How Sheri is doing!

October 31st. Happy Halloween!

So, the most popular question people ask us everyday is..."How's your mom?" :)

Sometimes I don't really know how to answer it and sometimes I want to be cheeky and say, "Well, she had brain surgery, soooo..." Haha, no just kidding, but seriously today at Church everyone kept asking me that I just felt so overwhelmed with LOVE! I am so grateful for so many people, friends and family, who care and just want to know how she is doing! I am grateful for those who are offering to HELP, and who HAVE, and are still HELPING us! :)

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Thank you for everyone who sends flowers Mom loves them! If you want to send them, please feel free! She loves all flowers, definitely pink flowers and/or bright happy colors. :) Thank you for your cards, thank you for caring and for loving mom and for visiting and bringing meals and for EVERYTHING!!!

So...to answer the question of the day, "How is mom doing (haha!)," she is doing as well and better than anyone in her situation could be doing! She has been doing Chemotherapy and Radiation treatments for a week and a half and she has to do that for about 7 weeks. She has, I think, 10 to 12 different kinds of pills she has to take everyday including the Chemotherapy (which in pill form is supposed to make you not as sick and make your hair either fall out less or not at all! So far she is doing pretty well with it)! She has to take these awful steroids that make her not herself sometimes, and then the steroid wears off and she goes back to normal. The steroids also make her cheeks feel a little puffy and so she is a major NON-FAN of those, but they are helping her so she is taking them.

Some days are a little crazier than others. Some days she feels like the wants to get up and run to the store for a minute, and then she is just wasted and has to come home and sleep. Other days she is just in bed. Tired. Really, really tired.

She has to go to radiation 5 days a weeks and everyday she comes home she is just completely WIPED OUT and has to lay down. She is as positive as ever and has complete faith that she can overcome this! She has to watch her blood pressure and it makes her nervous when it gets high, so she is trying to get her stresses down and keep it down so she can stay on this "study" that she is on with the chemo and radiation (Chemrad, as Linz so lovingly named it, ha!) so we are all TRYING to do the best we can to help her.

I will be leaving soon (which will take a huge stress off her with the girls not running around the house like crazy and us not leaving a tornado behind us wherever we go!) and Linz will be back with mom soon, and my Grandma is here helping out more than anybody knows around the house and is keeping everything running smoothly. Grandma, if you ever read this, you are a complete GEM, a wonderful mother, and you have been a huge help to everyone! THANK YOU!

Kels and Papa have been cleaning up the garage and basement and our neighbors have been helping us with the yard and everything so far seems to be taken care of as it comes at us. Thank you!

Mom says she feels like she got hit by a car ... maybe more like a train. Like her body isn't her own. In her head this is just not even happening, like it's not real, but it is and she just wants to get over this little "speed bump" and get on with normal life! We have all the plans in the world for next summer, and traveling, and plans when Jake gets home from his mission, and future weddings and grandbabies and everything that life has to offer for many years to come! Nobody is planning on this woman dying! She is a tank! If anybody can beat the unbeatable, Sheri Bird can and she will! Lord willing, we haven't seen that last of Sheri Bird people so watch out because she's got more faith in her little finger than 100 people put together!

By the way, if you know somebody who wants to know what is going on and how "Sheri is doing" :) , please send them here or to sheribird.com and it will forward them to this blog. We will do our best to keep it updated :)

Please, though, always remember mom in your prayers if you can. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!! Mom needs everyone's prayers and faith and with that she can do this! I don't care what your beliefs are, God loves every single one of us, HIS Children, and he hears YOUR prayers and he will answer them with your faith! He's got a plan for you and for me and for mom and we have to trust him and know that he is in charge.

We MUST have EXCEEDING FAITH! Faith precedes the miracle!

This is my all time favorite scripture that brings me peace when life just becomes overwhelming. It's D&C (Doctrine and Covenants) 121:7-8, and we are told to liken all scriptures unto ourselves so we read it as if God was speaking directly to us...because he is.

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes."

I know that is true. I have faith in God and in plan for all of us. And we aren't throwing any pity parties over here!

I've got one more thing and then I'll sign off tonight. On our fridge is a little quote that I love, it says:

"Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

So there you go. Everyone has SOME kind of trial in their life and this one is ours right now! So thank you again for your prayers and your kindness. We feel sincerely blessed and grateful.

With Love,
Jen

Sheri's Thoughts (1)

Here are some thoughts from the woman herself (as told to me on Friday, October 29th) translated by yours truly:

1. "Today the radiation hit like a ton of bricks...... did someone get the license plate of that truck that just ran over me?" she said.
(This is very normal...radiation becomes accumulative in the body about now and it means things are progressing on schedule).
2. Mom is pleased and says she "is so blessed for so many little things in life that if you did not take the time to look they could be missed," she goes on, "for example, my pharmacy is close by, everyone is so helpful and things that need to work out, just do."
3. She got to meet up with a cancer nutritionist and said "everyone should know this stuff!" Also, "The cancer center here is just amazing and I never knew this world existed."
4. She feels the Lord so close and knows he is in charge...she feels peace and just keeps saying "Thank You! How can I be so blessed?"
5. Her favorite part of the day today was when they asked her how she felt and she said..."I have no complaints, I get to experience the seven wonders of the world:

"I get to....
1. See
2. To hear
3. To touch
4. To taste
5. To feel
6. To laugh
7. And to love.”

October 18th

Wow! How do I begin!

All is good...MOM is GOOD. Getting better daily! She is not loving that her steroids have provided enough water weight to give her a cute and full chipmunk face, but she is appreciative that she is taking them for some health benefit amongst a myriad of other meds :).

We still don't get great sleep...maybe soon! Her scar is slowly disappearing under a mass of hair that is growing in (and it's very salt 'n' pepper), we've had a few good laughs about her silver status we are discovering.

So for some MEDICAL updates, Mom was approved for a new study that is brand new to the area and it's in phase 3, meaning that it's helping so many people and providing such amazing benefits to GBM patients that they want to test it on a wider range! The doctors have all been so excited that she was accepted as you have to meet very specific criteria.....

THEN....whomp. She didn't qualify anymore as of Friday. What a bummer! Here's why: She doesn't have enough tumor left to study....and we are UPSET!? What!? That's FANTASTIC NEWS....it also means she won't have a chance to take a drug that could reallly be beneficial and she will also been imaged LESS (MRIs, CT's etc.). We want her to be imaged!!!! We don't want that tumor creeping back without our knowledge (they will continue to image, just not as much).

WELL THEN Friday night, we hear that her radiologist, Dr. L* (name shortened to protect the innocent...ha!) spent his whole day fighting for her....and won.....if we could get her blood pressure down.

So that brings us to today. Her BP is up. Her stress level is at max. We had to make some tough phone calls about visitors and we basically decided to quarantine her. So we go in today for an mRI....things are looking the same....the EKG we have....also normal....the BP...still too high. At this point, mom and I are in the Cancer Care office, praying for a miracle. We have 1 hour to bring down her BP without medication. 10 diastolic POINTS!!!! Ahhhhhhh! No pressure.

Long story short, we prayed to the HEAVENS, turned on some MoTab, had the lady in the office turn off the TV, ate some snacks, rubbed her head and propped her feet up and prayed some more.....it took 45 mins and we got the number we needed. It was an absolute miracle.

She's back in the study. We promptly left amidst the congrats from the nurses and ate some Bruttles (ok, the Bruttles were for me) from the Davenport and now shes asleep.

SHE LOVES THE FLOWERS YOU SEND AND THE CARDS YOU WRITE!!! THE NOTES, comments and everything is majorly appreciated and as always...your prayers! Her name is on Temple Prayer roles allover the world and we FEEL it. We know it. OUR FAITH is stronger than ever. Many, many, many thanks. We are among angels.

October 13

Since we got home last Thursday I have been to Utah to be with France and Mom spent the weekend in her OWN bed recovering! Her mother, Gay Clark (and her husband) came and took over for me. Grandma is the best nurse and carefully made medical charts and schedules and waited on Mom hand and foot.

On Monday the 11th, Mom got her stitches out and the docs say her MRI's look as good as expected! Her hair is already growing back-- "like a weed" she says. :) We dry her hair with a part on the other side so we can swoop her hair over the scar and you can't tell she's even got one! We are getting creative.

She is eating, walking, talking (a LOT bytheway, steriods make her a cute blabbermouth) and sleeping...at least as much as we can make her.

We go to the Cancer Care clinics just about everyday getting to know the staff we will be working with and signing away who-knows-what in paperwork. :) SO that brings me to what we learned today:

1. They really did get most of the tumor out and they know they can get the rest with Chemo and Radiation.
2. THEY are soooo positive! So yes having the tumor is bad, but she has EVERYTHING going for her; health, fitness, positive outlook, things to live for and we know that she's got the Priesthood and ALL YOUR PRAYERS!!!!! Her radiologist is LDS and is so stinkin' positive and excited to get started it's not even funny! She even qualifies for a great new study that is helping so many patients!
2. Her radiation and chemo start on October 20th.
3. The Chemo will not make her lose her hair, but the radiation will in a few little spots.

* We know that we have the right staff working with us and we are extremely confident in the way the treatment will go, we get to ask lots of questions and explore every avenue and they are soooo understanding! We're new at this ya know? :)


So again, we thank you. We love you. We will keep you posted as long as you are interested :). Thank you for your love, support, flowers, food, visits, chocolate :), and most importantly YOUR FAITH & PRAYERS! We know that our Heavenly Father lives and loves us and thank goodness He is in charge.

October 9 at 9:20am

Mom is doing great at home! She has even gone on a walk! Yay! I get to go to the BYU Homecoming Game today with France, but I will be back in Spokane on Monday. Thank you praying for her, she is having a much better than expected recovery! Amazing!

October 7 at 7:58am

Day 10: WE ARE COMING HOME! It's amazing!!!! Mom gets to rest up a week or two before chemo and radiation. It's time for some major sleep. We love you all, we thank you all. We are going to start a blog where we will post the videos and pictures we have taken and will take and keep ya'll updated so we don't take up you...r news feeds anymore! THANK YOU ALL AGAIN! Your prayers are working miracles!

October 6 at 3:22pm

Day 9: Well, we thought we were gonna go home today. Maybe tomorrow. Mom is great considering what lies ahead. We have incredible doctors with incredible technology! This little set back was cured though with some PF Changs lettuce wraps and a shampoo! That's right! She got to wash her hair, and if you know her well, t...his is all she needed (+ your prayers and love). How many ways can we say 'Thank You' everybody!?

October 5 at 8:03am

PS: Thank you again for loves and prays. Nighttime is the most challenging and when she needs comfort the most, your prayers are there. She says never underestimate your kind words and your friendship. Every name I read brings back amazing memories and puts a smile on her face.

October 5 at 8:03am

Day 8: We are quite a pair. Double orders of French toast and mom in a Boise state t-shirt trying to improve the hospital gown and me in my Costco mummy bag. She's sleeping better and we may see home tomorrow! More MRI's today. We had consults with a few radiologist yesterday and they are awesome! They're on our time n...ow rooting for the win. PS It's been a week....a long one. :) But you all make it easier on her.

October 4 at 10:30am

Day 7: We know the staff pretty well now :). Mom has a lot more color in her face and has had her first walk around the floor. She was able to see her grandchildren last night for a few moments. We spoke to her oncologist and are starting to plan the long road ahead. We're as optimistic as ever! We just want to be opti...mistic at HOME now! :) Hopefully soon! Thanks for making her laugh and feel loved continually. xoxo

October 3 at 10:01am

Day 6: She's out of ICU and the hospital is running out of French Toast! Her head is starting to heal and she really wants a shower:) She's still super tired, but is loving conference. We continually bring your messages to her. She loves you all and can feel your prayers and your strength. It amazes her the support she is getting from all of you. Thank you! PS She says toilets and toothbrushes are HIGHLY underrated.

October 2 at 11:29am

Day 5: STILL in the ICU! But we hear that is changing soon! Mom gets to brush her teeth and FRANCE is here! We have been watching General Conference and she is loving it. We are continually thankful for your prayers, notes, flowers, facebook messages, all the food at our house and all the letters we keep getting! Thank you thank you thank you!

October 1 at 11:39am

Day 4: Still in the ICU. Mom officially wants out of here :). Maybe tomorrow we'll see some different walls. I have read her ALL the cards you have dropped by the house and sent in the mail. She looks forward to them everyday! Again, THANK YOU, you are ALL AMAZING! THANK YOU for praying---we're feeling it!!!! PS She go...t to eat some French Toast last night, she said it was the best ever!

September 30 at 9:39am

DAY 3: We are still in the ICU. I keep reading her all your awesome messages. THANK YOU. She had to have surgery again yesterday to cauterize some bleeding, but today looks like a better day. We may even move out of ICU today! Your prayers are amazing. She loves you all.

September 29 at 10:22am

Update: We're looking for a miracle. Please keep us in your prayers. She has a malignant brain tumor and we start chemo and radiation in two weeks. We love you all. She's looking beautiful and strong. We have gotten ALL of your amazing notes-Thank you.

September 28 at 10:10am

She's heading into surgery in a couple hours. I am reading her all your emails and notes and we love them! Thanks everyone for your prayers and faith! :)

September 27 at 9:30pm

So my mom is having brain surgery tomorrow. If you pray, please add us to your list. No one likes a tumor. :(