Sue would be proud......

Wow! What a day Saturday was……

I know Sue is very proud to see how everyone came together to pull off something extra special. The fact that she was not able to have her celebration service while she was alive, Joel and West Valley did not disappoint. My wife Kathy mentioned that even after 3.5+ hours of the service, (planned for 2hrs) no one wanted it to end. The amount of love shown for one person and the impact Sue had on so many lives sure makes a brother proud to say “yes, I am Sue’s brother”. Thank you to everyone who attended and for those that could not attend, your thoughts and presence were still felt by all of us.

Many thanks go out to so many who made this service amazing. (so much love in one room) I hesitate to call any one person out since I would hate to leave off any of you.

As for the blog, I do plan to continue to write periodically in order to keep people updated on the family or something related back to Susan. I plan to take all of the past blog updates and create a book for my parents as a memory maker. If anyone is interested in purchasing their own version, I will place an order process through Publishers.com for anyone interested in a copy. I did this for my best friend Mike Dougherty so he could have this memory maker for his daughter when she is old enough to see what her father went through fighting this dreaded disease.

There are two special updates I would like to share with all of you. The first is when Joel finished the service announcing what Sue had wanted him to share with everyone. Sue had stated that if her message touched one person who would give their lives over to Christ, that she would be willing to die for this life change. Saturday after the service, Joel was approached by a person who mentioned to him that the person they were with desired to have Christ accepted into her life. With tears in Joel’s eyes, he witnessed exactly what Sue desired and found himself smiling into the sky as Sue smiled back.

The second update happened to me following the service. As most everyone had departed the church, I turned around to see little Elizabeth Moxley standing right behind me with her mom and both speechless staring at me. She asked if I remembered her and I soon realized that this was little Elizabeth I met in Sue’s class, but more importantly, recognized her for the quilt her mother and her had made Susan to use while having cancer treatments. I thanked her from the bottom of my heart for what she did for Susan and before I could say how much Susan loved her, we caught each other’s eyes and I became speechless as a flow of tears fell down my cheeks. We stared at each other for over 10 seconds and my heart beating fast and furious, I could not get out the words. We spoke through our eyes saying we are both very sad and hurt to know that someone so influential in our lives is no longer physically here. Elizabeth, if you are reading this note, know that each day will slowly get better and the wound in your heart is deep, but does heal over time. If you can smile a lot, think happy thoughts and thank God for putting Sue in your 12 years of life on earth, then the wound heals much faster than being bitter and upset about her departure to heaven. Thank you for having the heart the size of Oregon and do know my sister Susan loved you so very much. Now go be mighty Elizabeth and live your life as Sue did.

Finally, I would like to share with you a letter written by my best friend Mike Dougherty who has been battling lung cancer for 5 yrs now and was instrumental in mentoring Sue and setting up time (free of charge) with his doctors at UCSF to review Sue’s case and provide any insight to their findings. In fact, it was on this trip to UCSF that one of the key doctors asked if Sue had ever had her home checked for radon? The rest is history.

Mike means the world to me and thought it was best to have this published in Sue’s blog for everyone to see.

Dear Sue,
I wanted to send you a message on your special day in the hopes that I could shine some light onto how much your struggle touched me as a fellow cancer survivor. As you were fighting I so wished that I could come up with some magic words, or some miracle, something that would just make it all go away, and take you back to where you were before this whole odyssey started. I often think about that.
I also wanted you to know, that I know, how hard you fought to spend another beautiful day with all of your friends and family. To endure the chemo treatments and the highs and lows of all of the testing, scanning, waiting, thinking, poking, prodding, laughing, and crying. In a word, call it torture. You handled it all with such grace. The inspiration that I was able to draw from you has given me the strength to continue to keep fighting, living, and loving. That’s what you did each and every day. Thank you my dear.
And finally Sue, you and I will forever share a special gift. Somebody once told us both that they would take our cancer in their own body if they could. Nobody says that and actually means it right? Not true. I can think of only one, and I think he is reading this letter to you right now. He’s your brother and my best friend. Thank you for your life, and inspiring me to fight for every beautiful day I have left on this Earth.

Love,
Mike Dougherty

In parting, I want to reach out to my older brother Mike, sisters Stacy & Tara and let you know there are big shoes to fill now that Sue is in Heaven. My cell phone bill has decreased 50% over the past 2 months and I want to want to fill that air time with you on it. :-)

Love to all and remember, Go Be Mighty and make Sue proud.

Matt

Updates for Sue's celebration service

Hi everyone,
We are finalizing the plans for Sue's celebration service and would like to communicate that we have a great hotel rate at the Marriott Courtyard Beaverton which is less than 10 minutes from Southwest Bible Church where the service will be held. Rate: $69.00 per night from Friday-Sunday (checking out Monday).

Marriott Courtyard Beaverton
8500 SW Nimbus Ave.
Beaverton, OR 97008
503-641-3200

See you on the 24th at 1pm.

Dress code: Cheerful colors

Preparing for Sue's Celebration Service

Hi everyone,
We are asking for help in preparing for Sue's celebration service.

What do we need?
1. Digital pictures with Sue in the picture (jpeg files preferred)
2. Quotes we can use in the video that answer this question: What Sue meant to you (Please keep it to 10 words or less so we can fit it in the video)

Please forward the digital pictures and your response to what Sue meant to you to:

Kelli1015@yahoo.com

Thank you,
Matt

Happy Birthday Sue: March 19th, 2010

My favorite day of the year is March 19th. The days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer, the baseball teams are in spring training, the yard starts to bloom and of course, it is Sue's birthday. Hug a family member or someone you love and inspire them with three simple words. Go be mighty! This will make Sue smile. :-)

Sue's Celebration Services are set
Date: Saturday April 24th at 1:00p.m.
Southwest Bible Church
14605 Southwest Weir Road
Beaverton, OR 97007-6164
(503) 524-7000

Dress: Casual wear, but colorful. No dark depressing colors are allowed.

Any questions please contact Matt McCormick at 818-640-2436 or Joel Mason at 503-332-3402

It will be something special for the person who inspired so many of us.

A New Chapter Begins

Saturday at 4:37p.m., you might have felt an earthquake that shook the entire earth. The epicenter was Heaven and it was caused by the celebration thrown welcoming Susan Lynne McCormick. The entire family was together last week as we said our good-byes and spent time telling her what an incredible impact she has had on our lives as well as so many others. Many local family & friends were able to stop by the hospice and share special times.

A special thanks to the Hopewell House for their kind hospitality and service. You made tough times less stressful. To Good Samaritan ICU & CCU. Your willingness to allow many more over the required visitors (from out of town) experienced quality time with Susan. Finally, Susan's wonderful staff of doctors. She chose to stay under the best care and believed it existed under each of you. Dr. Karamlou, your open honest feedback allowed Susan the brutal facts, but gave her peace of mind knowing exactly where things stood. She dealt with open honest feedback much better (good or bad).

Below is the obituary we just submitted to the Oregonian (publishes Wednesday), Tigard Times (publishes Thursday) and the Los Altos Town Crier (publishes Thursday). Thank you all for your kind words of support. We plan to have the celebration service for Susan on either April 16th/17th or 23rd/24th and will post on the blog within the week. Service will most likely take place at West Valley Community Church in Hillsboro. (Her home church)


Portland-Oregon
Susan Lynne McCormick, whose love of children motivated her to change careers at age 37 and become a sixth grade teacher in Tigard, OR, ended a long battle with lung, pancreatic and liver cancer on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at the Portland Hopewell House Hospice. She was 52 years young.

The eldest of four siblings and daughter of Mike & Carolyn McCormick, Susan was a devote Christian and very involved in her church (West Valley Community Church in Hillsboro Oregon). She held the role of treasurer for many years and played key roles in West Valley's "Crew" productions. Susan lived a life of authenticity having been transformed through her relationship with Jesus. Because of that authentic transformed life Susan made a major impact in the lives of so many that knew her. She led by example and communicated her love of Christ to anyone who found interest and listened.

After 15 years of working in the mortgage banking industry, Susan's love for children motivated her to begin a new chapter at age 37 when she completed her bachelor and master's degree in education from Portland State in 2000 and began teaching 6th grade at Fowler middle school in Tigard, Oregon. Her passion was educating children and was well known for going out of her way to help any child who had missed a meal or needed a hug.

Susan viewed teaching children as a 24 hr. responsibility and many Fowler alumni would come back and see Ms. McCormick on a regular basis. She spearheaded the spelling bee contest for Fowler middle school and even participated herself in the 50+ AARP national spelling bee contest in Cheyenne, Wyoming during the summer of 2008. Susan also spent summers as a driver's ed instructor and enjoyed the additional time with the kids.

Born in Alhambra California, Susan lived in Manhattan New York while her father pitched for the New York Giants. After moving west at the end of the 1958 season, Susan grew up in San Mateo California and moved to Mtn.View California in 1966. Susan attended Cooper and Huff Elementary schools, Graham Jr. High and graduated from Awalt High School in 1974. Susan graduated from De Anza College with an A.A. and pursued law enforcement with the Palo Alto police department, but an injury forced Susan to pursue another career which led her into the banking and mortgage industry in the 80's and early 90's before making a career change and pursuing her passion of educating children.

Susan never gave up hope when diagnosed in 2008 with lung and pancreatic cancer, a concept taught by her father, with cancer throughout her body, she was determined to fight it with every ounce of energy. It took almost 18 months from the time she was diagnosed to when she passed away for this dreaded disease to take hold. Her 53rd birthday is March 19th and she did her absolute best to make it to that day.

She leaves behind her beloved Corbett (11 yr old black lab) and a family that adored her. Father Mike, mother Carolyn, step mother Dierdre, sisters Stacy and Tara, brothers Mike Jr. and Matt, sister in-laws: Judith and Kathy, brother in-law: Michael Moeller, nephews: Michael III & Ryan, nieces Kelli, Madison, Mallory and Meghan.

Services for Susan McCormick will occur at West Valley Community Church in Hillsboro, Oregon at a determined date in April, 2010. Susan elected to be cremated at Rose City.

Thank you Susan for giving us all 52 wonderful years of happy memories. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:

West Valley Community Church 5215 NE Elam Young Parkway Hillsboro, OR 97124 c/o Susan L McCormick
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update on Sue: Transferred to the Hopewell House Hospice in Portland

Anyone that knows my sister, understands that she enjoys being a stage director. She took on this role as the eldest sister and here we are 52 years later, she continues to lead from the bedside as we follow her script.

We transferred Susan to the Portland Legacy Hopewell House Hospice on Monday. It is a beautiful home (3.5 acres) built in 1926 and was donated by the family in 1984. There are 14 bedroom suites and Susan is being cared for and lying comfortably. The setting is perfect: quiet and relaxing. The nurses are incredible here and are taking good care of Sue.

Legacy Hopewell House
6171 Southwest Capitol Highway
Portland, OR 97239
(503) 244-7890

Earlier in the week, she was sleeping all day and opening her eyes for a few minutes communicating with us and then falling back asleep. Her current state (as of yesterday)was much more alert and opened the morning with "dad, can I have a hug". She has been able to swallow oatmeal and pears the past two days and you can see the effect in her energy. She is still sleeping 95%+ each day, but continues to amaze us with her resiliency to live.

Vital signs: Her heart rate was up to 114 last night which is common for rising heart rates as it works harder to stay alive. The nurses describe a person in this condition as running a marathon due to the energy it takes to stay with us. Her breathing continues to become slower and slower with long pauses between each breath. (Another common sign)

Sue continues to find ways to be funny by responding to certain questions with a satirical approach in her answers. For example; my mother has been "sponge moistening" the inside of her mouth and lips to ensure no cracking and when asked if she would like some water from the sponge, (with her eyes closed), Sue whispers "well, yeah".

The Mason & Hockensmith families (our incredible cousins) have been taking great care of us. Stopping by throughout the day, bringing baskets of treats and hosting dinners. Thank you and know this is how Sue wanted it scripted. We love you guys.

Finally, I would like to share with you another part of the script that Sue directed when we were in Good Samaritan ICU last week.

Setting: Good Samaritan ICU room #24
Lead Actor: Susan
Supporting actor: Aaron
Cast: 25+ McCormicks, Masons, Hockensnmiths and Sue's dearest friends
Note: Only 4 people allowed in the ICU, yet lead nurse stated he only saw 4 of us. :-)

Aaron is the worship leader at West Valley Community Church in Hillsborough (cousin Joel is the lead Pastor). He played his guitar and lead us in a powerful way that evening. Sue lied in bed with a slight smile (while her eyes were closed) and knew God was in total control. The room was centered on the lead actress as music filled the ICU. Room #23 asked to open their sliding glass door so they could listen in to this powerful music & praise.

There was not a dry eye in the room when it ended that evening, but I do know that everyone present left with much more than what they came with. The stage director wanted it that way. I look forward to seeing Sue this morning and it wouldn't surprise me if she had the TV on wearing her Giants jersey and asking what we have planned for the day. I look forward to seeing the next act. My sister the stage director always makes life more interesting. Love her.

Matt

"Go be Mighty Sue"

There was an expression Sue would always say to me (after we had talked through the days challenges or thanked God for his blessings). The phrase would always end with "Go be mighty Matt" and it gave me the assurance to move forward and use my gifts to the best of my abilities. It also built my confidence that I could accomplish anything I set my sights to and this phrase also provided comfort in that I had the confidence from someone I held so high in life's status. It is no different than a coach inspiring his/her players to reach beyond their capabilities. Isn't it amazing what four simple words can do for someone.

The past 4 days, Sue has been in the ICU & CCU. The surgery on Wednesday did not go as planned. The doctors opened her up to find the cancer was worse than expected and is now moving fast. They were unable to fully reach the right lung and decided to close her back up and discuss next steps with family. Everyone flew in to Portland and decided to follow the exact instructions Sue had communicated many times based on this possible scenario. The doctors are keeping her pain free and the family has been at her side all week.

I cannot describe in words, how special this time is with Susan even though everyone in the room would do ANYTHING to extract the cancer from her body. There was a special moment last night when my mother Carolynn was holding Sue's left hand and I was holding her right hand. We both realized (as we watched Sue sleep like a baby), that Sue's work is done here on earth. What she has accomplished in her 52 years is more than anyone I know. The amount of memories generated by one person is "mind blowing".

We will continue to keep you posted on her status, but as of Sunday morning, she is resting and taking slow steps towards heaven.

"Go be mighty Sue"

Love,
Matt

Surgery on Wednesday

This Wednesday at 11:00a.m. PST , Sue will undergo surgery. This surgery is slightly different than what we had originally anticipated. Instead of the pockets of fluid being drained and replaced by talc, the surgery will be to drain the fluid around the lung pleura. The best description to provide for this is to think of the lungs inside a milk bottle with the milk bottle representing the rib cage. as you breath in and out, the pleura wall collects fluid and this procedure will put talc in place of that fluid. In addition, if there is any buildup of substance around the lung walls, procedure to clear or scrape it off would be the next step (that day) which is called decorcation. This may or may not be present until the surgeon views this during surgery. The final step will be (possibly) put in a pleurex catheter which will go in the upper chest exiting the right side of the lung.
Please pray for Sue's physical strength, energy, and due to this being a general anaesthetic, there will be increased risk and pray for a safe and sound surgery.

As for this past Thursday, Sue underwent chemo therapy and the procedure went just fine.

Matt


Finally, I want to reach out to my brother Mike Jr., who has been spending a lot of time in China on business and want you to know that you're thought of often and loved very very much.

Love your sis,

Sue

Update on Sue

Hello Family & friends,
An update for all of you on Sue's doctor visit Friday. I need to prepare you that the news is not very good, but would rather have you hear it from me than have Sue explain it which takes away too much of her energy right now.
Her physical condition continues to slowly slide as it takes her a long time to get off the couch, out of bed, dress herself etc... this should paint a picture of her current condition, let alone walking around with an oxygen line full time (she only had part time prior to the pneumonia).
Friday, she had two key follow-ups:
1. blood work to see where her red & white blood cells are (her red cell ct.needs to be around 12 to receive chemo and is currently at 9.4 from an 8 a week ago). Dr. Karamlou is comfortable about proceeding with chemo since it is trending towards 12 and will continue to monitor it once they handle the lung situation.
2. x-ray on her lungs to see what % fluids are remaining in the lungs (learned that her lungs were 40-45% full of fluid when she had it extracted. They took it down to 30% since the bottom portion of her right lung has collapsed. We discovered that no additional fluids have entered the lungs (this is good), but it remains in the lungs and two options are possible: a drainage system that is high maintenance and susceptible to infection or a procedure called talcpleuradesis in which they surgically place a substance that closes off all the pockets and chambers absorbing the fluids and becomes an irritant causing the fluid not to settle in the lung. The risk is possible infection and another toll it takes on Sue's body.

Here is the tough news and I will be as straight forward as I can. We asked the doctor hard questions as he was explaining that Sue will never get any better than she is today and that her condition is declining and looks like she will continue to decline at the rate we have seen over the past two weeks. He also stated they are now at a point where decisions whether to go through with the talcpleuradesis or not is only going to prolong your life a little longer, but there is a risk to infection which would accelerate a downturn.

We cried a lot Friday night and mom, Sue and myself discussed what we felt was the best decision. Sue will never be someone who throws in the towel, but understands her condition and know hers days are numbered. As of right now, she has elected to continue to "swing the bat" and go through the surgical procedure (small incision through her back and enter through the bottom half of her lung). We don't know how much time she has left, and this is not ours to know, but Sue continues to fight with everything that's available to her.

Sue is not ready to leave us and continues to mention family and friends that mean EVERYTHING to her. Her life right now is difficult and hard to do anything and is constantly out of breath. I told her last week that I would support her to go anywhere outside the US to try different types of cancer remedies, but she has decided that she wants to stay here close to friends and family and not find herself alone in a foreign country if things go wrong. I respect that decision, but like her, want to keep swinging the bat.

Finally, in her amazing ways, what makes Sue break down and cry (I can't describe how painful it is to hear her cry the way she has the past 24 hrs) is the pain she thinks it has on all her loved ones. Instead of thinking about what she is going through, she is more concerned with everyone else. This is why we hold her in such high esteem.

I asked her today if she would be willing to fly out for Tara's graduation and she said "absolutely", so it gives her hope to meet this milestone.

I am back home after being away for 2 weeks, but the good news is that the Moellers (sister Stacy & family) are there and are loving on Sue.

One note: Mom is living with Sue full time and has been ABSOLUTELY amazing caring for Sue. She has been rock solid and doing what she does best. Caring for her children.

Sue really enjoys hearing from her friends and loved ones, but understand her energy is limited and will respond to e-mails and phone calls when she can.

One of her greatest regrets is that she cannot be with her students right now, but wants them to know that she loves them dearly and looks forward to seeing them soon.

Matt

My Prayer

Dear God,
I am asking for some extra time this month between you and my sister Sue. As you know she is ill with cancer and is in dire need of rest and energy to fight this dreaded disease. You have my permission to extract it all from her body and insert it into mine. She is everything to me and many others reading my prayer. In my heart of hearts, I know she will do great things before she enters heaven's gates and this chapter is not ready to end. I found out today that she is home, but very weak. There were inconclusive evidence regarding infection and malignancy from the fluid in her lungs. Her blood counts are low, but improved since last week. She has x-rays on the 15th to see if there is additional lung fluids and if so it looks like a drainage tube will be inserted. She is also having blood work on Friday and chemo on the 18th. Physically she is very fatigued and frustrated she cannot take care of herself. She is grateful for her mother Carolyn, Tracy & Craig, Carol, Sheila and of course, Annie. She also references her work colleagues and the West Valley family as well as many other angels who have communicated encouragement.
Of course you already know this because you are Lord and Savior, so my prayer is simple. Take out the cancer, provide her health back and insert energy back into that glorious body so we can have our Sue back.
Amen

I will be up there Thursday to help care for my 100 ct. diamond.

I love you Sue and know God has a plan. I just pray HIS plan and my plan are aligned. Now that I've lost 10 lbs in tears all over this keyboard, it's time for rest. You do the same and I'll see you in 48 hrs.

Love,
Matt

Surgery was a success and no permanent drain needed

Sue had a successful procedure this afternoon. The doctors were able to extract out 1quart of fluid from her right lung. (Yes, 1 quart) The lung collapsed for a short time before they were able to stabilize the lung and as of tonight, everything is in place and working. No need for a drain since they were able to capture the majority of fluid.

They are currently testing the fluid and should have a direction as to whether or not it is infected or malignant. If the fluid is infected, they will determine the antibiotic within the next 48 hrs. If it is malignant, we will understand next steps by the weekend.

Overall, Sue is handling this like a superstar. She viewed the scans of both lungs and had labeled each lung after micro brews based on the clarity or lack of clarity in the lungs. One was a Guinness and one resembled more of an pale ale. Typical Sue finding ways to smile through it all.

Sue is a trooper and always thankful for each day.

Your prayer support is greatly appreciated. She will either be coming home by the weekend or soon after.

More to come....

Matt

Follow the yellow brick road

What a journey. Sue learned today that her right lung is 1/3 functioning with fluid located at the base of the lung. She also found out she needs to have Thoracentisis tomorrow morning in order to find out if the fluid in her lungs is malignant, infected or both. The procedure takes place in the morning and she will exit surgery with a drainage tube from her right lung. The left lung is perfectly fine and waiting for her to start cycling and hiking again.

The good news is that the blood thinner Lovanox allows her to miss one cycle and get back on without any side effects. She will find out more tomorrow afternoon from her radiologist and continues to have a positive attitude from her hospital bed.

For Sue's students who have continued to write her notes and draw pictures, continue this every day as this gives her hope and inspires her to get back to what she loves most in life......all of you.

Enjoy the journey....Sue sure is

Matt

I'm at Good Sam Hospital

Checked in again with continued problems with phlegm in the lungs. CT Scan shows fluid and other problems in lung. More tests to be done, scan also shows new tumors in liver. Currently in ICU moving to cancer center by tomorrow. I am feeling physically o.k., but emotionally fragile with the latest news.

God continues to bless me with a merciful reprieve from pain. Please continue to pray and pray hard.

Love,

Susan



Per her brother Matt:
I can't thank you all enough for your continued prayer support. I am reaching out to all of you tonight and ask for continued prayer support throughout the week. We all know additional fluid in the lungs is a serious matter and Sue's emotions are extremely sensitive as her energy continues to get sucked out of her from all the prodding, pinching and sticking the hospital undertakes while dealing with multiple tests etc....
Her comment about pray hard says it all. We'll keep you posted on what tomorrow brings.

In Him Always,
Matt

"And for my next Halloween costume"

Well, 2010 certainly had a rocky start and the effects of the radiation and the pneumonia have sure hit hard. My quickest healing was the short stint in the hospital - I came home Sunday, January 10th and it's been a slow go from there. The hospital staff is absolutely wonderful but I would rather be home! I finished the two weeks of radiation on Jan. 15th and will see Dr. Kee and Dr. Chen (radiation oncologist and neurosurgeon) at the end of February to review the neck scans and x-rays. Both seemed happy with the preliminary results of the treatment but radiation continues to work for several days/weeks afterward and I'm hopeful the two weeks worth of treatment zapped this little tumor for good.

There is some chronic pain/numbness associated with the tumor - even it it's zapped, the bone and surrounding soft tissue have been compromised and I will always have some residual discomfort, though, thankfully, nowhere near as painful or frequent as what I experienced at the start. Praise for that!

The picture of me in the mask is how I was positioned for radiation each day. My head and upper body had to be completely immobile so the flex mask (literally molded to my face and upper body) would be put in place each time and then tacked down to a body board underneath me. The mask fit like a second skin - I could open my eyes and blink, breathe through my nose and swallow carefully. Definitely not for the claustrophobic and I'm grateful that, once the mask was in place and all coordinates verified, the actual process went quickly. A wonderful staff, very caring and concerned, and I am so glad to have them. Very glad this was only two weeks and not six weeks like the lung radiation!

The time at home has been slow healing. Between the soreness and inflammation in my throat from radiation (thus back on liquids only for several days) and the extreme fatigue from both the radiation and pneumonia, it has been a tough couple of weeks. I completely lost my voice for several days so my apologies for not returning all phone calls just yet. My voice is back but it's squeaky and doesn't always last all day. A very large portion of my time has been spent just sleeping (always the best medicine for me!) and I am on oxygen again, off and on as I feel is needed. My sister, Stacy, came out from CT on the 15th and stayed with me for a week, taking very good care of her big sis. Truly, she and my mom were lifesavers taking care of every little thing even when I would stubbornly insist I could do simple tasks.

That stubbornness didn't last long and I was so grateful to have Stacy here to help, plus just hang out with me. She went home yesterday morning and I sure do miss her. So does Corbett - she keeps going into the guest room expecting to find Stacy and then comes to me with a bewildered expression. Corbett has been quite the trooper too, she sits like a sentinel next to the bed when I am napping and doesn't leave my side much. Gotta love that dog!

I've been off work for 2 1/2 weeks and am going to attempt part time (half days) this week. I'm hopeful to have the energy to return but am realistic about healing too and will take it day by day. The other picture is our school Geography Bee, held last Weds. (Jan. 20th) in my classroom. I proctor it every year and was so glad I could do so again this year. It's an all school competition and the school winner has a chance to compete in the State GEO Bee in April - wish us luck!

I start a new chemotherapy protocol this week on the 28th to go after the liver tumors again. This one is an IV treatment given every three weeks and no infusion pump this time. We're still praying for the miracle.....

Sending all of you lots of love and hugs and heartfelt thanks for the cards and calls and prayers and support. My community is my medicine and I love you all for the dear people you are to me. Enjoy every day for the gift that it is!

Love,

Susan

Update on Sue

Yesterday (Friday morning), Sue was admitted to Emanuel Hospital (503-413-7711) in Portland due to having trouble breathing. The doctors have determined it was pneumonia and she is currently transferring from the ICU to the 6th floor (room 682) which is where they house cancer patients. She is responding well and on medication. The good news is that she is on the road to recovery and the current radiation is working. The troubling news is that they found two additional nodules in her liver and a few existing smaller nodules have enlarged over the past few weeks.

Sue will continue with radiation and will start the chemo procedure this Friday to address the new liver nodules. As you can imagine, Sue's attitude is positive and if you wish to send her a note or call with support, make sure the nurse checks in to see if she is awake. They had her on morphine last night which knocked her out.

Prayer support is also appreciated.

Matt

"Won't be dancing the Argentine Tango anytime soon...not such great news this time"

After a brief respite, it seems the cancer has taken another road trip and stopped in yet another place in my body. A couple of weeks ago I started experiencing pain radiating from the top of my neck down into my right arm, with tingling in the lower part of the arm and numbness in my right thumb. Talked to Dr. Karamlou about it during my last visit and he scheduled a CT scan and MRI to check it out - said it was clearly nerve pain and it could be anything from a pinched nerve to a bone spur to arthritis. A tumor was a possibility but the symptoms and other tests (arm and hand grip strength, etc.) didn't jive with other symptoms that would indicate a tumor so it did come as a complete surprise (more like total shock) to discover that there is a tumor on a cervical vertebrae, affecting blood flow and causing the nerve pain.

Once the shock of the news wore off, or better said, sunk in the next questions were "How bad is this and what do we do for treatment?". Unfortunately, the news is not good. The tumor is in the bone and the soft tissue around the vertebrae - this means that even if surgery is an option, we can't get all of the tumor because it's invaded the bone too. Of additional concern is weakening of the bone which could cause a pathological fracture. That could mean compression or collapse of the vertebrae and quite possibly, paralysis to arms and legs. Now before everyone freaks out, that is worse case and something I need to be careful of in not overexerting my neck (thus hanging up the dancing shoes for the tango for awhile) until we begin treatment. And the good news is there are options.

I'm meeting Drs. Kee (my radiation doc) and Chen (neurosurgeon) on Monday morning and we'll develop a plan for treatment. Best case is Dr. Kee can zap this tumor (it's about 2.3 centimeters in size) with radiation and no surgery is needed. If radiation isn't an option, then we talk about surgery. In this mix will be an adjustment to the chemo protocol (I think) and I'm guessing Dr. Karamlou is going to want more full body scans to be sure this "cancer road trip" hasn't stopped somewhere else we don't know about.

I must say, these doctors are on it....I had the scan and MRI late in the afternoon on NYE and Dr. Takahashi (the on call oncologist) was on the phone with me at noon yesterday. He had already been in touch with both Drs. Kee and Chen to get things scheduled for Monday and had my latest prescription ready to be called into the pharmacy. All this on a holiday weekend. When I hear people talk about unresponsive doctors or having to wait days or weeks to hear from their medical team, I am so grateful for the good care I am receiving.

One big question I had was how can I be healing in one part of my body, have the other two areas stabilized and then have another tumor show up somewhere else? That's the mystery on metastasis......I was told months ago that cancer, once it gets in the blood stream (lymph system) is like a car on a road trip that, unfortunately, no one knows where it's going or where/when it will stop. This tumor is another aggressive one....it didn't show up on the last scan and now, here it is.

The good news is there are treatment options and I am feeling really good, strong both physically and emotionally, and ready to take on this newest development. I cried my tears long and hard after hanging up the phone yesterday and dreaded another round of suck phone calls to my family. There was a short period of just feeling too exhuasted to think about this latest tumor and all it's implications and after some time in deep prayer, was fully renewed in His strength. Thank you, God, for the peace and comfort. I got off the couch, threw off the pity party mood and said "The heck with this, I'm going with friends to see a George Clooney movie"....what better way to restore my spirits than to gaze adoringly at him on screen :) And for what's it worth, "Up In the Air" is really a good movie.

My Christmas holiday was absolutely wonderful and I hope your's was too. It was low key and close to home with a few surprises thrown in....a very dear friend from SD and her husband showed up for a surprise visit and it was wonderful to spend time together. That's her, Tricia, in the photo. We've known each other since 1985 and the friendship just gets sweeter every year. My niece, Kelli, came to Portland to celebrate NYE with college friends and stayed with me for a couple of days. We had a good time together and she loved our other surprise.....a snow storm on Tuesday. Completely unexpected and as a result, a traffic nightmare for many but it sure was fun to watch her get so excited with the snow and send photos to all her friends. Portland does rain well, but snow? Not so much. It's been a time of rest, relaxation, reading, movies, friends, laughter, a project or two here and there, great food and wonderful celebrations. I've enjoyed every minute of it!

Not sure what this treatment for the neck tumor will mean for the rest of the teaching year. I'll know more Monday and will go from there. Clearly, I'll have to take time off for radiation and/or recovery from surgery but I am praying that I will still get to finish the school year with the kids. God knows my heart and my passion for my kiddos and I pray I can quickly return to the classroom. May be in a neck brace this time around, but that's ok, I can deal with that.

Please continue to pray with me and pray hard for recovery as the next step of the journey begins. It's been a long haul, but I am still fighting this cancer with everything I have and am determined to come through it healed. Still too much to do! I'll update as soon as I can after Monday to let you all know the next steps.

Love and hugs and Happy New Year!

Susan