2010 Miracles

It is certainly no secret that 2010 was full of trials and tribulations for us--which makes it all the more desirable to celebrate the coming of 2011.

2010 was a roller coaster ride from the get-go. This time last year my Aunt Michelle and Uncle Scott were pregnant with their first child, Kian. We learned that their baby-to-be was at the hands of Spinabifida, a complication in their pregnancy, which basically means the baby's spine was exposed and therefore making his nerves exposed in the womb. Doctors cautioned us that Kian may never walk. Kian was born on February 2, 2010... the youngest Chase in our immediate family by 18 years. He was rushed into surgery immediately after birth to fuse his spine. Almost a year later, Kian has been defeating the odds everyday. He is crawling and well on his way to walking. Kian has baby-talked his way into our hearts this year. He has been more than a joy to get to know and he is just one example of the miracles we've been blessed to experience in 2010.

Shortly after Kian's arrival, which irnoically happened at Magees Women's Hospital, my family learned of my mother's Ovarian Cancer diagnosis. The irony here is in February we were celebrating Kian's birth on the second floor of Magees and on Easter, my family was back on the second floor spending time with my mother who had just had a full hysterectomy as well as the removal of her appendix, splean, uterus and a quarter size of her liver. From March until September we all watched my mother strongly endure chemo-therapy. It was a brutal several months, but on September 15th my mother was officially in remission! Another miracle our family has been lucky enough to experience.

While mom is still working through the druthers (soreness, exhaustion, trying to get her hair to grow back more quickly, etc.) of post-chemo irritants, she is happy and healthy and we are very relieved!

2010 was one crazy year for us, albeit full of miracles, we are anticipating 2011 to be much less... stressful?!

Happy New Year! Have fun & be safe!!!

Misc.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! We certainly did.

On Monday mom went down to Magees Women's Hospital for her 3 month check up, which was a success. All of her blood work along with her internal organs are squeeky clean and cancer free! Mom's only complaint was that she was required to be weighed in just two days after Christmas- which is certainly an unfair requirement considering all of the delightful food we induldged in this holiday. Oh, and she did seem slightly irritated that dad drove mach 90 the whole way to Pittsburgh.

Currently mom is taking a new post-chemo drug called Avastin via the Erie Cancer Center twice every month until September 2011. The only pit fall to this medicine is that it is causing mom to be extremely sore and achy. But according to her, she'd rather be achy, creaky and alive than six-feet-under. Touche.

Obviously we are elated with the news we've received about her health status and we are looking very forward to 2011!

A Very Merry Christmas Eve

First of all, Merry Christmas Eve!!! Today is especially emotional because there was a time in March when we did not know if mom would be with us this Christmas. But thanks to all of the doctors and nurses as well as the family & friends who showed their support, mom was able to kick cancer to the curb and be happy & healthy with us this Christmas. And it feel amazing.

Although mom may still be feeling the ramifications of having had such invasive chemotherapy, she is feeling better & looking wonderful! Her hair is still in the process of growing back in (more details on that fiasco in a later post...) and she finally is adorning some new healthy eye lashes too!

This morning it was so refreshing to see her beautiful face in the kitchen brewing up some Sauerkraut for this evenings Polish Festivities. Albeit, I do not enjoy ALL of the traditional foods that come with our families traditional Christmas Eve, which is called Wigilia, it's wonderful just to know that mom is here to share this holiday with us. *Sidebar: for those of you who are unfamiliar with Wigilia, you should just know that all of us Pollocks get together after mass & feast on traditional Polish food, each of which symbolizes a part of Jesus' life. While the visiting with family is wonderful & the homemade pierogis are arguably the most fabulous tasting combination of carbohydrates a girl could possibly imagine indulging in, it is the fried perch and sledjua (I have no idea how to spell it-- but it is basically fish in goop with scales) that turn me away from the buffet and on to the cookies. Oh dear.

Anyway, this holiday my family and are extremely blessed and thankful that God was willing give our family but specifically my mother the strength to beat cancer and therefore will be spending many more Christmas Eve's indulging in traditional Christmas feasts with all of us Pollski's! Wesolych Swia! Merry Christmas!!!

Just Because You're In Remission...

On September 15th, we were informed that my mom was officially in remission! And like anyone would assume, we were beyond elated. After the bout with Ovarian cancer, I think all five of us were ready to put the cancerous Spring and Summer behind us and delve back into our "regular lives."

Maybe we were just naive... Perhaps we were delusional... Or maybe we were (read as "are" because we still are) just optimistic, but I think that everyone here in the Chase homestead thought that on September 16th we would wake up to find my mom with her hair fully grown in and kickin' with the strength of that of 12 mules. As lovely as it was/is to know that my mom no longer has cancer living within her body, she is still living the repercussions of having been a host for such a terrible disease. That being said, her hair is not long and blonde and flowing-- yet. And no, she is not a ball of energy--yet.

See here is the deal: remission means no cancer. And no cancer is FABULOUS! However, it DOES NOT MEAN BACK TO NORMAL. So that being said, this here blog is going to be full of completely thrilling (I'm sure) stories about the Chase's (specifically mom) post-Ovarian cancer.