Tom & Brenda's Family Journal

  It is  Saturday morning and we are relaxing at Sandy Pines and loving sunshine which has been in short supply this week-literally and figuratively. But after a discouraging week because of a second surgery, we received good news on Friday.   Tom had a second surgery because the cancer was present at the edges of the tumor that was removed.  He had to have additional surgery to take more tissue.  We needed clean margins-which means the edge of the cancer had to be seen to assure that all the cancer was removed.  At a visit to the doctor we received the news-the pathology report showed clean margins!  The best news!  All the cancer is gone from his breasts. This means we can now move to the next step in his treatment.  Eric made us a healthy delicious dinner at Sandy Pines last week.   Chemo will begin on June 13.  There are several steps to get ready for chemo such as chemo education next Tuesda...

This week we received an unexpected phone call from Tom's surgeon.  Tom's surgery last week did not obtain the clear margins needed to ensure all the cancer was removed.  This means he will have more surgery to remove the rest of the cancer.  This will take place next Tuesday, May 23. We are reminded that we are not in charge anymore.  Our days and times will be filled with appointments, tests, procedures and we will have to blend into this new world. Tom is recovering well from the first surgery.  He took his first walk outside today.  I had hoped he would make it to the barn and back.  But the nice weather helped him go past the barn and all the way to his deer blind.  Savi was with us too and the energy and exuberance of a three-year old helped motivate him. We received an email from our dear friend Kari who has been down this road before us.  She said, " Things being out of your control can absolutely be frustrating...

I want to do a quick update on this week for Tom.  The day before surgery visiting Lake Michigan Our 3 year old granddaughter has a cd that we listen to in the van and she has all the songs memorized.  She loves to sing “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”.  This includes the lines-He’s got you and me brother in His hands.  That has been made very clear to us the past few weeks. We arrived at Blodgett Hospital at 5:30 AM on Tuesday, May 9.  There were a couple of hours of preparation.  As surgery time approached our children and I gathered around Tom to pray.  Dr. Umali, the anesthesiologist, joined us in prayer by removing his surgery headcover and bowing his head.  That meant so much to me.  It showed me that the doctor recognized that we are all in God’s hands and we depend on His protection for every day of our lives.  The story of how Dr. Umali got assigned to Tom’s case is another example of God’s hand is at wor...

It has been nearly two weeks since we received the phone call with Tom’s test results telling us that his biopsy came back showing cancer.  One week has passed since we shared the news publicly.  Telling everyone was difficult.  How do you find the words to say such a thing? Tom chose to be public with his news.  A good friend who has taken the cancer journey before us recommended a CaringBridges page.  She found the comments from loved ones very helpful as she faced her treatments.   We are using this blog and Facebook instead of CaringBridges but the effect is the same.  Tom and I have been overwhelmed with the response of family, friends-both near and far.  Current friends and those we have lost touch with over the years.  We’ve heard from our pastor and Faith Bible Church family,  classmates, friends from our life in Florida, a former co-worker of Eric’s from his time in Minneapolis.  The notes from all o...

Tom has been a member of sports teams for almost his entire life.  Some of his fondest memories are the friendships he has made through teams.  Softball, baseball, football, basketball.  Now Tom needs a new team.  Two weeks ago, Tom discovered a lump in his right breast.  After seeing our family doctor, he was sent to Betty Ford Breast Care Services in Grand Rapids for further testing.  Last week we received the news that no one wants to hear-the right breast and nearby a lymph node contain cancer. Monday, April 24, our family spent the day at Betty Ford Services. The purpose was to hear from the doctors about his diagnosis and develop a treatment plan. We arrived there at 8 am as a team-Tommy, Sherry, Kristen and Eric and Tom and I (Brenda).  Jennifer joined us on Facetime.  We spent the morning meeting with the doctors and support team.  There was good news from the doctors.  The cancer is not present in the left breast....

Jennifer, our oldest, was married this year to Sudeep Singh.  She and Sudeep are very happy and we are happy for them.  Sudeep's is from Hardiwar, India.  He comes from a tight-knit family and I know he must miss home a great deal.  I'd like to be able to cook some dishes for him that taste like home.  I've got a ways to go before I'm that good at it.    I bought an Indian cookbook and I've been trying a few easy ones.  I made a trip to Spice of India, a local store featuring Indian food items.  Jennifer also shared some of her spices with me.  Sudeep's mother gave Jennifer some cooking lessons when Jennifer visited there last year so she's ahead of me in Indian cooking. Last week's attempt was Saag Gosht, which literally means spinach-lamb.  I followed the recipe except that I cooked the lamb in a slow cooker for three hours before making the rest of the recipe.  That way the lamb was very tender.   ...

After our great adventures in Boston and Salem, we started heading west but had several more interesting stops to make.  We left the Boston area and traveled about 40 miles to Springfield, MA.  The Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame was interesting to both Tom and me.   I loved finding a Yopper honored there.  Tom Izzo was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year-notice he was born in Iron Mountain, MI.    There were several fun displays and here are some of my favorites. I learned how to dunk a basketball-with a little help from the hoop setup. Tom and I had a little game on the demonstration floor. Tom enjoyed seeing the players from the past who he had watched. Basketball was invented by James Naismith in an attempt to have a physical activity for energetic boys during the winter. His game was played with peach baskets for nets.  There were only 13 rules for the game. The popularity of the game grew quickl...