Leap to 2024

Mom with her Great Grandson!

 I don't know where the time has gone - and here we are in January, 2024!

I would say overall 2023 was a great year for many reasons. Mom celebrated her 14th year as an Ovarian Cancer Survivor! No one saw her surviving 14 years when she was diagnosed. In March, 2009, she was Stage 3 and was told that she had about three years. Fast forward through surgery and 5 rounds of chemo, we are here celebrating 2024. 

She did make it through 2020/21 without getting COVID, however COVID caught up with her in December 2022. It didn't really hit her as hard as I expected it to, and she recovered just fine. SO TAKE THAT COVID! 

All things said and done, mom is healthy and looking at no cancer issues at the moment. Her CA125 is stable and she has no other symptoms. She has already said that if something surfaces, she does not want any more chemo. 

HAPPIER NEWS - In 2023 we celebrated the birth of Sidney Hamlet Sparkman, our first grandchild and mom's first GREAT grandchild! He was born August 5, 2023 and has been a definite joy in our lives. I'm sure all grandparents say this but Sid is a special baby! So full of personality! Our Christmas was spent just watching Sid - open presents, play with tissue paper, stare at the tree.

Mom is still singing in her church choir and making quilts. She participated in the Geneseo Quilt Show last fall. We also made quite a few trips to Peoria to see her sister, Rosemary, who is in assisted living facility. She is in mid-stages of Alzheimers, and mom recognizes all of those behaviors all too well after going through the same thing with her (and Rosemary's) mom. 

Mom in church choir, front row, 5th person from the left. 

Because of my [NOW] family cancer history, and the fact that my mom's genetics are my genetics, I had a total hysterectomy in June 2023 to lessen my chances of ovarian cancer developing in my body. I was having some post-menopausal issues and my gynecologist thought the surgery was the best way to ensure that there was not time for any cancer to develop. The surgery went well, biopsies negative, and I am fully recovered and was able to at least squeeze one marathon run in for 2023.

The long and the short of the message is this: Ovarian cancer is the 5th most common cancer in women. Early detection is key and knowing the subtle symptoms (persistent bloating, pelvic/abdominal pain, difficulty eating, and feeling full quickly) and understanding the risk factors and family history are all a part of the formula to make sure that ovarian cancer is caught early. 

Christmas Island

The holidays were balmy in Rock Island! On Christmas Eve day all of our boys - Chad & wife Katie; Scotty and Stephanie; Ethan and Katie's sister Becki were in town for the day. We were able to have a nice dinner together and spend time hanging out and even went for a nice walk at Longview Park!

We haven't been able to be together for over a year - so it was nice to spend time with family. 

Mom has been relatively healthy this year in spite of COVID - and that is largely due to her being vaccinated + boosted and keeping a mask on. Her blood counts and checkups are going well and Dr. Porubcin doesn't see any cause for concern. Her cancer is being kept at bay. Those are the small (yet large) blessings that we are thankful for every day. 

Longview Park

Mom and Tom at Longview Park

NOCC Team TEAL for the NYC Marathon

This year I deferred my Chicago Marathon app to 2022 and joined the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition Team Teal Charity to run the TCS New York City Marathon! My fundraising page >>

The event was last Sunday, November 7 - and overall the team raised $315,000 for ovarian cancer research, education and awareness! I was incredibly proud to be among such amazing people who each had a story behind their motivation to raise money for the cause. We even had an oncologist and an ovarian cancer survivor on the team. That speaks volumes about how important this cause is to everyone. 

Running the New York Marathon was an experience in itself - ! To be honest I struggled a bit with this one...the late start for my wave (10:30 a.m.) and having to take an early shuttle to Staten Island and wait 4 four hours threw me off of my training routine. I still managed to crank out the miles. Cancer is tough, and I admire each and every person who has had to battle with cancer. That's what I kept thinking as I ran those - if my mom and cousin Heather and cousin Demara (and many friends) can go through chemo, then I can run 26.2 miles and deal with a little discomfort. 

Easter Blessings

Easter Sunday 2021! Mom is vaccinated (Pfizer); Ethan, Chad and Tom got on the Moderna train; and Scotty and I got the J&J one-shooter.  

THEREFORE - we were able to enjoy a nice Easter dinner together (made Coconut Cream Pie - Grandma McCann's recipe) and then sit outside for about three hours to visit and enjoy the sunshine! It was a great afternoon! 

I feel very fortunate that we all made it this far without a COVID diagnosis and were able to get vaccinated. If there is one reason to get the COVID vaccine it is to protect those people who are vulnerable... like mom - an 82 year old cancer patient with a weakened immune system. I know that we aren't all out of the woods yet...I'm still wearing a mask when I go out and using hand sanitizer, etc. but there is a little less worry in the air now that mom has a boost in her immune system with the vaccine. 

The month of March marked 12 years since mom was diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer. Her doctor checkups have been good and there has been nothing of concern. Easter is a time of miracles and mom is nothing less than a miracle. 

There aren't big plans on the horizon for right now - we are looking forward to Aunt Carol's memorial service in May and making a visit to the farm to spread the ashes. I think we need to get through more of the Pandemic before planning some travels, but at the very least we are able to get together and she can visit with her grandsons again. That is what grandma's live for! 

 

Holiday Postscript

I usually do a holiday blog post, but we didn't gather over the holidays, so there are no photos or occasions to review. We all kept our distance - Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. 

Tom and I went out to mom's on Christmas Eve to deliver gifts and food... I made some more of Grandma McCann's apple bars! You can't beat comfort food on a bitter cold day - and it was cold! 

That was the extent of our Christmas. 

We are all doing what we need to do to make sure that we can have celebrations in the future when this pandemic ends. From mom's perspective - she has been through a pandemic before...or rather an epidemic - when the polio virus was running rampant in the late 1940's. Mom recollected that Grandma and Grandpa did not take them off of the farm at all during those years for fear of picking up the polio virus. There were as many unknowns for awhile, but the only thing that they knew they could do was to keep to themselves and limit exposure. So that is what Grandma and Grandpa did - kept mom and her sisters safe on the farm. 

Mom's health in 2020 has been great overall, and her doctor check-ups continue to show positive results. She is frail, but the cancer has been kept at bay, partly due to mom's great attitude and safe practices (wearing a mask, keeping distanced, not gathering) and partly due to continued prayers by family and friends. There is always room for prayer. 

Carol, Barb and Rosemary, Class Reunion 2019

A sad as the holidays were this time around, there was a greater sadness in the family - mom's sister Carol passed in the morning on New Year's Day. Carol had a terrible infection in early December and had to be admitted into the hospital. There was a little bit of improvement by Christmas however I think her body was weary and her spirit was ready for some peace.  

Our family gatherings won't be the same without Aunt Carol. She will be missed. In many ways she was the information conduit and family curator of photos, memorabilia and history. She was very social and the life of the party. At the Streator Class reunion in 2019, she knew just about everyone from each class and if she didn't know someone, then she was their best friend by the time the night was over. She even found a guy to swing her around the dance floor in her wheelchair. 

Aunt Carol on the dance floor!

Aunt Carol was a great gift-giver. If she saw something that she thought you would like or enjoy, she bought it. Many of the Christmas ornaments on my tree are from her from over the years. I still have a large ceramic bunny coin bank that she gave me when I was 7 or 8 years old. She painted it purple because she knew I liked the color purple. She also put a nickel in it and told me that I was to keep that nickel in there no matter what. I think she even threatened to check the bunny bank every time she came to my house to make sure that the nickel was in there. Well, Aunt Carol, the nickel is still there.  

L to R: Ruth/Sharon, Barbara (mom), Rosemary and Carol. Circa 1947(ish) 

L to R: Larry, Ruth/Sharon, Carol, Rosemary, Barbara. Early 1950's

Cancer, COVID and Small Celebrations

Each year when flu season comes around, I worry about people spreading germs and about mom coming down with some weird flu strain and how something as simple as the flu could take her down fast. Because it happens - I have known people to die from the [regular] flu.

Enter the COVID 19 Coronavirus. IF there was any good to come out of all of this, it is that people are wearing face masks (mom included) and are taking extra precautions. Mom's immune system has been severely compromised. Since 2009, mom has been through invasive surgery, 5 rounds of a variety of chemo cocktails and terrible (at times almost deadly) side effects. Her body can't fight infections like it used to and she is in a high risk category as we make our way through the pandemic.

Eleven years has passed since mom was diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer. At the time (2009), her prognosis was 3 years, tops. When I reflect, there was no doubt in my mind that she would live beyond the 3 years. I knew she was strong enough (and stubborn enough) to get through it. And here we are in 2020.

Valentines Day 2020 at the Cellar in Geneseo

These last 11 years have been a curse, but they have also been a blessing, because once you see someone live through the unthinkable, then you understand the important things... and the rest of it has to fall away.

Cancer doesn't hold the power that it once did - even though it is *technically* still lurking in her body, mom has turned the tables on cancer and silenced the effect that it has had on her life. The focus has not been on the cancer, but on the power of prayer and a positive attitude.

So this is a cause for a small celebration - even though we can't really celebrate together right now. I'm thankful to be at this point in the journey where she has made it through the worst and that her story can give someone else hope that they can beat the odds too.

In the same way, it gives me hope that we will make it through the pandemic. Cancer has given mom a new normal and the COVID 19 is giving us another new normal. Even though our lives are changed, we are still together.

Christmas 2019

Mom, Chad w/ girlfriend Katie, and Mother-in-law Anna.

Christmas 2019 - a busy week with family! It was a full house on Christmas Eve (three boys and the girlfriends!) and we all managed to squeeze around the dining room table for a lasagna dinner. As usual, we had our fill of cookies, snacks, candy, a very good variety of cheese (thanks to Chad).

On Christmas morning, Mom went with Tom on his daily walk through Longview Park. All said and done, they put in over 2 miles of zig-zagging around the park while Tom picked up trash. A little while later, we decided to walk to Friendship Manor (an assisted living care facility) to say hello to Tom's mom, Ann. It was such a beautiful and balmy day for the Midwest so mom got plenty of steps for the Fitbit.

As 2019 comes to a close, we have a lot to be thankful for. Mom has had good health overall, and her doctor check-ups continue to show positive results. The cancer has been kept at bay, partly due to mom's great attitude and partly due to continued prayers by family and friends.

We are looking forward to 2020 and hoping for more of the same - good health and good times with family and friends!

Aunt Carol, mom and Aunt Rosemary at the Seneca All-Class Reunion
in October.