From Baby Steps to Dancing Steps…

Dear Family and Friends:

Last night was a great night! I literally saved all my energy yesterday to go to the Rhythm Room to pay tribute to Dan Strouse and the Repeat Offenders. As many of you know the Repeat Offenders have played at our home several times for weddings and just for fun. Dan, a member of the band will be missed. A Strouse Scholarship fund has been established at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law to benefit three students each year.
It felt so good being out and doing something I love to do, watching people have fun, listening to music and dancing (only one song)! Now this is living!!

On Friday, I went with Nicole and Billy to their OB/GYN appointment, the ultrasound confirmed we are having a girl, good thing the nursery is already pink! Only a few more weeks until we get to meet her!
Earlier that morning, I started to take out my own staples from the surgery. My sister, Kathy, a nurse as well, started the process a few days earlier but we decided the staples were not quite ready to be removed. Kathy had to leave for Korea for a few weeks (Air Force duty) and could not remove the rest. I was able to remove all but 6 or 7 staples so I called my friend Bob Guyette (the best maxillofacial/plastic surgeon) to help me with the rest. Thank you so much, Bob!

Well, I finally made my decision regarding the type of treatment I will undertake! I appreciate all the input from Bill, my girls, family and friends who allowed me to agonize and verbalize all my feelings. I will be starting standard care of chemotherapy for ovarian cancer this Wednesday and Thursday in Tucson and then returning to Tucson eight days later for an additional dose. This pattern will repeat every 21 days later for at least 6 doses.

I had to go with my gut on this decision. As much as I wanted to be part of a clinical trial to help “push the envelope” on the perhaps next “new and upcoming” treatments for ovarian cancer, I was just uncomfortable being the first person to use these drugs together without any studies on their interaction. I did not feel that I would benefit a clinical trial if my heart and gut was telling me something else. My last conversation was with my friend John Shufeldt, who confirmed for me that betraying my heart and gut was not in the best interest for me or for the clinical trial. Thanks John and Rene for all your support and love.

A huge thank you to my family and friends at Renaud, Cook, Drury, Mesaros for the basket of my favorite things! Snickers, hot tamales, candy corn and precious halloween bowl, Seda-France candles, stationary, Coffee Bean coffee and tea(the best tea and coffee), Burt’s hand repair lotion, manicure and pedicure at Cutters Cottage, movie theater gift card, red wine, Borders gift card, Dairy Queen gift card, make up bag, calendar of daily prayers beginning on the date of my diagnosis, and Neccos. You didn’t miss a thing! Now you know how incredibly simple I am. I could not stop crying tears of joy. You overwhelmed me with your thoughts and kindness. I will be taking the notes with me to Tucson to read during my treatment and will be thinking of all of you. A special note of thank you to Rhonda who had her church make a beautiful “comfort quilt”. I will take the basket of my favorite things and quilt on all of my Tucson journeys. Thank you so very much.

Again, thank you does not seem to be enough to say for all the wonderful thoughts and prayers from all of you.

I love you all,
Colleen