Dear Family and Friends,

Bear with me, it's been awhile since I posted, so this is probably going to be a long one!

Team Deena has won the battle!  My last radiation treatment was on January 28th.  My oncologist said that I am done and sent me off to cancer survivor school.  I have also been busy at the Cancer Wellness Center with yoga, stress reduction and healing touch.  I've been happily spending my month of February looking at what the Cancer Wellness Center has to offer and choosing to sign up for anything that I want, so thrilled that I am not being told by a doctor that I have to go through chemotherapy, surgery and radiation.  There is nor more focus on getting rid of abnormal cells.  That mission has been accomplished.  After all that I had gone through, though, I wasn't "feeling" like the fight was actually over.  Until this past Saturday...

I don't know how you guys pulled it off, but boy was I surprised!  When I walked into the LeGrand's house and heard, "surprise, we are celebrating you!," it was then that I realized, Team Deena won!  Closure, the fight is over and it's truly all about celebrating and healing now.  I can not believe you guys made me cry!

Looking back on February 23rd, there were so many odd things that happened and I never figured out that anyone was up to anything.  I went for my walk that day and decided to take a nap before Aidan's hockey game.  Brian, my mom, Morgan, Aidan and I all headed off to the Ice Plex some time after 2:00 that day.  The parking lot was full so Brian dropped me off with Aidan at the door.  I later saw my mom walk in with Morgan.  I then saw Brian walk in, talking on the cell phone.  I wondered why Brian was on the phone, since he wasn't on call.  During the game, I told Brian that I saw him talking on his cell phone and he said that it was his work.  I thought how lucky his work can get a hold of Brian because I never can, unless he's on call.  I later found out that Brian actually called Anne-Marie at that time.  After the game was over, we headed home.  Brian stopped for gas, first, which also doesn't happen very often.  I later found out that Brian was calling Anne-Marie at that time to let her know that we were almost home.  Morgan later told me that she couldn't believe that I never even noticed daddy was talking on the cell phone at the gas station.  As we left the gas station, I heard my cell phone ringing (which never happens.  I don't usually hear that phone ring, don't usually answer that phone, pretty much only use it for texting, even had to tell the hospital to stop calling that phone to remind me about appointments.)  So my family, in the car, hears me mumbling as I reach for my purse, "I think I hear my cell phone, who would be calling my cell phone, I can't even believe that I hear it's ringing."  (Aidan later told me how hard it was for him to not start laughing out loud at that time.)  I see that Anne-Marie is calling.  I answer and she asks me if I'm home.  I say that we are on our way home and she tells me that her friend had to drop off Cassidy and Perri, the girls are home alone and they aren't  answering her phone calls.  She's trying to check on them and asks me if I can stop by her house and check on them.  I tell Anne-Marie I'll call her back as soon as I check on the girls.  I'm thinking if they won't answer their mom's phone call, they are not going to answer the door for me.  So I ask Morgan if she'll come with me.  Morgan says yes and then Aidan says he wants to come, too.  I tell him great, we can also bring them their sled that blew in our yard a couple days ago.  I find out later that Brian was going to drop me off at their house and then had to change plans since I now needed to get the sled.  This turned out to be a good thing because as we drove up our driveway, I see a family running to the LeGrand's house.  I'm so confused, wondering if Anne-Marie is expecting company, wondering why she's not home for her guests, thinking maybe this family is coming over unexpectedly and then thinking the girls aren't going to answer the door for them, waiting for them to walk back down the driveway and then finally thinking that I must have not seen things correctly because no one is parked in front of the LeGrand's house.  I figured that family must have actually gone to another house.  We then approach the front door and I see a wreath with pink ribbons.  I'm thinking I typically see pink ribbons during the month of October, how odd, but I suppose it makes for a terrific Valentine's Day wreath.  What a cute idea, I'm thinking I'll have to remember that idea for next Valentine's Day :)  Cassidy opens the door wide open with a beautiful, happy, smile and I'm relieved to see that she's not scared and she's okay and thinking she sure is opening the door up wide.  So Morgan, Aidan and I enter the house, with the sled.  My mom and Brian later told me that they heard SURPRISE all the way across the street from our house!  It all started to make sense.  The family I saw running to the house was Lizette, Patrick and Olivia - they came all the way up from Wheaton (Lizette, my neighbors would like for you guys to move closer)!  (If Brian had dropped me off at the LeGrand's house as originally planned, I would've been close enough to probably actually recognize the family running to the house.)  Lizette and I have been texting back and forth trying to make plans to get together before she has her 2nd baby in April.  She wasn't supposed to even be available to see me until March!  And then I later see Stephanie who I had been wondering why was not calling me back and later found out that she had to decline my phone call, afraid that she would accidentally spill the beans.  And, of course, looking over at the crowd of such kind, caring, wonderful friends constantly telling me that I'm an inspiration when all I know is that yes, I'm fighting like crazy but not sure how I'm such an inspiration because I'm most certainly not doing this on my own, I am only getting through this with the constant love and support behind me, is Amy - completely decked out in her "fight like a girl" zumba workout pants and pink ribbon head piece.  Amy, the fitness guru, tough trainer, always stopping by as she goes on her runs or walks with puppy dog, Trixie, checking to make sure that I'm still strong, "fighting like a girl" and making sure that I also have the perfect work out outfit.  Thank you for making that pink ribbon fleece blanket that I can now finally relax with.  (Don't worry, I'll still go for my walks.)  I'm going to post the blanket picture.  (Truth be told, Brian is the one who posts pictures because I don't even know how.)  I curled up with that blanket today and had one of the best naps ever.  (Don't worry, Cousin Soa, I still have the pink ribbon prayer blanket near me and Aunt June, the prayer shawl, with the Prayer of Hope angel still pinned on it, Aunt Holly.)  I just couldn't get up from my nap today and each time I tried to get up from my nap, I kept dozing, thinking, I won, Team Deena - thank you Kelly, for making that shirt almost a year ago now, we finally did it, Team Deena won!  I was completely relaxed, realizing the fight is finally over :)  Thank you, Debbie, for the Courage WeepingWillow Angel, always a reminder to me with her arms stretched above and hands in the air, "I did it!"

All the kids did such a fantastic job of keeping the celebration a secret.  I couldn't believe it.  They did such a cute job decorating the house with all the pink ribbons and balloons.  I'm mostly surprised that Aidan was able to keep the secret.  He's the kid we hardly ever share a secret with because he's the one who will run to his room in order to hide a gift for Morgan and yell what he got her at the same time.  All the kids have been planning this celebration as Anne-Marie has been taking Morgan and Aidan to and from religion class every Wednesday evening - thank you!

Thank you, thank you, thank you my dear family and friends.  I could not have done this without each and every one of you.  You are all in my hearts, forever part of my celebration whether or not you were at the surprise party.  I will forever be grateful and there are no words that I can ever share for you all to know how deeply I feel, from the bottom of my heart, truly blessed to have each and every one of you in my lives.  I wish that I could post every single thing each of you have done for me and my family.  I can recall sadly starting this website, stepping out of my comfort zone and asking for help, trying to come up with a password.  I finally decided on hope4u because I was praying with all my heart that with faith, family and friends, there is always hope to overcome any obstacle we must face in life.  Everything happens for a reason and there is always a silver lining in every cloud.  I can remember back in December, 2005, when my dad passed away, suddenly.  I was sitting in Morgan's room, wondering how am I going to tell her that Grandpa Mac had passed away and is now an angel.  I broke into tears when I noticed a baseball lying on her floor, signed by my dad to Morgan (remember, I was born and raised a White Sox fan, go figure, my dad would pass away the same year after the White Sox won the World Series).  When I told Morgan the sad news, she simply replied with, "God will put His angels in charge of you and protect you where ever you go."  This is a verse that she had memorized in her preschool a couple months prior.  Thank you, God!  I love you all!

Deena :)