UPDATE on Jeanie from 1-22-09

Yesterday's trip to the City of Hope has me doing some research on Angels today. Not the cute little cherubs or winged kind...but actual biblical-style Angels, which the actual translation for which is 'Messenger.' While my Mom was having her 3 biopsies done yesterday, my Dad, Rhonda and I had an interesting conversation on the subject which left me very compelled to read-up.

The City of Hope is the type of place where I would imagine angels/messengers would most certainly choose to be present. In the Women's Center, we sit among beautiful women in all stages of their personal battles with Cancer. Some have a quiet & serious way about them unsure of what is in their future, some are missing their hair from Chemo, and some are even being escorted in wheelchairs from the hospital wing for their checkup...but in all the sadness there is such peace there. There is no lack of a helping volunteer or kind smile from a perfect stranger. Yesterday was one of those days where we truly felt so blessed that Mom is being treated there.

We didn't know how long these biopsies were supposed to take and Dad began to feel uneasy after about 1 hour and 20 minutes. He decided he'd rather go back inside and wait inside the waiting room rather than be outside the building. Rhonda, Ruby and I decided to go with him and when we entered the busy waiting room, were delighted to find a lovely woman playing a harp. Most of you know what a sensitive baby Ruby is...she's scared of just about everything, even Fuzzy's basketball rolling slowly on the ground makes her cry. But I think I have the only baby in the world that's scared of a harp! As soon as I wheeled Ruby in her stroller into the room next to the harp being played so beautifully, she had a worried look on her face and started crying. I immediately wheeled her back out and talked to her about it. We watched the woman playing the harp through the large glass doors and decided to give it another try. I wheeled her back in, just a couple of feet from the harp and knelt down next to her so that our faces would be at the same level. The harpist immediately changed her song to 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider' which happens to be Ruby's VERY FAVORITE song! She was MUCH happier then. The harpist continued to go through a myriad of kid-friendly songs including, "I'm a little teapot" and "Somewhere over the Rainbow" which I sang along quietly with right in Ruby's ear. Ruby loved it so much that she sat still all of 10 minutes, which I think has to be some sort of record. :) Anyhow, this struck me as SUCH a loving act on the harpist's behalf. Can you imagine what a loving thing it would be to go and use the gift of peaceful music to comfort others during difficult times? The harpists that they have at the City of Hope are volunteers, as are many of the other 'Angels' we've run into there. I didn't get to thank the harpist personally because I wanted to whisk Ruby outta there when she started fussing, but I know my Dad and Rhonda both thanked her. I know that angels are often provided to give us comfort, and that if that woman wasn't an angel...she was certainly sent by God.

My Mom's procedure was still not done yet, so Rhonda and I decided to take Ruby to the Koi Pond & Rose garden while Dad waited inside. We finally got a call from Dad about 30 minutes later saying he asked the Nurse at the front desk to check on Mom and that there was still 30 more minutes of procedure left to go. We decided to head back that direction and wait with Dad. After visiting with him for a bit, we decided to go get the car because she should be out at any time and we wanted to bring the car to her. By the time we got Ruby all squared away and snug in her car seat, Dad called and said to head that direction. When we drove up to the Women's Center, Mom and Dad were standing out on the curb and she had a big smile on her face.

When she got in the truck I asked how she was doing and she said, 'GREAT!' while smiling. I asked if she was lying because I thought there was no way possible that she could actually feel 'great' after 2 hours & 45 minutes of biopsy-time. She confirmed that she really did feel very good and shared with us how great the experience was. She had a WONDERFUL nurse named Renee (yet another possible 'Angel' in our story) who was SO SWEET to her during the procedure. The doctor was also SO LOVING and would tell my Mom EVERY detail of what he was doing, if she would feel possible pinching or pulling and kept a constant communication with her about her pain level. He and the nurse would also touch Mom on the shoulder tenderly for encouragement throughout the process. Usually when multiple biopsies are being performed at one time, they give the patient a break in between, but Mom asked them to just go ahead and work straight through, which they were both very surprised at. Mom then told them the story of her visit with My Uncle Jim Gofourth and how it helped her so much (thanks, Uncle Jim!). He gave my Mom the perfect talk about what she was about to go through, and that when she is experiencing pain from the implements during the procedure, that she needed to focus on the fact that those tools are there to help her...and to welcome them into her body as a step towards being well. Isn't that a great way to think about things? It really helped her stay focused on the fact that this wasn't just a 'pain for no reason' type of thing. He also told my Mom that he knew she had the strength to be 'Cowboy tough' which she told the Doctor and Nurse. They loved the phrase so much they said they want to use it themselves. :) Mom certainly was Cowboy tough yesterday.

Mom had a lot of bleeding during the biopsy, and bruised terribly. When Mom began bruising, Renee was visibly shaken and apologized numerous times. She kept saying how sorry she was about the bruising and how sorry she was that they had to do that to her. She was SO PRECIOUS and caring towards my Mom. My Mom felt that same level of care from the Doctor too, and said he was attentive and caring to her just like the nurse was. Can you imagine that??? Not only are they such wonderful professionals, but they care about Mom's feelings and overall well being too. Mom shared with them her first biopsy experience in Ventura, which wasn't necessarily negative, she just didn't feel like the staff there had any interest in connecting with people...they were 'all business' as she put it. The City of Hope staff, once again went well above and beyond the call of duty.

Nurse Renee told my Mom that she was the best patient they'd ever had and gave my Mom a loot bag full of goodies. They told her not to show any of the other patients because no one else typically leaves there with a bunch of fun stuff (although I might add that Mom asked if she would get a balloon for being good halfway through the biopsy...haha!) . Nurse Renee loaded up Mom with a bunch of breast cancer awareness goodies in that bag as well as icepacks to aid in her comfort from the procedure...but the best thing she gave mom was peace of mind. When Mom was leaving, nurse Renee looked at her and said, "I see a lot here....YOU are going to be JUST FINE!" That was what my Mom really needed to hear.

Call them angels, messengers or just great people...I know that these individuals were sent to us by God. I could go on and on with examples of people who have gone out of their way and done something kind for us at the City of Hope. We are so blessed to be there.

We won't know anything about the biopsy results until Monday. What we are HOPING to hear is that the cancer further back near her chest wall is also the non-invasive type. Either way, she is still facing a very difficult surgery ahead. At this time, she is leaning slightly towards the Mastectomy option because she wouldn't have to have radiation or cancer drugs for 5 years following surgery. She is scheduled to meet with their plastic surgeon on the 29th to help give her the information she needs to make that decision.

Thanks again for your thoughts, prayers and encouragement! I will send another note to you when I know what the biopsy results are.

Take care,
Alissa