Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Breath of Fresh Air

AHHHHH!!! It was so refreshing to play outside after dinner tonight. We are finally experiencing some gorgeous weather and the mud puddles are nearly gone. No complaints from me about the sunshine!!

Can you believe it?!? 31 treatments done and 3 more to go...yes...3 more left, that's it! Friends at work commented this week how fast the time has gone. I guess it has, but I will be relieved to not have a daily commitment looming on my calendar. I really have been going to the Radiation Cancer Center for 7 weeks. More often than not, I think timing is so important. The timing of the completion of my radiation treatments could not be more timely for me. After Friday, I will truly consider myself a SURVIVOR, fighting for LIFE. What better timing than Easter weekend when we celebrate LIFE?!? This will be an extra special Easter Jubilation for me!!!

We have been in the mode of celebrating lately. My niece's basketball team, the Jefferson Lady Eagles, placed 2ND in the State Basketball Tournament. Our 1990 3rd place team was able to sit court side during the championship game and it was very special to cheer for our very own team. I am so proud!

The ride home was not so much fun and definitely nothing to celebrate. It was the scariest ride I have ever experienced. The snow storm and winter weather advisory was awful and we drove right through it. The trip home from Columbia is normally 3 hours and it took us 5 1/2 hours. I rode with a blanket over my head and Mother and I prayed the Rosary for most of the trip on I-70. We made it all the way to our driveway and then had to stay all night with Mother because our driveway was drifted shut. Dan was not thrilled that he drove the entire way in the storm "to sleep at my Mother's house". We were planning on sleeping in our own beds, but were grateful that Mother let us stay with her.

On Saturday, we attended the Benefit Volleyball Tournament and it was too much fun. Thanks to my Corporate Challenge teammates for coordinating and sponsoring the event. Thanks to all the participants and donors. It was a successful day. Friends from Maryville won the tournament. If I was organized, I would post a picture. Sorry.

We were in Seneca, KS on Saturday night to celebrate 60th Birthdays for my Uncle and Cousin. We had an absolutely wonderful time. Even my girls asked why we do not see those cousins very often...shame on us. It was great!

Life is Good! The Countdown in on! Celebration of LIFE this weekend!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

State Bound

I am just finishing the packing for a weekend trip to the State Basketball tournament in Columbia. The Jefferson Lady Eagles are playing in the Final Four of Class 1. My girls may be more excited about "vacation" and the opportunity to swim than the basketball games, but they are young...there is still hope for them.

I think I mentioned our 20th anniversary of our 1990 Class 1A Basketball 3rd place this year. Last year was our 20th anniversary of our 1989 Class 1A Basketball State Championship. How rare is this...the Jefferson Lady Eagles qualified for the Final Four last year and this year. Both years that we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we have the distinct honor to cheer for our own Blue and Gold. Now that is VERY IMPRESSIVE! I wish I could say we are heading back next year to celebrate another 20th anniversary, but we were left on the Quarterfinals court my senior year...3 points short of a 3rd trip to the Final Four. One of my nephews is a senior and they lost the Quarterfinal game last Saturday night by 3 points. I tried to tell him that I know exactly how he feels! Life goes on, but it is a memory I hope to never forget!

We will stop in St. Joe for my radiation treatment on the way to Columbia. The techs are excited to finally meet Bo. Malia and Maggie have both gone to a radiation treatment with me, so the techs have met the girls. Now, they will get a chance to meet the "big guy". I warned one of the techs that she is not allowed to keep Bo...I am almost certain she will want to. Every person that works at the Cancer Center is completely genuine, very talented and damn good at what they do.

Tomorrow will be treatment number 24. I will have 4 regular treatments and 6 boosts left after tomorrow. I do get to take Friday off, which is probably a good thing because I am starting to burn. I peeled for the first time yesterday...not bad...about the size of a quarter. It does not hurt and it does not bother me so I am truly blessed to be so lucky. The prayers continue to work in my favor.

Speaking of prayers...please say a prayer for a special friend and his family. He was diagnosed with colon cancer today. He is our rock. We have always been able to depend on him and he has taken great care of our family. Now it is our turn to help him for a change. Prayers for a complete cure!

Monday, March 15, 2010

VB Benefit Info

We have a request to post the Volleyball information and roster on the blogspot. Please click the link below to access the document.

Volleyball Benefit Information and Roster

Saturday, March 13, 2010

20 Treatments done

WOW! How time flies...Dan said something to me this week about finishing up week 2 of radiation treatments. I just stared at him and finally said, "How about you try WEEK 4?!?" He was in shock and could not believe that we were in week 4 already. So, 20 treatments done...8 more regular treatments to go, plus a few "boost" treatments!

I did get to see Dr. AJ this week! He is very pleased with everything...my hair, my health, my weight...response to radiation...cat scan results...everything! Of course, my cat scan results could not have just simply been the same as the scan I had back in July. As we laid in bed the night I received the results, Dan squeezed me and said, "You just cannot keep anything simple, can you?" Dr. Johnson had indicated he was not concerned when he shared the results with me, but there is something about that second opinion, especially coming from AJ that I truly needed. The scan shows I have a 2 inch cyst on my ovary, but AJ is not the least bit concerned. He indicated it is probably connected to my menstrual cycle. Sorry, this may be TMI...I did start a period on February 12th...2 days before starting the Tamoxifen. Tamoxifen is the hormone suppressor that is supposed to keep my body from having periods. I take it every day for at least 5 years.

The radiation treatments are going great! My skin did start to peel this week for the first time, but I think that was because I failed to apply my lotion at bedtime a couple nights in a row. There is definitely a pinkish color to my left breast and chest area. Other than that, nothing. I am not tired and I am not nauseated. It simply takes about 30 minutes - 1 hour of my time every Monday through Friday. No problem. Walk in the park!

We will be cheering loud tonight at the Quarterfinal basketball games in St. Joseph. The Jefferson Lady Eagles play the Stanberry Lady Bulldogs and the winner advances to the MO Final Four tournament next weekend. The Jefferson Eagle Boys also play tonight. We will have a fun night!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Mary Loves March Madness

The Jefferson Eagles won District Championship games on Friday night. My niece plays on the girls' team and 2 nephews play on the boys' team! I loved it! I am so proud of them! Both teams play tomorrow night in the first round of state playoffs. The Stanberry Bulldog Girls (Dan coaches football at Stanberry) won their District tournament as well! Way to Go, Dawgs! If the Jefferson girls and Stanberry girls win their respective games tomorrow night, they will play each other on Saturday and the winner will advance to the Final Four. This is such an exciting time!

Our 1989 3rd Place State Basketball team will be honored during the state tournament this year in Columbia, celebrating the 20th anniversary of our trip to state. Last year we celebrated the 20th anniversary of our State Championship and it was a great weekend! I cannot wait to enjoy the company of high school teammates again this year!

I am still doing radiation every day...my skin is starting to get a tint to it and I am half-way through. So, I hope I can manage to avoid the burns! I did have a CT of the abdomen on Thursday and have the results that I will be discussing with Dr. AJ tomorrow. The weeks fly by so fast! This will all be over soon! And with March Madness going on, I do not have time to slow down and rest!!! Gotta Love It!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Volleyball Fun!

Hi all, This is Mary's sister and some of her co-workers was wanting me to let you all know that they are going to have a volleyball fund raiser for Mary. Please let them know if you are interested in putting a team in. I'm sure it will be a fun time and lots of visiting!




Recreational Volleyball Benefit
&
Silent Auction
for
Mary Collins

4 -6 team members for co-ed FUN (limited to 16 teams)
Saturday March 27, 2010
Savannah Middle School gym (old-701 W Chestnut)


Fax Team registration form to 676-0763 Att: Aileen
Doors open at 8a, tournament/auction begins at 9a.


First place trophy provided, proceeds to support Mary’s cure. For donations please contact Cindy at 262-0659 or
Aileen at 390-0791

$60 per team fee


Hope to see you all there and THANK YOU all so much for the prayers, THEY WORKED!!
Fr. Emil Kapaun, THANK YOU FOR KNOCKING OUT THE BEAST AND HEALING MY BABY SIS COMPLETELY, AMEN

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Back from HIATUS

So Sorry! I am officially back from hiatus! I cannot believe it has been a month since I posted! Time flies when you are having fun! And it truly has been a wonderful month.

So many things have happened in the last month and yesterday's events were icing on the cake. I am afraid I will miss something, but here is the month in review...

Getting rid of that drain was the best thing that ever happened. I received almost immediate relief from the pain in my arm and every day kept getting better and better. I worked my first FULL week of work during the first week in February. I would like to say it felt great, but it was one of the saddest weeks for me because it was the last week of work for my boss at Heartland. She advanced her career and became the Vice President of Finance at Northwest Missouri State University. For the last 10+ years I have had the opportunity to report directly to her or up to her through the organizational chart and she truly is a class act. She is an invaluable mentor. We learned so much together and I was heartbroken to see her go. However, I am so excited for her and so PROUD of her!

The next week led to more doctor visits. I met with Dr. AJ and started the 5 years of Tamoxifen (hormone suppressor). Yes, I will take a pill a day for at least 5 years. We also had a conversation about an additional prescription that Dr. Silva suggested. The medicine is only offered to participants of a Clinical Trial Study. I was in turmoil for several days trying to decide whether or not to participate in the Study. Thanks to Dan and a wonderful friend that is a breast cancer survivor and lots of prayers, I chose NOT to participate. In the end, Dr. AJ discovered that there was a mix-up in the name of the prescription medicine that Dr. Silva wanted me to take. Dr. Silva wants me to take Zometa. Zometa is FDA approved and there is no need for me to participate in a Clinical Trial Study to receive the medicine, but Dr. AJ is validating coverage with my insurance company.

I also met Dr. Johnson, my radiation doctor, for the first time. He and the staff are amazing! I started radiation on February 15th. I go every day, Monday through Friday. I have a 1:30 PM daily appointment that is a 15 minute slot on the radiation schedule. I am scheduled for a total of 28 treatments PLUS 3-7 boosts. That equates to 7 weeks of treatments. Prior to my first treatment I received 7 tattoos. They are itty, bitty pin points that allow for consistent alignment of the radiation entry points every day. Now I know why I have NEVER had a tattoo...yikes! My reaction was to laugh hysterically because I had never felt anything like that. During the actual treatment, I cannot feel anything...it does not get warm or hot or does not cause pain of any kind. I simply lay perfectly still on a table for a few minutes and wait until they tell me I am finished. I do wear my boxing gloves during every treatment and one of the techs said to me that in the 20+ years he has been doing the same job and he never had a patient in boxing gloves. So far, I do not have any redness on the skin. My armpit did feel a little swollen for a couple days at the end of this week of treatment, but that is gone today. SO...2 weeks down and 5 weeks to go! So far, it is great! It merely takes time. Thank goodness it is convenient. It is actually a department in my hospital where I work, so I only have a couple minutes to drive across town to the Cancer Center. So far, they were truthful in the statement that radiation is a "walk in the park" compared to chemo.

I was able to attend the Alumni Reunion for the Women's Bearcat Basketball program and witnessed the Bearcats scoring 103 points against conference rival Missouri Western. There were several friends that came back to town and I truly enjoyed the event. I felt as if we had seen each other yesterday and had not missed out on the last 15+ years. It was such a blessing to reunite with such wonderful people.

I know several have asked and it truly is Fight Like a Girl MANIA around here. Hardly a day goes by that I do not see a Fight Like a Girl shirt. The awesome shirt that my ex-boss and co-worker designed is a popular item and I continue to get compliments and requests wherever I go. They sold 2,200 shirts! Overwhelming!

Due to the extra efforts from a long-time friend at Northwest, I was able to meet Jacob Soy. Remember, the wide receiver for the Bearcats that I absolutely adore?!? My friend arranged for me to meet him in person. He gave me a framed, autographed picture of him scoring the winning touchdown in the National Championship game and a message reading, "Mary, Congrats on the good news!" He really is a genuine kid and has a heart of gold. I was also able to spend some quality time with my friend and catch-up from lost time.

I do need to share that three of my "chemo buddies" passed away during the last month. That was extremely hard for Dan and I to handle. We believed every one in that room was going to survive just like me. I also found out that cancer has returned for a friend at work. I was also introduced to a co-worker at Heartland that is recently diagnosed. My aunt had surgery on her breast cancer and awaits additional testing results. It makes my heart ache!

We attended the PINK OUT basketball game between Jefferson and DeKalb. It is wonderful to see the kids, school and community get involved in such a great cause. Cancer sucks and there have been too many lives impacted by it. But, I truly believe that the CURE is closer than ever.

I am completely honored to have been selected as the Honorary Coach for the Northwest Women's Basketball game yesterday. At the alumni reunion a few weeks ago, I had the chance to meet Coach Steinmeyer for the first time. I played for Coach Winstead at Northwest who lost his life to cancer, so I had never officially met Coach Steinmeyer. Coach Steinmeyer and his staff chose to use the Northwest Women's Basketball Program and a Survivor Alumnus to promote Breast Cancer Awareness. They went to a ton of work in a short time and sponsored Mary's Fight Night! It was a dream come true. The girls basketball team wore pink warm-up shirts with my fist-pumping picture from my Bearcat playing days. They autographed the shirts and then set them out for silent auction. The event raised $1,000 that will be donated to the Northwest Women's Basketball program. Coach Steinmeyer allowed ME to give the pre-game motivation speech! So, with my boxing gloves on (if you don't know by now, I don't go anywhere without them), I shared with the team how blessed I am to say I am a Bearcat and so many of the values and qualities I hold today were strengthened through my participation in that program. I advised them to prepare themselves for anything...position themselves to be ready to put up a fight. I shared that I have a couple mottos in life. One is to BELIEVE! I asked them to believe in themselves, in their teammates, in their coaching staff, and in their program. The other is Once a Bearcat...ALWAYS a Bearcat! I was introduced with the starting line-up and enjoyed some fist bumps and chest bumps with the girls. The Bearcats won the game and will play in the conference tournament on Tuesday. After the game, I thanked the girls and congratulated them with their own Fight Like A Girl shirt. I was able to take a group picture with them, so hopefully I will get a copy of those pictures to share with you. Coach Steinmeyer is a genuine guy and I am truly grateful to him, his staff, and the girls for allowing me the chance to help them promote Breast Cancer Awareness.

We ended the night with an annual outing with friends and memories that will last a life-time for me!