WE MADE IT TO ROUND 6!!!!

Thankful here for a special person who dolled me up to make me feel
"good on the inside and the outside" for my trip to NYC. What a treat!

I can hardly believe it!  Round 6 is here!  Today I went with my very best friends to go and get my blood work.  During round 5 I had elevated enzymes which caused a delay in my treatment.  This time around I wanted to know for sure that round 6 would have no surprises.  I was with my friends when I got the phone call from my nurse that my blood work looked excellent!  I was so happy.  We actually high-fived in the store out of excitement.  Then we realized we were high fiving for chemo.  That's a strange thing to do but in this context it was a joyous thing!  I was going to be able to go through with round 6 and have my best friends with me who flew all the way from Seattle to to be there for my final round.  How exciting is that?!

These last three weeks flew by so fast.  We had Halloween.

Halloween 

 Nnenna's 10th birthday parties.

All of you many cards sent to Nnenna on her birthday!

Thank you Jess and Karen for all of your help decorating!
It looked amazing!

Pamper Spa Party with Friends

 And a girls trip to NYC with my very best friends followed by a trip back to Pittsburgh for my final chemo day. While in NYC we had the opportunity to go to Macy's where I was treated to an amazing makeover. The lady that helped me gave me a new set of eyebrows and brought my face back to the non rosacea self!  It was lots of fun! My best friends mothers sent them on the trip with sweet cards and a little gift in them.  That gift was put to good use by being able to purchase a little makeup to help me find a little normal in my face.

Before and After

Helping me prep the cold caps

Friends trying out the cold caps to feel what it feels like.

Nyack College: Driscoll Cottage: Where our Lifelong Friendship began!

Keeping with tradition: Playing Scrabble and drinking Italian Soda's
And enjoying Pittsburgh Popcorn!

Walking the Brooklyn Bridge

Thank you Moms for my new makover!

I'm getting eyebrows!

Saw the Rockettes!

Radio City Music Hall

Our favorite restaurant: Dallas BBQ  

Walking through Saks just for fun!

Cheers to our beautiful friendship! 

I have had to push through but thankfully I got through it. The thoughts that kept passing through my mind as I pushed through the hard days is that, I am still mom.  I wanted to be mom.  I love my children so much and do not want my hardships to effect them in ways that could be avoidable.  God was gracious and gave me exactly the energy I needed to be able to make wonderful memories. It was all worth it! I want to thank so many of you who also blessed Nnenna with cards and gifts.  You equally made her day all the more memorable and special and for that I am eternally grateful for your love and generosity.  Thank you!!

Hair update:  This round seemed to have a little extra hair shedding going on.  I don't know exactly why but it did.  I only shampooed once this whole round because I feel it makes my hair shed more.

Here is my hair after round 5.  Some Dry Scalp and more thinning.

 I find that rinsing without shampoo is the way to go.  Since I am going through chemo my hair is drier anyway so rinsing really is fine.  I have been wearing little headbands to make myself feel more comfortable with the thinning.  Let me tell you, this process has been so so worth it.  In the beginning it took a huge emotional toll but in my mind I kept reminding myself to stick with the process.  I had to talk myself out of the urge to just shave it all off, I had to accept myself for the morphing that would occur, I had to trust that God was going to give me all the strength that I needed to endure the changes. As hard as it was and still is, it gave me the freedom to feel more like myself. It helped me to still look like wife, friend and mommy.  That made for me the hard road, a little less hard.  I know if it had to turn out that I would lose all of my hair, they would still love me and would adapt but I am so grateful that this process thus far has been very favorable for me. I want to thank my dear dear sister in law for the time and dedication to loving me and serving me through all of this.  She has been my rock through the hair process and has never left my side, even when having a newborn baby. And my strong mom who came as often as she could dealing with her own surgeries. Thank you Ladies!

My team!!!

Sometimes Toben wants to get in on the headband action!

My schedule in the next month is going to very busy. Tomorrow I will have chemotherapy at the Wexford Health and Wellness Pavilion from 8am to 2:30pm (unless they are faster or slower then that could change).  On Thursday I will have an MRI at Allegheny General Hospital that will look for any remaining tumors. Next Monday is my birthday.  Most likely my time will be spent resting.  I'm OK with that. Tuesday the 22nd I will have an ultrasound and then a follow up appointment with my oncologist surgeon, Dr. Duggal.  I am excited to see if we have made any progress.  Then on the 23rd I will meet with my regular oncologist to go over further treatment plans such as the next steps in the process. Next comes THANKSGIVING! Please pray that I can eat!!! Pray for my tongue. The way the past has been unfolding my tongue has been intolerable which makes it hard to eat and enjoy anything.   November 29th I will have an angio CT scan and a follow up with my plastic surgeon, Dr. White to go over the results of the angio CT and to plan out my surgery. Dec. 1 I will resume my acupuncture therapy. December 12, I am scheduled with Dr. Duggal and Dr. White for my double mastectomy and immediate DIEP reconstruction.  As you can see this next month is going to be very busy!

As I prep for surgery I have been looking into getting a lift recliner as I will need a place to sleep that will allow my body to be positioned in such a way that will offer me the best healing possibility.  It surely will make standing up much easier as well.  I want to put a shout out to some awesome people who will remain anonymous for a $500 donation to go towards my chair.  Thank you!!!

Why can't recliners be a bit more attractive? 

I also want to thank everyone who is providing meals, housecleaning, childcare,, prayers, and financial support. All of you have made this process so much easier.  This journey is so tough and takes a lot of time away from my normal duties and all of you have surrounded me with the best support team anyone could ever ask for!  You have shown me grace and love.  It is so amazing how a process like this can form new friendship and enrich your life for the better.  I do not take any one of you for granted!  Thank you!!! And you know who you are! Thank you for being there for me and my family! Especially the Bellevue Moms who blessed our family tonight with a wonderful care package for me and my children.  They provided a wonderful meal and were so so sweet!  Thank you.

I am thankful for this sweet friend who drove 2 hrs to come and see me.
She is a faithful prayer warrior!  Thank you!

Today 11/16/16 will be my last day of chemo and cold capping!!!! woohooo!  If you  would like to visit me at the Wexford Health and Wellness Pavilion we would love to see you.  12311 Perry Hwy, Wexford, PA 15090 Cancer Center. Park in the upper front of the building instead of down in the covered parking area.  The upper part will lead you right to the cancer center. Come in turn left and speak to the lady at the desk and tell them you are here to see me.  No children please (their policy).
I will be finishing my cold capping 4 hours from when I finish my treatment and will live video my countdown to taking the caps off.  I hope you can join me on Facebook for my countdown. It will be anytime between 5 and 7pm.  I'll keep you posted on that as well!


We did it!  We made it to the end of the first phase!  Thank you Jesus!! Can you tell I'm excited?

Woohoo! I love you all!

And last but not least I would like to thank my wonderful husband!  He has been the most amazing husband one could ever ask for.  He loves me so so well. He cares for me, He prays for me daily. He has been my rock and my absolute  best friend.  He has endured a huge loss.  The day of my discovery on July 5th which is when I told him something was wrong was the day our lives changed.  We went into survival mode. Deep compassionate as if your life depended on it kind of love swept in.  The petty fighting that creeps into marriages basically ceased as we faced the unknown future ahead.  This man, is my everything!  I love him with every fiber of my being!  He is gentle, compassionate, humble and a servant.  BARNABAS AGWUOCHA.... Thank you for seeing me through these six rounds!  Thank you!!!! I love you!! This wife of yours ain't going no where!!! We got this! God's got this!

His faithful prayers over me daily.

The love in his eyes at the beginning of this journey.

Tears of love

First time seeing me at Chemo. Very emotional.