#GivingTuesday

As most of you know, it's #GivingTuesday. I am starting my fundraising campaign for The Samfund, which I think you all know is very near and dear to me.

I think you all know my story, so I don't want to bore you. I just want to touch lightly upon what I'm thankful for in my life, and why this organization is so important to me.

Cancer just plain sucks, but I'm thankful to be healthy. I've dealt with a lot of loss recently- and many unfortunate diagnoses among my friends and family within this past year. It's been really hard for me-being on this side.

I was forced to grow up fast when I was diagnosed, and that taught me to be thankful for every day. Last night I looked at my daughters and said to them that we're going to have ice cream sundaes. Tomorrow is never guaranteed, so I try to celebrate each and every day, and appreciate all of the things I have in life. I probably wouldn't be on the path that I am on right now if it wasn't for The Samfund. I am so thankful to have my Samfund family in my life- and that is why I choose them for my #GivingTuesday post :)

I will get back on point though, and tell you that I am thankful for The Samfund. I received my grant over 7 years ago (wow!), but my appreciation continues to grow every day. When I was at our Chicago fundraiser just two months ago, I got to hear stories from new alums who I had just met. I cherish all of the stories that have been shared with me- and makes me so proud of what I do for The Samfund. The grant changed my life, but the organization continues to humble me. That is why I am choosing to do this- because they just mean so much to me.

To quote a blog post I did for the Huffington Post a while back,

"Looking back, as hard as it was, between the weekly treatments, the painful shots, the hair-loss, and constant worry, I ended up growing more than I ever thought I would. Going through something so bad ended up bringing me something so good. It hasn't been easy, but I found my silver lining. The people I've met will be in my life forever, and the imprint The SAMFund has left on me has shaped who I am today. We all grow from our experiences. I became a different person. When life threw me cancer, I had no choice but to take every negative thought and throw it out. I put myself out there, found somewhere that I belonged, found somewhere that made me feel complete. I found my niche in life, and I couldn't be more proud of who I've become."

If it's not super obvious right now, I'm very passionate about The Samfund. I love giving to them- whether it be through donations, or having a fundraising event, or an online campaign- I want to give back. I know exactly how the young adults feel when they get that phone call. I want to be able to help give that to someone else- and I know exactly where the funds go that I am helping raise.

So, I am asking you to consider donating to my campaign. Every penny helps, no donation is too small. You can access my page by clicking here. I want to thank everyone who has donated in the past and supported everything that I do with The Samfund. Let's make this #GivingTuesday count!

PS-- every dollar raised through TODAY will be matched, up to $25,000! How amazing is that? Your donation will essentially be doubled. I think that is so great :)
Love xoxo

-k

Update on Dad-- Harvesting Process

Hello All-
Just a quick update. Dad is in the hospital right now, still at NWMH. He was admitted Monday morning to being the harvest process of his stem cells. Rewind back to earlier this weekend, he never ended up experiencing any of the harsh side effects from his 88 hour long chemo induction. He was tired, but luckilly, that was it! Unfortunately, he did experience the extreme bone pain from his Nuelasta shot, but it went away within one day. I was so relieved it was gone for him.

Anyway, he had to have a PICC Line put in (see photos below). They aren't able to do the harvest process through his port since it's only a "one-way", meaning the PICC Line will allow them to remove the blood & cells through one valve, and put the blood back in through the other. Think of the harvest process like dialysis. He's hooked up on a machine for a good chunk of the day having blood taken out, stem cells removed from it, and then blood put back in. I know he's feeling pretty exhausted from this. Thank goodness for iPads...

Yesterday, they were able to extract 9 million cells. Today we're hoping they can get the rest, he needs a total of 20 million extracted. If they are able to get the remainder, he will most likely get to come home tomorrow. He will also have the PICC Line removed. The next step is the actual transplant, which is still scheduled for February 10th. We want to thank everyone for your prayers and good thoughts! I will continue to update :)

xo
-k

Dad's new PICC Line

Dad having the PICC Line put in, a bedside procedure

The "harvesting process"

Update on Dad!

My dad came home from NWMH last Friday. Since then, he's been doing alright. He is mostly tired, and just resting and taking it easy. He was told that he will probably start feeling the effects of the 88 hour long chemo induction around today (or so). Meaning, he'll probably feel really lousy, exhausted, nauseous, etc. No fun- but, as of last night, he didn't feel any of that! He's hoping that since he's felt so good since then, maybe it won't get too bad. Even so, please keep him in your prayers. I remember that chemo nausea all too well, and it's not fun.

He received his Nueslasta shot a couple days ago. This is a shot that is given to him to help promote white blood cell production. White blood cells are produced in your bone marrow, therefore, he will probably get very sore (in his bones) from this. I was on Nuelasta too while I was sick, and honestly, that was the worst part for me.  The bone pain is pretty awful, fairly excruciating. I am hoping and praying that my dad doesn't have to feel any of that. So far, so good. I haven't talked to him today though, but again, please keep him in your thoughts. Starting Saturday, I believe he will have his self-administered Nuepogin shots (I think that's the drug). Again, to promote white blood cell growth. I imagine that'll cause some bone pain as well. Again though, he's been feeling pretty good despite all of this he's going through.

On a lighter note, he went to Banana Joe's (Joliet-Famous!) and got his head shaved! He's not completely bald, but I think it suits him. To me, it looks like he meant for it to be like that, not like he had to shave his head because of cancer. He thinks he needs a pork pie hat, he could slightly resemble Walter White, same initials and all. W.W. :)

I haven't gotten to see my dad yet since before he even went into the hospital. The girls and I have all been sick, so we couldn't risk it. His immune system is still recovering and he cannot be around anyone that is remotely sick. On Monday, he'll go back to NWMH to begin the "harvest" process. This can take anywhere from 1-4 days. Let's hope for one. This shouldn't be too painful, I believe it'll be a similar setup to a transfusion. They will just start harvesting his own cells in preparation for the transplant. I believe they will be harvesting enough for up to 4 transplants, but we hope that he'll only have to do this one. I will keep you all updated. Here's a pic of his new hair cut and a recent Face-Time photos.

Dad's new "do" 

Grumpa on Face-Time with his grandbabies :)

An update on my Dad

I wanted to write this to update everyone on what's going on with my dad. He was diagnosed with smoldering myeloma in 2013. I guess you can kind of consider it a pre-cancer to multiple myeloma, which is a type of blood cancer. He was going in for routine blood work and they discovered that his m-protein levels were way too high. Thank goodness for that blood work, as he had no symptoms. It was definitely scary, but luckily his doctor decided on a prophylactic chemotherapy regimen. He has been doing chemo for about a year now in hopes that it wouldn't progress to multiple myeloma.

Fast forward to the past couple months-- my dad was put on a new drug in his regimen (revlimid) because it did progress into multiple myeloma, stage 1. He went for a second opinion at Northwestern, and quickly switched over to an oncologist there who specifically treats for myeloma, along with an amazing team. She decided that it would be best to schedule a stem-cell transplant. Now, bear with me as I am typing this all from memory, and not from his actual paperwork. I may miss a few things in here. He continued on his regular scheduled chemo with the new added in drug, which made him very tired, and took a lot of his energy away from him. He continued on, very tired, but still, so positive! He was doing this all to prepare for what's going on now.

He went into Northwestern yesterday for a 5 day in-patient chemotherapy session. I don't know what else to call it? Basically, he's hooked up on his chemo drugs for 5 days. Each cycle takes 22 hours to be administered, and after 22 hours, they'll immediately hook up the next cycle, totaling 88 hours. He should be done and be able to go home on Friday. If anyone would like to visit, email, or text him, please email me at wimbiscusk@gmail.com and I will do my best to get that information to you.

When he gets out of the hospital on Friday, he will have some follow-up drugs at home, something that will boost his white blood cell count in the form of a self-administered shot, I believe. Then  in about two weeks, he will go back to NW to have his stem cells harvested for his autologous transplant (meaning, he is his own donor). So, from what I understand, this week long chemo is to "clean everything up" so get ready for the harvest. As of now, his transplant is scheduled for February 10th at NW in Chicago. It is a very invasive procedure, but his oncologist has said that he is an ideal candidate. He can be in the hospital anywhere from 10 days to one month after the transplant. I am not sure about visitors at that point- as his immune system will be compromised. I will definitely keep you all updated as things progress.

So far though, he was doing great. My dad seemed very tired, but he was doing good when the girls & I face-timed him last night. He has an amazing view of the lake, and his room looks very nice. He is equipped with every Apple product known to man so he can immerse himself into Netflix, Reading, Writing, Face Time, Silly Apps... or he can totally relax and enjoy the view.

Thank you everyone for your support and prayers. We ask that you continue to send your positive thoughts his and my mom's way.

Here are some of my face-time photos from last night :)

xo, k
*UPDATE* I missed this, but my mom said that when my dad gets home this weekend, his immune system will be very very weakened, therefore, he cannot be around anyone who is sick.

Dad at his "work station" :)

Babies facetiming with their Grumpa :)

Some of the drugs my dad is hooked up to

my dad's "million dollar view" :)

All I want for Christmas is...

I actually don't want or need anything for Christmas. I am thankful for all that I have, my family, my health & happiness. Honestly, as cheesy as it sounds, (I know I say this every year), but I want to help another young adult cancer survivor. Yes, that's what I want for Christmas. :) I know that everyone is used to me fundraising for The SAMFund, and I appreciate every single donation made to every campaign and event I've been a part of. It's no different this year-- this is what I am passionate about. I want to pay it forward, and will do for the rest of my life.  This year has been both one of the best and one of the hardest years of my life. I gave birth to my two beautiful twin daughters, Zoey & Abigail. Every single day I am thankful for them. I was blessed, and still am. They have been the two lights in my family's lives these past few months. We are all so blessed to have Zoey & Abigail in our lives because like I said, this year has also been very rough. I lost my grandmother to cancer this past spring, just a few short weeks after my babies were born. In the past year, I've lost two friends to cancer. In the past six months, my father has been diagnosed with cancer and is currently undergoing treatment and preparing for a possible stem cell transplant this January. It makes me hate cancer even more, which I didn't think was possible, but it is. I try to always look at the silver lining though. It obviously teaches us a lot, but for me personally, it also lights the fire even bigger. I now have been on both ends of the spectrum- both having cancer, and having my loved ones go through treatment. It's not easy. It never will be, but if I can help make the lives of a young adult survivor just a little easier, if I can help them move forward, then I know that I'm doing what I was meant to be doing with my life. I'm simply asking that during this time of giving, that you consider making a donation to my campaign. I am living proof of the impact that that money has on people. That money that you donate changes lives- it helps survivors pay their co-pays, their rent, their utilities, it helps with family planning options, insurance, among many other things. Survivors have gone through such a traumatic experience, let's help raise money that will in turn reduce their stress and help them move forward and take their lives back, back from cancer. If you would like to make a donation, you can find my campaign page here.

Thank you.

xo, k

Call for help!

#cancerisntfree

I saw one of my Facebook friends post something today that really resonated with me. She and her husband are looking to raise money to cover the cost of some additional testing she is in need of for her recent, and 4th diagnosis of Hodgkin's Lymphoma. As a Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor, my heart sank. I don't personally know Cayci- I met her via Facebook through the young adult cancer survivor community. Although I don't know her on a personal level, I still feel that connection that other cancer survivors feel. We can relate. I saw her post for her GoFundMe profile, and I immediately donated. I may not be able to donate anything substantial, but every penny counts. This brings me back to the day when I received my grant from The SAMFund to cover things like my residual medical bills (among many other things). Just the relief in that financial help was life-changing and helped me out more then anyone could ever know. I want to help give that same sense of relief to Cayci. I just wanted to quickly share Cayci's link- if you are in any position to donate- whether it be big or small- please consider. She didn't ask me to post this-- I just felt compelled to help out in any way that I possibly could. She is one of the sweetest, most caring people I've ever met. A cancer diagnosis is not fair- and especially when you find out it has come back for a fourth time. She has still remained so extremely positive, so let's help Cayci meet her goal so that she can see the specialist at the end of the month. Let's also send out some positive thoughts her way because she starts chemo this coming Monday. xo

To donate, click here.

-k

7 Years.

Today is my 7 year cancerversary. 7 years ago, today, was the first time I called myself cancer-free. Each year I've celebrated, and I look forward to adding more years onto this as my chance of recurrence lowers each year that I remain cancer-free. Back when I was diagnosed, I thought my life was ending. If someone told me that I'd have what I have now, I wouldn't believe them.

Since my treatment ended, I've gone for many post-treatment follow ups and scans, and I've dreaded each one of them--- I always assumed my cancer would come back- I wasn't used to my body working how it should have been, it had let me down. This is the FIRST time that I'm not scared. When I found out I was pregnant last October, the fear melted away. I never really told anyone I wanted kids because I assumed that when the time came that I decided I did, my body probably wouldn't work like it should. I am not a pessimist, but I was used to things not working out so great, health-wise, so I guess in that regard, I kind of am? or was? Anyway, when I found out I was pregnant, that was the greatest day. Finally, something was going right! Chris & I had wanted kids, but hadn't really been trying-- and then to find out we were expecting twins- how amazing! Twins don't really run in mine or Chris's families, so I knew it was a sign, that we were doubly blessed. From that moment on I stopped worrying. I realized quickly that the universe was taking care of me. I continued to have an amazingly healthy pregnancy- of course, all the symptoms :) But I didn't experience one complication, or hiccup due to being high-risk-- and I wasn't high-risk because of my cancer history, I was high-risk because I was carrying multiples. Finally, cancer left the picture. It didn't matter. I enjoyed every minute of being pregnant. I was so extremely blessed to have a healthy pregnancy, and carry my twin girls to exactly 37 weeks, delivering them naturally. I am so thankful every single day for them, that they're healthy, and that my little family is now complete. These girls took all the worry out of my life--- I haven't thought about my cancer coming back once since I found out I was having them. I know that my purpose in life is to be their momma, and I know that as cheesy as this sounds--- that it was my turn to have things work out, health-wise. My body made up for it, and I am so incredibly thankful. Today, on my 7 year cancerversary, I am not worried one bit. Instead, I am the happiest that I've ever been in my life, and so thankful for my beautiful babies, Zoey & Abigail, and of course, my wonderful husband, Chris.