Service for Genie

For any of you that would like to attend, if you haven't heard, Genie's service will be on Saturday, March 3rd @ 11:00. It is going to held at The Arcade Church located at 3927 Marconi Avenue here in Sacramento.

Also, by the end of the day today I should had the account information for the account I am having opened for the kids. Thanks to all of you for your support.

Love you Genie!

Gone Home To Be With Her Mom

Genie passed away Monday morning at 6:10. She was with her son and myself. Her battle with breast cancer is over.

For the past couple of years plus, she had filled this space with her challenges and successes. At time, they were happy and sometimes sad and angry. But that was the life she led. She was amazed by how many people followed her blog on a daily basis. Like she mentioned in her very first blog, this started because she wanted to do this for Johnny and Jordan. Little did she know what she had started. She used to get emails when she didn't blog in a while. People would ask if she were okay. Most of the time she was just too busy to take the time to write. As of now, there are 41 "followers" of her blog, but I know that number is so much higher. She was an inspiration to so many. I have heard from two teenagers about the impact she made on their lives. She talked to them like adults and about the real life concerns, even at such young ages, that breast cancer is.

She never stopped caring till the very end. I am convinced that she did not pass on Sunday for one reason. She knew it was her time, but Sunday was Jordan's 15th birthday. She knew that that was not the right way for Jordan to remember her passing. She never stopped giving, she never stopped caring. That was Genie!!!

I know there are many people that want to reach out and support us. I say thanks to all of you. We will be having a service/memorial for her and I will probably post one more time with that information. As for support, I know one of her sister-in-laws Sheryl, is setting up an account for the kids. If you would like that information, send an email to me @ sacgiantsfan1@comcast.net and I will get information for you.

Thanks to all of you for your support of my wife and soul mate!!! Genie, until we meet again, I love you with all of my heart!!!

Peace be with you all~John

Hey I'm back, For Now......

I haven't blogged in forever because I just haven't had the energy to do so, sorry everyone. I don't know if it's the chemo that I'm on, or the cancer is just starting to wear on me, but my body is definitely tired. I've been fighting this struggle for 2 1/3 years now and it's starting to really wear on me. I have a constant cough because of the nodules in my lungs, which makes life really difficult to breath. When I'm not coughing, I'm trying to catch my breath, and if you can imagine how fun that is...well, it's not. Each day I wake up and I'm surprised to still be here. I'm not trying to say that I'm giving up, but I am getting pretty tired of this fight, it's hard, very hard now. I decided to tell Dr. Rohatgi that I didn't want the bone & ct scans that he had ordered for this week, that it was just too much for me. I told him that maybe next month after my chemo we could do it. Maybe. I don't know what to do at this point but pray, hopefully God will tell me whether or not it's almost my time. Either way, I will be with those who love me. I just want to feel comfortable again and able to breath without struggling. Please pray for me to find peace.

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

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Location:Palm Ave,Sacramento,United States

What's up With That?...

Okay, according to doctor's orders, the First Round of my First Cycle was unusual and that it went accordingly:

Day 1-3 went to spend a few days with Luanne and Janice in San Jose, came home Day 3 (Wednesday night), feeling just a bit tired, from long trip.
Day 4 starting to feel lethargic and not too well (Thursday).
Day 5 started to feel run down and stayed in bed most of day, then nausea and vomiting started in evening and spent the entire evening sick (Friday).
Day 6 spent entire day vomiting (Saturday - Christmas Eve).
Day 7 finally came out of the bedroom and spent time with family, still didn't eat for fear of bringing it back up (Sunday). Family came from San Jose to exchange gifts and thank goodness things were a bit better.
Day 8 back to semi-normal (Monday).

Fast Forward to this 2nd Round of my First Cycle:

Day 1 went fine (Monday).
Day 2 went back in for Blood Transfusion (Tuesday) and proceeded to feel nauseated. Half way through Blood Transfusion I started vomiting and did so throughout my entire treatment and on to home. It wasn't until about midnight did I wake up feeling great!
Day 3 was going to cancel my appointment with my arm surgeon post-op, but felt great this morning and didn't need to (Wednesday).

Now, come day 5 and 6, I'd BETTER not be back in bed with vomiting, I'll scream!! Let's hope this is how my new cycle is going to go, that would be great!

By the way, the arm surgeon loved the progress that arm had taken and that he said it was healing properly! He said that it was starting to show white on my x-ray (which is new bone growth) and that he can't wait to see the progress in another 6 weeks). He says that it looks like the chemo is starting to work with it :) YEAY!!!

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

Okay...Okay...I'm Back...

So I didn't post for multiple reasons. First, my arm is still recovering (and looking good if I say so myself! I put my earrings on for the first time in weeks, maybe months all by myself)! Next, it was the holidays and well, even for those who don't have shopping lists up to their knees, christmas cards to send out, holiday cookies to make, and cancer to fight off, it's a tough time of year! After 5 days from my treatment, I had HORRIBLE nausea and vomitting. Horrible. Today I went for my 1st cycle, 2nd treatment and Dr. Rohatgi said that it was way too late for that to have been from the chemo. He said I must have caught the flu because I should have been sick 1-2 days from chemo, not 5 days out. My tumor marker was high again, but he assured me that the chemo would bring it down. I also talked with him about my rapid weight loss and he prescribed me something for my appetite. I SURE HOPE IT works!! I've lost 80.8 lbs down from the start, and honestly, I don't have a whole lot more I want to lose!! Okay....it can stop anytime now.

I will let you all know in a day or two how my nausea and voitting are going :) Last time, there wasn't a problem at all. And on day 5, hopefully I won't mysteriously come down with the "flu" again!

Peace to you all <3 Love, Genie

Ixempra - Cycle 1, day 1...

I met with Dr. Rohatgi yesterday and he agreed that since my scans were SO high, he was putting me back on IV Chemo starting immediately. Sonia and Jordan both accompanied me to my appointment, and since Sonia was afraid we'd forget everything once we left the room, she was kind enough to record it. She actually wanted to send a copy via the internet to Luanne, but I'm not sure how to do that, so since I'm going to be spending a couple days with her this week, I'm just going to bring the recorder for her to listen to. This new IV Chemo will definitely make me lose my hair again, but that's okay because it's getting too long anyway. Sonia says that she couldn't believe I was that cheap if that's what I'm looking forward to :) ...lol. I will have chemotherapy once a week for one week on, then two weeks off. I'm still not sure how long the treatment is, but it's sometime between two and four hours. Usually it depends upon whether or not you've had blood work done ahead of time or not, but we went down to Sutter today to prepare ourselves for the treatment on Monday, but they said that the blood work I had done the other day with my blood transfusion was good enough and that I didn't need to have it done again. However, for my next cycles, I may have to come a day or two early and prepare my blood work for them. Apparently it's a big deal because if we don't have it done ahead of time, they're hours behind on my treatment. Whatever works. I just hate to have my ride (since I'm always at the mercy of somebody driving me - and it's usually Monica) have to wait a long time for nothing. I know how busy Monica is with the kids and the restaurant and all, so I hate to make her wait any longer than she has to. This Monday Monica is going to be bringing her teenage son Frankie with her to spend some quality time together :) I love Frankie, he's a good boy who sometimes helps out at Strings when they need him, but one of his greatest strengths besides his strikingly good looks, is the fact that he can play some serious baseball! Unfortunately we cheer for two opposite teams (Giants vs. A's), but it's all good. We'd just love to see Frankie successful in wherever his dreams take him. Good luck to you Frankie, just keep up those grades and you'll make it.

So...Cycle 1, day 1 starts Monday, December 19, 2011 @ 8:30. It's been about 9 months since my last IV chemo, so I'm a bit nervous. So again, I ask that you pray for me during this difficult time transitioning over to IV, it's not that easy, so I'll need your positive help with this. Also, when at the breast surgeon's office the other day, he said that the tumor in my breast had grown back to be the size that it was originally. It's a bit sore, but hopefully it will shrink with treatment and the pain will subside a bit.

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

Tim, I look to you for strength and guidance...

As you know my younger brother is Tim and he's going through a pretty difficult time in his life right now. However, a little over two years ago he gave me some words of wisdom that I truly grasp at from time to time with all of my heart and soul. I sometimes grasp so hard at those words of encouragement, that I'm literally white-knuckling my fingers, they are so clenched in prayer. What Tim told me was to never under estimate the power of prayer, and that I should never forget about the power of positive thinking. And with negative thinking, it wouldn't get me anywhere, but would rather do me more harm than good.

Well, Tim, I sure love you and I've been thinking about you and your encouraging words all day. Remember my Tumor Marker that my Oncologist measures every month and keeps an eye on? Well, when I left Kaiser it was barely creeping up on 100, and I believe that was back in May. The standard range on the chart shows that it should be approximately < 38. Last month on 11/09 my count was at 415.2, but when I checked today which was drawn on 12/07 my count was 645.7! It has taken everything in me to stay positive today and have faith in what the doctors are doing, but those numbers sure do scare me...a lot.

And without "airing his dirty laundry" as my Dad would always say, I pray that you get through this difficult time in your life with dignity and respect. And remember to "never under estimate the power of prayer & definitely don't forget the power of positive thinking".

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

Surgery...

We made our way upstairs to the waiting area and who was waiting with a HUGE smile on her face? Yolanda Turner from the DMV!! OMG I was so excited to see her waiting to be sure I made it into surgery okay. What a sweetheart she is. At one point in our lives we didn't see eye to eye and I sure am glad that the good Lord has shown me the unnecessary way in which I was acting, because that was plain foolish. I am blessed to have such a dear, kind-hearted friend in my life. Thank you Yolanda for your forgiveness, God bless you. I must also mention that my loving Father-in-law also drove up early from San Jose to make it in time, arriving at approximately 9:00 to save his place in line :)

After we registered I began to have butterflies that didn't want to ease up. SERIOUS butterflies. If I'd been there alone, I think I would have backed out, but unfortunately I had WAY too many witnesses to walk out on something like this...damn it!!

Dr. Tamariun walked in and went over everything again before the surgery and wondered who had requested the top anesthesiologist in the hospital and none of us had any clue, but that definitely put some of those butterflies to rest, that's for sure :0) and within about twenty seconds after answering my questions, I was out cold after meeting him. Don't ask me what he even looks like, I have no clue...sorry Dr. Brown!

Within what I swear felt like less than a minute, I was awake and talking my head off! With a room FULL of people, I managed to get some food in me and some serious narcotics to take the edge off. Between trial and error, we eventually landed on the usual cocktail of Morphine every 2 hours (just like when I landed in the ER a couple months ago) and it definitely helped with easing the pain. Thank goodness.

I do want to take this moment to apologize for perhaps being a bit grumpy straight after surgery, but it SERIOUSLY hurt like hell...so please understand when I say how truly sorry I am for anything said that might have hurt your feelings in any way, shape, or form. I found out later on, that during the final stages of the surgery, the surgeon erroneously broke a bone and had to repair that with wires before
I stayed overnight and decided that since sleep was almost impossible, we choose to go home after the first night. Watching the fish channel the entire night just wasn't kicking it :) although with the sound, it was quite therapeutic.

I'm home now and hanging out in the recliner with the cat (Siren) and starting to really heal. I believe that's what happens when you start to itch like crazy, right? I'm in a sling so I can't just stick a wire down it, but i manage with our back-scratcher. Remember it boys? It was mom's old brown one, that hit the spot every time.

Okay, I'm outta here. Not bad for one finger typing. I'll keep in touch <3

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

Stay Tuned...

Hello ~ I promise to blog at some point either today or tomorrow, whenever I can withstand the pain long enough to press the keys with one hand. Just know that I am alive, back on Morphine every 2 hours, and thinking about positive (pain free days ahead). Prayers are still and always will be welcomed. That is all for now, but I'll be back soon.

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

Pre-op Went Well...

Dr. Tamurian met with us this morning and went over everything having to do with the surgery scheduled for Tuesday, 11/29. We discussed how he's going to be making one incision at the top of my Humerus and they'll be running the titanium rod (which they kept referring to as a nail) down through the bone to basically the elbow area. Apparently they do this operation all the time, which is really unfortunate and made me sad when he told me. I also got to meet "Mike" his assistant who will be joining him during the operation. I already told John, but geeze, they've got some good looking surgeons at Sutter!

I'm still supposed to show up at 10:00, although we'll get started at 12:00 and the entire operation will take about two hours. He said that he would expect that my recovery time will take a couple weeks.

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

Getting Ready for Surgery...

Well apparently it's custom to have an EKG before going in for surgery to ensure that your heart is doing good. Since they already ran an EKG a couple weeks ago while I was in the ER, they only had to transfer over the information from my files, which was nice. They also got all of my necessary lab work done when I went in for my Zometa treatment last week. Which was actually funny, because I came in a week early for the treatment, thinking that it was supposed to be one day for sure, but apparently I was wrong. Thank goodness they didn't seem to mind and went ahead and gave me my treatment instead of sending me on home. John wasn't too thrilled, but at least that part is over with now. So, the only thing left is for me to go to my pre-op appointment tomorrow morning with Dr. Tamurian @ 8:30. He'll go over all the necessary arrangements with me and inform me of all that is going to take place on the 29th. I think I've asked everything except how long the surgery is going to take. And also, if they're going to put one of those long tubes down my throat, cuz that would not be fun. I think they need to know how freaked out I can get, and beware. However, I'm going to try my best to go in with a good attitude and know that I'll be in really good hands. I know that God would never just take me this far and then end my life so suddenly, but whatever is meant to be, is meant to be. I'll be okay. I'm actually looking forward to using my right arm again! Yay, I'll be able to dress without assistance, drive without fear, and write without looking like a kindergartener wrote it!

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

I'm Back....

I know, I know, I haven't blogged in what seems like forever! I do apologize for that, it wasn't intentional. Let me catch you up a little bit on what's been going on and maybe you'll understand. Okay, first of all, remember that arm that's been in a sling since September 14th?! Yeah, that's right...the friggin middle of September!! Well, first of all, that stupid obstacle keeps getting in the way with typing...a lot. Then, just as I'm starting to recuperate from the black-eye (from the crazy fall) and all of my other wounds, I promptly came down with the flu...in a big way. I didn't even see it coming. Wammo, one minute I didn't have it, the next, I did and was losing it from both ends. Sorry guys...gross. However, that was exactly what was going on and I lost communication with everyone on the planet. I didn't check emails, texts, voicemails, or even looked at my iPad and that's a miracle for me. So there, I had the flu and now I'm over it.

FINALLY, this past Friday we met with the Oncology Orthopedic Surgeon (like we should have a couple months ago) and went over a plan of attack. He discussed that there were two different options that we had, but ultimately we would be making the final decision. The fist one was to take a titanium rod and run it down the Humerus, avoiding the "bad" cancer and if everything goes well, the recuperation time will be about two weeks and I should be using my arm again...yay! Btw, of course all cancer is "bad" cancer, but some is more aggressive than others and is constantly eating away at your bones. The other cancer isn't as bad and can help work towards healing the problem (sort of). Okay, back to the other surgery option. The second option is that he goes in from behind my arm and goes straight to the "bad" cancer and cuts out a block of it, inserting a titanium block in it's place. However, this surgery has a lot more risks involved and also the recuperation time is twice as long. After thinking about the options, we ultimately chose option number one and he said that if it doesn't work for some reason, we can always go to the backup plan. Now, get your pencils ready because my surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, November 29th @ 12:05 p.m. I have to check in at 10:00 a.m. to get all prepped and ready to go, but that's the schedule. Naturally if the hospital has an emergency of some sort that bumps my surgery out a bit, then that will be the case. Otherwise, that's the plan. I've already done my labs, my EKG looks good, and we're headed in the right direction. Finally, I have another last minute appointment with him next week since he can't see me the week of Thanksgiving (otherwise he would), then we're ready to go. All I need from all of you is.....plenty of positive thoughts and prayers, as usual :)

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

Changes From Yesterday's Blog...

Oops, John informed me that our wonderful newlywed couple's last name is indeed Pantoja and not what I had previously written in yesterday's blog entry.

Also, I meant to describe the beautiful shiner that has taken over my left eye area :) I definitely look to have either been in a serious car accident or possibly beaten up. However, I can't come up with a good enough story so far.

Other than that, I'm hanging in there and now I have another opportunity to quote a message from my new book...

MAKE TIME FOR SOLITUDE --
to quiet your soul and ask
whether you are pursuing
your life's purpose.

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

Broken? Not broken. Broken? Not broken...WTF?...

Monday I had an appointment with an Orthopedic Surgeon to look over my arm that has been in a sling for approximately 6-8 weeks. I wish I could pinpoint the exact date but I guess that doesn't matter, it's been a LONG time. The doctor pulled up the image of my recent MRI on the monitor and magnified it. As he turns the monitor for us to see, he says, "Wow, that's clearly broken. What do you think?" We were looking at my humerus broken in half, clear as day. John and I almost screamed, we couldn't believe somebody was actually confirming what we already knew to be true. I knew I heard a POP in the middle of the night, I knew I felt a cold chill the moment it happened, I know my body. Unfortunately, this wonderful doctor has to inform us that they set up this appointment with the wrong type of specialist. WHAT?! Now I have to wait for an Oncology Orthopedic Surgeon to take a look and see what he can do with it. This doctor didn't work on cancer patients. I almost begged him to do it anyway, he was so kind and understanding. However, he did write me a prescription for a clam-shell brace that fits my arm from my elbow to my shoulder and keeps it secure in the meantime. Let's just say...thank GOD! When you read the next paragraph, you'll understand why.

Last night, after wearing the new brace for two days and barely having to take any Morphine because it hasn't been as necessary, I took a BAD fall. I walked to Jordan's bedroom to ask her a question and after turning around and leaving her room, my legs started to buckle and I got VERY dizzy. It was almost like I was a pinball bouncing from wall to wall, I just couldn't catch my balance. It happened so fast that I couldn't react in time to yell for Jordan. I must have smacked my head during one of my attempts to brace myself because my glasses were tweaked and my face was bleeding from my eyebrow area. After bouncing around for what seemed to be forever, I finally (instinctively) braced my fall with both arms! YIKES! I ultimately landed on my rear end in excruciating pain, crying out for Jordan. I swear, if it wasn't for my sweetheart, I don't know what I'd do. She's come to my rescue several times now! Anyway, she called John and after calming her down, he suggested that the neighbor come help me or if I needed to, to call 911. We opted for the neighbor and she was at my knees helping me in less than a minute. We somehow got me into the recliner and although she didn't want to, I promised her that I would be okay and that she could go on home. I talked with John several times within the next half hour and he instructed me to take Morphine for the pain and Ativan for the anxiety that I was experiencing. Next I called Monica & Frank to let them know what was going on. They insisted that since I was home with only Jordan, they were coming over to evaluate whether I should go down to the ER or not. I had already started to calm down a bit by the time they got here and since the large lump on my forehead was protruding out and not concave, they knew that I was on the right track. Their main concern was whether or not I had a concussion. Next, was whether or not I had done more damage to my arm or not. That is yet to be determined. I emailed my doctor today and I'm still waiting for that Oncology Orthopedic Surgeon to look at it. Crazy times, huh?! But like I said, "thank GOD", I had this new brace on. I don't even want to think of what could have or would have happened without it. Again, thank you GOD!

Now for a quote from a new book I received today from our good friends (newlyweds) Tamara & Joe Pantajo...

Never underestimate the power
of your own thinking,
Here's a simple life truth:
you become what you think about.

If you choose to think positive thoughts,
YOU'LL GET POSITIVE RESULTS.

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

stella & dot Trunk Show/Fundraiser ...

A couple weeks ago my good friends Janice Kane (and Luanne Smith) approached with an idea that I couldn't resist. Janice is an Independent Stylist with stella & dot, which is a reputable jewelry company. Janice offered to have a "Trunk Show/Fundraiser" on behalf of my family. All the proceeds (100% of the sales) would go towards my family. And on top of that, since I would be the hostess, I would reap the benefits of earning hostess money in which I would use towards free jewelry :) So it's a win, win situation for me. The reason Janice wanted to do this for me (because remember, she gets absolutely nothing out of it) was to help me out in any way that she could. Janice and Luanne came for a visit a few weeks ago and immediately wrote to me with this offer, saying that they had somebody else throughout the company doing a fundraiser through stella & dot and she thought this would be a great idea to help out the Marks. She almost felt helpless in the fact that she couldn't take me to doctor appointments, couldn't come visit me more often, etc., so after wracking her brain she came up with this. Believe me, it was hard for me to accept this very generous offer, but I knew how much it meant to Janice and I also knew how much we could use the help! SDI cut us off last month, and now it's a waiting game as to when we'll get our Social Security and Disability Retirement money. It's a shame that when you're at your worst, things don't always get better, but sometimes even more challenging. I try and keep my chin up because it doesn't do any good to wallow in self pity, right? Besides, I know that God will come through for us and he must think I have mighty strong shoulders if he keeps on giving me things that he knows I can handle. On that note, please visit the stella & dot website and see if there's anything you like. Remember that Christmas is right around the corner! So if you don't shop for yourself, think of all of those people on your christmas list who would love a nice piece of jewelry, and you'd be helping out a family in need at the same time. The website is:

http://new.evite.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=fb_share_widget&utm_content=fb_link&utm_campaign=invite#view_invite:eid=026FAAQZXGK5ZYRIMEPA7BIL3ZDEAE&gid=fb

If you have trouble with this link, try http://www.stelladot.com/janicekane

*It's important for me to inform you that when you get to the website, scroll down and read the MESSAGE FROM HOST - Janice Kane. She will step you through everything, especially when you get to the checkout. You will need to click on "Where you invited to a Trunk Show" and here you will see "Genie Mark" and click on that. This way the party will go directly to me.

Thank you, thank you everyone out there who is participating in this. I do understand that times are tough, believe me, I do. So for you to reach down in your wallet during these times, means the world to me. And Janice, I sure hope that you get repeat customers from this trunk show and that when I get better, we're going to have one doozy of a show for you! I love you lots! And I can't forget Luanne, I love you too!

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

Want to Comment But Can't?...

The biggest complaint about this blog is that I'm finding my family and friends want to comment, but have difficulty in doing so. Here are two suggestions for you. One is that you can email me your comments and that way nobody will see them, only me and I don't mind giving out my email address because I have two of them. One is for things like this, the other is for our family. Here's mine:

geniemrk@yahoo.com

The second way I think you can comment is when you share with others by commenting on the blog itself. You'll have to set up a FREE google account (or one of the others that they offer) which only takes a few minutes to do so. I find that I only use my google account for this sort of thing. Once you're set up with your google account, you can simply press "comment" whenever you want to do so and if you're not already logged in, they'll prompt you to do so at this time. Then presto, you're in and you can comment all you want. Please let me know if you're STILL having difficulty and I'll try and walk you through it. It really shouldn't be this confusing.

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

ASD Picnic...

Well, I warned you that I had more to say and since some people keep whining that I haven't been blogging enough (Kim), this should settle you down for a bit :) It's actually not that easy to blog with one arm in a sling, but now that Jeff has given me this handy dandy attachable keyboard, it's awesome and makes things somewhat manageable.

Anyway, today was the Administrative Services Division (ASD) picnic for work. Last week we had the Financial Services Branch (FSB) picnic which I really wish I could have attended, but I was in Scott's Valley, so I tried my best to make it to this one. I truly didn't believe I was going to be able to make it, but thanks to my good friend Roberta who doesn't even work at DMV anymore, she arranged for our buddy Shelly from Budgets to come all the way to my house and pick me up! What great friends I have :) Thank you Shelly, you're incredible. And Roberta, you too, you're just the best.

At the picnic, although I didn't do much more than sit and eat, I got to say hello to a whole lot of people that I've been missing...a lot! Jordan came along with me, so that was awesome to see the looks on everyone's faces as they got to see how tall and beautiful my daughter has become :) I'm quite proud of her, she's turned out to be such a wonderful girl and I love hanging out with her. It sure was good to see my boss, Jeff Mansur, whom didn't even recognize me the last time I saw him, so it was nice to see that he wasn't so distracted this time with work that he knew who I was! I know that sounds silly, but I know how busy Jeff gets with stuff. He even made me promise to call him from time to time and that I had an invitation to the Christmas party for sure :) that made me feel great. You just don't understand when the highlight of my day is to go out to the mailbox to see if we got any mail, so actually venturing outside the house for a change was quite a nice ordeal. Although everyone kept telling me how great I looked today, they don't realize that this visit will probably do me in for a couple days. I am thoroughly exhausted right now and ready to go to bed for the night, although I hope to last until John gets home from work so that I can see him (which will be around 9:00ish).

Well, here's a shout out to my lovely co-workers whom I miss a lot and if I forget any of you please don't be offended, I'm still experiencing chemo-brain so cut me some slack...it was good to see you all:

Shelly, Kim, Yolanda, Lukeithia, Kristine, Jenelle, Gisela, Vikki, Dale, Angela H., Angela P., Selena, Robby, Laura, Jeff W., Jeff M., Marianne, Ollie, Marilyn, Evelyn, Jeannie, Lien, Todd, Michael, Theresa, Genea, Jason, Filomena, Sandee, Wes, Charlene, Linda, Allison, Jim, Linda, Esper, etc. That's all that I can remember seeing.

P.S. It sure would be nice to win something from that raffle cuz I heard that I didn't need to be present to win :) hint, hint. (LOL)

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

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Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

Camp Challenge 2011

We were blessed enough to be invited back this year to Camp Challenge, as you know. We arrived at approximately 3:20 p.m. Friday afternoon at this beautiful place called Mission Springs Conference Center located in the heart of Scott's Valley, way up in the hills. It was absolutely gorgeous between the redwood trees, the pine trees, the beautiful weather, the woodsy little cabins that were all over, it was just amazing. As soon as we drove up they took our car keys, told us where our room was located and handed us the room key. Then they said for us to go have fun and that our luggage would be brought up to our room shortly and that they would park our car. So we headed up to the room to check it out and boy it was cute :) They had a welcome little basket full of snacks, a teddy bear, frisbie, warm blanket, toiletries, a couple gift cards to chili's & itunes, a couple t-shirts for each of us, a whole set of body wash, lotions, etc. Our room in itself was really cute and resembled a hotel room (which was totally different than last year because it was more like a dorm room). After changing into our "yellow" shirts which all the campers wear, we ran downstairs to check out the festivities going on. The volunteers were all wearing "red" shirts, so you could easily identify who was who. We also put on our lanyards which had our itineraries attached to them for the weekend. We always had lots of choices as to what we wanted to do at any given time, we were never trapped into doing something that we weren't interested in doing. So, after running downstairs we decided to meet up with our host family (Jeanette, Cassie, and Rick). Rick was working most of the weekend, he was apparently in charge of the music. However, Jeanette was really our host and her 14 year old daughter came along to help as well. Jordan and Cassie had a little in common so they talked a little bit before we realized that it was almost dinner time, so we ran up to grab our jackets because we were told that dinner was up a large hill and we'd have to be shuttled there, and that it was going to be getting cold later on. We got to the dinner hall and it was so much fun. First, they wanted everyone to wear cowboy attire (which we TOTALLY forgot about (sad face)) and they gave a prize to the family who dressed the best that night. Then, there was an awesome BBQ dinner, followed by some square dancing that even I wish I could have participated in and I don't usually square dance! This man was an awesome "caller"? Is that what they're called? No pun intended, but I'm not sure what the title is. Let's just say, he knew what he was doing and there was some serious dosi-do-ing going on! "Swing your partner round and round..." Directly afterwards, they had set up card tables for everyone (children included) for a casino night! The staff was dressed in cute little outfits like they ran the casino and we were all invited. They passed out baggies of chips and at the end, you saved your chips because during the closing ceremonies on Sunday afternoon, they would trade in your chips for raffle tickets and you could win prizes. After playing a few rounds of "21", I called it a night and was shuttled back to my room and left John and Jordan to continue on without me. During my time at the tables, Robyn (who was also a returning guest) told me that there was a new guest that shared the same diagnosis as myself, that she had Metastatic Breast Cancer (aka METS) and that her name was Julie, that I should try and meet up with her sometime this weekend. Sure enough, I was on a mission and found her the next morning at Arts & Crafts. I was sitting at the same table and realized that she was probably the lady that Robyn was speaking of because she mentioned that she walked with a limp because of her METS and this lady did. Sure enough, Julie and I became instant buddies and exchanged information right away. Luckily enough (or you can call it a miracle), Julie happens to live in Folsom, which is fairly close to Sacramento and there's no reason why we can't keep in touch. Julie brought her cute little daughter along with her who is 9 years old and unfortunately it was during her pregnancy with her, that she was diagnosed with METS. Jessica is her daughter's name and again, just another tidbit of information is that I always wanted to name my daughter Jessica, but ended up with Jordan instead. Mind you, I love Jordan's name, but it wasn't my first choice. In this case, John won :) So, when things are meant to be, you just know it! It's funny how I was supposed to meet Julie this weekend, it was meant to be. I know that my cousin Linda will know exactly what I'm talking about :)

Next, I went to my spa treatments (I had a facial, hand treatment, and then makeup applied). I was doing this while John and Jordan were off doing the zip-line and archery. Although some people say I could have probably done the zip-lining with my arm in a sling, I still didn't feel comfortable with the thought of even going there. Besides, I don't think the medics would have allowed me to participate. Afterwards, I continued at the Arts & Crafts, then on to tie-dying t-shirts and other stuff. We walked away with 2 pillowcases, a t-shirt and a nightshirt. They came out SOO cool! Then, John had a pumpkin painted on the back of his head, while I had a cute little pumpkin painted on my hand. Jordan wanted a face painting, but chose not to because of the situation. There was a professional face painter on hand and her work was incredible. However, our host's daughter asked the face painter if she could help her and just to be nice, the face painter said (apprehensibly) yes, and so she was doing some of the children's faces who would walk up and not really care who painted them. When she saw that Jordan was in line for face painting, she wanted to paint Jordan's face and although Jordan really wanted the professional to paint her face, she didn't want to hurt Cassie's feelings by saying no thank you. Ultimately, she decided to say that she changed her mind and didn't want one after all. I think it made Cassie feel a little bad, but at least she didn't see Jordan have her face painted by the professional, I think that would have hurt her more. I'm proud of Jordan for doing the right thing and not hurting Cassie more than she could have.

Saturday night was our special night of sharing around the campfire where all the families came down and shared their stories. It was difficult, but necessary to hear about what we were all going through. It was hard to get through all the tears, but they were definitely cleansing tears.

Finally, Sunday came and it was time for the closing ceremonies. We had the raffle, shared some pictures and video of the weekend, thanked everyone for all their hard work and while this was all going on...they were washing our cars and bringing our luggage back down to our cars. It was a wonderful weekend to say the least :)

NOW DON'T FALL OVER...BUT I MAY JUST BLOG AGAIN TONIGHT ABOUT ONE MORE THING...

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

Cancer Camp...

Tomorrow afternoon we're heading out to Santa Cruz (Scott's Valley to be exact) for a nice couple days of rest and relaxation. If you recall, last year I went away to Petaluma with Jordan, Roberta, and her daughter Tanya for Camp Challenge 2010. The company that puts this together each year is called Me-One Foundation and the idea behind the name is for you to relate it to a score of Me-One, Cancer-Zero. This cancer camp is not only for the cancer patient, but for their care givers as well. Since I was invited, I got to bring up to five of my family and friends to join me. Unfortunately, Roberta and Tanya couldn't make it this year, however, I was happy that John could. It would be complete if Johnny were joining us, but he has to work, and I promised him that I wouldn't make a HUGE deal about it, making him feel guilty. Apparently, I do that from time to time :( and I don't mean to. I wasn't sure if we were going to be invited this year or not because apparently they wanted to get "new" people to come, but at the last minute they called and said that we were in as one of the returning families. Yeah! This camp is completely paid for, has many fun activities (including face painting, zip-lining, rock climbing, archery, arts & crafts, tie dying, etc.), along with a fun spa day (which includes facials, massages, pedicures, manicures, etc.). Besides all of that, the food is incredible. What I'm looking forward to most, is the night where we all take our flashlights and join around the camp fire to tell our "stories" about how and why we got there. It gets to be a bit teary eyed, but it's a wonderful experience to say the least. I'm so happy that this year I get to spend this time with John and Jordan, it means so much to me. Although I'm not supposed to make him feel bad, I still wish Johnny would be joining us :( Since it's uncertain as to whether or not this will be our last year, I hope to make the best of it and thoroughly enjoy ourselves. I'm also happy that John is technically on vacation for a few days and can actually relax...YAHOO!!

Oh, and another thing I need to share is that Jordan is officially going to a new school called Choices and she is doing Independent Study. She just started this past Tuesday, so she's still getting used to it, but so far so good. She goes Monday through Wednesday for a couple hours to get her work and turn in the previous week's homework. She can obviously contact her teachers at anytime via email or phone call, and likes the fact that she'll be working at her own pace. The counselor was a bit perplexed when she saw that Jordan had straight A's and was being transferred to Choices because usually that's not the case. We explained Jordan's situation being that she wasn't comfortable where she was at and that since they wouldn't allow us to do an inter-district transfer to the school of our choice, we felt that this was our only alternative. They also took into consideration that my diagnosis made things a bit more difficult with transportation and all. Being that she'll be going M-W, John and Johnny can take and pick her up without a problem at all. I think things are going to work out just fine.

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States

Panic Attack...

Monday morning John was in Redwood City helping interview for the opening of a new Old Spaghetti Factory, Jordan was at school, and Johnny was getting ready to head out to school. All of a sudden I started to feel really weird, my breathing was shallow, and I began to freak out. I guess I was experiencing a Panic Attack. Johnny got in touch with Frank and Monica and they rushed me down to the Emergency Room. I figure if I'm not there at least once every two or three weeks, there's something the matter...JUST KIDDING!! As soon as I checked in, they registered me and got me right in. They wanted to check my heart and lungs to see if in fact it was just a Panic Attack, or if there was something else going on. So, they started with an EKG and that was fine. Then, they x-rayed my lungs to find no abnormalities there either. Next, they scanned my lungs in case there was a blood clot, but there wasn't. Then, they did a blood draw and saw that my labs were about the same as last week and determined that they wanted to do a blood transfusion because my counts seemed to be a bit low. After giving me the blood transfusion, there was a huge difference in the way I felt, and apparently all the color returned to my cheeks. I was out of the woods. The ER doctor prescribed me some Ativan for anxiety and although I've had it before and decided to stop taking it because it was highly addictive, I decided to return to the prescription because I know it will help me with anxiety. The ER doctor assured me that although it's addictive, I didn't need to worry about becoming dependent on something like this, that it wasn't a street drug and I didn't need to be concerned. So I agreed and took the prescription home with me.

Today I was scheduled for an MRI for my right humerus and I was petrified because of the obvious claustrophobia that I suffer from. Monica and Jordan took me down there and although I should start to trust Sutter and RAS by now, I still hadn't had an MRI since Kaiser and those are absolutely the worst scans! However, they did an open-MRI and it wasn't even bad at all. My other concern was that they would have to position my arm in a way that would really hurt, but again, they didn't, and everything was okay. I also prayed that my mom and Lucy (Luanne's mom) would be there and support me throughout this difficult time and I know they were. I was completely at peace and knew that it was with their love and support that I made it through :) Thanks Mom and Lucy, I love you both.

Peace to you all ~ Love, Genie

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Willow Rock Way,Sacramento,United States