HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!
IT'S TECHNICALLY A LITTLE LATE, BUT I HAVE NEVER BEEN ONE TO BE ON TIME ANYWAYS. HERE IS MY PRECIOUS NIECE EMMA, WHO IS CURRENTLY OBSESSED WITH EGGS...
NOT EATING THEM MIND YOU... JUST EGGS IN GENERAL. SHE JUST REALLY LOVES HER SOME EGGS!!!
AND HOW ABOUT' THEM VOLS!!! WOW. THAT GAME TODAY WAS UNBELIEVABLE!!! AND I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANYONE ELSE, BUT MY ENTIRE FAMILY REALLY THOUGHT THAT THE OFFICIATING CREW WAS TRYING TO GIVE BUTLER THE WIN WITHOUT QUESTION. IT WAS TERRIBLE!! AND THEN WHEN WE WERE IN OVERTIME, WE ALL COULD HAVE SWORN WE HAD 2 MORE POINTS THAN THE SCORE REFLECTED. WE STILL COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHY THERE WASN'T A 4 POINT LEAD IN INSTEAD OF THE 2 POINT LEAD THEY WERE SHOWING IN THE LAST 30 SECONDS OR SO. WE DECIDED THAT WE MUST HAVE MISSED SOMETHING, BUT THEY KEPT SWITCHING BACK TO THE DAVIDSON/ GEORGETOWN GAME (HOW ABOUT DAVIDSON, HUH??!) AND WE NEVER GOT ANY CLARIFICATION. BUT NOW IT'S LOUISVILLE'S TURN TO FACE THE BIG ORANGE, AND ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US IN VOLUNTEER COUNTRY FOR BOTH THE UT MEN AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAMS, I SAY...
WE HAD SO MUCH TODAY THOUGH!! I WATCHED THE GAME WITH MY PARENTS, BROTHER, NIECE & NEPHEW AND WE WERE ALL CHEERING LIKE CRAZY AND PACING LIKE MANIACS TOWARDS THE END OF THE GAME!! NOT EMMA, OF COURSE, AS HER NEW FAVORITE SAYING IS "CALM DOWN!!!" WHICH SHE SHRIEKS EVERY CHANCE SHE GETS, EVEN WHEN WE WERE ACTUALLY CALM. IT WAS HILARIOUS!! WE JUST HAD A WONDERFUL DAY, AND AN AWESOME FAMILY WEEKEND REALLY. DADDY LEAVES FOR HOUSTON TOMORROW, AND HE AND MOM ARE NOT SURE WHEN THEY WILL BE GETTING BACK. HE GAVE ME A BIG HUG THAT LASTED FOREVER BEFORE I LEFT THEIR HOUSE TONIGHT WHICH REALLY MADE IT ALL SINK IN. IT WAS SO MUCH HARDER THAN I THOUGHT TO SAY GOODBYE. WE TOOK A PRE-TREATMENT PHOTO OF THE PAPA BEAR TODAY. HE IS SUCH A CHEESEBALL!! I GIVE YOU EXHIBIT A...
HAHA :-)
WE ARE HOPING HE WILL LOOK THE EXACT SAME WHEN WE ALL SEE HIM NEXT AND WILL LOOK THE SAME THROUGHOUT HIS TREATMENT, ALTHOUGH THIS IS IN ALL LIKELIHOOD WISHFUL THINKING. WE JUST WANT HIM WELL AGAIN EVEN THOUGH THIS WILL BE A LIFELONG ORDEAL. WE JUST WANT HIM STABLE, WITH NO LEUKEMIA IN HIS BODY AT ALL. AND WE WANT IT TO STAY THAT WAY.
I COULD TELL WHEN ME AND MY BROTHER (AND HIS MINI-HE'S) WERE HUGGING HIM GOODBYE THAT HE WAS NERVOUS AND A LITTLE SCARED. THAT MIGHT BE THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER SEEN MY DADDY NERVOUS AND SCARED IN ALL MY 32 YEARS. IT WAS A BIT JARRING TO BE HONEST. BUT WE AGREED THAT HE WOULD GO OUT TO HOUSTON AND JUST KICK CANCER'S ASS, AND WE SHOOK ON IT SO IT'S OFFICIALLY A DEAL. AND I AM REALLY PLACING MY HOPE IN GOD THAT HE HELPS DADDY KEEP HIS END OF THE BARGAIN.
SO HE BEGINS TESTING FOR TREATMENT ON TUESDAY. I KNOW THIS IS THE BEST FACILITY IN THE COUNTRY BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT WORRY A LITTLE THAT THEY WILL DEEM HIM A MATCH FOR TASIGNA BECAUSE THEY HAVE A CLINICAL TRIAL GOING ON, EVEN IF THAT IS NOT HIS BEST OPTION. AS I HAVE SAID EARLIER, THE TASIGNA IS A NEWER DRUG WITH GREAT RESULTS, BUT THERE IS SUCH A STRONG WARNING ABOUT HEART PROBLEMS AND SUDDEN DEATH WHILE ON THE DRUG THAT I HOPE THEY ALL TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION BEFORE JUST PUTTING HIM ON IT. IT'S USUALLY PRESCIBED TO THOSE WHO ARE RESISTANT TO GLEEVEC, AND DADDY HASN'T EVEN BEEN ON GLEEVEC. IF YOU TAKE GLEEVEC AND IT IS NOT EFFECTIVE THAN YOU TAKE TASIGNA. IF YOU TAKE TASIGNA AND IT IS NOT EFFECTIVE THAN YOU CANNOT GO BACK AND TRY GLEEVEC. YOU HAVE TO GO FORWARD TO A MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE FORM OF TREATMENT. THE MORE I READ ABOUT TASIGNA AND IT'S SIDE EFFECTS ON THE HEART THE MORE NERVOUS I GET. I TRUST THAT THE DOCTORS AT M.D. ANDERSON WILL EXHAUST ALL OPTIONS TO MAKE SURE HE IS A PROPER CANDIDATE FOR TASIGNA, BUT IT MAKES ME NERVOUS. PLUS DADDY'S ONCOLOGIST, WHO WE LOVE, IS MOVING TO FLORIDA. THAT SUCKS BECAUSE WE REALLY LIKE HIM AND ARE COMFORTABLE WITH HIM AND NOW DAD WILL HAVE TO SWITCH LOCAL ONCOLOGISTS.
REGARDLESS, THIS IS GOING TO BE A TOUGH WEEK FOR BOTH MY PARENTS SO PLEASE KEEP THEM IN YOUR THOUGHTS. I WILL KEEP YOU ALL POSTED WITH ANY UPDATES I GET.
THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!
LOVE,
ALYSON
IT'S TECHNICALLY A LITTLE LATE, BUT I HAVE NEVER BEEN ONE TO BE ON TIME ANYWAYS. HERE IS MY PRECIOUS NIECE EMMA, WHO IS CURRENTLY OBSESSED WITH EGGS...
NOT EATING THEM MIND YOU... JUST EGGS IN GENERAL. SHE JUST REALLY LOVES HER SOME EGGS!!!
AND HOW ABOUT' THEM VOLS!!! WOW. THAT GAME TODAY WAS UNBELIEVABLE!!! AND I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ANYONE ELSE, BUT MY ENTIRE FAMILY REALLY THOUGHT THAT THE OFFICIATING CREW WAS TRYING TO GIVE BUTLER THE WIN WITHOUT QUESTION. IT WAS TERRIBLE!! AND THEN WHEN WE WERE IN OVERTIME, WE ALL COULD HAVE SWORN WE HAD 2 MORE POINTS THAN THE SCORE REFLECTED. WE STILL COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHY THERE WASN'T A 4 POINT LEAD IN INSTEAD OF THE 2 POINT LEAD THEY WERE SHOWING IN THE LAST 30 SECONDS OR SO. WE DECIDED THAT WE MUST HAVE MISSED SOMETHING, BUT THEY KEPT SWITCHING BACK TO THE DAVIDSON/ GEORGETOWN GAME (HOW ABOUT DAVIDSON, HUH??!) AND WE NEVER GOT ANY CLARIFICATION. BUT NOW IT'S LOUISVILLE'S TURN TO FACE THE BIG ORANGE, AND ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US IN VOLUNTEER COUNTRY FOR BOTH THE UT MEN AND WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAMS, I SAY...
WE HAD SO MUCH TODAY THOUGH!! I WATCHED THE GAME WITH MY PARENTS, BROTHER, NIECE & NEPHEW AND WE WERE ALL CHEERING LIKE CRAZY AND PACING LIKE MANIACS TOWARDS THE END OF THE GAME!! NOT EMMA, OF COURSE, AS HER NEW FAVORITE SAYING IS "CALM DOWN!!!" WHICH SHE SHRIEKS EVERY CHANCE SHE GETS, EVEN WHEN WE WERE ACTUALLY CALM. IT WAS HILARIOUS!! WE JUST HAD A WONDERFUL DAY, AND AN AWESOME FAMILY WEEKEND REALLY. DADDY LEAVES FOR HOUSTON TOMORROW, AND HE AND MOM ARE NOT SURE WHEN THEY WILL BE GETTING BACK. HE GAVE ME A BIG HUG THAT LASTED FOREVER BEFORE I LEFT THEIR HOUSE TONIGHT WHICH REALLY MADE IT ALL SINK IN. IT WAS SO MUCH HARDER THAN I THOUGHT TO SAY GOODBYE. WE TOOK A PRE-TREATMENT PHOTO OF THE PAPA BEAR TODAY. HE IS SUCH A CHEESEBALL!! I GIVE YOU EXHIBIT A...
HAHA :-)
WE ARE HOPING HE WILL LOOK THE EXACT SAME WHEN WE ALL SEE HIM NEXT AND WILL LOOK THE SAME THROUGHOUT HIS TREATMENT, ALTHOUGH THIS IS IN ALL LIKELIHOOD WISHFUL THINKING. WE JUST WANT HIM WELL AGAIN EVEN THOUGH THIS WILL BE A LIFELONG ORDEAL. WE JUST WANT HIM STABLE, WITH NO LEUKEMIA IN HIS BODY AT ALL. AND WE WANT IT TO STAY THAT WAY.
I COULD TELL WHEN ME AND MY BROTHER (AND HIS MINI-HE'S) WERE HUGGING HIM GOODBYE THAT HE WAS NERVOUS AND A LITTLE SCARED. THAT MIGHT BE THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER SEEN MY DADDY NERVOUS AND SCARED IN ALL MY 32 YEARS. IT WAS A BIT JARRING TO BE HONEST. BUT WE AGREED THAT HE WOULD GO OUT TO HOUSTON AND JUST KICK CANCER'S ASS, AND WE SHOOK ON IT SO IT'S OFFICIALLY A DEAL. AND I AM REALLY PLACING MY HOPE IN GOD THAT HE HELPS DADDY KEEP HIS END OF THE BARGAIN.
SO HE BEGINS TESTING FOR TREATMENT ON TUESDAY. I KNOW THIS IS THE BEST FACILITY IN THE COUNTRY BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT WORRY A LITTLE THAT THEY WILL DEEM HIM A MATCH FOR TASIGNA BECAUSE THEY HAVE A CLINICAL TRIAL GOING ON, EVEN IF THAT IS NOT HIS BEST OPTION. AS I HAVE SAID EARLIER, THE TASIGNA IS A NEWER DRUG WITH GREAT RESULTS, BUT THERE IS SUCH A STRONG WARNING ABOUT HEART PROBLEMS AND SUDDEN DEATH WHILE ON THE DRUG THAT I HOPE THEY ALL TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION BEFORE JUST PUTTING HIM ON IT. IT'S USUALLY PRESCIBED TO THOSE WHO ARE RESISTANT TO GLEEVEC, AND DADDY HASN'T EVEN BEEN ON GLEEVEC. IF YOU TAKE GLEEVEC AND IT IS NOT EFFECTIVE THAN YOU TAKE TASIGNA. IF YOU TAKE TASIGNA AND IT IS NOT EFFECTIVE THAN YOU CANNOT GO BACK AND TRY GLEEVEC. YOU HAVE TO GO FORWARD TO A MUCH MORE AGGRESSIVE FORM OF TREATMENT. THE MORE I READ ABOUT TASIGNA AND IT'S SIDE EFFECTS ON THE HEART THE MORE NERVOUS I GET. I TRUST THAT THE DOCTORS AT M.D. ANDERSON WILL EXHAUST ALL OPTIONS TO MAKE SURE HE IS A PROPER CANDIDATE FOR TASIGNA, BUT IT MAKES ME NERVOUS. PLUS DADDY'S ONCOLOGIST, WHO WE LOVE, IS MOVING TO FLORIDA. THAT SUCKS BECAUSE WE REALLY LIKE HIM AND ARE COMFORTABLE WITH HIM AND NOW DAD WILL HAVE TO SWITCH LOCAL ONCOLOGISTS.
REGARDLESS, THIS IS GOING TO BE A TOUGH WEEK FOR BOTH MY PARENTS SO PLEASE KEEP THEM IN YOUR THOUGHTS. I WILL KEEP YOU ALL POSTED WITH ANY UPDATES I GET.
THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!
LOVE,
ALYSON
