Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!!!

Col 3:15 Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness.

Thank you just isn't enough. Janis' cancer crop was a great success. There were tons of participants (I realize not necessarily a great choice of descriptors when all that attended were women, but will take my chances). Thank you to all who participated, donated, stopped by, helped out, organized it... Thank you so much.

THANK YOU!

What a week! -glad its over.

Ecc 1:11 Nobody remembers what happened yesterday. And the things that will happen tomorrow? Nobody'll remember them either. Don't count on being remembered.

Been a while since the last entry. This was a tougher than normal week by our recent standards. Part of it was just a normal life happening with a couple boys going to school, playing basketball, etc...another part was the chemo and the reaction to that....and part of it was adding on a sick kid at the beginning of last week. I really was feeling overwhelmed, smothered last week....apparently getting through this cancer stuff isn't going to be easy.


Thanks to all that is continuing to pray for us and help us through with meals, support, hitting me with the racketball...after making it through a week like that, I am encouraged more than ever that we will make it through the weeks ahead.

Chemo -Treatment 3

Janis had her third chemo treatment today. Unfortunately, this is becoming routine. Now that we are into this cycle, its pretty predictable how she will be and how the medicines are affecting her. Janis is taking a TCH treatment along with a shot of Neulasta to boost the white blood cells. The first cycle, due to the floods, she didn't get the neulasta until the following week. Janis had a pretty good weekend (I couldn't hardly keep up with her) The second cycle she had the shot along with all the other medicine and she pretty much was wiped out with flu-like symptoms all weekend. With all the events going on this weekend (Hayden has 3 BBALL games and the cancer crop) she wanted to put her in the best chance to be able to attend as much of the festivities as she can so she decided against the neulasta until next week. Well that plan seems to have worked...but this time, her blood work indicated she is a bit anemic...so instead of a shot to boost the white blood cells, she received a shot to boost her red blood cells. Anyone want to guess at what the side-affects are for this shot? Please answer in the form of a question....What are flu-like symptoms? Yes, you guessed it. So far, so good as the flu-like symptoms haven't hit quite yet. Janis, went down to the school to see if there was any help needed so we dropped her off and came back and played some video games.

I said to Janis today, after the appointment, that its half time....3 down, 3 to go....she said she won't call it half time until she gets thru the first week that has been giving her the most trouble with the nausea.

Crop out Cancer January 19th

Janis' friends are putting together a fund raiser for cancer related medical expenses. Here are the details;

The Janis Dobyns Cancer Fundraising Crop will be on Saturday, January 19th from 9am to 9pm at the Centralia Christian School. For $30, people receive a light breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as table space to work on whatever craft project they would like to bring. Stefanie Wahl is organizing the event with the help of Janis's Scrapbooking Club. For more information about the event, call 748-3906 or 748-8734.

Also, email: mailto:dobynsteammom@yahoo.com

Happy New Year!!!!

Brooks Atkinson-"Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go."

What a year 2007 has been. Let's repeat that one more time....What a year 2007 has been. Talk about starting out with an understatement.

While sitting in church Sunday with just my boys while my wife was at home as a result of the reactions to the chemo, listening to Pastor speak about looking back at 2007, I found myself pretty angry, upset, flat-out mad. Look back at 2007-are you kidding me? No way I want to look back on that year. From here and forever more 2007 will be the year that which will not be mentioned....All my time-lines go from December 2006 to January 2008....there is no 2007...

After a few moments to pause and reflect I was able to reconsider. While we experienced some of the lowest lows, I can honestly say we have also experienced some of the highest hi's (yes, Janis got some good dope after her surgery and no, am not talking about that). 2007 has strengthened our faith, our marriage, our relationship with our kids, our friends, our church, and the support we continue to receive perpetually strengthens and lifts us up.

As crazy as it is to say.....I know that we have a long way to go but maybe 2007 wasn't so bad afterall?!!??!?

Chemo -Treatment 2

Took Janis in for chemo treatment 2 today. Part of the schedule today in addition to the chemo was a consultation with the Dr. He had some interesting news from his big breast cancer convention he recently attended (over 8,000 Drs from 70 countries). The treatment that Janis is receiving for her type of cancer has proven VERY successful....good to hear that again and be reinforced that the cancer she has is being treated correctly and we have every reason to expect good results.

The Dr. even mentioned that there is a possibility that Janis could have less symptoms from this treatment than the previous one....won't hold my breath on that one. She is really anxious for the first week after treatment starting about 2 days after as that was the worst time for her last week...fortunately, we have the holiday to help with all this.

Thanks again for the prayers and the support and the meals and the hugs, and....etc...much appreciated. Will keep y'all posted on how this round goes.

It's only hair...right?!?!

As the title suggests, things have changed around here lately. Ever since we found out the chemo treatment, we have been trying to prepare for this day when the decision would be made to shave Janis' head. The Dr's were certain that 2.5 weeks after the first chemo treatment of taxotere, Janis would lose her hair. Was never a matter of if, but a matter of when. The last few mornings, as Janis would get ready, it was pretty tough for her and each day things were getting worse...just more and more hair coming out with each attempt to make up her hair.

We spent a pretty typical Christmas eve with family having a great time...all the while, pretty certain at the end of the evening, we would be breaking out the clippers. After everyone left, we ended up watching Christmas vacation and wrapping up Santa's presents to the kids, talked about the inevitable and finally decided to do it.

As a husband, there really is very little that will prepare you for shaving your wife's head. Not something that is a lot of fun.

Janis has continued with her amazing spirit and this evening, as we were getting ready to watch Pirates of the Caribean 3, as she was wearing her bandana, she told the kids its pirate night and to dress accordingly.