Hello, this is Heidi. I have been pondering all day about how to begin. How do you put together a Caring Bridge page for your mom? How do you write it all down? How do you put into words that once again your whole family is going to be put to the test. Mom asked me to put this page together, and at the age of 48, I still do what my mother says, so I will just start at the beginning.
The story begins with a simple pre-op physical to get ready for cataract surgery. Something showed up in the blood work. After many blood tests, a bone marrow test, and a complete body scan , the doctors finally had an answer. Multiple Myeloma (bone marrow cancer).
Most of the cancer is located in mom's right arm, causing a lot of pain. There is a hole in her left thigh and another one in the front of her head. There is no cure, but with successful treatment her life expectancy is positive.
There is a long road of treatments ahead. She will start with 10 days of radiation on her right arm beginning June 1st. After radiation she will begin chemotherapy. The first round of chemo will be done for a few months. After that they will collect her healthy stem cells and freeze them. She will be given a high dose of chemo and the stem cells will be transplanted back into her body.
Mom is healthy and strong in every other way. She has always been a "Steal Magnolia" taking care of all of us. Now it is our turn to do the same for her. We know she has a tremendous amount of support from family, friends, and past coworkers. One of us will try to update the site with any new information as each step of the journey is taken.
Start the prayers! Peggy's Posse (Posse: a group of people who have a common purpose)
CaringBridge is a nonprofit social network dedicated to helping family and friends communicate with and support loved ones during a health journey. Learn more about CaringBridge.
