Everyone needs a sidekick!!

Today was back to the old grindstone of chemo for Andrew. He and his trusty sidekick, Pistol Pete, checked into the hospital this morning for Andrew's 3-day long inpatient treatment. Ang and Pistol have their days jammed packed with napping, talking to nurses, napping, eating lunch, napping, watching crappy TV, and did I mention napping.......It's what they both do best.

Andrew's treatment is going well. He's tired and a little restless but feeling pretty good all-around. We'll just have to see what tomorrow brings.

He still has a healthy appetite though. He ate all of his lunch and a huge dinner filled with about 6 homemade meatballs, pasta and sauce, salad and a roll and he just inhaled two homemade 3 berry muffins. Boy I'm a good wife .... or maybe I myself need a life. Either way, he's eating and that makes us all happy.

And as for Pistol, since he has already killed his 8-point buck for this season, I am truly perplexed as to what he is doing all day but I'm confident that he is taking good care of Andrew. Maybe he's practicing for fishing season .. who knows.

Andrew and I also want to say a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Gwen and Kevin who got engaged at 3:30 pm on Monday. I guess it's a good time to get engaged!!!! We are so excited for you two and can't wait for the wedding. We hear it's less than a year away. We are looking forward to Andrew attending cancer-free.

It's about time Kevy Kev!!!! Mazel-Tov!!!!

Can't wait for next season

Thanks again to Jamey Perry, Joe Paterno and Daryll Clark. We can't wait to be at all of the games next year. WE ARE ...... PENN STATE!!!

Success with honor ........

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas......

Happy late Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family. The past few weeks have been more than hectic for both Andrew and I. The day before Thanksgiving Andrew finished his marathon 33 sessions of radiation ... WOO HOO!! It was a long 7 weeks but we both made it through. The only downside of him completing the treatment is that I had to return to work ... BOO!!! Anyone who really knows me, knows I love staying home and not going to work every day. It is so easy to get things accomplished in a day when no one is on the road, in the markets and in my way. But I digress (as I sit at my desk adding and subtracting to see exactly how long it is till Christmas break .. 13 days not counting today .. if anyone wants to know).

For the most part Andrew's radiation treatment went smoothly, minus the dreaded sunburn, bowel issues and low White Blood Cell counts he had to endure every day. But since the completion of his treatments, he has been able to receive the Neulasta shot that stimulates his WBC's and they have more than recovered to their normal range. Which is a huge sigh of relief for the both of us. Though he was suppose to continue with another round of 3-day inpatient chemo treatment next Monday, Dec 7th, the doctors feel it is in his best interest to wait one more week to begin, so Monday, Dec. 14th it is. One more week off from Chemo will be good for him to regain more strength before getting another huge kick-in-the-ass 3-day inpatient treatment.
Andrew also received an amazing and thoughtful gift at the end of his radiation treatment from my advisor at Penn State, Jamey Perry. Jamey's the biggest PSU football fan I know and he was able to get a personalized autographed football signed by JoePa ad Daryll Clark. It's awesome and it made Andrew smile ear-to-ear. Jamey also sent a football tee used in a game to hold the ball. Thanks Jaim -- you're the best!!! Can't wait to see you next season.......
Since Andrew's treatment ended the day before Thanksgiving we were able to spend the day with my parents in Uniontown. Normally we spend it with Andrew's parents in Princeton, NJ but his dad came down with walking pneumonia and we had to cancel. Steve is doing better and we hope to visit NJ to celebrate Hanukkah next weekend.
But as a whole, Andrew and I are doing great. He continues to go to work as much as he can and stay as active and normal as possible. We are both looking forward to Christmas and spending it in Uniontown with my parents, Adam and of course, Winston, the best bulldog in the world. If you can believe it, even with all of this going on, Andrew and I (when I say this I really me 'I') are done with our Christmas shopping. All I have to do is wrap them, which I plan to do this weekend. I even have all of my Christmas cards addressed and ready to send. This is what happens when your husband goes to bed at 8 pm. You have all kind of time to get projects done. Not sure what I'll take up after the holidays ... maybe knitting or scrap booking. Oh who knows... just one day at a time!!
Since his diagnosis, Andrew and I have felt very strongly that we need to help raise awareness and money for Ewing's. As you can see from the new logo on my page, we are hoping to help Widener University, Andrew's alma mater, to partner with us and with Uplifting Athletes to raise money for Ewing's. We will keep everyone posted on our progress and how to get involved. www.upliftingathletes.org
But for now ... we are just taking each day as it comes and not worrying what tomorrow brings. (Lexapro helps him with this):) Andrew and I will be seeing his doctor at Johns Hopkins the week after Christmas for a follow-up appointment and we continue to see Dr. Felice every week in Reston. He will also be having scans on his hip some time around the New Year to give us a marker as to the size of the tumor and to see what is left to get rid of. Keep your fingers crossed and remember to keep Andrew in your thoughts.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!!

His name is Earl

Thanks to some wonderful home cooked meals (pat on the back for me) like the doctor ordered, Andrew's white blood cells have rebounded nicely and he was able to start chemo again on Monday. He is also still having radiation every day and after today will only have 2 weeks left. He should be done the day before Thanksgiving.

Though I'm sure no one really enjoys chemo, I can tell that there are aspects that Andrew enjoys.... first off, everyone knows his name and talks to him... I mean he's a 29 year old cancer patient and most of the people in here having treatment done are over the age of 60 (and I'm being nice.) ..... he also loves having me wait on him ... whatever he needs, he gets ... juice boxes, packed lunch served to him, cookies .... and that leads me to his favorite part of chemo ... Earl, the morning cook in the cafeteria. I can't verify this for myself, but Andrew tell me that Earl makes the best egg, cheese and bacon English muffin sandwiches in the world. He adds a little ketchup for good measure and you should see him perk up in the morning. Earl knows my name and my order and when he sees me coming in the morning, he sprays the griddle and starts the eggs sizzling. With a smile, he always asks about Andrew and makes it right every time. (I should let you know that Andrew does eat breakfast in the morning ... these 2 muffin sandwiches are just mid morning snacks ... and he wonders how he put on 45 pounds?) Though Earl probably doesn't really know it, he is a huge contributor to the success of Andrew's treatment every day. I've tried my best to re-make these sandwiches at home, but Andrew still likes Earl's the best.

There are a mountain of people who contribute to Andrew's overall success with beating this disease .. doctors, PA's, nurses, technicians, schedulers, valet parkers, parents, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmothers, dogs, neighbors, friends, co-workers ... and Earl. Thank you all for contributing. We know together we can beat Andrew's cancer!!!!

Muchas Gracias!!!

Sunburn in November

Andrew's spirits have never been higher after last nights win over Philadelphia. He's one happy camper!! Yesterday was a big day of celebration in our house. Not only did Andrew's beloved Yankee's win, but after his blood work yesterday morning, we found out that his counts are high enough to have chemo again next week .... yeah!! His body is strong enough and producing enough white blood cells to fight off infection. It's wonderful news to hear. He was even able to go back to work today, thank the lord for that, and I got my office back. In all sincerity, it wasn't that bad having him home. But it was time for him to go back.
We also had a wonderful visitor for the past 2 days, Andrew's college friend Bill. Yesterday we took Billy on a day in the life of a cancer patient. We went to a doctors appointment, came home and worked, and then went to radiation therapy in the afternoon. What an exciting day for Billy. But it was great to see him and it helps to keep Andrew's mind off of the cancer.
Lynn and Pete are coming this weekend. Winston is so excited to see his grandparents. Currently, he is resting and snoring loudly so he has enough energy when they arrive. Oh, the life of a Bulldog.
But besides that it's business as usual. Andrew is still having side effects from the radiation. Though it is November in Virginia, his hip and stomach (and other unmentionable areas) look like he has been laying the July sun. Radiation gives him an awful sunburn. He has lots of creams and powers but it only helps so much. He is also having some bowel issues (that no one wants me to go into detail with on this blog ..... trust me!!!) but the doctor says that the bowel is a very durable organ and any issues should resolve themselves after the treatment is over. Crossing our fingers on that one.
So we are ending week 4 of radiation, amazing. Only 3 weeks to go.... till radiation is over and Thanksgiving. Andrew and I are excited for the weekend and the PSU vs. O-State game on Saturday ....



We are ..... Penn State!! Go State, Beat Ohio!!!!

Penn State
"Fight on State"

Fight on State, Fight on State,
Strike your gait and win,
Victory we predict for thee,
We're ever true to you, dear old White and Blue.
Onward State, Onward State
Roar Lions roar,
We'll hit that line, roll up the score,
Fight on to victory evermore,
Fight on, on
On, on, on!
Fight on, on,
Penn State!

(Normally this where a Jager shot goes ... Jamey and friends, do one for us this weekend!!)

Calgon, take me away .....

Dear All,

My nightmare has come true. Yes, I know my husband already has cancer and most of you would think that we are living in a nightmare..... but no. Andrew's doctor told him today that he has to spend the rest of the week at home working so not to be around all of the people in his office with the swine flu. To quote Jason Segel in the movie, I Love you Man ...... this is my nightmare!!!!
Normally I wouldn't care, since I am not usually at home but since I too am still working from home .... this poses a problem for me. I mean don't get me wrong, I want him to be healthy and keep his counts rebounding so that he can have treatment next week, but all the Calgon in world can't take me away from this. Andrew is too serious. When I'm working at home I listen to music, talk to the dog, check people.com, talk on the phone, read usweekly, update facebook ... you know, the usual girl stuff. But Andrew, he could care less what Brad and Angelina did or wore last night ...or who put cute pictures of their kids up on facebook ... and he doesn't like my music .... and he finds little to no amusement in the snoring (and may I add) and most adorable bulldog in the world. He also likes to talk on speaker phone ... which drives me right up the wall. I mean he may not care about Brad and Angelina but I could really care less about whats on the docket for the next few days or if anyone else created a thing like the thing in front of him. Boring!!!
But for now, I am trying to have Andrew's best interests at heart .... and in mind. Andrew's counts are rising but not as quickly as they would if he were able to receive the neulasta shot (which stimulates his white blood cells). But since he is receiving radiation, he is not able to receive the shot for the next 5 weeks. All we can hope is that his body is strong enough to produce some of its own white blood cells and fight off any infection that he may get. On the bright side, his spirits are high and he looks great. The doctor is continued to be amazed by Andrew and that continues to make Andrew happy to hear.
Please keep Andrew in your thoughts ..... and me as I quietly endure the next few days!!!!

(Filling the bathtub with water and bubbles)

Calgon .... take me away!!!!

Where has the time gone....

I'm completely amazed that we are in Andrew's third week of radiation treatment. Though most people would think that time almost stands still when you're sick ... we think it is just flying by. Andrew is doing great. He had a little set back last week after getting sick ... and then giving it to me ... but has been on antibiotics every since. We hope that after the doctors appointments on Wednesday, he will be cleared to return to chemo next week. His radiation has not been effected by the sickness and he has continued every week day, at 3:10 pm, as usual. He is also continuing to go to work every day, which is great for me, because he did stay home one day last week, and I thought I was going to kill him. I love my husband and I know he has an important job, but our house is only so big and we only have one office and when he gets on business calls and shuts and the door to the office in the middle of the day, it really mucks up my day since the office is where my computer, files, printer, memory sticks, paper, phone ... you name it, is located. (don't take this personally Steve) But for that day, I felt like I was at his parents house when his dad is on a business call and we all have be quiet, not make much noise when moving around, and somehow entertain the dogs and reason with them to comply as well. You can all guess how that goes. Besides that, and now that Andrew is back to work, life is going on as planned.
Andrew was even able to get out for dinner on Friday with friends; went shopping on Saturday for new clothes (that fit); and watched football with the boys on Sunday while I went to a bridal shower. (For those of you who don't know and haven't seen Andrew in a while, he has gained about 40 pounds from the treatment and drugs. The doctor is fine with the gain and is happy for Andrew's healthy appetite.)
We continue to receive such love and support from our family and friends and will never be able to express the gratitude we have for all of you. Please keep the love and wonderful thoughts coming .... they're working!!!!

Rain, Rain go away ... come again some other day!!!!