Life Changing Event...post from Tom German

From my husband, as we end another year, I thought this was appropriate to post.  Keep Mom in your prayers (as you always do), she had her 3rd scan this morning, an update on the results will be posted soon!

I think many people go though life, so busy with day to day to-do's that one day you look up from what you are doing and realize so much time has past by. People that meant so much to you just years before are not part of their life anymore and the people that are still part of your life have changed without you  noticing. Your babies that were so dependant on you for everything are now becoming beautiful independent children. Friends, though still important to you, have been put on the side burner because “life” has kept you too busy to sit down and contact them. And pretty soon living the “American Dream” has consumed your life. Life becomes a series of steps that “have” to be accomplished or you have not been successful.

Then one day all that can change, and for us that day was in February of this year. Tania’s mom went to the doctor with abdomen pain and left the doctor’s office with stage 4 colon cancer that had moved to the liver and several lymphoid. All the sudden you can have all the money in the world, the biggest house and nicest cars and it really doesn’t make a difference all you really want in life is LIFE. Your whole life’s perspective changes in one phone call. Luckily, Sharon is doing very well. She has been very positive, the doctors have done everything that they can do and God has given her good results with her treatment plan. Our friends and family have been very supportive and helpful and to that we are very thankful. Sometimes it is hard to find positive things in situations but I really think there are many good things that are still happening in this family. One is the fact that even before this happened; Tania’s whole family has been very closely connected. It always has amazed me by how the whole family makes every effort to make it to a family event whether it was a birthday of a cousin or a baptism of a great-grandson. In that respect they have not had to reconnect, they were always connected. The reality is that things like this happen to so many people and some do not have the support of such a closely knit group of family and friends. It is also a blessing that Sharon appears to be in such good health. I still think she has more energy and vigor for life than most completely healthy adults, which is a testament to the type of person she is.

This time of the year has always been a retrospective time of year for me and this year is no different. In years past, I have always thought the year as a whole has been good, even when difficult things have happened. Surprisingly, to me anyway, this year is no different. Yes, we have been though a lot of ups and downs and some of the lows were, at times, very low it has been inspiring to me how Tania and her family have responded to Sharon’s illness. She is battling a life threatening disease which is both physically and emotionally exhausting, but she still takes every opportunity to do all she can for everyone around her. The whole family and I would like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone that has prayed and supported us this past year. I personally want to thank Sharon for being Sharon, you inspire me to be every thing I should be. Happy holidays to all and remember what the season is really all about.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday Sharon!

Even though I'm one day late, I thought I would still post it! Happy Birthday Mom! Hope you had a good birthday yesterday.

Thought her friends & family would appreciate the reminder of her 52nd birthday.

Quick update, really nothing new to report, Mom continues w/ chemo treatment every other week. The main issue she continues to deal with is the numbness in her feet & hands. She still has her 'bad week' and 'good week' which she seems to be working through without a lot of trouble. It has almost been 9 months (around 12.9) since she started her treatment so that means another scan to make sure the treatment continues to work.

Prayers & encouragement are especially needed during this time!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Quick Update

Hi Everyone, Time goes by so quickly; it's been over a month since I posted. Mom is doing well so far with her adjusted regimen. She still has the numbness in her hands/feet that bother her; she continues to look for anything that can provide relief. As for her treatments, they continue every other week. Everything is going pretty good, all-in-all, she is still pretty tired 2 days following the treatment and feels pretty run down, but it seems better than than the 1st 6 months so I think it's tolerable for her.

With the Holidays coming up quickly, she is making plans to switch around her weeks or take a week off so she feels good - she has that flexibility right now so that is nice!

Sharon & Tim have a few things planned coming up in the next few months - they will be visiting us in Cary (IL) in mid-November, spending Thanksgiving in Columbus (mom's hosting I think), Christmas w/ all the kids at their house, plus the Gehring Christmas too! She is staying busy which is great!

As always, keep the comments & posts coming - if you have any questions, please feel free to ask! Or, you can email me @ taniatarman@hotmail.com.

Thanks for all of your support - Mom really appreciates it!

Great Results, So Much to be Thankful For!

She got her full read on her 6 month scan from the oncologist, and it was all great news. The tumors have shrunk again and it really was a great report. Her spleen is still enlarged, but has been for awhile, likely from the pressure from her liver over the past year(s). Nothing to be worried about as long as it doesn't get larger (plus, it can be removed if it causes problems) .

This report was a little bittersweet -- great results, but still such a long road ahead. Mom (& all of us) want it to be gone & how do we get to that point quicker, those answers aren't easy. We asked the doctor a lot of questions about how long? when? will it ever be gone? And the answers can only be answered with the average results from studies & how most patients respond to the treatment (we know he can't predict the future, it seems it would be much better if he could) And, as of right now none of those answers are good -- it will never be gone, Mom will always be doing some kind of treatment...so that part is hard. I'm sure a very emotional day for her. I'm even struggling as I write you this --

But know -- it's a joyful day today as the chemo is doing what it needs to -- reversing tumor growth! We are thank you & happy for such great results this far, it's a good indication that the cancer will continue to respond to the treatment.

From here, she will continue the same treatment (minus the oxaliplatin - the drug that causes in the numbness in her fingers/feet) every other week for another 3 months. The doctor said she can have a break at anytime - for the holidays, vacation, etc & they will watch it close so she has that option if she gets to the point where it's doing more harm than good (side effects & all that comes with the treatment).

Quick Update on Scan results

Hey everyone, Mom received her preliminary results last week on the CT scan to see how things were going from 6 months of completed treatment. Everything still looks good & the tumors have shrunk. The nurse & Physicians Assistant who provided the results noted 2 things of concern - her spleen is enlarged by 2cms and there was a very small spot showing on her lung. She will see the oncologist & start her next cycle of treatment on Tuesday (tomorrow) so we will get a full report then to see next steps. The PA didn't seem too concerned on the issues and said the doctor would be able to discuss further on her next appointment. More to come, but thought I would at least post this!

6 Months of Treatment COMPLETED!

What a huge accomplishment! Mom has officially completed 12 chemotherapy cycles, although it is a huge accomplishment for her she has been through so much the past 6+ months, and there is more to come. She will have her 2nd scan since she has started treatment this Friday (in a few days). We are excited to get the results and pray that the tumors are shrinking - I'll be sure to update on Friday night w/ the results we get from her general doctor.

She will hopefully get a 2 week break as she has a friend wedding next weekend so she wants to feel good. She needs & deserves a break to feel normal again even if just for a few weeks, it really does make a difference.

From here, based on the scan results, she will continue the same therapy treatment (5-FU/LV) minus the oxaliplatin (the drug that makes her hands & feet numb).

Please keep the prayers, support, phone calls, emails, & posts to this site coming. Although there is not a lot to report each week, Mom is still muscling through every other week fighting & dealing with the side effects. The more the encouragement the better!!

2 More Treatments ... until next scan

Mom just completed her 10th chemotherapy treatment. Even though these drugs are helping shrink her tumors, they are not fun. The treatment's side effects do have a cumalitive effect so Wednesday & Thursday's following her Monday treatment are the bad days -- she doesn't have much energy and the nerve ending damage seems to be getting worse in her feet. She says it feels like she is walking on sandpaper. She has figured out a few tricks to get some relief from tingling in her feet - if she keeps them warm to move the circulation in her feet moving it does help. They have lessened the dose of Oxaplantin drug, causes the numbness & tingling in hands & feet and also had effected her blood platelet count so that was the why they lessened the dose, but this last time it held so that was good news. Her white blood cell count seems to be managed with a shot to help produce more so that has helped too. She still has hard time sleeping because of the steriods that she gets in addition to the treatment.

Only 2 more treatments and then the CT scan will hopefully show the results that it was all worth it. The doctors are assuming this treatment will have near the same results as her last scan. The treatment is killing the cancer cells & shrinking the tumors so that is what we all hoped and prayed for -- now it's just managing the side effects.

The kids & I have spent most of the summer in Nebraska hanging out w/ Mom and Tim & other friends & family. The kids have really enjoyed being at grandma's & pa's house and so have I. I can't believe we are going back home in less than a week. We are going to do a few things before we go - we are going to head to Omaha next week to take the kids to the Omaha Zoo so we are looking forward to that.