breast smashed into a pancake! After he reviewed my images, he came in and told me that I need to have biopsies done on both masses.  SO at that point, I became scared.  Of course they couldn’t do it that day and I had to be rescheduled to the following week.  Biopsy day came, and once in the room with the tech, she shared with me that she had been praying for me AND had her mother praying for me too ever since she saw me last! Ummmm…..while that was super nice, it made me super upset, instantly. My heart started thumping full throttle.  I don’t like to cry in front of people and definitely not in front of a stranger but there I was, sobbing. Clearly, she saw something during my initial appointment that she thought was cancerous and she sees these images on a daily basis so I instantly knew……this isn’t good. The radiologist also told me he was concerned.  Then, I had to wait 6 LONG days for the pathology results to confirm what my gut already told me….TORTURE!

DIAGNOSIS DAY…… Monday, February 24, 2014. Ross and I walked into my doctor’s office to have my results read to me in person and I just had a feeling.   They took me back immediately after I signed in. Since when does a Dr. see you immediately??? Dr. Johnson walked in and sat down and looked over the pathology report and said, “Well, your right breast…they’re going to call this cancer….and your left breast….they’re calling this cancer as well.” I just sat there quietly and tears began to drop from my eyes. There it was. The dreaded words I hoped to have never heard in my lifetime.

Ross just read this over and said I’m being a real “Downer”. I am sorry and hope you know that is not my intent with this post. Here’s the point…….give yourself regular breast exams! Don’t sit around for 5 months in fear! Go see your doctor. We’d be in the homestretch of our stressful year if I had gone last fall.  

I’m thankful I found it. How else would I have found the kidney?? A blessing in disguise.

-Abby

Design….

To be specific….Intelligent Design. Is there or isn’t there? In the secular world that we live in today, the debate seems never ending. I am a Christian. If you know me well enough, you also know I’m something else….a complete Weirdo. I call meetings at 4:03. I say “Happy New Year!” well past January 16^th. I eat a cheeseburger by “securing the perimeter” and then “attacking the interior”.

(As I’m writing this I’ve come to a conclusion: I should really seek professional help when Abby’s treatment is complete)

Anyway, back to Intelligent Design. As a self-admitted weirdo, it’s only natural that my faith in Him was solidified by something weird. Oh yes, I believe in prayer and scripture just like the next guy. But THIS is when I knew……

For the first 20 years of my life, I slept in and woke up with the same mental struggle each and every morning…. “I don’t have to pee…..I can fall back asleep before it becomes too painful…..I really don’t have to pee…..ok I quit, it’s been 20 minutes since I woke up and I REALLY HAVE TO PEE!”

Maybe you can relate? Anyway, back to the story. So there I was…..sleeping on the floor at my friends Condo. I wake up, and for some reason on this morning…..No Debate. I darted into the bathroom. Man it felt good. Two minutes later (Yes, I washed my hands!), I walked out of the bathroom and there it was……a MONSTER of a Ceiling Fan, with a well defined point at the end, the thing had to weigh 60 pounds…….it was resting on my Pillow. It fell from the ceiling during my 2 minute bathroom trip.

Why did I wake up right then? Why did I immediately rush to the bathroom? I’m not gonna lie, it scared the &$%! out of me. There was no doubt in my mind: No way this just “happened”………Design.

So where is this going? Over the last few weeks I’ve really had something on my mind. Our family could not be MORE PREPARED for this challenging year. We live in our hometown. We’re surrounded by friends and family. Our companies are amazing. We are in the perfect position to handle this. No way this just “happened”. What follows here are just a few stories that helped us prepare for today.

1. When I graduated from college, Abby and I really didn’t have a plan for where we’d go next. I knew I wanted to stay with my credit union, so we settled into life in Gainesville. Sure enough, just a few months after graduation, the credit union announced plans for a 2^nd branch in Marion County……a building on the East Side of Ocala that I must’ve passed 2,647 times in my life. So, we moved back home. We planted roots in our hometown. Over the last week we’ve seen the uprising of Team Jones. As I’ve thought back, this is where Team Jones started. Moving Home……..Design.

2. Abby and I are blessed with great family, and a stable of best friends. Benefits of Ocala! It just so happens that one of my best friends (incidentally this person is also my arch-rival on the golf course) is a doctor. Studying radiology. He also loves Abby dearly. We’ve exchanged about 3,217 texts with him since the diagnosis. A doctor and friend that’s always just a text away……Design.

3. Abby’s best friend is like a sister. To her, and to me. She resides in the Big Apple and just so happens to be a Registered Nurse (studying to be a Nurse Practitioner). Did I mention that she used to do At-Home Care for woman whom just had a Mastectomy?   Design.

4. The Jones family members are self-admitted Disney geeks. I keep this under wraps, but it’s true. Mickey is the man. Abs and I had penciled in Judd’s 2^nd birthday for the time to go meet Mickey. Then this came up and it hit me: September could be a mess. We need to go there now. So, I sent a text to my brother: “We need to go get pictures with Mickey before Abby’s chemo”. The wheels were set in motion. It turns out my brother and wife had free passes. My uncle, a Disney Cast member, pitched in 5 more. Our nieces had passes. Judd got in free. On a whim, we pulled off 12 of our closest family members going to Disney…….we paid for 2 tickets. The pictures turned out perfect…….Design.

5. When the Kidney diagnosis came in; Abs and I came to the realization: Abby needs to quit her job. A tough decision financially, AND because Abby loves her job and the family she works for. That same day, without me asking, my friend sends me a text. “I need your SSN and a copy of your driver’s license”. To which I replied,  “Sketchiest text you’ve ever sent me”. Then he spilled the beans, Team Jones was forming a fundraiser………Design.

6. This year is going to be tough. Abs and I are really beginning to understand the scope of this grind. Just then my phone vibrates with an email: “Your friend has started a Meal Train for The Jones Family”. Well, I guess we don’t need to worry about food…………Design.

7. Stick with me here…….this story develops fast. Abby, Judd, and I live across the street from my parents. Seemed nuts at the time. Now it’s a huge blessing. BUT, let me elaborate. 35 years ago my parents became friends with another newlywed couple in Deland, FL. They’ve been best friends ever since; even though this couple moved and started a family back home in Castalia, OHIO. Two years ago this family endured a lot of challenges and eventually the loss of their son-in law to Cancer. Since then, they decided to buy a “retirement” home DIRECTLY across the street from my parents in Ocala, FL. They fixed up the home. Painted the home. Made it a great place. Then they switched gears and decided to retire in 5 years and thus rent the home in the meantime. Coincidentally, Abby and I wanted to sell our condo. So guess what? The family agreed to “hold” the house until we could sell our condo. So, we listed our condo and hoped it would sell in a month or two. We sold it in one week. It just so happens the guy who bought it was “friendly” with a lady down the street. So the plan came together. One cancer family is living in the home of another cancer family, directly across the street from their parents, 35 years after a friendship was sparked………..Design (oh, and some old dude may be having a “good time” right now in our old place)

We had a tough week last week with a couple of losses. The kidney diagnosis was tough, and the fertility issues were a kick while we were down. BUT, they say He gives you nothing you can’t handle. Well, this week we got a couple of WINS. A clear bonescan, and much to our surprise, a clear exam of Abby’s lymph nodes. Two wins that offset two losses and get the Momentum back on our side.

Undeniable……Design.