Hi...made it home safe yesterday from Madison. Treatment went well and the pattern is the same...a little tired, a little nauseated, and little "discombobulated" is the only word I can think of. I think the "discombobulated" is because of the drugs for the nausea (dizzy, confused) - but it is a pattern of how things are after treatment so it is now "normal". So, I take things a little slower than usual. I went to Woodman's all by myself today - day after treatment and that's a biggee!!! I was tickled and so was Don (although I think had he gone instead of me, we would have gotten only the 3 things on the list, not the 8 bagfuls I came home with!!!).

I must tell you - this cancer thing is just the weirdest thing ever. I do not feel like I have cancer, I do not look like I have cancer, I do not act like I have cancer (except for the drugs and side-effects). It's just weird. So I am taking all this as a huge, HUGE blessing from God and giving Him thanks and praise. And hoping that I can remember His kindness to me if or when the "difficult days" our doctor spoke of come to pass. Not borrowing trouble, just me talking out the top of my head!

Have a great weekend...
Love,
Deb

Good morning...had a good afternoon & night, resting and reading a little. My mom & dad came up to sit with us yesterday and that was so nice. I hope it helped to take a little of the "scary factor" out of their lives just to see what the process is like, where I go, and the wonderful, wonderful nurses that care for me while I'm here. We had a little more Babcock ice cream in the morning while the drugs were running. My nurse came in and said "ice cream & chemo - a wonderful combination!" Then they took us to another new place to eat for lunch, though I can't remember the exact name - something about Dotty Dumplings - though it was a burger place...and very good. We had a nice time together.

Our appointment is at 10:00 this morning for the final "blasting" session this cycle. All is well...a little tired, a little nausea - but that is now "normal" and most manageable. Lord willing, we'll be home early this afternoon thereabouts.

Thank you so much for your prayers & concerns...they truly mean so much.

We thank God for sustaining, providing, comforting, and giving wisdom & guidance throughout.

Much love,
Don & Deb

Hello from Madison where it's warm & muggy...
Treatment has gone very well today. It was procedure as usual today...potassium and then chemo drugs (2) then more potassium. Tuesday's our long day...Wednesday & Thursday will be much shorter for administering the drugs.

We met with the doc (not our usual Dr. Rose, but another in the group we've met with before and like, Dr. Bailey). I am scheduled for a PETscan on Monday, August 16 with treatment following as usual on the 17th, 18th, and 19th - assuming all goes well with the PETscan. "Well" means that the scan will show, after this 3rd treatment has had time to do its thing, that the cancer is shrinking - is GONE too much to hope for??? - and remission is hopeful. He said the scan could show "no change" and in that case, we would keep on for another 3 cycles with another PETscan after that. The scan could also show that things have progressed or grown and in that case, we'll take a step back and look at what else can be done. He said that if the scan shows growth - not a good thing - even then, we are still in this "together", meaning that we will explore options together and they won't turn me out with a "have a good life, what's left" attitude.

I voiced my concern about the effectiveness of the chemo now since I have not lost my hair as expected. He said that we are not to gauge the effectiveness of the chemo on the inside of my body with what I see on the outside. Most people do, he said. But it is not an accurate test.

My "numbers" were good, though my blood pressure shot sky high just when they took it before giving me the "scull & crossbones" drugs (that's what I call the chemo stuff...comes with bright orange warning labels, nurses are suited up in protective garb...and they hang that stuff and run it into my IV...but we pray it's working!). However, when they took it early during the doc appointment, it was very normal. Just before they took it before the chemo, we had waited over 2 hours for the chemo appointment. When I went to check why so long, the receptionist said that I hadn't checked in - but I had, and with her! She just forgot to check me in...so by the time I got in for chemo, I guess I was stressed. I wasn't feeling that way particularly because we were visiting, but I was anxious about being next & getting started. And I hadn't eaten anything at all yet and it was nearly 11:00. So - to make a long, boring story come to an end, I ate lunch and "calmed down" and my blood pressure came right down to the normal range again. Good.

We had supper at Porky Pine Pete's BBQ. Very good...smoked pulled pork and smoked brisket...yumm! We also had smoked mashed sweet potatoes - that was excellent - and smoked chocolate chip cookies...very unique!!!

Oh - and earlier with lunch we had Babcock ice cream. Very good and creamy. See, we really come to Madison to eat; the chemo is just a guise to get us here!

All is well...very well. THANK YOU, FATHER!!!!!!!! The scriptures about dancing and praising God - that's us, except we're too tired to do much dancing on the outside. We ARE dancing on the inside!!!!!

Love you...
Don & Deb

Hello! I'm feeling much better and all set for cycle #3 to begin tomorrow. Our lab appointment is at 7:45 a.m. so we'll be on the road by 6, maybe a smidgen before that.

Thank you for your continued prayers and concern for us both and our families. We cannot thank you enough.

I'll write more again after we see the doc tomorrow...
With much love,
Don & Deb

Hi there...whew! What a week! We had a garage sale. No, let me rephrase that - Kurt & Jenn had a garage sale (here at our house) and I got to keep an eye on Livi (inside in the a/c) for most of the time. What fun! Garage sales are most unique, aren't they - and it's the people that stop by that really help pass the time and bring to light such humor. Don put out his mean-green-moped-machine. It's a little bit of a thing and makes a noise like a pesky mosquito when you're driving it. But he thought he'd sell it. This is the funny part - each man that looked at it had the same response - I'll go home and ask my wife. What? Really? A little moped and you're going home to ask your wife? This isn't a principle investment here. What did they think they're wives would say? Yes? One guy even came back - after asking his wife - and he said she told him he could spend $40 on the moped...Don was asking $100. Now here's the difference - I would have sold it for the $40 (don't you suppose the wife knew we wouldn't take the $40 so she was "safe" and didn't really have to say "no"...I would have sent him home with the moped on that alone!). Well, we still have the moped. Don hasn't ever "asked" to buy things - I'm not the principal, I'm his wife! I have learned, though, after 35-going-on-36 years of marriage that when he mentions buying a new car (not asking, just mentioning that he stopped to look at this car or that van, or this contraption...and getting that gleam in his eye...) NOW I say "go for it". I tell him that I think we need a new car and he should run right out and buy it. He says I take all the fun out of it!!! I still wish we'd have sold the moped to that young man!


Kurt & Jenn did a great job - and my dad was here the whole time, too. He's quite the salesman. Mom was here and brought homemade cinnamon rolls. (Really, the food is the reason we have a garage sale!!) Mia was trying to sell her stuffed animals and toys. She's saving for something special. It was fun to watch her learn from her dad & mom and grandpas how to "sell". She started greeting the customers, helping them look through her toys - especially if the customers had children with them. She got a little concerned when a couple people bought her toys for their dogs - that didn't seem quite right to her. How could I tell her that some people treat their pets better than their children? Anyway, she made a little money and was just thrilled - AND got rid of some of her stuff!


We are recuperating after the sale, trying to cool off from the hot, humid weather, and get ready for Madison on Tuesday. I've caught a little cold along the way and am feeling a bit under the weather, though still doing well. I'm just going to rest for the weekend and Monday.


We are welcoming our new preacher, Sherm Nichols, and his family this Sunday. They moved up here from Missouri earlier this week and we are looking forward to getting to know them and working alongside them for the Kingdom. They are precious folks who love the Lord and we are glad they're here. Welcome, Sherm & Carrie and Andy!

Take care...enjoy the week's end - and the week's beginning on Sunday.
Love to all,
Don & Deb

Hello! Someone asked me if I had to think about what I write or did it just come pouring out? With the exception of one blog, all I've written just "comes". The one that I had to work at, I ended up going back and re-doing it because it just didn't express what I was really thinking, it seemed "forced". I find it easy to just write what's in my head & on my heart and happening in our home...I have time to express our thoughts this way. Sometimes talking in person doesn't allow time or whatever to speak of the deeper-than-surface stuff. This is one of those blogs that I probably ought to take some time to think about - but again, I'm just typing away!!

I did something last night I haven't done in just about 35 years now. Nothing bad - and please, if this is part of your everyday life, please don't take offense. OK - here it is. I made Hamburger Helper for dinner. What's more - it tasted good and we will probably have it again!! Don't get me wrong - there is nothing wrong with HH...it's just, well, I'm a caterer of sorts. I have over 200 cookbooks & magazines to draw from, I have a pantry full of stuff, along with a freezer with stuff in it, ready to go and a brain overflowing with ideas! One time, right after a luncheon we catered, my dear friend and the host of the luncheon, Phil, came into the work kitchen, folded his arms across his chest, leaned against the counter, tummy full of beef tenderloin, stuffed pea pods, turtle truffle cheesecake, frozen chocolate crepes with caramel sauce & whipped cream (real, no less) and asked what we (Don & I) had for dinner the night before. I had been preparing all day the day before the luncheon and so for supper, poor Don, we had TV dinners. I was embarrassed to tell him, but I told him the truth and he just cracked up - a "juxtaposition" to be sure, he said. It was kind of embarrassing - you know what I mean...TV dinners? Well, in the cooking world, HH hovers right around the same playground as TV dinners (which we also like...and I used to hide them under my groceries in the cart lest a catering client might see me! I am WAY over the embarrassment these days. I hang out those TV dinners for the world to see, though I did turn the HH box face down in the cart). Like a tailor or a seamstress buying a dress at a mart-store, or a carpet cleaner having all wooden floors. It's just a little embarrassing and begs the question, so are you good at what you do? Do you enjoy it? Or is it just a job? My point is, for someone looking at our grocery cart or knowing what we had for supper, would they be able to tell that I'm a caterer? Not when it's full of prepared stuff like that.

For everyone - everyone - I come in contact with, can they tell by looking at my life on the outside that I am a Christian or is my life/being a Christian a "juxtaposition" of terms? I am ashamed to say that, no, not always has an outsider been able to see Christ clearly in my life (sometimes not even an insider!). Cancer has allowed me a long hard look at the package others see all the time - and of course, that leads to the heart of the matter. Am I pleasant? Helpful? Grouchy? Do I convey the love and hope of my Savior? Am I a "glory-child" of God's - giving Him the glory for His work - through good times and difficult - in my life. Am I obedient? Faithful? Though we are most grateful to the doctors & medical world for their God-given talents, abilities, and expertise, it is ultimately GOD that we give glory to for His unfathomable blessings. Like the TV dinners or the HH, I am embarrassed to say that I have not always been the best poster child for my King as I could be. I've lost my temper, I've spoken sharply to another, I've just plain sinned. We don't like to use that word, but that's what it is - that's what God calls it. But by the grace of God, He has forgiven me as His child - and now, now through this journey, as 1 Peter 1:7 says, "These have come (vs. 6 tells us what "these" are...trials of many kinds) so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

Truly, truly I have not/am not suffering grief as like that of the one that penned those words, Peter, or the rest of those in the New Testament I read of...Paul, Stephen...no, my suffering, the little bit of it, is by no means to the extent of theirs. But I cling to the end of vs. 7 - that my faith, of greater worth than gold, may be proved genuine and may result in PRAISE, GLORY, AND HONOR (not embarrassment) when Christ is revealed. Amen and amen.

No special recipe needed for HH, but I do have a recipe to share with you. A dear friend, Sandi Getter, brought this to a funeral luncheon one day. It was all the rage. Ladies were hovering around the salad, trying to figure out what was in it. It was so delicious. She was gracious enough to share it with us - thank you, Sandi. We had it a couple of Sunday night's ago at a church potluck and if you haven't tried this or your part of the country hasn't enjoyed this yet...double the recipe; you won't be sorry!

Sandi's Pretzel Salad
1 cup of broken pretzels (small ones work best)
1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 c. sugar

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
20 oz. crushed pineapple, drained
8 oz. Cool Whip

Mix broken pretzels, melted butter, and 1/2 c. sugar together and press into a greased 13x9" baking pan. Bake at 400* for 8 minutes. Stir when taken out of oven and stir several times while it cools to room temperature.

Mix the softened cream cheese and sugar together with a mixer. Add the pineapple and stir. Fold in Cool Whip. Refrigerate until serving time. Just before serving, stir in pretzel mixture.

Have a great weekend...
Love,
Debbie

P.S. I had some of the HH leftovers for breakfast...mighty tasty.

OK - don't laugh. That comment about "chemo brain"? I forgot to tell you what happened! Nothing big - I just couldn't figure out what time it was. I was looking at the clock on our kitchen wall trying to set Don's watch. He has two dials on his watch - one's got numbers like the old-fashioned watches and one is an inset digital thing. Well, I set the face to read 1:15 and the other to read 1:45. Both seemed right to me. I even called the time & temp. number - 1:15 the man said. Finally it dawned on me they weren't reading the same. So I changed the 1:15 to 1:45. At least now they were the same! Took me awhile to figure out that though they were the same - they were wrong. So much for the majority being right!!!!!!!

Hello! How are you? That may seem silly especially when I really don't know who I'm asking that to, but many loved ones come to mind as I'm typing away - and I do wonder how you are. Hope you are well...but that is relative, isn't it? Those that are heavenbound are "well" no matter what, right? Those that are not heavenbound are not well no matter what...until they are heavenbound!

This week has been much better than last. Energy has rebounded, nausea has basically disappeared, only the shortness of breath remains...sometimes I puff like the "little engine that could". And I've been useful!! I was back in the kitchen at church helping with a luncheon last week and oh, it felt so good!!!!

Chemo #3 begins on the 27th of July. It's an important cycle coming up, this next one. It's kind of the half-way point, for one thing. Originally, the doctor said 6 treatments, so if that schedule remains, then we're half-way. But it's important because there will be a PET scan - a full-body scan - after this treatment to confirm that the treatments are blasting away at the cancer cells and tumors. Of course, the test could show that the treatments are not. If the treatments are working, we will continue as we are - and hallelujah!!!!! If they are not working, then we will take another look at our options. There aren't many, to be most candid. Just so you know - and aren't taken by surprise (and please excuse my forthrightness...but this is just life and how it is...) one of our options is to do nothing - to discontinue treatments and simply live life for as long as God allows. That is something we considered in the beginning, but treatment offered hope of remission and so we pressed on - and believe you me, we WILL continue on! Should treatment no longer offer the hope of remission, we may just "live life". I say "we may" because I know that I do not have a death wish - I may just get very desperate to hang on to life for what I hope is much longer. We may participate in trial treatments, we may try different chemo drugs - just don't know at this point. Thank you for your prayers concerning all this...we just ask that we have wisdom to make decisions that ultimately will honor God and bring Him glory. I said to someone just the other day that I had just asked God to allow me more time here because there were things I still wanted to do and talents & abilities He has blessed me with that aren't used up yet! My gas tank still has fuel in it!!!

One of the side effects of chemo is something called "chemo brain". Have you heard of it? It's a "condition" that happens after having chemo where you forget, or worse yet, don't even know you're supposed to remember or haven't a clue what's going on. I think I had that before chemo even started!! Oh - and my hair...I still have my hair!! Can you believe it? On my head anyway - and that's most important. I haven't much hair left on my arms, though I still have eyebrows. I've tried a couple of scarves - I end up looking like a pirate. Or a gypsy - just need large gold hoop earrings and I'm all set. I haven't any talent in this scarf department.

Please continue to pray for Don. I woke up the other night to scurry to the bathroom and he was awake. He's never awake in the night. Never. Later that morning I asked him if he's awake much in the night and he said a little, usually around 4 or so. I asked him how come? He said he's just concerned about me and is praying. He keeps a lot inside, I know, but I was glad for his sharing this little insight into the burden he carries. Thank you for praying for him.

Well, I've rambled on enough. Thank you for your love and care, for your prayers, for your faithfulness to God that encourages us to be faithful, for your willingness to be used by God in so many ways right where you live and work. May God be pleased with the attitude of your heart and the tasks of your life - and if not, may you take a look anew and have the courage to make a change.

Love you,
Deb

Hi y'all...just a quick note this afternoon...we spent a quiet, quiet holiday. The quietest on record at the Anderson household, I believe, but it was good. We've started playing cards, Don & I, and he always says he doesn't know how to play this or that, but womps me anyway. So we played cards, munched, and watched the fireworks on TV...now, how's that for exciting!!!!

Just want, too, to pass along a note about Jim's mom, Laura. She passed away Sunday afternoon. Visitation is Thursday evening, at Fitzgerald's on Mulford from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. The funeral service is at 11:00 a.m. on Friday at the church building, with a one-hour visitation prior to the service. May God keep & care for Laura's loved ones. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." Psalm 116:15

Happy summering...
Love,
Don & Deb

Hello, hello!
We're a couple of days out from treatment and wondering if we can determine some kind of pattern here. Perhaps - and perhaps some of you that have had chemo can confirm what we're finding, though it may really just depend on the specific chemo drugs themselves.

The pattern we're seeing is a little nausea (very manageable...hardly worth mentioning), exhaustion, and "out of breath" after chemo. I hadn't realized how good I was feeling just before this second round - until now we're home and done. Whew! It's hard to even raise my arms to hold the newspaper. The "out of breath" does NOT seem to be related to the cancer in the lungs. That is great news!!! The doctors believe it is related to the chemo. I think they are correct. The one doctor said the spots in the lungs are too small to cause shortness of breath - that is fabulous!!

So, a week or two or three to "climb back up the mountain" recovering along the way and then be ready to withstand the treatment...we can do this! With God's help!! Will each cycle be more difficult to climb up out of? Don't know that...we're not going to invite trouble; it's going to have to come uninvited!!

We're looking forward to a wonderful 4th of July...not doing much, but it's a holiday and even though plans aren't many, it's still a "holiday" feel! Hope each one of us will offer thanks to God for our freedom here in these United States of America - and to those who have fought and sacrificed for our freedom.

And - just a "shout out" to our Minnesota family...a big celebration is planned for the 4th marking the 125th anniversary of the church there and then the Anderson Family Reunion on the 5th. Oh, how we wanted to be there celebrating with you all! You know Don is just crazy about Minnesota and his MN family - he's just a Minnesota kid at heart and is missing terribly being there, though he would never let on. One time, he even drove up just to play Rook with his cousins! So we send our love and hope that the celebrations are just wonderful!!

Oh, one more thing...in today's Rockford newspaper, on the "national" page, (page 3A, I think) there is an article about the oil spill in Florida and a picture of a woman, a young man, and a little girl. You will never believe this...that is my cousin Susan (we were born on the same day, same year here in Rockford) her son, Karl, and Sue's granddaughter, Abigail. I haven't seen her in years - we've lost track of one another over time. My mom called my attention to the picture (she's always reading the fine print!) and sure enough! Of all the things...go figure.

Well, I've rambled enough...thanks for listening!

Happy 4th of July,
Love,
Deb

Hi there...we've arrived home safe & sound. It was a shorter afternoon than expected - all went very well. On the days I have treatment, I'm "encouraged" to drink 120 oz. of liquid. 120 oz.!! A gallon is 128 oz. Whew! That's a lot - but it can be any liquid, doesn't have to be just water. So I drink juice, tea, milk, and get some water in, too.

The next treatment is at the end of July - the 4-week cycle instead of 3. We did what we could to push & push it back to the 3-week cycle, but to no avail. So we will rest in the hope that this will be ok for now. I just have it in my mind that we're letting the cancer grow another week, rather than how the doctor says it - that we're letting the drug work another week while this body recovers a little more.

Really, what it comes down to is that we are simply trusting that God's hand is directing this and though we push for what we think is best, we don't know everything about this and we choose to trust that God is guiding our doctors & nurses in this. It's a determination on our part to make decisions as best we can with the knowledge we have, but always, always acknowledging God's sovereignty and His ways. We pray and pray - and we know some of you do, too. That gives us the confidence to say "ok" when things go differently than planned - trusting that the throne of God has been approached before we even get to the point of need and He has our plan laid out. Because, you see, living with cancer - living with cancer is hard. Any ache, pain, cough - anything - your mind plays tricks on you. Is the cancer growing? Is it taking over? And when the game plan changes, that really plays tricks with your head - and heart. So we rest in His care and the knowledge and wisdom He gives us and those giving us care - and He has, for sure! May all the glory be His, now and forevermore!

Love you's...and goodnight!
Don & Deb