Tri - Volunteering

Calling all volunteers. So here is the deal: The Midvale Arts Council is planning a fund raiser and I need some help getting it organized and executed. The event is a little bigger than our current council can organize alone. Excited to find out more? I know I would be!

We are putting on a mini/sprint triathlon Saturday June 9 for 4 different age groups. I am still organizing the groups, so I am not ready to announce them, but it will be young children up to adults. We will start with a swim, then bike, then run. The adults will do a full sprint tri, the younger kids will do a mini tri of our design.

If you are interested in helping I need help in two categories: planning the event & volunteers on the day. Organizing needs to take place before we can execute, obviously. I am looking for help in not only organizing but also in fundraising (can you believe you have to fund raise for a fundraiser?) I also need help planning the routes for the different groups, organizing the volunteers, etc.

On June 9 I need an army of volunteers to help guide the groups through their routes. Help me keep organized.

What do you get?! Well there is a nice t-shirt in it for you! Plus the thanks of a grateful nation ... or me. AND 2 tickets to the summer show for Midvale. Plus, there is a nice thank you note in it for you ... because I will find a volunteer to write them for me! lol.

I have not even told you the best part! The name of our event is Tri the Arts. How great is that?! I wish I could take credit; alas, it was another council member's name idea.

Interested? It would be ideal if you could email me at stephanie@midvalearts.com to let me know. I promise a good (and slightly stressful) time to all who volunteer! I really would be grateful to work with people I know and trust already. (i.e. my friends) Let me know!

Thanks

The Dolla War

When I lived in Chicago all those many years ago, I had some amazing friends. There were different groups of these friends: Nanny and Non-Nanny friends. My nanny friends all set up play groups and we saw each other often. The non-nanny friends I saw less frequently, mostly at church on Sunday. I had been living in Chicago for a few months when I was asked to serve in the Ward Relief Society presidency with some great ladies: Molly, Christy, and Margo. We became pretty close. We would meet together often, usually including Ghiradelli cheese cake from Olive Garden ... back when they served it and it was AWESOME! We took a yearly trip to Nauvoo, Illinois together and included another really great friend, Renee (whom I call Nee Nee.) These women are some of the most influential women in my life for who I am today, what I have become. When I was 18 years old I had some pretty interesting choices to make, and they showed me by example how to make good choices.  They are all older than I am, they were infinitely more mature than me they ARE infinitely more mature than I am. I have nothing but respect for these women. When we were released from the Relief Society I remember feeling lost, like I would never see them again (give me a break, I was 20!) I have been blessed in my life that we still keep in touch and see each other as often as travel permits. I love them with my whole heart. Christy once called me the crazy glue of the group, I am fairly certain the emphasis was on the 'crazy' part of that phrase! :) 


Nauvoo was always an adventure! The 5 of us would pile in a car (usually Christy would borrow her mom's Explorer because we all had single girl cars!) and take a 5 hour drive to Nauvoo for the weekend leaving after work Friday and coming home Sunday late; or if Monday was a holiday we would come home then. We had a system where everyone would pay for certain things and then we would just settle up at the end of the weekend. We split the trip 5 ways, always sharing the same hotel room, and usually ate a lot of Smuckers Goober (which was pb&j in a jar already mixed.) I think back often on these trips with fond memories! Well except for the one where Molly was injured and had to spend the weekend in the hospital. That was not a good one! That was the first time (not the last) that I found a feminine hygiene product useful in a first aid trauma use.


On one trip, September of 1996, Nee Nee and I were a dollar off of what we had spent. Now Nee Nee will tell you that the story I am about to share with you is fiction, or an exaggeration of the truth. I submit to you it is fact, all fact, and nothing but the facts! She has the chance to rebuttal anything in this post ... I do not think she will find anything in the post to rebut. Is rebut a word? It must be, the spell checker is not freaking out.


Back to September 1996: Nee Nee and I were off a dollar. After looking at the math I owed her $1. So I fished out $1 bill and gave it to her. She gave it back to me inferring $1 was not a big deal. I gave it to her again. She gave it back to me. This all happened in the car at the end of the trip. So as to not fight at the end of a great trip, I just let the dollar come back to me, vowing she would accept the 'dolla' one day. I found fun and creative ways to give it to her (like folded like a tie and stuck onto a teddy bear); she always found equally creative ways to give it back to me. So after a while it became a game of sorts: the dolla war was born! The dolla war has been going strong for 16 years now. I will prevail!

The original dolla on the right, second dolla on the left. Second dolla, you say? Keep reading!

The backs of the dollas

So this dolla has been passed back and forth for 16 years, through the mail, hand delivered, often found with treats or presents ... etc. Nee was the first to write a message to me on it. Each time we deliver it back to the other person something more gets added. She delivered it to me when I was on my mission in Michigan with some Doty Chocolate bread once. (That was a bread only found in Crystal Lake, loved loved loved it!) Once I sent it to her in an envelope that looked like it contained a wedding invitation. She was planning her trip out here for my wedding when the dolla emerged! I have to admit, it has been one of the greatest fights I have ever been in.


The second dolla joined the war a few years back. Nee was attending the theater with some mutual friends: Brian and Ranell. So I told Ranell to slip her a dollar bill, as a joke. Well she did. Nee sent it back to me with the original dolla. I submit that it is not my dolla, but Nee remains firm in her resolve that since I told Ranell to give it to her, I am guilty by association. Alright, fine. I will admit my guilt in the second dolla, however, the first dolla is all hers! Nee Nee, that first dolla belongs to you! 


In looking at these dollas one cannot help but notice that they may or may not look defaced. I could have just Photoshoped the writing, stickers, pictures, etc on. I could have. But each message reminds me where she and I have been over the past 16 years. There are reminders of vacations Nee took, or the mission I served for the LDS Church, Christmas Past, 12 year anniversary, the chocolate bread, trips to Disneyland, something about a duck candle ... that one I do not remember ... Nee?


Last summer another girl tried to give me a dollar, though she did not owe me. I was quick to shoot her down and let her know that I would never give up on giving her back the dollar. She kept the dollar. Though she does often threaten to give it back to me. I told her I had been passing a dolla back and forth with another friend for longer than she had been alive. That is not accurate, I think she is now 19. 


So Nee there is the "dramatic untrue" version of my side of the dolla war story. Rebuttal? You have my email address. I promise to print anything you send. With the knowledge that I can rebut as well! :) 


16 years, 2 dolla, infinite memories! Love you Nee, and Christy, and Margo and Ranell (since I know you read this blog too) and Molly. I love and miss you much. Thank you for many years of positive memories, and a wonderful influence. 

A Weekend

This weekend was my parent's 40th wedding anniversary. So we partied it up right, we got together for dinner Sunday and played old-school games. I was late to the party, so they were done with dinner when I got there with a beautiful salad ... which was kind of sad ... because everyone was full already. However, Mac sat next to me while I ate my lasagna. I opened the salad. Mac saw the heirloom tomatoes and chowed down. That girl loves the tomatoes. 

Then I was dishing up dessert and Mac was helping again. I had 2 ice cream scoopers so I was scooping with one and she was helping with the other. This is how she was helping: She would scoop ...

Then eat ...

So then ... I still cannot stop laughing ... LoMo got an owie. I asked her to show it to me ... and this is what happened:

She told us that we did not need to kiss it better because she has a bandaid. Her face in this pic made me so happy!

So happy anniversary Mom and Dad. Dominoes rule, I wish I could have bee there for the Boggle or Yahtzee! And 40 years? Wow ... that is a long time!

Blog teaser? I have another coming soon about a Dolla War after I take a pic of the dolla

An Update

Alright Kay ... here is an update. It only took 3 weeks of begging, prodding, and threatening to get me to post an update on Mom. She has been home now for three weeks now. She was home a week when she had to go back to the cardiologist. Her heart is doing great. That day she also was told that she needed to start radiation soon, so they mapped her out so she can start in another week or so. She has lesions on her scalp, right shoulder, right hip, and something on her legs. There is a chance that her hair will never come back ... good thing she looks awesome bald!! They took out her central line the next day which means she can wear real clothes now not just button up jammie shirts. She still super tired though overall feeling good mentally. She has to mostly stay in the house because she still cannot be around germs, but she has ventured out a few times for walks around the neighborhood. When she does go out she has to wear her hepa mask that blocks all of the outside germs from attacking her. Her doctor did tell her that since she grafted so quickly she her 100 day check up would actually be held around 70 days. She also said that if she wanted to try to come back to work for a few hours she can in a few weeks.

I am taking her out to a baby shower tomorrow for a bit and I hope to convince her to come to an Oscar party. Because who does not celebrate Oscar night?! :)

So Kay, there is the update! Thanks for reminding me that I needed to get that taken care of. Sometimes I just forget that people truly care about her. I love that so many of my friends, and those of hers that stalk this blog too (hey Trudy!), really try to keep up on the events of her treatment.

The One Where She Comes Home

Mom came home yesterday. 23 days total in the hospital. This time she grafted faster than in 2008, which caused graft disease where her body shut down. It was a harder row this time. She had some issues with her lungs and heart. Once she was able to get off the oxygen they were able to send her home. Below is a pic of the nurse prepping her for release. 

She takes home a tired body, a bald(ish) head that will be completely bald within a week, and her pick line. She has to follow up next Monday to make sure her numbers are still good, then one with a cardiologist in 2 weeks to make sure her heart is stable. Now we wait. They will know if she is in remission in 100 days. Her life will be a little rough in solitude for the next few weeks; she cannot be in public for a while. Her hair will start to grow back in a few months. Her energy will return. And if all went well, she will be in remission for a few years.

Mom is a rock star. Her life has been taken away from her and she is starting from scratch. Her immune system is the same as a newborn. She cannot fight any infection by herself, so she is on medication for it. She has the energy of a little kid too, needing naps (plural) to make it through the day. It is going to be a rough go, but she is going to make it.

Bests of all? She found her sense of humor again in the last few days. She is a fighter in red cap, pajamas, and slippers. But at least she is a fighter.

The One Where There is a Wall

There is a wall in cancer treatment, I think in any treatment actually. It is kind of two fold: One you are as low as you can get ... you do not feel like you can get any lower; and two you actually feel like you have run full force at a wall. Mom hit the wall this week. The good news is that she is engrafted. The transplant took, now whether it put her into remission is another thing, we have to wait 100 days for that test. But her transplanted cell seem to be working in her body to build her immune system back up. Her counts look great. She feels like shaz.

They explained like this to us: Mom's body is acting like a computer right now, it has crashed and needs to reboot. Her heart is firing wrong, her lungs are breathing wrong, her gi track is working wrong, her hair is falling out, her brain is working wrong, her speech is working wrong, her lips and mouth are dryer than anyone should have to experience, her temp is working overtime, her energy is being used to repair the organ function and she feels like crap. She even admitted yesterday she feels like crap. Her words exactly "I admit I feel like crap." Where she used to be able to walk all the way around the block of the East Wing. She can make it down the hall right now. This is not bad news, they expected this to happen, but frankly it does not make it easier on her. Mom is tired, she sleeps a lot. She is understandably a little frustration with being in the hospital for the last 2 weeks.

But hitting the wall means she is at the bottom of her treatment, and now she will start to climb. As her counts go up, her energy will go up. As her body fights, she will feel better. She is on the up swing. I was proud of her for eating solid food yesterday for the first time in days.

So Mom hit the wall, or the wall hit her, hard. But she is climbing out of it. Fingers crossed and prayers she can go home soon. I know once she is home, in her own bed, with her own shower,with her own tv, and her own food, she will be feeling better.

Oh goodness

So I went up to grab Mom's laundry today. She is having a kind of rough day which translates into me having a bit of a rough afternoon thinking about her. I was sitting at my desk and clicked on my Reader feed. I had too many unread blogs to catch up on. I like things to be empty so when it said I had 274 unread blogs my head exploded ... I digress.

Well my friend from church wrote a blog that had me snorting; fixed my afternoon right up! This is what she had to say:

It is all I can do not to respond to every Facebook update I see using the phrase "Your mom....."

For instance, a friend wrote "Lansing Ward potluck tomorrow. The theme is "Soups and Breads". Bring your favorite soup or bread. Hope you see you there!!"

I want to reply: " Your mom is a soup and bread." or "Your mom is a potluck".

Another update from a friend "off to Moab for the weekend with liz and a yurt." My (desired but not actually written) reply: "Your mom is as yurt."

Sometimes in real life I forget that there is no "Edit > Undo" function. Example: last Sunday when I was participating in an object lesson in RS. A few of us sisters were standing in a circle using our hands to hold pieces of yarn the RS Prez was winding around- you know, demonstrating how connected we were....Well, my ladyfriend standing next to me said "My piece of yarn is loose." My response? "Your mom is loose". What's particularly awesome about this example is that I found out about 30 minutes later that her mom was starting chemo the next day- so probably not the best time for a your mom joke- or maybe the best time for a your mom joke, it's hard to tell.

I had the chance to hang out with some church ladies Saturday writing cards to people who maybe needed a card (I did not get one ... sad day!) but I wrote her one that said "Your Mom is writing a thank you card." I personally think it was the best time for a 'Your Mom' joke! Plus I do not know that I have ever been called a 'ladyfriend'; I really liked it! And all I have to say, Emily, your Mom is a ladyfriend!

The One Where There Was Excitement

Mom's doctors told her before she went in a few weeks ago that they really like a boring life; they want patients that they do not have to see often because life is treating them with boredom. They do not like excitement. Excitement during a transplant is bad. Boring is good. Mom has been bored stiff until Saturday.

The shots they give her to promote her stem growth, neupogen, really hurt. It hurts going in, they bruise something fierce, and once they start working they hurt the body. But what these shots do is make the baby stem cells grow which, along with the transplanted cells, make it so the cancerous cell that have been killed can be replaced with new nice cancer-free cells. This is good, especially in a transplant like Mom had. Well they affect Mom in giving her body spasms. These bone spasms are primarily in her spine, then rest on her chest. The spasms started last week, got pretty bad on Saturday, and Sunday were less than stellar. Another side effect is a fever that Mom has right now, which is rather high. Any time a transplant patient gets a fever they send him or her down to xray for a chest xray to rule out pneumonia. Mom does not have pneumonia, however they have not ruled her out for getting it because of how sticky her lungs are. Additionally they gave her an echocardiogram which showed that she has atrial fibrillation or a-fib. This means that her heart has an extra flutter even though it is beating strong. Her resting heart rate got up in the high 170's which is not great. It is not has bad as it could have been, but they called in a cardiologist to check her out. They all agree that these issues are a result of her cell counts going up. This is a good thing, but her body should not be reacting like this. To treat the a-fib they gave her amiodarone which kind of kick started her electrons to fire correctly in her heart. They also gave her a rider of magnesium and potassium as they were lower than should have been. The amiodarone started working almost right away. When I left Sunday her heart was beating at around 90-100 which is alright. If she were not in the kind of room she is in, with the HEPA filter, she would have been transferred to ICU to get the cardiac treatment she is getting now. 

While I was there for a few hours Sunday I watched a parade of doctors and nurses come though at rapid pace to ensure she was alright and to fix what was going on with her. Dr M. actually reminded Mom that they do not like excitement, rather they want things boring. Mom was not allowed to be in bed yesterday, but on the bright side she was excused from doing her walks yesterday. Is that a bright side? 

The good news is her counts: In the last post I mentioned that her neutrophil count was 0, her white count was 0.2. Sunday her neutrophil count was 100 and her white was 0.7; so they are in the rise, which is causing some of her side effect issues but that also means that if they can get these other issues under control Mom can feasibly come home next weekend. I am trying to think positive about it but not get my hopes up. Life has to get boring again in Mom's room for that to happen. So everyone: fingers crossed, good thoughts, plenty of prayers, and thank you!!

Side note: The whole time I was sitting there listening I had to be grateful that I watch Grey's Anatomy so I could understand what they were saying! Thanks Christina for specializing in cardio!