Bobbi says she finally got her mind right- and here's the proof!

The famous garden. There's a bed of cucumbers off to the right.

Bobbi's golf team- The KnockaWhackas. Hugh, Sonny, Lloyd and David.

Bobbi has a nice meal with Donna, Aunt Gensee, Aunt Mary, Uncle Richard, Uncle Roy and brother Dave.

Smile please! Someone tell her she's beautiful, please. She doesn't seem to believe me.

Uncle Roy and Bobbi make a fashion statement!

Myself and Bob with Bobbi and Donna Friday night.

Hey- go get some M&Ms for the cure!

Oh yeah, we're proud!

Everyone got pink pride!

I want a balloon!

What smell????

At least he'll never run away and join the circus- it smells bad!

Bart, Bobbi and Courtney No- Courtney is not standing on a box.

Our Friends cook (and eat) for us

Makin no hair look good!

The OA dance team dances for Bobbi.. Click HERE to view the huge version

We Got Pink Pride!!!

Becky, Lewis, Bobbi, Dick and Becky

Watch the IN YOUR EYES video.

Bobbi says "Thank You"

(click the above link to view a video)

3-26-2008, Bobbi models her radiation mask

Jordan, Becky, Donna, Dave, Bobbi, Libby and Johanna

Get yer pink on!

APRIL NEWS and EVENTS

April 30, 10:00pm - Okay, well, we just got home from the hospital where we had an MRI. Bobbi admitted she was having more and more headaches, though they were more like flashes. Anyway, the MRI technician said it was going to be a few days before anyone would "read" it and tell us what it said... but we got a copy of the CD! It's probably a bad idea for a layperson to try to interpret an MRI image without years of train. For example I think one view looks like a kitty cat. In the large view the top left one looks like The Cowardly Lion with his eyes closed to me. Bobbi says her headaches are all just behind her right temple area, but on both bottom views we both think we see a mass on the left side. Maybe it's something the cat left. The good news is afterwards we actually went out to eat and she actually ate a lot of he meal- fried catfish! She ate all her brocolli and a whole filet.
April 30, 5:00am - Well... it seems as though Bobbi has been having "odd" headaches- like flash bulb explosions of pain.... brief, but then they mostly go away. Dr. Rhoton (brain surgeon) and Dr. Thomas (radiation oncologist) want to do an MRI. I guess an MRI is okay because it's not radiation (like X-Rays). We're waiting to hear from Dr. Pekal to decide on when. That's all I have to say about that.

April 28, 6:00am - Three months. I guess it's going to rain all day. I'm glad I got all the raised beds inside "the cage" built and planted. Yesterday we had a deluge, a real frog strangler. There were a few minor "blow outs" in the raised beds, but very few. In between squalls we went and covered the two most vulnerable beds (lettuce and carrots) with landscape cloth, so we're in good shape. Today is a consultation with the "radiation oncologist" Dr. Thomas for an after-radiation follow-up consultation. Bobbi's mom will take her to that meeting. Tonight we'll got over to her house for supper with Alayne.

April 27, 9:00am - Wow- April is almost over and May is upon us. This should be a good week- no chemo and very low doses of steroids (assuming she remembers to take them). If "the wig lady" is at work this week Bobbi Sue might get some new hair! That would cheer her up (unless she hates the wig!). I think the hair loss bothers her more than the nausea if that's possible. It's why she has banned any photos of her (by herself anyway). I hope the wig comes. Stand by for news! It's a bit of a rough morning olfactory wise, but that's a good thing. Bobbi decided she would actually cook breakfast this morning. She decided to make quiche, but everything smells bad to her. Feeling nauseated makes it hard to cook Still, after an hour I hear her breaking eggs, so we have progress! She's one tough cookie, eh? Our 80% chance of rain is down to 70%, but it's not raining yet. I might sneak in the last raised bed inside the garden (but not the last raised bed) before it does rain. I still have several beds to make outside the fence- squash and gourds mostly.... maybe some pumpkins... and there's still more Beefsteak tomatoes I started with no home yet.
Yesterday Donna came over with Matt's (one of Bobbi's brothers) wife Alayne. She flew all the way from Seattle to visit Bobbi! If there was a distance prize she'd win it. The girls worked in the yard yesterday between rain storms (mostly redoing rock gardens and borders). I'm sore but healing from yesterday. It's shameful to me to complain about arthritis when Bobbi has stage 4 cancer... I tried to get in a few hours of guitar practice, but my hands cramped up too bad. I'm just weak.

April 26, 12:00pm - Okay, news update. I just got a call from Bobbi. She feels okay but is having some allergic reaction (probably pollen) that is making her eyes water like crazy. She sounds pretty tired to me but denies this. She's excited though, because our friend and brother Scouter Jake Shuler actually made our cub pack a cubmobile imagine a simple soapbox derby car)!Way to go Jake (he said he just got carried away). Meanwhile I have finished most of the garden and have made the cucumber bed (outside of the fenced area). In the process I unloaded the 3,000 pounds (according to the weigh station) of fine compost. Is it break time yet? Dang- it's noon and Uncle Roy isn't here. Who am I gonna talk to?

April 26, 9:00am - BEWARE!!! There is a mad woman on the road! Let me explain... She's been feeling pretty good the last few days AND getting lots of rest. I also suspect she is not taking the Decadron like she is supposed to. Never mind what the site says about most people not feeling any of the listed side effects- she feels them all. Anyway, she's been feeling guilty about letting the cub scouts down and it has weighed heavily on her mind. Last night I made a nice supper, roast chicken, spaghetti squash and scallops scampi (all cooked out on the grill so she wouldn't barf). We then went to bed early.
We expected rain all day, but it was sunny at 7am when I woke up, so I snuck out to the garden. and got all four of the big raised beds planted. At 9am "Miss Beulah" sashays into the yard wearing her Scout uniform and a red turban and announces she's on her way to the Cubmobile Rally in Sylva! She ain't even invite me!!!!Now, I know I should rejoice (and I do a little), but I'm also afraid she going to wear herself out again and crash (figuratively, not vehicularly). LOL, so if your on the road watch out! There's a wild woman with a red turban and a purpose! (PS- go by LOWES and get me some 8' 2x8s for the garden while you're over there).
She really is feeling better. Last night she announced I could quit hovering over her and get back out and start taking care of some of my other responsibilities- Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, AISA, Rotary, CIHA Foundation.... oh yeah, I got copious pleasure time.

April 25, 11:00pm - Not much to report. She says she feels great, but you know what a liar she is ;-)
I had a conference call with the 3 Day Walk for the Cure folks. News later.

April 24, 8:00pm - Don't worry- Tiger Woods doesn't have to worry about playing against me.... unless he needs a good laugh. LOL- well, Bobbi's team The KnockaWhackas played in the Rotary Golf Tournament. We had a blast, and in spite of myself (I think of golf as a good walk spoiled) I had a great time. We "parred", but that meant we had the worst score. How did that happen? Anyway, it was still a lot of fun and it was for a good cause too!. Now, here's some words from the "guest contributor" -
Hiya Gang!! This has been a good day, full and now I'm tired but smilin' . Made a trip over to Lost Cove Campground with Mom to paint a primer on the bath toilet building, preparing it for murels the Boy Scouts will paint. Our Troop kind of teamed up with this Campground, and are about ready to host about 150 Cub Scouts next month, doing indian game demonstrations etc. Then I zoomed over to the Scout hut for Cubs & Scouts tonight. Ah well not many kids actually showed up tonight. After 2 months of being uninvolved, got a bit of catching up to get back in the grove. Feeling Better, doing more, nice eh? Love you all sooo much. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo Bobbi

April 23, 12:00pm- Okay, the meeting with Dr. Rhoton's staff went well. Bobbi will continue to have numbness on her "brain scar" for at least a year. We have to wait a while after radiation before we can chance an MRI to look for more tumors. Time will tell. For myself, I'm hoping I can hang another kitchen cabinet before it get's too dark. I gotta go out in the yard and learn how to hit gold balls! Thanks to the IWANNA, I even got myself a set of golf clubs, and Lloyd gave me some drivers to complete the set. Ain't we got fun? I know- suck it up, Lambert, it's for a good cause! LOL.
April 23, 7:00am- We had a good day yesterday. Bobbi had brunch with the Lambert clan yesterday and even ate some eggs! Today we meet with the neurosurgeon in Asheville (Dr. Rhoton- the Tumor Terminator) and them it's back to Sylva for the last session of the first full round of Chemo. Tomorrow it the Rotary Golf Tournament. Rotary is planning to make a $1,000 donation in Bobbi's name to the Digital Mammogram fund at the Cherokee Indian Hospital! Way to go Rotary. Unfortunately, I volunteered to sponsor a golf team (I'm told the team is called a foursome). Somehow, through I process I do not comprehend, this was transmogrified into myself playing golf at the tournament! How the heck did that happen???? Did I mention I don't play golf??? I don't even like golf.... at least, I disliked it enough to not play since 1982. (They're donating $1,000 in Bobbi's name!!!!). I mean- I love golf! Sigh- guess I'm playing golf tomorrow. I need a forth person for my foursome- any volunteers???? By the way- there are now 21 pictures in the pink slideshow on the home page. I added 5 today!

April 21, 9:00am- I'm sorry about the email thing. I just don't seem to be able to concentrate on much these days. I'm very lucky I have my job, because the work comes easily to me and is, well, not exactly a distraction but a welcome focus of attention. I've spent a long time trying to charm the snakes in my head. Right now I guess I'm not much use to many people, but I need to concentrate on Bobbi right now. I know you all understand, but I had to say it anyway. Thank you.
April 21, 7:00amAh well, yesterday wasn't a good day. I'm afraid we missed the "Moodies." Ah well, good days and bad. We were both kind of whiped out as it were. I must be getting old. All the gardening on Saturday must have been too ambitious, or too long in between sessions...or I need a Bowflex! LOL.
Bobbi is her wonderful self- afraid she's disappointed everyone by not feeling up to going to the concert. Actually, it was the 5 hours in the car that was probably too much. We're probably more disappointed about not seeing Steve and Susan (and Sammy and Ian) anyway. We've also decided to postpone the suprise Luau (wasn't much of a suprise anyway). We'll need to see how the next few rounds of chemo go before we can set another date. Also this Wednesday is a conference call for the 3DayForTheCure walkathon, so I'll keep you posted. HERE is the web page with tips on training.
Bobbi has decided, I think, she dislikes the Decadron more than the chemo drugs. We can control the blood glucose with insulin, but all the other side effects really bother her. She really hates the way it makes her feel.
Someone said they could not get to this website. I'm pretty bad about email these days, but I usually have my cell phone. If you find the site is down or have a problem connecting to it please call me or send me a text message to 828.269.6268 and I'll check it out. You may need to note this number somewhere, 'cause if the site is down how you gonna find it? Thanks in advance!

April 20, 6:00am- Today is a big day! We'll see how it goes. We're supposed to go the Greenville to visit my brother Steve, then he's taking us to see The Moody Blues in concert! Will Bobbi be strong enough to make it through the whole day? I don't know... she gets tired pretty fast. We'll see.....

April 19, 11:00pm- Hello! Sorry for thr late posting. We had a full day! Since it was raining we just stayed in bed till 10am, when Uncle Roy came over. We had a great visit- we fixed all the problems of thee world except for our whacky family and the Sunni/Shiite thing. Kim and Ethan also came over, and when it stopped raining after 3pm he helped me in the garden.
Bobbi is sure her lymph nodes are smaller still, and when I checked her blood sugar it was only 140 (her steroid dose is smaller since it'sthree days after chemo).

April 18, 7:00am- Yesterday was a good day! Bobbi's mom came over and the girls (Kim too, before she went to work) worked in the yard a bit. Then at 5pm we went to our Scout meeting and finished spreading mulch on the walking trails by "the village". Bobbi even managed to eat two slices of pizza (extra cheese) and drink a PEPSI. This morning she told me her lymph nore tumors feel even smaller. I hope they are. The 10% reduction is size after a week of chemo was really good news. We'll take it day by day. This morning we had a big breakfast- a bowl of hot KASHI and some toast. Then we heard the weather report- Rain! Dang-it, rain tomorrow. so much for the garden.... it would be one thing if we could just lie in bed and drink coffee, but I imagin she'll have an "indoor chore" list for me! LOL... and I'll do them, too!

April 17, 6:00am- Well, yesterday was chemo day, and we had a pretty full day. I made breakfast- scrambled eggs (which she ate 2 of) and bagels which she half of). We had a long consultation with Dr. Pekal, the medical oncologist (always a delight), then Bobbi went for her chemo. While she was at chemo I got to go over to my Aunt Lib's and visit with her and cousin Steve. After chemo, we took a load of donations to the Habitat For Humanity store, and finally went for a late (after 3pm) lunch at the best greasy spoon in WNC- the Coffee Shop in Sylva. Bobbi actually ate half of her Rubin. Then it was off to Kim's house were "we" finished "roughing in" the electrical work in their new upstairs master bedroom. Finally, we were home by 7pm where we unloaded another 1,000 pounds of topsoil and I cut boards for one more raised bed in the garden. That left just enough time to mow the lawn. Whew- full day, eh? I grilled some chicken breaths (outside!) for supper and we had a nice salad. Bobbi actually did not eat most of her's. Dang. Dr. Pekal suggested lemon candy to stimulate her taste buds.Now for the news-
After one week of chemo her lymph node masses have decreased in size at least 10%. Her hearing is maybe a little worse, but her "sunburn" is slightly better. She got a big dose of Decadron, a coricosteroid, along with her chemo meds. This helps her tolerate her meds (decrease allergic reactions and help with nausea), but has some side effects like making her blood sugar go sky high. yesterday morning her blood glucose was 101, this morning it's 125 (which is good), but it's gotten as high as 295 because of that stuff. Today she starts taking it orally again, so we'll monitor her blood sugar closely.

April 15, 8:00am- Sorry about no post yesterday. We had a full day and today is fuller (I know- hold the grammatical corrections please). Yesterday was my dad's and Donna birthdays (and today is my sister Susan's and our grandmother Rosa Smith Lambert's). It's also tax day, and I think I'm gonna be late. We had a nice party at David's, then went home and spent the evening in my music room where I finally figured out how to play "The Boy Inside The Man" by Tom Cochrane- I dreamed that I saw her standing there.. and all at once I knew she'd understand the boy inside the man. She knew I was singing it for her and her little ole face just lit up. We had a nice time.
Today Kim is taking care of her for me. This morning was a good morning- Bobbi actually got up with me and even made me breakfast! That's good news (plus the eggs was a bonus! LOL). She'll probably recover almost completely before tomorrow's chemo whipes her out for another week... but today should be a diamond. Tomorrow- more chemo, but we also get to spend time with Dr. Pekal. She's always a treat!

April 13, 11:45pm- Sorry it's a late post. It was a busy weekend. Saturday morning Uncle Roy came for a visit, and we discussed everything from going to Mexico to how far apart to space the strawberries in my garden. He even posed for a photo! Then Bob took off. Dave lent me his push mower and I mowed the lawn, then started getting the garden planted. Later David and Donna brought us supper- yummy chicken.
Today Greg and Susan came over followed soon by Casey and Jill Cooper and family. Bobbi posed for a picture with them, too. She's still not comfortable having her picture taken. If you look at that photo you can see the burns still under her head scarf. Still- it was a wonderful visit with everyone, and everyone intuited when Bobbi was getting tired (and politely left). Before leaving Greg helped me finish the cabinet recessed into the wall over the furnace. Bobbi is very pleased.... and she wants more! This week we'll built the 48x18 cabinet over the refrigerator.
She is, I think, doing well. She is very brave about it in spite of obvious discomfort, but there are signs she is better than a week ago. Last weekend she was out of bed maybe 30 minutes total and ate a few mouthfulls of food. This weekend she worked in the garden several hours yesterday, and though she didn't have much strength today she was still out of bed (does sitting on the couch count?) for almost 12 hours. That's a far cry from sleeping 23 hours a day. She ate better today- 2 eggs, 1 bite of burger and a few bites of chicken with some nice broccoli. That's actually a lot for her. Now all we need is for the burns to go away and her hearing to improve.

April 12, 11:00am- It's a quiet morning here in Cherokee. It was supposed to rain all day...it did rain a lot early this morning, but the suns been out for an hour now, so I'll work quietly in the yard. Bobbi is sleeping in. We had supper at David's house and our old friend Bobbi came over while on his way to Santa Fe. Bobbi went to bed around 10pm and has slept pretty steadily. She is very much whiped out still... maybe more today than on Wednesday. She did eat better last night- spaghetti and salad, and I made her a poached egg this morning. She is so sweet, but she apologizes for feeling bad! How can I make her understand she's not a bad person because she's tired???? Maybe I need to put it in writing (Hey- I just did!!!). I guess for now I'm going to ask for most everyone to not call before noon. If she can sleep and recover I think that's best for her (for a few days). I hope that this weekend she'll start recovering. The complication is she may also have a cold (or an ear infection), so she needs a lot of rest. I'll keep you posted!

April 11, 1:00pm- It's Friday! Go home and do chores! Actually, when they are fun they're almost like a hobby- right? Yesterday Bobbi went with me to Scouts! We, the cub scouts,the boy scouts and the parents met at the Oconaluftee Indian Village and spread mulch over about 1/4 mile of walking trail. We'll go back next week and finish. The good news is Bobbi worked the whole time (mostly raking). The bad news is it really wiped her out. She went home and went to sleep and pretty much slept till noon. I went home for lunch to check on her. Anyway, she is supposed to exercise to keep her strength up, but probably not two hours of hard labor. Still- she stuck with it and worked as hard as everyone else.
Her side effects are increasing. Her sunburn in now mottled purple- like we turned her upside down and dunked half of her head in grape juice. She's also experiencing more hearing loss (all perfectly normal side effects we are told). Still- it was a good week. Her mom and sister came and hung wallpaper in the dining room, we got a good start on our garden AND we both went to Scouts for the first time in many months. That's a great week. If the snow holds off I can even finish the kitchen cabinets! Bad news- I blew the engine in the lawn tractor. Now Sam won't visit us! LOL, just kidding bro. Peace Y' all.

April 10, 7:00am- Well, yesterday wasn't too bad. Bobbi didn't feel good, but she still felt better than she had after radiation treatments. Of course, this was just the first chemo, and as the treatments continue the effects may accumulate. We'll see. She did feel good enough to go outside and help me with the garden. I made a third "raised bed" and filled the second one I made with soil mix. I mixed topsoil, organic compost and our clay fill together and filled our 4x12 bed. I can taste the "maters" already! Bobbi was pretty pleased with our progress.

April 9, 3:45pm- Okay- chemo update. Well, Dr. Pekal was concerned because Bobbi has a lot of burns still on her head and face radiation (imagine a week at Cancun go horribly wrong). The radiation oncologist's office said it was fine, so we started chemo. Bobbi's blood work shows her sugar is elevated again, so we're going to start checking glucose and giving insulin again. They gave her a dose of anti-nausea medication and she feels not too bad right now. The dose is supposed to last about three days. (Bobbi's reading over my shoulder making sure I'm behaving). Pretty much she's relieved to have a week between treatments. She hopes to be feeling more normal than ill for the majority of the time. FYI- "we" are taking Carboplatin and Abraxane. We were going to start Avastin, but because we're not so sure about her "sunburn" and because it can have nasty side effects, we're going to wait until the effects of the radiation diminish some more. Avastin is a drug that inhibits the growth of blood vessels in cancer cells. Dr. Pekal does think her lymph nodes have decreased in size- that's probably from the Xeloda which she only took a few days. The bad news is the final "core biopsy did confirm Bobbi is "triple negative." So- that's the chemo news. Now we're home and she's resting. I'm going to work in the garden and see if I can get the tiller running.
April 9, 7:45am- Today is the day- chemo! Bobbi starts chemo today. last night we tried an experiment- I cooked hamburgers on the stove. She lasted about four minutes, then had to "go out for air." Will chemo be any better? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

April 8, 11:45am- Hey, just a note to say I hope you like the pink bracelet slide show! More pictures are coming, so keep watching. You might see yourself!
April 8, 7am- Well, whatta ya know- she's sitting up in bed with me. She's not getting sick when she smells coffee! She can't eat, but she's not sick. Progress? Today Sarah and Donna will come keep her entertained. She told them not to come yesterday. She laid in bed till after 5pm. We went over to Kim's house, but she laid in bed there, too. We went home and snuggled on the couch.... Watching QUANTUM LEAP reruns- that's romantical!

April 7, 1pm- Here's a little note from a "guest contributor".
Boy do I know I'm not alone! So many many friends have sent notes, called, and let us know they are keeping us in their thoughts and prayers. It's such an overwhelming flood of good wishes and love, we can hardly believe our bounty of blessings. We are so grateful to be wrapped in all the good vibes and warm fuzzies of all our loved ones. You all have to know just how lucky I am that I married a man who makes me laugh, a man who's kind to animals and children, a man who gives of himself selflessly to his loved ones, and who shares his talents in so many many ways. I love how his mind works: his relentless curiosity, his enjoyment of solving a puzzle, his constant quest for information and skills. He is my sustaining love, ever asking what he can do for me. Everyone knows just how special Hugh is, everyone of course, but him. I wish I could sing his praises of appreciation in more eloquent terms. We are here, facing this challenge together, couldn't have more support surrounding us, nor better company to face it with. Thanks, Thanks!  Good quote- " Happiness and love are just a choice away"
Love you all so much..... Bobbi

April 7, 7am- What's this??? She's hungry AND she's cooking eggs. The fan is blowing full blast to blow the smell out, but she's actually cooking eggs! It's like a miracle. Bobbi has had nausea so bad she's hardly left the bed for four days. I was afraid to go to work today, but I guess it's alright now. Bobbi's mom and sister are coming, so she'll be in good hands. She ate one egg, a slice of tomato, a piece of toast and a few chucks of avocado. That's more than in the last three days.
It's strange. I feel like I have tunnel vision. All I can "see" is taking care of my wife. I've had to let a lot of things slide and I'm sorry. I've resigned from several positions, and the ones I haven't resigned from are either going undone or other people are doing my job for me. I can only continue to be grateful to those who have stepped up and to those who do understand. To those I've disappointed I can only say I'm sorry. It's kind of funny. I was talking to our brother Greg yesterday... all the ways I see myself and all the things I thought would define me- fishing boat captain, volunteer firefighter, volunteer EMT and especially a Boy Scout volunteer..... and now it seems what will define me is how I take care of Bobbi. Maybe a combination of all of the above... I'm still the luckiest man I know.

April 6, 8am- Good morning! Well, yesterday was a pretty rough day, at least as far as Bobbi's health is concerned. Maybe that's too harsh a judgment... anyway, I guess she spent maybe 5 minutes out of bed all day. She was just so tired. This morning Bart and Courtney are going back to Florida, so we'll have a big breakfast! Hey, Bart is the latest volunteer- he's a Knocka-Walka! Later on, around noon, Bobbi's mom and sister Sarah and brood came by to show us who has pride!
Radiation. I guess I can talk about what the radiation oncologist said as to why we did not stick with "the plan". I'm sure he did what in his judgment was the right thing. He said that because radiation has a lifetime limit he would rather save it "in the arsenal" as it were and treat with chemo now. Chemo is not as effective as far as shrinking the tumor, but you can treat with chemo almost indefinitely. I'd have felt better if he'd have said that at the beginning. On the other hand, I can't bear to think about what Bobbi would be like right now if she was recovering from two courses of radiation instead of one. Hugh

April 5, 11pm- Bart and Courtney helped me all day with the kitchen.We did some of the nagging jobs- redid a broken drawer, put up trim, etc. We even had a nice long visit with Uncle Roy! Since I was slack getting web page updates out he decided to come check in himself. Then, since Bobbi wasn't able to, Bart and Courtney went with my to take Ethan (the E-man) to the circus! We had a pretty good time, but it was "Boo's" first time around large animals... he had a hard time with the smell. "It stinks here, I wanna go home!" However, once he saw them inflate the giant slide he forgot the smell. He stuck it out and really enjoyed the show- one of the last 7 circuses still performing under a tent. After that we took the boy home and had a good visit with his mom and dad.
April 5, 12pm-Hi Y'all. It's a slow day here. Bart, Courtney and I have been working on the kitchen some. We've made some cabinet additions, moved another and general trim work. Uncle Roy came over and we chatted at length- a really good visit. Bobbi's kind of weak today. I'm glad the radiation is over. It's just taken a lot out of her. Usually she recovers over the weekend and I hope she'll feel stronger by tomorrow. I'm sorry I've fallen behind. I'll try to do better!

April 4, 10 am- New news! We just learned that Bobbi's chemotherapy sessions will not be 5 a week for three weeks and one week off- they'll be one day a week two hours at a time. We don't know if it will be three weeks on, one week off. We're glad the radiation is over. It's been rough, but not always in ways you'd expect. For example, not only can she not stand the taste of coffee or bacon (her two favorite things)- she can't stand to smell them being cooked or made. She can't stand the smell of any food being cooked ...except tea. Tea smells okay. When I cooked bacon two days ago she went outside and sat in the rain. Dang. Yogurt anybody?
April 4, 9 am- Well, brother Sam isn't coming, but Bart and Courtney are here! Dangnation- someone fed that boy some meet!!!! I'll post a picture later. Kim is going to take Bobbi to the last radiation treatment. Her hair is gone, so remember if you see her to tell her how much you dig bald headed women! You know, I wrote a joke song about "My Bald Headed Woman" ... I never knew it would come true. "She's my bald headed woman, she keeps me warm at night. She's my bald headed woman, we hardly ever fight. Since I shaved her head, everything's been alright."

April 3- Sorry, I was bad and didn't get an update up. We had a full day and had a meeting with Dr. Thomas, the radiation oncologist. I got some answers to my questions..... Anyway, tomorrow is the last radiation treatment.

April 2, 12:00pm- Well, we're getting used to our new hair (our lack there of). I don't know what's worse- having hardly any hair left or what's left being mostly gray! Anyway, our angel isn't quite up to posting a picture of her with her new look, so you'll have to wait a day or two longer. I think she looks wonderful, but I admit to being impartial. Once again we're incredibly grateful to our loved ones who put on the hot dog benefit for us. We wish we could show you how honored and grateful we are. Yesterday we had to say "see ya" to our sister Jill who went back to NH to take care of the rest of her family. Sister Sarah is going to tag in this weekend, and my oldest friend Bart and mt brother Sam from Knoxville are incoming too! Holy Moly- I'll be up to my <insert any colorful body part here> in chores!!! LOL- at least I'll have some help, and I get to cook for my family. Bobbi wants to have a luau too pretty soon, so I gotta get a pig! Hmmm...okay, the kitchen's not done, but I did prune the apple trees and hang light fixtures.... I gotta make a list.
Now the nitty gritty. Tomorrow is the last WBRT radiation treatment, praise be. The side effects so far ar loss of appetite, tiredness, low tolerance to any smells (especially cooking), hair loss and burns to the skin of the head (like a blotchy sunburn). I rubbed ointment in her hair yesterday....it looked like she was wearing CRISCO for a hat! Hey- we could start a fashion trend..... Actually, her symptoms are more of a nuisance, so we're pretty lucky. I have 50 new BC pink bracelets coming in, so let me know if you want one!

April 1, 7:30am- No, no April Fools jokes here. We spent yesterday morning anguishing over what treatments to stop and what to start and decided to just stick with the plan.Bobbi's hair is gone, and she has three more radiation treatments on her brain to go. Then, next week, we start chemo with a vengence- a triple chemo cocktail. We're still "jazzed" by the hot dog benefit our loved oned held for us last week! What a blessing. We can't than you enough, but we're going to try!

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