Welcome to my CaringBridge website. I've created it to keep family and friends updated about my health and treatment.
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I've had Cystic Fibrosis all my life, which has been it's own challenge. Even so, again and again I've seen the Lord God use CF and it's effect on my life to grow me and my faith and also to encourage others around me. In 2008 I had a (freak/unrelated/extremely rare) Astroblastoma brain tumor.
Because of the unusual presenting symptoms of only nausea and vomiting beginning in May of that year, the diagnosis was a very long 4 months in coming. By the time the tumor was discovered in September 2008, my health and life were in such critical condition that we had to do surgery immediately and ask questions later. Recovery from the surgery was long and arduous. Because of my CF, I had many complications and finally healed 3 1/2 months after the surgery. At that point, January 2009, it was time to begin radiation to prevent regrowth of the tumor, which required 6 more long weeks of treatment. We had a great deal of love and support from the people around us and God used them to carry us through. We are so thankful for their presence in our lives then and now.
After I finished radiation in February 2009, it was time to begin rebuilding my health and life. Because I had been so sick for so long (10 months) recovery was very slow. Finally in July 2010, I began to feel like my old self again, but unfortunately, damage had been done and my immune system and energy level were significantly destabilized. Instead of going into the hospital less than once a year on average, I needed hospitalization approximately every 7 months and my body was having a very difficult time (sometimes taking up to 2 months) recovering from each round of high-powered antibiotics.
In October 2011, just weeks after climbing all 70 flights of stairs in the Dallas, TX Bank of America building to raise money & awareness for CF, I ended up in the hospital once again. Routine scans performed earlier in the month revealed a new brain tumor. John and I were in shock, totally blindsided. Though I had been unable to recover my previous level of health, we had received so many "all-clear" scans, that we'd begun to feel safe. From October 2011 to February 1, 2012, we traveled to doctors and hospitals at least once every week, except the two weeks over Christmas break that I purposefully kept clear. But, all those appointments were necessary to perform all of the MRIs, CTs, LPs and to go over the results with my Dr's and make plans.
