Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy 81st Birthday to my Mom! (Last year we shared quite a bit about her, as she turned 80, if you would like to take a look back here.) Unfortunately she was suffering from shingles duirng her birthday last year, and Ernie and I had just moved back home following his transplant. So, needless to say, we couldn't celebrate together. Not so this year! We began with a party at home with Nick and the Dews on Thursday. Ernie grilled some flank steaks (definitely one of Mom's favorites), we had corn,  broccoli, mashed potatoes, fresh pineapple and yeast rolls, followed by sugar cookies for the kids, and fruit topped cheesecake for the grown ups.

Tara had so much fun planning a scavenger hunt as a way for Grandma to find her gift from she and Jamie, Kyle and Leah, and Nick. Nathan and Natalie were wonderful helpers and she sooned located all the clues to finding her new on-line Hallmark program for making cards. Everyone in our family loves the cards Mom makes for them, and we are happy she now has the 2011 version with lots of new choices!


Tara, Grandma, Nick and Leah (in absentia) after all the clues led to her computer where the new program was found.

Friday Mom, EZ and I packed our bags and headed for Boone to spend a week in the mountains with Leah and Emery. We are so happy we can spend Mom's special day together, waiting on her hand and foot, and showing her how much we love and appreciate her! Plans include a special homemade cinnamon roll pancake breakfast, girls lunch in Blowing Rock, outlet shopping, dinner at home in the cabin, and possibly a movie.

Thankful for Mom...thrilled to have her living with us and part of our everyday life! Happy Birthday Mom, and may you celebrate many, many more birthdays!

Please come back tomorrow for pictures of birthday celebration number two!

Procedures, Procedures and more Procedures...and No Complaining?

Wow, Big EZ has been through the ringer these past two weeks, all part of re-evaluating everything one year post transplant. Our next appointment at Duke is September 28th, so all test results need to be in by then. Last Tuesday he was subjected to a bone marrow biopsy, blood work, an Aredia infusion, 24 hour urinalysis (peeing into a jug for 24 hours), and 4 re-vaccinations. On Monday of this week, he had dental work, a full skeletal survey, and an MRI. A lot of procedures to have in just two days!

I must say I admire my husband so much for never complaining. I know he lives with a lot of pain every single day. He can't ever sleep through the night. He wakes up stiff and hurting pretty much from head to toe. He can't feel his feet most of the time, but has to just keep walking, hoping they will do what they are supposed to do. He can't sit comfortably which means he can't drive, sit at our dinner table for meals, go out to eat at restaurants, fly, go to the movies, or sit in a pew at church. He can't bend over. He can't tie his shoes or clip his toenails. He can't run.

Yet, he prefers to concentrate on the things he can do and he remains cheerful and positive. He can get down on the floor (very slowly and carefully) to "wrestle" with his grand kids. He can call his parents every day to check on them, re-assure them that he is okay and tell them he loves them. He can be an encouragement to others. He can smile. He can swim. He can walk. He can make others laugh. He can show gratitude. He can work in his basement again on "projects".  He can walk without a cane much of the time. He can tell his family how much he loves them. He can give hugs. He can cuddle with the 'Nats' and watch movies or read books and tickle. He can take a trip to Disney World and enjoy it, in spite of not riding on any rides. He can be a blessing to everyone who knows him. He can make me feel so appreciated, taken care of, and loved.

We pray for good results from all the procedures, hopefully showing continued "complete response"...no new bone lesions, no detectable M spike, no compression fractures, no anemia, and no high protein levels. We will update as we hear back from Dr. Kritz, and thank you for the wonderful support you have shown to Big EZ! He feels it, and he deeply appreciates it...so do I!

Wordless Wednesday - Grams and Grands!

Blessings abound...Kim (Grammy) and I (Grandma) had a playdate with our grandchildren!

9/11 Emergency Workers and Increased Risk of Multiple Myeloma?

I recently came upon this article published on the Multiple Myeloma Reseach Foundation (MMRF) Blog. Interesting to say the least, showing that many sacrificed much more than we will ever know.

August 19, 2009- Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Blog


Perspective on 9/11 Emergency Workers and Increased Myeloma Risk, Anne Quinn Young, MPH

Over the last week, we have received many inquiries on the recent study “Multiple Myeloma in World Trade Center Responders: A Case Series” that indicates 9/11 emergency responders have an increased risk of developing multiple myeloma, a rare and fatal blood cancer. What this study shows is that out of more than 28,000 emergency workers who have been followed as part of a health monitoring program “9/11 WTC Health Registry“, eight cases of multiple myeloma were diagnosed. In the general population, six or seven cases would have been expected. Multiple myeloma in the general population is typically diagnosed in patients who are at least in their 60s, but in this population, four of the cases were in workers who were less than 45 years old - in the general population, only one case in such young patients would be expected.

All of this said, it is important to understand that follow-up of these workers is limited, and more data are needed to better understand whether there may be a causal link. However, because multiple myeloma has been linked to exposure to very high levels of extremely toxic chemicals like Agent Orange or high levels of radiation exposure from the atomic bomb explosions in Japan, it is unfortunately not surprising given that these workers were exposed to what has been called a “toxic chemical soup” “9/11 Responders May Be At Raised Myeloma Risk“, which included known carcinogens, for up to several months.

Weekend of Reflections

This weekend was most certainly a time of reflection for me. Our firstborn, Tara, turned 31 on Wednesday, and we celebrated as a family on Friday night with a delicious seafood linguine dinner prepared by her husband, Jamie. We enjoyed an evening filled with great food and many recollections about times long ago, when she was growing into the beautiful young woman she is today. We hardly know where the time has gone!

Saturday morning we headed to Bay Leaf to watch our grandson Nathan at his first soccer practice with Kicking for the Cross. Talk about deja vous! Our son Nick, now 25, went to Kicking for the Cross 17 years ago at Bay Leaf when he was 8!!! To see little Nathan, at 4 years old, wearing his shin guards and holding his soccer ball, made our hearts melt! We hardly know where the time has gone!

Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It is unquestionably one of those events in my life that I won't ever forget. Tara was already married and on her way to class at Meredith, Leah was at ASU and Nick was a sophomore in high school at Wakefield in Raleigh. I was making a birthday phone call to Allison, Tara's sister-in-law and one of the friends in my bible study group. She asked if I had my TV on and I said "No, why?" She informed me that a plane had flown into one of the World Trade Towers. Then came the other planes...hitting the second tower, the Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania. I have been on top of the World Trade Towers. My father had worked in the Pentagon. It didn't seem real.

EZ was an executive of a small start up at the time, and had traveled to Taiwan...literally on the other side of the world! I felt so alone trying to deal with such a scary terrorist scenario, complicated by the fact that somehow, my husband had to fly home in the coming days. The rest is history and we hardly know where the time has gone since that horrible day in 2001.

I have been to Ground Zero. I am still amazed at the bravery shown that day, the way those two huge buildings imploded, the cloud of debris that resulted, and the gigantic void that was left behind. I am touched by the stories and the pictures.

On November 11, 2001, President George W. Bush said “Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children. “

Where were you on that awful day? I hope I never forget...

It's All In the Family

Seems like our tee shirts/polos have a common theme these days. Here are Nick and Grandma, all ready for Wednesday night Awana Cubbies in their royal blue and red. Grandma is the oldest leader at almost 81, helps out in the classroom, and does snacks. They all lovingly call her Gigi. Nick leads a group of five from activity to activity. They are crazy about him! Tara is the Director, and Natalie and Nathan are Cubbies. I fill in when Nick or Grandma can't make it. What an amazing program this is, teaching little ones to hide God's Word in their hearts!

ASU wear also seems to be making its appearance in our family these days as football season begins (we won't mention their first game). Here are the Guenthers all decked out, which inspired EZ and I to grab some tee shirts as well. Go Mountaineers!

Have a great football weekend and may your favorite team win!

Thankful Thursday - Our Great Nephew Jaxon is Here!

I will never get over the wonder of newborn babies. They are simply a miracle. On Sunday, September 4th, our great nephew,Jaxon Wade Hamilton, decided to make his appearance (with a little help from Pitocin). He weighed in at 9 pounds, 13 ounces, and was 21 inches long, so obviously it was time for him to come on out! His parents, Sarah and David, recently moved from Florida to North Carolina, so we are very grateful to have them a few hours away. You might remember them from our post about their recent visit to pick up some furniture. Well...because they are so close now, my Mom and I decided to make the 3 hour drive and surprise them at the hospital. Jaxon is great grandchild #9 for Gigi, so she was anxious to meet him in person!

Here are a few pictures I snapped of him right after we arrived and Gigi got to hold him. He is about 17 hours old.

Jaxon with his Myeloma Buddy

Sarah and David...the proud parents!

Shortly after we arrived, my brother and his wife, affectionately known as Grandpa and Grandma, brought Jaxon's big sister Addyson by for her first visit with her baby brother. She was thrilled and just loves him to pieces!

Sarah with her big girl!

Gigi brought Addyson some bubbles, so she had a good time with Grandpa trying them out:

Grandpa with new grandson Jaxon!

I was amazed when Sarah was released on Monday and able to go home less than 48 hours after she had given birth! She was more than ready to be together as a family, get some rest, and sleep in her own bed. Here is Jaxon at home. As you can tell, Grandpa's cat Regalla is really upset by the new baby...hehe!

Addyson holding her baby brother for the first time

Eyes finally open before falling back to sleep

Regalla chillin on the couch

Delicious salads for lunch made by JoAnn. Loved the peaches!

Congratulations once again to Sarah, David and Addyson on their new addition, and to Johnny and JoAnn on their handsome new grandson! Love you all!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord..." Psalm 127:3

Happy Birthday Tara!

EZ and his Tara!

September 7th is here once again, and that means it's Tara's 31st birthday! In 2010 we were staying in the apartment in Durham following EZ's transplant, so we are very happy we can be part of the celebrations this year. I recently read our post from last year and it truly describes how much our entire family loves Tara. She never ceases to amaze us with all she does, and always with a cheerful heart. She is a wonderful daughter, mother, wife, sister and friend. We couldn't love her more, or be more proud of her. Feel free to read all about our sweet Tara here.

Happy Birthday Sweetie and may your day be full of blessing! Your Mommy and Daddy sure do love you!