Random day to day reflections

01/14/12 - Today was a difficult day. After pushing herself to get to both the boys basketball games in the morning, Rachel began experiencing severe vomiting without any fever. I want to think it is related to Abby not cooking the chicken dish properly and will pass soon. But, with every little strange symptom, it is easy to fear the worst.  She also said that she is having a little difficulty seeing out of her left eye. I hope it is just petechiae from the severe vomiting she had. The compazine she took did relieve the symptoms for the most part but she needed a lorazepam to calm the nausea down completely. If these symptoms continue I will need to take her to the hospital tomorrow.  I pray tomorrow will be a better day for her.

01/15/12 - Today Rachel felt a little better. The nausea was still there but she never vomited. Her vision is also better. She is still taking her anti-nausea medication and it is helping.  We will be better off waiting until Monday to talk to her regular doctor.  Rachel showed me a bit of good news that the new ointment the radiation oncology office gave her is working better than the prior product to sooth the burning from the radiation. We missed church because I was too tired and she was not feeling up to it either. We were invited to a friends house to watch the Packer game but Rachel wasn't up to going. She went to her parents house instead just in case she became sick.  I hate days like this when we end up going separate ways or she is just not up to doing much.

01/16/12 - Rachel got through the day with less nausea than on Sunday. It seems to be mostly gone. It might sound weird but I was relieved when I woke up to find that Luke had come home sick throwing up with no fever just as Rachel had started on Saturday.  Abby seems to be getting a headache and with her that is always the first sign of getting sick. It's great to get back to having run of the mill illnesses burning through the house.

01/17/12 - Finally, Luke and Rachel are both feeling better. Luke was better after a second day off school and is ready to return tomorrow. Now lets hope nobody else gets this stomach virus.
Abby had a basketball game again. Her play just keeps getting better. Rachel was well enough and came with to Abby's game. I'm not sure she saw much of it because of all the talking and carrying on. It was nice to let her take care of the conversations for a change. Due to the snow and very slippery roads, she cancelled her radiation today. Not a big deal, it just means she will finish one day later than she would have. It is still exciting that she has now completed 17 out of 35 (half for the math challenged) of her radiation treatments!!!

01/23/12 - Rachel now has completed 21 out of 35 radiation treatments. The burning is getting real bad. It looks like a deep 2nd degree burn. The radiation nurses seem more concerned about it than the doctor. The nurses gave her some thin foam to apply over the burnt area under the arm to reduce the rubbing from moving her arm. The doctor gave her a vicodin Rx which she is taking about 3 times per day.  We will see what he says about the skin at Wednesday's appointment.
Abby and the boys all played well in their basketball events. On Friday I worked out with a trainer and by Sunday I thought I was going to die. In addition to a mix of cardio and weights, he had me doing exercises I had never done before. So most of the weekend was spent reading and recuperating. Hopefully this will be a good kick-start to getting back in shape.
Saturday the boys and I tried out some ice fishing with some friends and after the outcome of Sunday's football games I have completely lost interest in the NFL for the year.

01/24/12 - Well the nasty stomach cold virus that started with Rachel has now taken down 5/6 in the house with Rebekah being the last hold out. Yes, this means that I who arrogantly claim to never get sick finally got this one. Poor Rachel was running all day to clean up puke from Sam and Abby. I found it sickly satisfying to be the one being taken care of for a change. I got by on rice and chicken broth for the day and managed to hold it together by a thread. She missed her Radiation again today to take care of everybody. This should give her skin a little more time to heal up. Wednesday she will see the Radiation Oncologist. I wish I could go with but I don't think I'll be up to it. 0630 cant come soon enough this night.

Surgery, Radiation...and Back to work

Much has happened since the last post. At times it seems things are moving so fast, and other times, just not fast enough for our liking. Maybe this is how it is for all of us --walking through this thing called "life." It is a delicate balance of wanting some days to "hurry up and be done" and then some to "slow down and last awhile."

Here's an update since the last post for you:

On 12/30, Rachel had laparoscopic robotic ooprhrectomy(Ovary removal) at West Allis Memorial Hospital.  During our discussion of  the pathology report from the mastectomy with the oncologist we learned that of the 18 lymph nodes removed, 14 had active cancer cells. The cells were ranked as aggressive according to how likely they are to spread and they were overwhelmingly sensitive to stimulation by estrogen and progesterone. We began to realize the severity of the cancer when the doctor talks about how much improvement and benefit you will get from hormonal therapy instead of telling you how were going to cure your cancer. The daily radiation treatments should treat the local area from the collar bone to the top of the abdomen and over to the armpit of residual cancer cells there.  The purpose of this surgery is to remove the bodies production of estrogen and progesterone (ovaries) since these hormones could stimulate growth of any residual cancer cells that may or may not be lingering elsewhere in the body.

So...after a brutal bowel prep, starving for 24 hours and a shortened Christmas vacation for our family, it's finally time. The OR was running late so surgery didn't start until almost 9:00pm. They didn't come to get Rachel until 8 o'clock. That's all I could think was who schedules surgery that late? But, the good part...even we can get here on time this late in the day!

We reminded the medical team that Rachel was lidocaine allergic so they wouldn't use it on her IV sites just before they were going to use it.  They did give her versed; luckily, she didn't have the same paradoxical agitation Luke had after some stitches. First he was talking about a floating carrot in the sky, then he became extremely belligerent.  But regardless, it was a good time to air some grievances without her remembering anything! Her mother and I had a little fun trying to make her say difficult expressions. Of course, she laughed too.

I walked the stairs while waiting for her since sitting around isn't in my nature even on a good day (I'm sure this comes as no surprise). Within about an hour and 1/2, the doc let us know that everything went well; there were no grossly apparent masses in the ovaries. We are grateful - thank God everything went well.

After about one hour in recovery, Rachel arrived in her room. Her pain is worse than after the mastectomy. I stayed until her pain under control and went home to get some sleep. When I got back there in the morning, I realized I should have spent the night. Rachel began having severe abdominal pain because of a blocked catheter. She ended up having to wait 45 minutes for a call light to be answered. Very frustrating start to her day.  This was the low point of her stay. However, her nurse in the afternoon was great and shared her own stories of her mother's battle with breast cancer.

I forgot to mention that the kids had a sleepover on surgery night at Grandma and Grandpas' house. They were looking forward to that...and had a great time with them.

In the days ahead, while Rachel recovered, she experienced a lot of abdominal pain. While this was only laparoscopic surgery, the doc had to remove a lot of scar tissue from 4 c-sections.  And although it was tough, we are both grateful for each C-section which resulted in our beautiful children :-)
Radiation began on December 27th. At this point, 13 out of 35 once every day treatments are done. Time-wise, we have about 4 weeks to go. The skin is starting to look like a deep sunburn. This is completely normal and so far has not caused Rachel too much pain. Hopefully the burning won't get too bad.

Arimidex is another medication she will begin at some point when radiation is done. It's purpose is to block remaining estrogen production that occurs in the other parts of the body. Please be kind to her if she seems irritable as she is now post-menopausal. 



Just this past week, I returned to work. I am grateful for all the good things about being off work- spending time with the family, reading to the boys more and really getting a lot done on the house (moved the water softener, painted the laundry room, painted the whole interior of the house except the bedrooms, installed all 4 gutters on the house, cleaned all the carpets, threw away a lot of stuff); I also got to the YMCA a bit more, got to know some guys better through quick breakfasts and lunches and even learned how to Christmas shop for the girls (and not just the boys:-) Sorry for using this as a blanket thank you... but thanks to everybody who helped in so many ways over the last few weeks and months.

On a positive note, Rachel's hair is staging a comeback! This is something she has been so looking forward to. And Happy 37th Birthday to Rachel this week!!  All of us could do well to think about how we will live TODAY instead of worrying about the future(me especially), which we can't control.  
"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? . . . But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matt. 6:25-26, 33-34).

Immanuel - God with Us....

I think it is safe to say that Rachel and Mark are simply overwhelmed by the love and care all of you have shown them these past few weeks since Rachel's surgery. I was fortunate enough to sneak in a visit with Rachel last week Wednesday at her house (per Mark, I brought her one of her favorite Starbuck's drinks - a nonfat cinnamon dolce latte with no whip - in case you ever want to surprise her with a sweet treat). I also texted Mark before I showed up to ask if Rachel would prefer a purple or a black scarf….I think his response was "Seriously?" (Ok, we all know Mark is a doting husband and attentive dad and has many, many talents - but I guess from his answer, I had pushed him too far! Color selection for Rachel's wardrobe is not one of them!) BTW, I went with the purple one, and Rachel was thrilled that it could not only be worn around the neck, but as a shawl on her shoulders and on her head too as well! Her creativity didn't surprise me!

Rachel showed me the beautiful scrapbook that some friends had put together with words of encouragement for her. Although each page was unique and different in creativity and substance, what struck me was how loved Rachel and her family are. Many commented on how easy Rachel was to talk with and laugh with. How real their family is. It makes her easy to be friends with. Even better, it is obvious they are surrounded by so many faith filled people who are praying for them daily and literally being the "hands and feet of Jesus" for them during this time. They need you to keep praying…. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. Colossians 1:9

Although the notes are from people from all different parts of Rachel's life, many of them were from moms/families at school and church. Rachel and I talked about what a blessing it had been that they had started at BCS and later decided to make BCRC their church home a couple of years ago. As we talked about it, we both marveled in the TRUTH that God answers prayers many times before we even KNOW we have them! He put them at BCRC years before, knowing they would need the support and care of an awesome community as they travel this unfamiliar path. We also talked about how at every point of the journey (not only her journey of the past few months, but also through her life), every need has been met no matter what it is.

That is the kind of God we serve. Please pray that He would continue to meet every need of Rachel, Mark and their family. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Ph 4:19

So…onto the update since the surgery. The night before, two pastors from BCRC came for a visit and prayer. (Rachel mentioned to me that she felt very calm and actually slept well that night. It was an early morning for Mark and Rachel, so the kids were LUCKY ENOUGH to awake to one of the BEST KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS EVER (and one they've all had) waiting in their family room with doughnuts. She got them going and off to school for the day.

Rachel was unsure until right before if she would do a complete masectomy - but when the time came, she opted for removal of just the cancerous breast. Mark decided to use the permanent marker to write "STOP" on the non-operative breast. His medical training and background is always paying off for him :-)

Mark told me that the first thing he heard was Rachel's laugh as he met her after surgery. It hit me how many times - above, in previous blogs (even Mark's post about "Laughter is good medicine"), in cards she received, in the scrapbook that was made for - that Rachel's great laugh was mentioned. Her laughter is music to all of our ears. We thank God for the gift of laughter and joy. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy, no shadow of shame will shine on their faces. Eph 2:7-8

In the evening, her cousin, Jess, and her parents came for a visit. Their pastor came as well. Mark had forgotten Rachel's clothes at home so he ran home to get them (Mark had offered his own clothes, but she wasn't very interested :-)) Hmmm, not suprising, Mark?

Mark and Rachel had wanted to especially thank the ladies who came over to clean while Rachel was in the hospital so it looked awesome when she got home. She was anxious to get home to rest after some "busyness" in the hospital - namely a person in the next room with a serious cough AND a child who was visiting who cried in the hallway all day. When she got home she didn't have to worry about picking up after Mark and the kids and was able to go right to sleep. The kids went bowling with Mrs. Patch, then for dinner after.

Many of you saw Rachel at the kids' Christmas Concert last week and just by looking at her, you can tell that she has done remarkably well, with not too much pain and discomfort. It was so good to see her. She told me she wouldn't miss it - her kids wanted her there no matter waht.

This week, the drains came out and the wound is healing nicely. Now, with the surgery behind, it is time for next steps. They met with the Radiation Oncologist today, and they will meet with the Medical Oncologist on Friday to determine next where to go from here. Because the pathology report was not as great as they hoped (this is not uncommon with the type of Breast Cancer she has), there may be some additional decisions to be made. The radiation will start on Tuesday next week and will last for about 6 & 1/2 weeks. They covet your prayers for continued and complete healing. We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 1 Thes 1:2

I spoke with Mark last night and they were able to do some Christmas shopping at the mall for the kids. Rachel ran into mall friends (from the Gap, where she used to work), and church friends, so in between shopping/browsing, there was a lot of updating/sharing/etc for those who hadn't seen her recently. Hopefully, more prayer warriors were added to the list after that shopping venture.

With Christmas close to one week away...I ask that you CONTINUE to lift up Rachel and Mark (and their family) as they travel this "unfamiliar path" in the coming weeks ahead. Some of the contemporary Christian Christmas songs (say that fast five times!) talk about the journey of Joseph and Mary many years ago - how their life suddenly was not their own and the journey in front of them was unsettling and unknown. God went before them 2000 years ago. And He goes before Rachel and Mark as well, and thankfully, ALL OF US.... Pray that they will be comforted and held up by the hope they have in Him. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. Psalm 33:18

And I would pray that we all continue to see beyond the Christmas lights, Santas at the mall and the gifts under the tree. The greatest gift is the HOPE we have in the little baby sent by one BIG GOD….to give us the best gift of all - our eternal life. And even through the pain that the Owens family has endured these past months, and that many of us are right now experiencing or have experienced, we can hold firmly to the hope we have in the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ. The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”) Matthew 1:23

Thanks to all of you who through prayer, giving, gifts, visits, and much more have made the Owens feel God's immeasurable love around them....Immanuel, God is truly with us....

Waiting....

Post for 11/21/2011 By Amy Cahalane

I was lucky enough to run into Mark and Rachel for a short visit on Friday at our kids' conferences. It was so good to see her! You probably all agree that she brings a certain energy with her wherever she goes. It's just who she is - and who she has always been since one of the first times I met her - probably about 6 years ago. I love that Rachel is STILL Rachel!

I can remember the two of us sitting in the gym, watching volleyball and folding grandparents day invites together. I didn't really know her at all. She just sat down by me and asked if I could use some help. There was lots of activity going on around us but it soon felt like it was only Rachel and me, having this deep, personal conversation. Having just had her last baby (Luke) and my having recently miscarried, we shed tears freely that this part of our life - no more babies - was over. It was one of those moments covered with God's fingerprints...one we all have experienced and never forget. Someone there at the right moment, right when you need to hear 'I understand, I know what you are going through.' Thank you God for being in the details of our lives.

Fast forward to today, there are only a few friends in my life who I feel so close to and comfortable with, even though we see each other very infrequently and rarely get together. Rachel is one of these women; I think we covered about 10 topics in 10 minutes (seriously) in the hallway on Friday and we both walked away encouraged. My husband would say the crazy thing is the fact that we both followed one another's fast talking, quick change of topic with ease - really hearing AND UNDERSTANDING every word the other said. Our discussion went from kids to teens to faith to the adorable clogs she had on…and then finally, of course, onto how she is doing and her upcoming surgery.

It was interesting that Mark asked me to update the blog as I had been thinking numerous times the following days about something she had said. It was this: 'I'm spending a lot of time at home on my own, in prayer, opening my bible and learning that I need to go to God first with my fears, anxieties, problems.' You are so right, my dear friend, Rachel. We ALL need to bring each of our worries, both big and small, to our HUGE GOD WHO CAN HANDLE THEM AND WHO CAN HELP US DEAL BEST WITH THEM. Thank you for reminding me of this! In fact, after we talked, I remembered something that I had written on the first page of my bible. It was this: '"FEAR NOT" appears 366 times in the bible - that's one verse for every day of the year (and one extra for a leap year).' I need to look all of these up and highlight them. Don't we all?

Another thing that Rachel shared and I know she wouldn't mind me sharing with you: like any of us, she is very anxious about the upcoming surgery - about the prep, the anesthesia and mostly, losing part of herself. The tests, MRIs, chemo and many appointments have been hard and she is sick of them, but the thought of the surgery is hanging over her right now. They had planned on going to Door County next week but have opted to stay put over the Thanksgiving holiday. Surgery is scheduled for November 30th. She will be in the hospital 1-2 nights. Please pray that she will continue to look to Him with all of those worries and fears. And we know, in turn, He will replace them with the calm that transcends ALL understanding.

Some good news on how Rachel's body is holding up from the chemo: the peripheral neuropathy is mostly gone. It will take time for the fingernails to grow out healthy, but she can feel her scalp start to burn( a sign of impending hair regrowth) and she is even seeing some wispy hair begin to sprout (yeah!). I remember the hair loss was one of those first "tough" things, so this is good! Baby steps, baby steps. And just so you know, Rachel, you continue to look beautiful to us because you truly glow from the inside out!

Another piece of good news is the reports from all the teachers at conferences. The kids are all doing well at school, both keeping up with schoolwork and behaving. Better yet, each teacher said you would never know that each of them is going through a very difficult time at home. This is a HUGE Blessing! And a tribute to Mark and Rachel as parents, as well.

Some other positives in the coming months: Mark will be off work for over a month starting TODAY! Rachel's HONEY DO list includes painting the great room, kitchen and hallway. It will also be a good time for getting the house organized, more plumbing and maybe even putting a gutter on the house. Mark is looking forward to these projects, getting more sleep and also having more FAMILY TIME.

Speaking of Mark, I did get a chance to talk with him briefly. He amazes me with his energy and strength, but these are tough times for him as well. Because he is such a "doer", he mentioned that it was easier for him when they were putting together the initial plan of treatment, then doing the chemo and making a schedule for each step. But now it's the WAITING....hence, the title of this blog.

Coincidentally, as I sorted through our family's "week of papers", my daughter had left this poem from her small group on the counter. It just seemed to fit so perfectly to where Mark and Rachel are both at; I thought I'd share it with you:

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried.
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said, “Child, you must wait!”

“Wait?, you say, wait!” my indignant reply.
“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is Your hand shortened? Or have You not heard?
By faith I have asked, and am claiming Your Word.”
“My future and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and You tell me to wait?
I’m needing a ‘yes,’ a go-ahead sign...
Or even a ‘no’ to which I can resign.”

“And Lord, You promised that if we believe
We need but to ask, as we shall receive.
And Lord, I’ve been asking, and this is my cry:
I’m weary of asking! I need a reply!”

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again,
“You must wait.”

So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut
And grumbled to God, “So, I’m waiting…for what?”
He seemed then to kneel and His eyes wept with mine,
And He tenderly said, “I could give you a sign.

I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.
All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want…but, you wouldn’t know Me.”

“You’d not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You’d not know the power that I give to the faint;
You’d not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m there;
You’d not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence were all you could see.”

“You’d never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You’d know that I give and I save … (for a start),
But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart.”

The flow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that’s beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have last.”

“You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’
Your dreams for your loved ones overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss! if I lost what I’m doing in you!”

“So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me
And though oft may My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still, "Wait" - Author Unknown


In many ways, we are all "waiting" for different things at different times in our lives; it is simply part of being human, of loving others, of living in this fallen world. The waiting for Mark and Rachel has got to be so tough right now. So I ask that you please continue to COVER MARK AND RACHEL AND THEIR ENTIRE FAMILY IN PRAYER this coming week and a half before surgery….that they would enjoy their time together at Thanksgiving, that they would continue to count all of their blessings and know how much they are loved and most importantly, that the anxiety with the upcoming surgery would be replaced with the peace and calm that we can only find in GOING TO HIM FIRST!

I know they appreciate all of the support they have been given from so many, and esp the BCS family, which I feel so grateful to be a part of too.

I pray that we may all count our blessings this coming Thursday and each and every day beyond....

At last, the last chemo...

I play a silly game every time we go to the oncology office. While Rachel rides the elevator I try to beat her by taking the stairs. There are so many patients coming and going from the different clinics in the 10 story building, that it gives me a chance to try to get to the 9th floor before her. If we get a parking spot on the second floor, my odds of beating her are very low because after sprinting up more than 5 floors, I need to walk. Today the parking lot was very full so we parked on the 4th floor and I only had to run up 5 stories. I saw there were plenty of people waiting for elevators, so this was my chance and I took off immediately. I make it up huffing and puffing just in time to sit down in the waiting area and pretend I had been waiting a long time. Small victories and a reminder that it's time to get back in shape.

All my rushing to get Rachel to her appointment on time and racing up the stairs did little good. When we arrived at the clinic, we immediately noticed that no one was being called in for lab draws. We waited over an hour, only to find out that a new patient had passed out in the infusion area. Fortunately Rachel, who has mentally toughened after enduring 12 chemo treatments over 5 months, was not going to let another day pass until she was done with her 13th and final treatment proving the point that women are the tougher sex.

While we waited, her spirits were good - smiling, joking, and laughing with the staff. While we won't miss the chemo treatments themselves when they're over, we will miss some of the regular staff members we've gotten to know who have been a regular part of Rachel's care.

Finally, after a long wait for her lab work to return, the white count was normal and she was cleared for chemo. The good news is that the port was in good enough shape to use. This makes the infusion go a little quicker and is safer than using a vein in the arm. Everything was goign well until Rachel got up for a break and stepped on the IV line, pulling out the huber needle. This sure got the chemo nurse's attention quickly. Fortunately, at the time the line pulled out, it only had saline in it, so there was no major cleanup needed. Once the infusion was back on track, Rachel read her book, "The Life You've Always Wanted".

The day following the chemo Rachel wisely went to her parents' house to get some rest while a very large crew worked on our yard cleanup and window scraping - thanks to everyone who helped out. The peace and quiet at her parents' house allowed her to take a 5 hour nap. Then, due to all the commotion, I forgot to pick up her long-acting G-CSF (Neulasta) from the pharmacy before they closed, that I was supposed to give her on Sunday. (Of course they are closed on Sunday.) Fortunately, I had some extra syringes of the short-acting G-CSF (Neupogen) instead, then gave her the Neulasta on Monday when the pharmacy opened. It wasn't ideal, because it meant having to give her an additional injection.

Now Rachel is experiencing the difficult days of bone pain from the Neulasta and very low energy. However, the good news is her fingertips have mostly stopped hurting, the numbness is decreased, and hopefully by the end of this week her energy should start bouncing back.
People ask how I'm doing all the time. Day to day, I'm physically and emotionally tired. But in a way, the laundry, cleaning, kid's stuff, and chasing to appointments serves as a distraction from uncertainty. It gives me a false feeling of having some control over Rachel's well-being. For now, I feel like I'm doing something. I can spend hours pouring over medical journals, reading the current research, then collaborating with her doctors on the best course of action. Sometimes, I'm almost more concerned about when chemo, surgery and radiation are over. Then, when she is better, I won't have the constant busyness to distract me from the worry.

The surgery is scheduled for 11/30, right after Thanksgiving at St. Luke's Medical Center. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we are going to try to sneak away for a couple quiet days together in Door County to relax while hearing the waves crash on the beach.
Please pray for Rachel to recover her strength, avoid the cough and colds which are becoming more frequent this time of year and for her (and me) to continue to rely on Him for her strength. Matthew 6:34 - Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Blessed to be a Blessing!

(left) Mike Vander Vliet and his son Colin work at the Owens home on Saturday, October 29th. (right) Br. Dave of St. Ben's Community Meal receives over $500 from the B.Y.O.R (Bring Your Own Rake) event.

As the Owens family works to juggle family, school, church, work and medical responsibilites it can get a little (and sometimes a lot!) overwhelming. Since so many people at BCS, BCRC and elsewhere have asked how they can show their love and concern, we asked Mark if we could invite the community over for a fall clean-up and leaf raking party.

Members of our neighborhood small group,  immediately volunteered to make chili for the volunteers, gather tools, assign tasks, and help get the word out.

We also decided to use the opportunity to raise funds for St. Ben's in downtown Milwaukee. Those who were able, were asked to contribute $25 to the St. Ben's Community Meal where over 85 religious groups and organizations bring in hot, homemade food for the hungry, six nights a week. Some weeks they serve over 2,000 guests!

The weather report for Saturday had been cold & rain, but not on our parade! The sun shone & the temperature was perfect. Many volunteers from our group, others from the community, and a neighbor of the Owens'- under the capable direction of Paul Veldhouse & Derek VanderHeide- mowed, raked, pulled, planted, scraped, primed, edged, thinned, cleaned, fixed, sawed, weeded, clipped and hauled. Then we went across the street to the Owens' neighbors who were kind enough to let us use their driveway and yard for some great chili and desserts. It felt so good to be done early because so many people came over to help!

As Steve Baas said, “Normally you couldn’t get me to scrape paint for three hours with a gun to my head. But doing it in that community setting with so many folks joyfully pitching in actually made it a fun experience.”

Today's chemo that wasn't...

As we were driving to this mornings appointment Rachel commented how tired she felt thought her white count was going to be too low for chemo today. She has learned her body and how to gauge what's happening inside very well through this. The lab work confirmed Rachel's suspicion that the nagging effects of the chemo from 3 weeks ago have kept her white count just a bit too low for chemo today. Instead she received a dose of Neupogen(white blood cell stimulator) and was rescheduled for chemo on Friday this week instead. Her spirits are good, but as much as she didn't want the chemo today I think she did want to just get it over and done with. Please continue to pray for Rachel's encouragement.

Last Round

While life has certainly not returned to normal, Rachel has been able to get some organizing done around the house as the neuopathy in the hands and feet has improved quite a bit. The discontinuation of the Taxol and increasing the dose of the Cymbalta has helped a lot. Her white count was too low to give the F in-between the cycles of FAC. This required giving additional Neupogen(white blood cell stimulator). A minor skin infection cropped up while in Michigan, so she was put on an antibiotic. The infection is now better. The good news is the side effects of this chemo wore off after about a week, and since then she has had improved energy. You can tell the side effect of depression from the Taxol is gone, because we have enjoyed hearing the Rachel patented, machine-gun style laugh far more than before. Please pray for her for perseverance and strength as she receives her last round of chemo tomorrow morning. (10/26).

Our trip to Michigan was very relaxing. We experienced an apple brew pub, wind like we don't experience here, and beautiful sandy beaches - sand as fine as Mexico (only colder).

The kids were amazed when I told them they give you 10 cents for each aluminum can there. They wanted to know why didn't we bring a bunch from home to cash in.

We appreciate those who've organized the upcoming leaf-raking event (BYOR) at our house to benefit Milwaukee's St. Ben's Homeless shelter this Saturday, October 29th, 11am-1pm - it's a good reminder that we don't corner the market on life's sufferings. Thanks for all your prayers and support! Email me if you need more information about it.

Rounding 3rd

Sorry for taking so long between blog updates. It's been difficult to keep up with work and family life recently. Add on top of that some household projects and the blog goes by the wayside. Also, I apologize for any of you who have been receiving spam from my email address. I changed some settings which hopefully will stop the spam.

The Komen walk was a success with Rachel's Raiders raising a lot of money. Thank you for all that contributed and participated. There will be a separate blog post about the event.

The chemo has been very tough on Rachel's body but her spirit remains strong. On Wednesday this week, she saw the surgeon and the oncologist. Both agree that the cancer's response to the chemo has been great! They also agreed that the neuropathy was becoming severe enough even with a dose reduction of the Taxol to warrant changing the last few weeks of treatment to a different regimen. For the medical types out there she will receive 2 cycles of FAC (5-Fu, adriamycin,cytoxan) at 3 week intervals, with the F being given weekly in between. This combination leaves her feeling more exhausted and nauseated but the nausea is controlled and the side effects subside after 4 to 5 days. She will need to be more careful of spicy foods during this time because the F is known for causing mouth sores. A bit of good news is the port is in good enough condition to use and the infusions don't take very long with this type of chemo. One frustration has been fighting with the insurance company to get an MRI approved.
After a 3 week rest period from the last chemo she will have surgery. Right around November 16th. For those who want to see more about it, you can follow this link. For the others, I'll leave the details off the blog. Please pray for the medical team who will operate and for a smooth recovery.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/breast-cancer/radicalmastectomy.html


Some of the trivial things I have been doing around the house is to finish replacing the last of the old steel plumbing pipes in our house with copper and install a reverse osmosis water purifier. Brookfield well water isn't the greatest quality.

One good thing about having the taxol dose reduced was it left Rachel with enough energy to go on another field trip to the last regular season Brewer's game. She enjoyed going to Ye Olde School House with Sam and his class. Rachel has sustained herself by relying on her faith as her own strength falters. Spending a lot of time re-establishing life's priorities to what really matters. Seeing her grow has been truly inspirational. She has been enjoying a book Praying through Cancer. Here is one of the prayers found in the book...
Thank You, Jesus, for the incredible physical suffering that you were willing to undergo for me. Thank You that though You are God, You did not consider equality with God something to be clung to, but rather made Yourself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant as a human being. Thank You for humbling Yourself and becoming obedient to death-even death on a cross.
You tell me that as Your child and heir, I will share in Your sufferings in order that I may also share in Your glory. Help me consider my present sufferings as not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed.
I ask for the grace to grow in my understandings of what it means to identify with Your sufferings. Amen! Your daughter, Rachel

From middle school friend Kate....

Well that gorgeous smile of Rachel's didn't come easy - she had braces in junior high and had this kinda weird habit of sucking the saliva out of them mid sentence. So she'd be like, "They have hot chocolate chip cookies, schlurrrp, at lunch today." Or "Hey, Kate, schlurrrrp, can you believe how cute he is?" So prevalent was this trait with Rachel that to this day, when I talk to my parents about her, we always throw a "schlurrrrp" into the conversation. The only reason I don't feel like a total wiener sharing this is because I, too, had braces and also had to wear an ugly head gear at night. UGLY- like I named it "Esmerelda" ugly. So you weren't the only awkward teen, doll!
Not to paint an unfair portrait of Rachel's junior high days... in site of the schlurping, I thought she was extremely sophisticated. She had that bedroom on the first floor, which when you were in 8th grade is practically the equivalent of having a flat in Paris. And in that bedroom all the Jason Bateman you could handle. Posters and VCR tapes of his show were the staples. It was a classic young girl crush scene and part of my memory bank that I cherish. That wonderful world at your fingertips kind of feeling that was being young and free ( when you weren't grounded anyways) and full of hope. I love you dear, old friend. You are precious to me :) Love, Kate