It's been awhile since we last posted because we have been so busy!  On March 27th, Jamma received his 7th infusion.  Things went pretty well.  He was pretty tired, but didn't get sick. 

On March 29th, we were on a plane and headed to one of our families favorite places.  When Jamma was diagnosed with cancer, he was told to go out and make memories and to do things that he loved.  We asked the boys if there was a place that they wanted to go to with their dad and they said Colorado.  We looked for cheap plane tickets and found some for $50 round trip.  We decided that we were going to go during my spring break.  The boys, Kati (Riley's girlfriend) and Jamma all arranged to be gone from their colleges and work. 

On March 29th, we were on a plane headed to Denver, Colorado.  We arranged to stay in Colorado Springs for a few day and Estes Park for a few days.  We knew that we had to listen to Jamma and his body while we were there, because he just had chemo. 

The first day in Colorado we went to Garden of the Gods to walk around.  I was pretty worried about Jamma walking up the the top of a place that we like to sit.  He said he was feeling well and wanted to do it.  I had given him a ring that measures your heart rate, oxygen levels, etc.  I kept checking on it while we were climbing the rocks.  His heart rate was tripling his normal rate so we rested a lot.  After talking with Jamma, he decided that his body could not handle the big hikes that we were used to when we went there.  We were just going to find small trails.  It looked like his leg was really hurting.  He said that his legs were really wobbly.  We didn't want to risk him falling and bleeding because he is on blood thinners. 

During our trip we enjoyed the beautiful weather and talked a lot.  Jamma told the boys that when he was gone, he wanted them to go to Colorado every year to hike a new trail.  I did have to talk to Jamma to let him know that the thought of that was really upsetting Aiden and we should just enjoy the moment.  Aiden and I talked a lot.  I asked if he was doing okay but he was pretty teary.  He said that he did not want to talk about it while we were outside.  We talked with a social worker and have Aiden set up to talk with someone when he is ready.  We spent a few days in Colorado Springs and then headed to Estes.  On the way, Kati asked if we could stop at Buc-cees.  I didn't even know about that place, but it was AMAZING.   When we arrived at Estes, it was pretty cloudy and rainy.  Most shops were already closed so we ate at one of the boys favorite Irish places.  The next days we hiked and shopped.  The weather was beautiful and we had the best trip.  The boys and I have driven to Colorado several times either during my spring break or during summer vacation OR while Riley lived there for a year.  While there I asked Jamma if he wished that he had taken more vacation days so that he could have gone with us.  He did say he did.  The biggest thing we wanted everyone to know through all of this is that every single one of us is going to die.  When don't know how.  We don't know when.  I thought I was going to die when I had breast cancer because of how advanced it was.  We do know that Jamma is going to die because of this cancer (unless a miracle occurs).  Any of us could die from any number of things, at any time.  We have realized (in a horrible way) that you need to live your life with no regrets.  Spend time with your family.  Make memories.  Don't put off things that you want to do.  Our days are numbered and we are trying to make as many memories as we can.  

On April 8th, Jamma went to have his labs drawn for his April 10th infusion.  Scans and lab draws are so scary!  There is so much anxiety leading up to them and then waiting for the results to be posted on MyChart.  I have realized that my body is more stressed than I thought it was and I need to remind myself to have faith that the results are going to be good.  If they aren't, I have to remember that we have an amazing team of doctors that are doing everything they can to knock the cancer back and keep the cancer in it's "inactive" state.  The anxiety leading up to the results sucks!  Luckily this time, Jamma's results were good.  Everything is the same as last time.  His liver numbers look good.  They are stable, which is a win for us.

On April 10th, Jamma had his infusion.  We talked to a different doctor this time as our oncologist was gone.  Jamma has been trying to get off his pain meds, but leading up to this appointment had some pretty uncomfortable nights.  He felt like he had some pain but couldn't explain it.  It was hard to sleep Sunday night - Tuesday night.  On Tuesday night I finally told him (very firmly) that he needed to take some pain meds.  I could tell that he was hurting and that he was not comfortable.  He finally took a pain med and had to wait for some time for it to kick in.  It was so hard watching him in so much pain, knowing that I could do nothing to help!  We talked about this with the doctor and he told him that he HAD to take pain meds and to keep on top of it.  He is not going to take the Methadone because it was so mood altering.  He'll be taking Dilaud right before bed.  Everything else went pretty smoothly.  He tolerated the infusion very well.  Next time he has chemo he will be receiving that Zometa infusion with chemo.  Last time he had Zometa, it didn't go well and he felt pretty sick.  We are hoping this time is better.

On April 11th, we were again blown away by the kindness that has been shown to our family.  The SVA had a Serve-a-thon fundraiser at Shakopee Bowl. They worked so hard to raise funds for us and another family facing a battle with cancer. We are so grateful for the kindness that was shown to us once again. When you have cancer, your world is flipped upside down and inside out. There are worries about treatment, getting to treatment, working at your jobs and paying your bills. Having the support that we have been given has helped us so much. Because Jamma had to give up the Star Tribune and a huge chuck of the money that paid our bills was gone. We had so many worries about making this loss up, but with the generosity of so many people, we haven't had to worry. We are so thankful for all that everyone has done and don't know how we will ever repay all of you! Thank you to everyone who has been by our side during my cancer journey and now during Jamma's cancer journey. We appreciate you so much!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us through our GoFundMe that my sister started for us. These funds have helped pay for so many of the bills that have come up during this time. We appreciate the help so much.

GoFundMe link....

https://gofund.me/c0accb37

We also appreciate all the kind words that people have shown to us through cards, texts, emails, etc. The tributes that have been made through Caring Bridge go directly to them and helps keep the CB sites running. Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who has blessed us with a meal and for gift cards for meals. We appreciate it so much and didn't have to worry about making meals.

The next couple months are going to be pretty busy. We are nearing the end of the school year and are starting to wrap things up. I also have many yearly follow-up appointments for my breast cancer. Because I don't have sick time left, we may be reaching out to people for help getting Jamma to appointments. Riley started working his summer job (MN Mosquito Control) and works his weekend job (Fed-Ex at the airport) as well as finishing his classes for this school year at Normandale. Aiden is also taking classes at Normandale, so they are helping as much as they can. We are so appreciative to everyone who has helped out with rides.

Thank you again for everything. Time is flying. Things are going well right now. We are taking that as a win!