Today I had someone come up to church and tell me, "I currently have your name on the prayer rolls of 4 temples!"  Every time someone tells me something like that, I get emotional.  Many countless others have told me, "Your name is mentioned in every single one of our family prayers."  I feel so blessed and so grateful.  I think if there is a recurring feeling over the last 6 months, it's been GRATEFUL!  People of all faiths, strangers, and dear friends and family praying, fasting, pleading for me.  Thank you!

Here is Chemo #5.

I got to spend the day with these awesome ladies, Heidi and Holly.  Heidi has taken me to many chemo's and I have loved them.  Holly flew down from Utah to join us.  We had a great time hanging out together.  I love these girls like sisters.

After chemo 5 a really amazing thing happened.  Holly was just in town for a few days and ironically the night of chemo I got a message from two of our high school besties.  We were practically inseparable in high school!  Sara happened to be in town from New York and so a little spur of the moment reunion took place.  It was THE best night!  We laughed, caught up and reminisced about high school.  Here we are then and now...

 

Right before chemo #6, we had such a treat.  This year we celebrate 30 years of going to Balboa Island with our beach buddies, the Bayards.  We have grown up together and look forward to Balboa as our favorite vacation every single year.  Between our two families, we have grown to about 32 people.  Imagine 32 people crammed into a 6 bedroom beach house on quiet little Balboa Island.  (We bring the party with us and also lots of attention and yes, we have been un-invited to return to some of the beach houses we have stayed in).  The minute we leave the beach, the count down begins for the following year.  The stories we tell each time we are together never get old and we spend our time laughing and reminiscing.  After I was diagnosed, sweet mama Randy told me they wanted to come down and bring us Easter.  It was an Easter I won't ever forget!  The kids and most of the adults went to Legoland Friday then Saturday was an Easter Egg hunt and of course, the beach.  The moments were precious and our kids have such a great time together.

Chemo #6 was pretty uneventful.  Jared took me down for my last chemo and I slept the entire time.  It was a wonderful 4 hour nap!

As chemo 6 approached, many asked if I was so excited to be done with chemo.  I wasn't sure how to answer this question.  It was odd.  I wanted to be excited but the road ahead seems so long that it was difficult to be.  However, when they took out my IV, I have to say I felt way more elated and so happy to be done with this phase of my journey!  I hope and pray I never have to go through chemo ever again!  It's gross.  The effects will stay with me for months, some even possibly the rest of my life.  I have neuropathy in my fingers and toes that may or may not last forever more, as well as neuropathy now on my face.  I'm praying that full feeling returns eventually.  Chemo has done a number on my nails as well.  After chemo 5, my nails started to ache.  That has since intensified and I am anticipating some of my nails will most likely fall off.  My finger tips are extremely sore and sensitive.  As far as other long term effects, we will just have to wait and see.  

A few days after chemo #6, there were two awesome RAGNAR teams that ran in my honor.  I felt so touched they did this for me.  One of the teams I had started putting together prior to being diagnosed.  I was so disappointed not to be able to run with them but so touched at their outpouring of support.  They were "Team Michelle."

This team was made up of many people I didn't know and several that I did.  They had such a blast and even placed decently well in their division.

The other team that ran for me was a group of my friends here from Temecula.  They decided on the team name "Saving Second Base!"  They seemed to have a blast as well.  Such a fun group of people.  It was really fun to hear how they used their team name from decorating to "kills".  I wish I could have seen them in action.  

THE NEXT STEP...

It's all about the parties so we are having a farewell party, Ta-ta to the Ta-ta's.  It's going to be great and I can't wait.  Instead of sitting around and waiting for May 5 to come, I decided looking forward to a party would be a whole lot more fun.  Since I have such incredible people in my life to help pull this off, it's going to be a blast and I CANNOT WAIT!  Dance music, delicious food and amazing people around me.  Those are basically the necessities of life.  A few days later is surgery time.  This will be the next big step that will last a while.  If I end up needing to have radiation (we should know after surgery) then reconstruction could be postponed for several months.

So, that's about all for now.  Summer is around the corner and there are so many blessings in my life that I am so grateful for.  My journey is far from over but I'm glad to be 6 months in and feeling good. xoxo