It's truly become the little things in life for our family- celebrating birthdays, retirement, and just the other day, celebrating Dad mowing the grass for the first time in over a year.
And maybe that doesn't mean much to some people- as I personally hate doing any sort of yard work- but for Dad, that was something he enjoyed so very much before his diagnosis. He would spend hours mowing the yard, taking care of the pool, and working in his shop- and it was so nice to hear a little bit of normal was coming back into our lives.
We are almost 3.5 years post diagnosis- and it's crazy to see how far we've come in just 3.5 short years.
Today I pulled out my devotional and immediately underlined the following:
"...you may feel as if you're alone or abandoned. However, I suffered alone on the cross so that you would never have to be alone in your struggles. You are always with Me; I hold you by your right hand."
And holding us He has absolutely done.
Our next MRI is approaching, much more quickly than any of us would like (I can't even begin to share how much I hate MRI days!) but we are so thrilled that throughout the last few months Dad has felt so much better, he's enjoying life without chemo- and I can't blame him for that!
We continue to anxiously await for the birth of a new little one to our family, as Mr. Reid Windham should be here in May, and we continue to be so blessed that Dad is getting to experience being a "PawPaw" (Note: He was suppose to be called "Grandpa", but Luke apparently didn't like that name, and he's been "PawPaw" since day 1).
On top of celebrating Mom's retirement and baby showers, we are also preparing for our upcoming trip to Run For The Rose on April 2- where we hope to have one of the largest teams there! We would love to have each of you join us, or make a donation to this amazing foundation! For more information, visit our team page: http://drmarnierosefoundation.racepartner.com/run-for-the-rose/bthobraincancer
Our journey to fight this beast is far from over, but we are thrilled at how far we've come in this journey and the impact we have made on the brain cancer community. From supporting others in their journey, to helping raise funds for brain cancer research- we have felt as though we can actually do SOMETHING in a situation that at times, can leave you a bit hopeless.
As always, thank you all for your continuous love and support, and thank you for helping us BTHO Brain Cancer!
*We are ordering Team Lar t-shirts again this year, if you are interested in a shirt, please send me an email glenzwhitney@gmail.com to place your order (these run about $12 each).
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Friday, February 10, 2017
No News Is Good News. Dad Update 2/10/2017
In our world, no news is always good news!
Dad has been off of chemotherapy since August, and also stopped the Avastin treatment shortly after- it's a weird "new" world we are living in since stopping his treatments, but a weird, new world that we are all enjoying so very much!
Mom has been officially retired since Dec 31- and y'all, she is loving each and every minute of it! She runs errands during the day (sometimes even for me, thanks Mom!), she goes to lunch with friends, her and Dad go to the movies, or out to the land in Burton- for the first time in a long time she is getting to do what she wants to do. You can just look at her and tell that retirement is treating her pretty darn well.
And in the midst of our new normal, we are gearing up for our 4th trip to 'Run For The Rose'- a 5k that supports brain cancer research through the Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation.
I don't think I can accurately put into words what the foundation or what the run has meant to our family, but I'll do my best!
Hearing the words "brain cancer" is a moment that I honestly will never forget. I remember walking out of the hospital, Mom looked at me and said "I just want to throw up." It was the quietest car ride home I've ever experienced. We all sat in disbelief.
There were so many things we had to figure out on our own. And there were many nights that Mom and I sat on the couch and just cried, wondering if we would ever be able to figure it all out, wondering if we would ever be able to survive it all.
We were thrown in this brain cancer world- filled with lingo we didn't understand, and treatments we had no clue even existed. We felt lost. We felt alone.
And then we found a group of people that knew of our struggle, knew of our confusion and knew that we JUST needed someone to lean on with questions and concerns. We found the Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation and the Run For The Rose.
The Rose Foundation has followed us since the day I signed up for our first Run For The Rose, as when I immediately created a team I received an email shortly after asking questions about my Dad. They wanted to be that resource for us, they wanted to be a place where we could ask for advice on clinical trials and doctors- and they have been exactly that to us these last three years.
Each day Dad sees each of us in his corner during his fight- we are all there for MRI results and treatment days- he knows he has his four girls in his corner, but what I don't think Dad could have ever imagined or understood was the true depth of his team. Visually, it's hard to understand, that is until you get 100+ of your friends and family (some that had never even met Dad), wearing maroon t-shirts for a little 5k. And even bigger, seeing over 5,000 people show up for a little 5k to support brain cancer research.
That my friends is what the Run For The Rose is all about. Sure, it raises a lot of money for brain cancer research- money that is so badly needed!- but at the center of it all, it visually shows each brain cancer survivor, and family impacted by this disease, that you have a huge army of people behind you. Those that have been through it all, those that understand the devastation of hearing those words "brain cancer", and those that have BEAT the disease. At the center of it all, it gives the brain cancer survivors a BOOST of energy and desire to FIGHT this disease, something no treatment can give to you, yet something that is essential in beating this beast.
I encourage each of you to check out the Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation and that "little" 5k they put on in Houston (I assure you there is nothing little about it!). If you have any questions or would like to join our team, make a donation, or purchase a Team Lar t-shirt, feel free to send me an email (glenzwhitney@gmail.com).
http://drmarnierosefoundation.racepartner.com/run-for-the-rose/bthobraincancer
Again, thank you all, and thanks for helping us BTHO Brain Cancer!
Dad has been off of chemotherapy since August, and also stopped the Avastin treatment shortly after- it's a weird "new" world we are living in since stopping his treatments, but a weird, new world that we are all enjoying so very much!
Mom has been officially retired since Dec 31- and y'all, she is loving each and every minute of it! She runs errands during the day (sometimes even for me, thanks Mom!), she goes to lunch with friends, her and Dad go to the movies, or out to the land in Burton- for the first time in a long time she is getting to do what she wants to do. You can just look at her and tell that retirement is treating her pretty darn well.
And in the midst of our new normal, we are gearing up for our 4th trip to 'Run For The Rose'- a 5k that supports brain cancer research through the Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation.
I don't think I can accurately put into words what the foundation or what the run has meant to our family, but I'll do my best!
Hearing the words "brain cancer" is a moment that I honestly will never forget. I remember walking out of the hospital, Mom looked at me and said "I just want to throw up." It was the quietest car ride home I've ever experienced. We all sat in disbelief.
There were so many things we had to figure out on our own. And there were many nights that Mom and I sat on the couch and just cried, wondering if we would ever be able to figure it all out, wondering if we would ever be able to survive it all.
We were thrown in this brain cancer world- filled with lingo we didn't understand, and treatments we had no clue even existed. We felt lost. We felt alone.
And then we found a group of people that knew of our struggle, knew of our confusion and knew that we JUST needed someone to lean on with questions and concerns. We found the Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation and the Run For The Rose.
The Rose Foundation has followed us since the day I signed up for our first Run For The Rose, as when I immediately created a team I received an email shortly after asking questions about my Dad. They wanted to be that resource for us, they wanted to be a place where we could ask for advice on clinical trials and doctors- and they have been exactly that to us these last three years.
Each day Dad sees each of us in his corner during his fight- we are all there for MRI results and treatment days- he knows he has his four girls in his corner, but what I don't think Dad could have ever imagined or understood was the true depth of his team. Visually, it's hard to understand, that is until you get 100+ of your friends and family (some that had never even met Dad), wearing maroon t-shirts for a little 5k. And even bigger, seeing over 5,000 people show up for a little 5k to support brain cancer research.
That my friends is what the Run For The Rose is all about. Sure, it raises a lot of money for brain cancer research- money that is so badly needed!- but at the center of it all, it visually shows each brain cancer survivor, and family impacted by this disease, that you have a huge army of people behind you. Those that have been through it all, those that understand the devastation of hearing those words "brain cancer", and those that have BEAT the disease. At the center of it all, it gives the brain cancer survivors a BOOST of energy and desire to FIGHT this disease, something no treatment can give to you, yet something that is essential in beating this beast.
I encourage each of you to check out the Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation and that "little" 5k they put on in Houston (I assure you there is nothing little about it!). If you have any questions or would like to join our team, make a donation, or purchase a Team Lar t-shirt, feel free to send me an email (glenzwhitney@gmail.com).
http://drmarnierosefoundation.racepartner.com/run-for-the-rose/bthobraincancer
Again, thank you all, and thanks for helping us BTHO Brain Cancer!
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