Sometimes a HALF is just as good as the WHOLE!

Especially when it comes to Birthdays! HAPPY HALF-BIRTHDAY (yesterday) Sheri!!

Why only celebrate things once, when you can celebrate them twice!? And, considering all that Sheri is going through with stupid, dumb, evil, nasty (insert descriptive word of choice) Cancer Schmancer, at least there will be little things, and some BIG things (...like 34 1/2...) to celebrate along the way.

Party like it's 2008...BECAUSE IT IS!

Wasted numbing cream...

Yesterday was Sheri's appointment for her 2nd session of Chemo. With her numbing cream slathered over her port, in preparation for her treatment, the nurse poked an IV-ish looking devise into Sheri's port as though he was pushing a thumbtack into a corkboard. Sheri says she didn't feel a thing...thank goodness for numbing cream.

...Side note: I (Brigitte) went with Sheri for her treatment. I was so excited to be there to provide some conversation and entertainment -- but, I have to admit that as soon as the nurse did the poking thing I got pretty lightheaded and didn't feel like I could provide much support. I'm not sure I'll be invited back for future Chemo treatments.

After drawing a couple viles of blood, Sheri waited to meet with the doctor. The wait seemed a little long...and then, finally, a doctor came in. He started off with something along the lines of, "This isn't unusual..." and then proceeded to inform Sheri that her white blood cells are only in the 200s! They need to be in the 600s in order to get treatment. BUG-O-LA!!

So, long story short, the much-anticipated (or something like that) 2nd session of Chemotherapy will not take place until NEXT Monday! Pray for white blood cells and for all sick people to steer-clear of Sheri!

The good news is: Sheri and Shane had a GREAT time on their honeymoon, and now they have another week before Sheri will be sick and tired (darn side-effects of Chemo) from her next treatment. See! There's always a sunny-side to every situation!

Something Old...

...something new, something borrowed, something blue!

Old: Sheri and Shane (according to the Mormon culture average age for getting married)

New: Sheri's last name -- it's now Glover!

Borrowed: hmmm...I can't think of anything that was borrowed. Oh well!

Blue: The sky!!

So...Sheri and Shane are officially married. The day couldn't have gone better! The minute they both walked out of the Temple together the sky was completely BLUE.

What more could they have asked for?

Oh, I'll tell you what more they could have asked for...and, exactly what they got:

A perfect wedding time, 1:40pm (not too early, not too late.) A wedding dress that was so gorgeous it made Sheri shine (and made Shane's face light up the second that he saw her.) The perfect decor for their reception (Jennifer did an amazing job with the centerpieces placed on each table.) Fabulous flowers! Scrumptious food and desserts (of which Sheri's nieces and nephews could not help but continue to sneak more and more of...) A beautiful, square, 4-tiered cake (it not only looked good, it tasted a lot like chocolate heaven!) The cutest nieces and nephews, all dressed up in matching outfits and huge smiles for the big day! And, on top of all of that, they were blessed enough to celebrate their special day with tons of cherished friends and family!!

At 8pm the reception came to an end and we sent the couple off on their honeymoon. Are we supposed to keep it a secret where they went? Hmmm... Well, they aren't here to answer that question, so if you can keep a secret I'll tell you. No....I'm serious...you can't tell anyone! Okay....Orlando! Don't try to hunt them down, or I'll be in A LOT of trouble I'm sure. I hope they are now enjoying a little R&R, a lot of SUNSHINE, and a fun beginning to a happy life together!

Now, before you get mad that I didn't add any pictures, I PROMISE I will attach them tonight. It's just that I'm at work (don't tell my employers I typed all of this "on the clock") and the pictures are at home. But, I had a few minutes so I thought I should at least update the blog. So, again, I promise if you check back later tonight you will see a few pics of Sheri and Shane on their first day as Mr. & Mrs. Glover!

One down...11 to go!

Sheri had her first Chemotherapy on Friday. Jennifer, her oldest sister, went with her -- as she basically just sits in a recliner for 3 hours while they dispense the drugs through her Port. I'm sure it can get pretty boring. Hence, Sheri invited Jennifer along for entertainment...and, of course, support! They passed the time munching on Wheat Thins and M&Ms!

Sheri was pretty nervous -- as we all would be -- which made her blood pressure a bit off the charts. Now that the first session is over, and she knows what to expect, I'm sure her blood pressure will be a bit more normal...hopefully!

Funny story from Jennifer: The nurse weighed Sheri before taking her back to the treatment room, and as the nurse recorded the weight and Sheri stepped off the scale, the nurse said, "Okay. I weighed that in High School. Follow me." Too funny!!

The doctor said that she should start feeling side-effects from the Chemo within 24-72 hours. So far, Sheri has felt waves of nausea and is a little tired, but other than that she feels pretty good! Now, if only the side-effects are this minimal throughout the whole 12 sessions. Fingers crossed!

Okay, everybody, drumroll please... One week from today Sheri and Shane will be married! Yep! It will be official. It's the final countdown. And, personally, I cannot believe how quickly it has come. I guess the Cancer Schmancer helped fill the time and make it fly by. Thank you cancer? Um...not sure.

#1 on Sheri's To do List: Final preparations for the wedding!!!!!!! (yes, 7 exclamation marks -- 'cause 7 is a lucky number)

The Port

This past Tuesday Sheri had her Port implanted. OUCH! She was apparently NOT properly prepared for the procedure. The surgeon said that it would just take a couple of hours and that she should be ready to go back to work by the next day.

Uh...more than a couple of hours and not quite as SIMPLE as explained. In fact, Sheri told Dr. Harker today that she would choose to have the neck biopsy, PET Scan, and Bone Marrow test all in the same day, over having a Port implanted again!! However, she knows once it stops hurting it will be worth having. At least now her arms can heal from all the poking they have done these last few weeks. They were able to implant the port below her wedding dress line. YEAH for caring doctors!

Eliza, Sheri's niece who is currently going through cancer as well, called Sheri the other night to see how she was feeling. She asked Sheri if she got her Port in. And then asked if it hurt. Sheri said yes, and then asked Eliza if it hurt when she had her's put in. Eliza responded by saying, "I don't remember!" It has been a while and she is only 5! Next, Avery, Eliza's younger sister, gets on the phone and asks Sheri the exact same questions that Eliza had asked. Smart little girl!!

First session of Chemo is next week on the 15th. Happy Day-After Valentines Day to Sheri!!

# 1 on Sheri's To-Do List for this week: Enjoy 6 days off with absolutely ZERO doctors appointments!

Sheri SURVIVED...

...the week of TESTS!!

As you may recall from a couple of posts-ago, Sheri had a full-schedule of tests this past week. All of the tests were routine for getting started on the path-to-recovery. But(t)...pun intended...the bone-marrow test was the one that left the most lasting effects. I was laughing the other night when Sheri tried to stand up from a chair and then sit back down on my couch. Okay -- not laughing out loud, but it was almost like watching a fully-pregnant lady try to move from seat to seat. In fact, I thought for a second that she was Lori (Sheri's sister who is about to give birth any day now...)

The results of these tests will not be available until next Friday, and then will be used as a baseline to see how Sheri responds to the Chemotherapy. So, basically, they will retest after her treatments to assure that she is progressing toward the ridding of the nasty cancer!!

This Tuesday Sheri will have her port implanted. Let's remember, that although it does not sound fun to have anything IMPLANTED into your body, this port will make Chemotherapy a "one-poke" experience per session. Yes -- that's a good thing!

On the last wedding-dress fitting, I pulled out my pen (I refrained from using a Sharpie) and marked the neckline of Sheri's dress. So, her surgeon has agreed to work around the marked-boundaries necessary so that Sheri can still be the beautiful bride she has always dreamt she would be. And believe me -- everyone is going to find her stunning in the dress she has chosen. Seriously!!

The Chemo Class on Wednesday night was very INFORMATIVE and very OVERWHELMING! Sheri said her head was spinning with all of the information given. They went over ALL of the possible side-effects. And, all Sheri could think about was going to the store to stock-up on all of the necessary drugs to combat the side-effects mentioned. Ugh!

Sheri's sister Christy was up last weekend and she had a t-shirt made for Sheri. Since Christy's daughter, Eliza, has Leukemia, she thought it appropriate that they got a picture together! Thanks Christy, you would know that cancer really does suck!

My Overwhelming week!

Here I am. I didn’t want anyone to think I haven’t been looking and reading this blog because I have…constantly. The only way I can describe this last week is overwhelming. That’s the word that keeps coming to mind. However, it has been both good and bad.

Bad…obviously no one wants to hear they have cancer…and then 5 weeks before you get married?? Wow…who knew.

Good…who knew I had so many people that loved and cared about me. It has been amazing to me all the comments, emails, phone calls, prayers and service that have already been given to me on my behalf. That’s the good part of overwhelming.

Good…Of course Shane!! Wow, what would I do without him this week, he has been my strength and support through all of this. He lets me cry when I want to and then makes me laugh and takes my mind off of it all when I need it. Thanks sweetie, I love you and am so grateful you are in my life right now and forever!

Good…My family. I have a very close family and I think they have taken this news as hard as I have. I have a niece that is just finishing up her Leukemia treatments so we thought for sure 2008 was going to be a great year. It still is but just a little harder. They have been there for me and have given me great encouragement.

Good…Brigitte for setting up this blog and passing out information to everyone. It has become easier for me to talk about this whole ordeal but wasn’t in the beginning. But this blog has been such a blessing to get the updates out to all of you that care.

If I don’t respond to every email and phone call please understand. It’s not that I don’t want to hear from you, because I do but this week in particular has been nothing but doctors, and recovering from my surgery. I appreciate and have read every single post on this blog and emails and phone calls to me and my family. They pass along every message.

Lastly I just want to say that yes I am going to beat this. All the doctors have been very encouraging and that makes me stronger and more determined to do this and move on with life. I am grateful for the friends and family in my life as I will need you over the next several months. Keep posting and know that I love to hear from you.

Sheri

PS Yes the wedding is still on for February 23…YEAH!!!